Weapons for large animal hunters

In the post-last glacial era, American hunters developed effective weapons to hunt mammots, giant bison and other large, thick-skinned animals that provided them with food and possibly other resources, such as skins. The hunters developed two main types of stone tips, Clovis and Folsom, according to the New Mexico sites in which they were found. They formed a very thin, sharp spear arrow or tip sharpening the center stone to the edges and on both sides. The base of the tip was crocheted to fit firmly into a rod or sleeve.

The whale hunt.

It is a risky activity, as hunters have to penetrate the sea and move in the center of the herd to nail the harpoon on an animal. The effort is worth it because the tons of meat and fat produced by one whale are enough to feed many families.

In the spring, whales migrate north to their summer hives, following the coasts of Alaska and Labrador. Whale hunters travel in an umiak, a drift wooden boat coated with fox leather or morse leather. The length of this type of boat is about nine meters and can accommodate up to ten people. The harpooner claws the weapon when a whale strikes the surface in the vicinity of the boat. The wounded whale quickly submerges and drags a line that is tied to air-filled fox-skin floaters. Each time an animal appears in dispute, the hunters draw more harpoons to it. The whale is exhausted due to wounds and attempts to dive despite the resistance of the floaters, and is eventually sacrificed with a last harponazo.

The hunters untie the dead animal by dragging it to the shore, a difficult manoeuvre because the sea is usually overwhelmed. Residents share meat and fat, while excess meat is stored in “expenditure” excavated in frozen soil. The fat of the whales is melted to produce oil, which is marketed.

Hunting with respect

Arctic and subarctic hunters follow strict standards of respect for their prey. The Mistassini lake cries place food on the fireplace during the feast that they celebrate after the hunt so that the spirits of the dead animals ingest them through the smoke.

Bears are very sensitive and, to frighten the chariots, they place the bones of the broken animal in an elevated tarima. The offender and his family suffer if the bear discovers that their remains have not been treated properly.

Some Inuit believed that the head of the caribou should be cut off once it had been sacrificed to put an end to the sufferings of the Caribou's soul. For the sake of their prey, whale hunters kept the camps clean and organized because they believed they appreciated order.

The Inuit believed that putting ivory amulets depicting the bear and the polar bear on the drag ropes of slaughtered animals attracted favor from the animals and brought luck to the hunter.