Logistics
Yu'pik
The name "Yu'pik" means authentic people.
Listen how "Yu'pik" is pronounced 
These Inuit people are living on both sides of the Bering Strait in Alaska and Chukotka. During GoNorth! 2007, we will be learning about the (approximate) 1,700 "Siberian Yu'pik" who live in Chukotka, Russia.
Traditional Yu'pik have hunted mammals from the sea for thousands of years. The meat, fat, bones, and skins of whale, walrus, and seal met all of their needs for food, clothing, shelter, fuel, and trading. These Yu'pik were also famous for their bone-carving, an art that became even more refined after they were introduced to European metal carving tools.
Today, Yu'pik culture continues to thrive on the land and sea. During spring and summer, families live at their "fish camps" that are scattered along the coast. Here, they fish and hunt marine mammals, gather greens and birds' eggs, and pick berries. In the winter, the Yu'pik stay at their village homes, fishing for salmon and hunting seal.
Most Yu'pik homes do not have running water. People haul water to their homes every day, and bathroom waste is delivered to the city landfill. People do their laundry and shower at a community facility. Earning often come from carving ivory doll-making and other artistry, fishing, and trapping.
One of the most exciting times of year for the Yu'pik is springtime. It is the end of a long winter and is when whaling season begins!
Today's Yu'pik are still sea mammal hunters, using not only traditional skin boats, but modern open whaleboats and even sea-going ships to hunt. The products derived from hunting beluga, blue and grey whales, walrus, and seal are mostly consumed by the Yu'pik people themselves, as opposed to being sold for a profit.
Other food production activities include breeding reindeer and poultry farming. A new food processing plant is also producing meat, milk, and bread products.
Source and image: courtesy of http://www.chukotka.org
