Brent Reaney
Northern News Services

Repulse Bay (Aug 01/05) - Sixteen Repulse Bay hunters are anticipating the arrival of Aug. 14.

That's the planned date for the beginning of the bowhead whale hunt, said hunt committee chair Laimmiki Malliki.

The chosen hunters were selected from about 60 people who put their names forward.

"It was very hard," he said of the selection process, while taking a break from cleaning a narwhal at his Repulse Bay home last week. "But I haven't seen anybody get disappointed."

Most of the hunters are middle aged, but Malliki said four younger people were also selected to learn the skills of the hunt.

Marcel Mapsalak was chosen as the captain.

David Nukik, Laurent Kringayark, and Joe Angotigor have been chosen as Mapsalak's first, second, and third mates respectively, and will each be directing one of four boats.

Elder John Kounuk has been chosen as the harpooner.

Also on the hunt will be Mark Tagornak, Larry Tagornak, John Tinashlu, Philip Uttik, Jackie Milortok, Ronnie Milortok, Adam Milortok, Jamie Malliki, and Johnathan Siusangark.

Names of the other four hunters were not available by deadline.

A large shoulder mounted grenade-holding gun is being ordered from overseas, he said, though he did have exact details about the weapon. An exploding harpoon will also be used.

The community will also be making some of its own weapons.

Volunteer hunters

In order to keep costs down, everybody on the hunt will be a volunteer.

While the bowhead whale is listed as endangered under Canada's Species at Risk Act, the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement - with approval from the federal minister of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) - allows beneficiaries a chance to harvest one animal every three to five years.

Repulse Bay's proposal was selected from six submissions in February. In 2002, Hall Beach and Iglulik shared the hunt.

DFO representatives will be riding alongside the hunters in a separate boat to ensure that, among other things, only one animal is harvested, and any animal injured by the hunting party is recovered.

The department is also planning to meet with the hunters prior to the event to go through the rules one last time.

While people from all communities are welcome to visit for the hunt, the kill must be observed from at least 1.5 kilometres away.

Portions of the bowhead's much sought-after maktak will be available Nunavut-wide.

"If a community wants a maktak, all they would have to do is pay for the freight to their community," Malliki said.