Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska The Last True Eskimos in Alaskan Northwest

Interesting documentary from the 1940's or 1950's

I'm sure that this was done "hollywood" style and not completely true to actual life style. But still very interesting

The guys face on the cover is Itermonyaq, of ''The people of the Netsiilik'' who was filmed in the early 50;s as him his wife Tingook, and their adopted grandson made a living in the Canadian Arctic, completely off the land, no guns, etc. They later were to reappear on the movie ''Never Cry Wolf'' as the Old Inuit folks the main character hunted with, and the young Inuit man who hunted Wolves.

We once owned a version , as we home schooled our kids and the curriculum had these movies.

Any filming made, is done ''Hollywood'', aka, editing and voiced over.....there is no other way, film is film...

Point Hope, for all its good and bad, is the longest contentiously occupied place in North America.
The ''old village'' where they are is abandoned due to erosion, and quite a new town was started in the 60's and slowly people moved over.

One cool note, his 1917 Enfeild 30-06 was most likely given to him at the end of his Alaska Territorial Guard service, as were all the other ATG rifles given out in 1942. I used to have a 1/2 dozen of them, as they were very common.

I have watched this show several times over the decades. Any documentary, scenes have to be edited or fluffed up for the camera. This show is quite accurate and not much fluff. I took enjoyed his shooting scene but the rifle does not have much recoil for a 30-06. Without much doubt by me this is a military conversion, Remington did produce this rifle as a sporter is smaller calibers. I like the fact they ate the fish raw. Quite common as any fuel for fire was very limited. Neat show.

Thanks, Owl! I enjoyed that!

My wife kept her dads ATG M1917. He 'sporterd' it and made a few repairs, with one that ended the stock as an ivory schnabel.
He kept it apon discharge of his ATG services, as the ATG was taken into the National Guard and outfitted with M1Garands.

Im fairly sure Winchester also ( though Im not 100% sure) made a ''sporter'' model in the 30's, but then again, I havent seen one unmodified ATG issue out there.
Most were just stock reduction jobs, quiet a few had their sight ''ears'' front and back, removed.

Almost all had bright though worn bores with no pitting. Old school gun cleaning habits that show........

Those fish are frozen, not raw! And they're dipping in seal oil...which pretty much goes with anything....except 'crackers' (pilot bread). They get slathered with lard (Crisco these days ).

And you're right about fuels. Although quite probably the 'Eskimo' tribes would not have survived (just as many stranded whalers didn't) if they had cooked more of their food, since cooking reduces the scurvy preventive properties of so many available foods. Drying, aging, freezing/caching are all still common ways to preserve the traditional staples.

Crisco? ... were lucky to get Seal Oil. I cant do Coffee after Seal Oil though....

My wife is way into traditional nutrition, and its in and outs..... Eating frozen fish isnt viable without a caloric boost, hence the Seal/Whale (or Crisco) oil they dipped in. This makes for enough calories to thaw and digest the foods for a nutritional gain to the body, especially when outside in the cold. The Vitamin C not being destroyed by heat is a good note, Klikitarik, one I hadnt thought about much.

Final note, stuvwxyz, alas, I had to ''google'' and only Remington made a 'sporter' M1917 as the Modle 30, from 1921 to 1940, Winchester just surplussed them as they were, so the ones I saw were just very well sporterized Winchesters.....Im lernin' something new, everyday, even as an Old dog...... LOL!!

I noticed real quick them Winchester ammo boxes that were set on the counter in the trade house. Silver tips. And I thought I barely caught “.30 Remington for Automatic Rifles”. Thats all I saw, I’m sure “pump” was in there too!! 😁 Someone go back and look. Props Im sure! 🤣

Crisco on crackers (but everyone calls it 'lard', probably 'cause the first commercially traded solid fat was the tinned lard. Incidentally, nearly disintegrated lard tins have been some of the only metal found in the pits of the old semi-subT houses we've scoped with metal detectors. Fat was obviously a huge detail.... in case the modern diet leaves that in doubt.)

BTW, I've never had nor seen coffee offered after the rich traditional meals...always tea. I don't and won't eat Crisco on crackers or bread but certainly appreciate the palate cleansing and buffering properties of crackers and tea after a rich, high calorie meal.

I bought a few of the remaining boxes of old red/green/white 30 Remington from a local store; also picked up dozens of red and yellow Winchester and Western 225 Win ammo as well as a few more Rem and Win boxes of 303 Savage that were being dumped. Plenty of proof that headstamps don't mean a whole lot when it comes to making meat.

Is it just me, or do those folks look just like Mongols?

Damn! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Reminds me of older black gentleman who came in shop once and asked for a box of 32’s for his revolva. Asked if he needed longs or shorts he said, "jez gimme da long ones, I jez snips dem off til’ dey fits!"

I really liked that documentary. I would love to see more like it. I really like that the folks were/are self reliant. Awesome!

I had watched this one (..last true eskimo's...) several times. The other showing self reliant living is the Nonook movie.

In the mornings, my wife often eats Seal oil dipped 1/2 dryed Seal, Frozen Trout and Caribou for breakfast.
Shes lovin' the Chipolte' type Tobasco or Lea & Perrins spiked into the oil, and a cup of Hills Bro's....... water works fine for me...or coffee first....

As humans, and lucky enough to be US Citizens, were at a relitvly peacfull time in Human history. Lots of folks are getting fed, war is not so prevalent and medicines keep saving the day.....and the scum have risen as well.
Theres no way you could get by for long with out working your butt off back then.

Lots of truth there. One of my students back in the early 80s had a crazy lineage due to being a ‘snow baby’. Took me awhile to figure out why she had two families until I learned that her surname was simply the rescue family’s name.....speaking of tough lives even not so long ago. Edward Nelson relates a very similar story back in the early 1900s only the family who ditched the child was embarrassed when the baby was discovered before freezing and the parents took it back.

But changes continue....

Thinking "snow baby" is an abandoned baby.
But is there more, than what happens in big cities all the time.
A cultural element, or more to the term.


The 'Fire is so fascinating to me.
The knowledge base and experiences that gather together
in pursuit of a common pursuit, is unreal.

A couple of pics of Point Hope, circa 1984. It was a fascinating place, especially the old village. They wanted $400 or the Polar bear hide.

There's also a native there that has my Ruger Redhawk.

Very good!


Makes me feel ashamed that I dont know more about them.

This is my old Mod30 Remington Express in 30gov06.