The story of St. Lawrence Island whaler Chris Apassingok’s first harvest was celebrated by his community as a rite of passage for a young hunter and for the food it provided to Gambell residents, but the local celebration was met with a vicious backlash from anti-whaling activists online. A new documentary titled One with the Whale captures the Apassingok family’s efforts to heal and maintain their indigenous values in the aftermath of the event. On this episode of Alaska Insight, host Lori Townsend is joined by Chris’s father, Daniel Apassingok, and one of the film’s directors, Jim Wickens, to discuss the story it tells.
This Week’s Headlines:
- Husband of sole Wrangell landslide survivor found dead in search
- Mat-Su high school students sue school district alleging free speech violations
- Russian Orthodox Archpriest Michael Oleksa dies at 76
Related:
- Premiere of ‘One with the Whale’ highlights Indigenous subsistence hunting
- One with the Whale website
- Anchorage International Film Festival: One with the Whale
Madilyn Rose is the program producer at Alaska Public Media. Reach her at mrose@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Madilyn here.
