Special: Point Hope

Rural Alaska | Features
Alaska Beat | Arctic | Anchorage

THE SERIES: When the Western Arctic caribou herd wandered close to Point Hope in summer 2008, village hunters went out in pursuit of the animals as they have for generations. This hunt turned out like no other. Some caribou were killed and left to rot on the tundra. Alaska State Troopers tipped off to the waste came north to investigate, resulting in charges against eight villagers, who are now due to stand trial Nov. 30. The hunt for the truth of what happened on the tundra has left more questions than answers, as reporter Jill Burke discovered during a visit to the village last month.

In video captured for the cable channel Animal Planet, obtained by Alaska Dispatch, state troopers scour the hills southeast of Point Hope for evidence of the alleged caribou slaughter.

Home video provided to investigators allegedly documents the hunt's aftermath. In this sequence, former teacher Point Hope Kurt Schmidt counts carcasses.

Point Hope resident Ashley Oktollik shows a visitor the subsistence foods in his freezer.

Point Hope elder Elijah Attungana reacts to claims that village hunters wasted caribou.

Point Hope elder Alice Weber on the accusations of wasted meat.

Caribou crime: The hunt for the hunters

ph-slide3-1

PART I: When a caribou herd wandered close to Point Hope in summer 2008, hunters pursued the animals as they have for generations. But something went wrong. Caribou were killed and left to rot. (Published Oct. 21, 2009)

Special: Point Hope | Jill Burke |

The Point Hope 8

ph-slide3-2

PART II: The state has built cases against eight Point Hope hunters for wasting caribou meat. But the laws the men allegedly broke float across a cultural divide that shapes interpretations. (Published Oct. 22, 2009)

Special: Point Hope | Jill Burke |

Looking to the past to move forward

ph-slide3-3

PART III: With its community under scrutiny and eight local hunters accused of crimes, the Village of Point Hope is taking matters into its own hands. (Published Oct. 23, 2009)

Special: Point Hope | Jill Burke |

Of caribou and people by Seth Kantner

Not just in Point Hope, but across Alaska there are hunters who are wasteful, disrespectful, and just plain wrong-acting toward animals. Put enough people with enough guns close to enough animals and that behavior can show up.

Teacher recalls mass caribou kill

by Kurt Schmidt

When Point Hope teacher Kurt Schmidt discovered dozens of dead caribou on the tundra near the village in summer 2008, he was outraged. This is his account of what he saw and why it matters to him.

Hunting for culture by Craig Medred

Father's memory poses unanswerable questions about the cultural value of modern hunting.

Making sense of the Pt. Hope caribou case by Stephen Conn

To view the Point Hope caribou case from the village perspective, you would have to be on the receiving end of American policy and appreciate that as the context. For Point Hopers, it is a rich one.

Special: Point Hope |