Iñupiaq Drumming and Global Warming

  • The Iñupiat people are a group of Indigenous Americans who have lived in present-day Alaska for thousands of years. They are part of Inuit culture, which is present across the Arctic, from Alaska to Canada to Greenland.
  • Drumming is an important aspect of Iñupiat musical culture. In fact, hand drums called qilaun (image below) are the only traditional Iñupiat instruments, and they are usually accompanied by singing. Traditional drum dances require 5 to 20 drummers, many of whom are hunters, with accompanying dancers. Drum performances recount stories through song and dance, often telling local folktales.

Photograph of a qilaun, or hand drum, used by Iñupiat drummers. The drum is 50 cm (20 in) long and handcrafted out of animal organ lining with a wooden frame (from Diver, 2015).

  • In Iñupiat culture, qilaun and bowhead whales are spiritually and intimately intertwined. Qilaun are made from the organ lining of large mammals, usually whales, stretched across a wooden frame. As such, qilaun give whales eternal life after death in the form of an instrument. Qilaun are also periodically fed with water to preserve them, giving both the whale and the drum life. 
  • According to Iñupiat elders, drumming originated with the adoption of the whale hunt. Through drum performances, musicians calm the whales and encourage a successful hunt. Drum dances revolve around the whaling hunting season (which lasts from April to June), and qilaun themselves symbolize the connection between people, animals, and the environment. In Barrow, one of the northernmost permanent settlements in Alaska, two annual whale feasts are held, both with drum dances.
    • One such feast called Nalukataq is held in late June, after the spring whaling season. Between the end of the hunt and nalukataq, women prepare and butcher the whale meat and blubber for the festival. On Nalukataq day, the community enjoys food together in a festive celebration. At midnight, a drum dance is performed to close out the night.
    • The Iñupiat people practice subsistence hunting, taking a limited number of bowhead whales each year. This custom is not detrimental to the local whale population, as only a small portion of the animals are hunted. All parts of the whale carcass are used and nothing goes to waste. This practice is essential to providing food, construction materials, and instruments.

Photograph of an Iñupiat drumming performance by the Tagiugmuit dance group in Barrow, Alaska, taken in 2008 (from Sakakibara, 2009).

  • You can listen to a performance of Iñupiat drumming here and learn more about the practice here.

How is this related to climate?

  • Iñupiat hunters rely on stable Arctic sea ice to hunt and transport whales. Each bowhead whale is about 60 feet (18 meters) long and weighs about 75 tons. Whalers must haul the carcass on the ice (image below), where they cut the meat, using a pulley system called a block and tackle. However, thinning Arctic sea ice is making this increasingly difficult. If the ice is not thick enough, it cannot support the whale’s weight, often resulting in the kill being lost.

Photograph of Iñupiat whalers hauling a bowhead whale carcass onto the sea ice, where they will process it to take home. Subsistence whaling has been practiced for centuries and is an important part of Iñupiat life that provides food, building materials, and instruments (from Atlas Obscura, 2020).

    • Since the 1980s, the Arctic region has warmed significantly, with air temperatures increasing three times faster than other areas of the world due to anthropogenic climate change. In 2020, the average surface air temperature was 3.8°F (2.1°C) warmer than the average temperature observed between 1981 and 2010. Furthermore, researchers have found that sea ice coverage has decreased by 13% every decade.
    • The Arctic is one of the most affected regions by anthropogenic climate change. Melting Arctic ice also has negative effects on the global scale. For one, sea ice acts as a natural temperature regulator. Its light color (albedo) reflects sunlight and cools the Arctic, but as sea ice is melted, the dark ocean surface is exposed, allowing the sunlight’s heat to be absorbed. Melting Arctic ice is also contributing to global sea level rise.
  • Without a successful whale harvest, the Iñupiat people cannot make new qilaun. The drum tops are extremely fragile and require meticulous care to maintain. In the event that qilaun are damaged or broken, a whale membrane is needed to repair them. Due to climate change’s impact on subsistence whaling, many Iñupiat people are forced to use plastic alternatives for their drums. According to the drummers, plastic is more durable and accessible but doesn’t produce the same authentic sound as traditional qilaun. Since 2005, the majority of drummers in Barrow, Alaska have used plastic drum skins. 
  • Despite the challenges brought on by anthropogenic climate change, the Iñupiat people continue to demonstrate resilience in the rapidly changing environment. The hard conditions have brought the Iñupiat community closer and stronger than ever. According to one drummer, drum music is more important than ever, to help keep the Iñupiaq’s relationship to the whales strong.

Further exploration

  • Various efforts have been made across the world to reduce sea ice loss in the Arctic and help Iñupiaq hunters:
    • For example, a California non-profit organization called Arctic Ice Project is working to restore sea ice by releasing a thin layer of fine silica beads into Arctic waters. They hope that this floating white powder will increase the albedo in the Arctic, cooling the water and helping sea ice reform. This strategy has proved successful in creating thick ice when tested in lakes and ponds in Canada and the U.S. While biologists have concerns about the long-term effects of the beads on local environments, researchers are continuing to study the impacts of the beads before applying them to targeted areas vulnerable to sea ice loss.
    • Matthew Druckenmiller, a researcher at the National Snow and Ice Data Center has developed a GPS mapping tool with information on ice thickness and extent used by Iñupiat hunters. This technology has benefited whalers by helping them direct people to their hunting camps and find ice thick enough to drive and haul whale carcasses on.

References and additional resources