The Eskimo 
vs. the Walrus 
vs. the Government 
Hunting walrus has traditionally provided Eskimos 
a means of subsistence. But should subsistence include 
color television, snowmobiles, and alcohol? 
by Dan Strickland 
The walrus-skin boat glided silently 
forward, its pliable bow pushing small 
chunks of ice to either side. The Es- 
kimos were tense but ready, their eyes 
directed ahead, gloved hands checking 
rifles and cartridges. 
“Take your cap off!” John whis- 
pered fiercely. “Walrus don’t like red. 
They see that, they’re gone.” 
I slid the wool cap from my head 
and stuffed it into a pocket, feeling 
immediately the gelid touch of the 
wind. 
It was after midnight, but the Arctic 
sun hung stubbornly above the north- 
ern horizon. Its rays turned the pack 
ice to amber and seemed to gild the 
sea itself with a placid sheen. Across 
the disintegrating pack ice of this late 
spring night Little Diomede Island 
rose abruptly, a stark sentinel at the 
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