ABSTRACT
Field research studies have reported that some aspects of native cultures, including economies, polities, and social structures, have been altered or disrupted by energy developments. This chapter focuses on a relatively new dimension of the literature on Native Americans and energy resource development: Eskimos and off-shore oil development. The single most important subsistence activity in Gambell and Savoonga is the hunt for the several marine mammal species which seasonally inhabit the Bering Sea waters surrounding St. Lawrence Island. Social relations coalesce around walrus hunting in such a way that major patrilineal clans are held together in an endless yearly round of hunting, butchering, distributing, and consuming walrus products. The Eskimos of St. Lawrence Island leave their villages in summer and early fall to fish, hunt a variety of seal species, and collect sea plants, invertebrates, and land plants. Eskimo girls on the island help raise siblings, nephews, nieces, and children adopted by their parents or grandparents.
