Big Miracle an the Alaskan natives

I do not know whether the film gives a realistic view about how it is to live in Alaska. I do not really know anything about how it is to live in Alaska, but I guess it is pretty similar to living in northern Norway. Maybe some readers from Alaska could tell me how it is to live in Alaska for them.

I've recently seen the movie ‘’Big Miracle’’. It is about three whales trapped in the ice in Alaska. They have no chance of surviving, because the weather is getting colder, and their little breathing hole in the ice is slowly closing. The local Eskimos, the natives of Alaska, give them only a few days left to live, and want to hunt them down for food. But, as a news reporter makes a small story about them that is showed on national TV, the whales receive a whole world’s sympathy. Greenpeace activists, politicians, Eskimos, news reporters and normal people all cooperate to save the wales, however, with very different personal motives. 

Greenpeace is an international environmental organization. They say that they work to keep the ‘’earths life in all its diversity’’. They are known for working against thing like deforestation, global warming, over-fishing and nuclear weapons. They use non-violent means to reach their goals, such as demonstrations, giving out information, and direct actions. Greenpeace is a huge organization with more than 3 million members, which means that they can make a big influence, they have even been called the most visible environmental organization in the world. Here in Norway, they are specially working against the whaling. Like in the movie, where Greenpeace wanted to save the whales from being killed by the Eskimos.

The Eskimos, or the Inuits, are the native people of Alaska.  The traditionally live of hunting and fishing whale, seal, fish and other animals. They could even catch polar bears and musk ox. As there are no plants or roots growing in the areas the Eskimos traditionally lived, they used sea grass with the food. There are 20 different Inuit languages and dialects, however, some of them are critically endangered, and some are even lost. That led to the establishment of the Alaskan Native Language Centre, in 1972. The centre works on researching and preserving native literature and information about native languages. Today, many Inuits live a modern life, just like anyone else. The furry coats that we saw in the movie are not an everyday suit, they used as a ceremony, probably similar to the traditional Sami clothing in Norway. The Inuit culture has faded over the years, but, they still try to keep their traditional lifestyle, and the languages and traditions are taught to the children. 

 

                                                                                        An Eskimo family from 1915