The Qiivitoq and the Akhlut

Welcome back to Supernatural Park! We're exploring the Northeast Greenland National Park today and we're doing it by dog sled! Traditionally, dogsledding has been the best way to get around this land of ice, especially since there are no roads for miles, and no big cities for that matter either!

We're going whale watching today, or rather Akhlut watching. A shapeshifting wolf that turns into a whale, you'll want to watch out for pawprints that lead to or from the shore and then disappear. We'll also be exploring what it means to be a part of a community and how orca whales interact with theirs.

Watch out for the Qiivitoq and remember; do NOT feed the wildlife! 

If you're interested in learning more about the southern resident killer whale and ways you can help protect this critically endangered species, please visit www.NOAAfisheries.gov and NWF.Org and search for the keyword orcas.  You can also visit Take Action | Wild Orca to see what actions you can take to save killer whales.

Sources: 

1. “5 Interesting Facts about the Climate of Greenland.” Global.hurtigruten.com, global.hurtigruten.com/destinations/greenland/inspiration/greenland-climate-facts/.
2. “A Brief History of Dog Sledding.” Outdoor Dog World, 13 Mar. 2019, outdoordogworld.com/dog-sledding-history/.
3. “Everything You Need to Know about Dog Sledding.” Manawa, www.manawa.com/en/articles/dog-sledding-question-answer-session. Accessed 16 Mar. 2023.
4. “History of Dog Sledding.” Hurtigruten.com, Hurtigruten, 2011, www.hurtigruten.com/destinations/norway/inspiration/attractions/history-of-dog-sledding/.
5. Sage, Florian. “Akhlut, Hunter from the Depth.” Flo’s History, www.floshistory.com/blog/2021/04/20-akhlut-h8hbe-gj55g-rtlet-ng4w9-kl4zt-5w6al-r8spg-7w2rg-j7tpc-y8mc7-2zzdz-y4bst-egrgt-wc78r-wpkfa-3gzsy-4lpg3-g5pbd-pzfsr-9fyar-6pfb4-89kxj-dyp2w-wp36r-gk44y-59ysj-a3gf7-zgfjy-csnks-7a4lg. Accessed 16 Mar. 2023.
6. “The National Park.” Visit Greenland, visitgreenland.com/about-greenland/national-park-2/.
7. “The Whale Museum.” The Whale Museum, 2019, whalemuseum.org/pages/issues-affecting-the-orcas.
8. Twigg, Melissa. “Ittoqqortoormiit Guest House in Greenland Could Be the Most Remote Hotel on Earth.” CNN, 26 Apr. 2019, www.cnn.com/travel/article/ittoqqortoormiit-greenland-remote-hotel/index.html.

Transcript

Life was never meant to be easy; it was meant to be endured when surrounded by kind and caring people. Can you claim yourself as one of them? I’m Park Ranger Amy. Welcome to Supernatural Park. 

Greetings visitors! Welcome back to Supernatural Park. No, your mind is not playing tricks on you. Despite the moon and stars being out, it’s not currently night time along the north shore; in fact it’s probably about mid-morning in Northeast Minnesota, while it’s early afternoon here in Greenland which is where the Park has brought us today. Since we’re right within the arctic circle, we won’t be seeing any sunlight here during winter. Places as far north of this, will not actually see the sun again until it gets closer to spring. 

We’re going to be exploring a small portion of the Northeast Greenland National Park, the world’s biggest national park. In fact it’s bigger than all but 29 countries in the world. This park is not a national park in a traditional sense; it’s quite inaccessible to most people and besides from a few individuals working at the meteorological stations and the Danish Armed Forces surveillance unit, no humans live in the area. There are, however, sealers and whalers who come here regularly from the town of Itto-qqor-toor-miit which isn’t too far from here and is historically home to the Inuit people; only 400 inhabitants of Inuit descent make up this town and you won’t find another city with a population of over 200 people for thousands of miles. 

You won’t find any roads in Northeast Greenland National Park and there are no gas stations for fuel. Traditionally the best way to get around is by dogsled; it’s been the main mode of transportation across these icy sheets for thousands of years and was invented by the Inuit people in what is now Northern Canada where it spread throughout their land. The earliest known record of dog sledding actually dates back all the way to 1980 B.C. and today’s modern dog sleds do not look the same as they did when they started out. Rather than a large sled pulled by a team of dogs, it was a single dog pulling a small amount of cargo like firewood, food, and supplies.

Anyway, that is how we will be traveling today. Let’s walk over to the kennels and meet the sled dogs!

Say hello to the team! It’s best not to ask the Park where the dogs came from; in fact it’s probably best not to ask the park too many questions. There’s always some sort of scientific explanation when it comes to the natural sciences but sometimes it’s best (and more fun) to just accept that things in Nature are the way they are. Besides, there’s always exceptions to every rule in nature and if we asked the all knowing park everything, we’d be here all day. 

There’s only two of us today and the average dog sled team can pull at least 3,000 pounds through the snow, so we should be ok. The only equipment we’ll be pulling is extra clothing and blankets (just in case) and my spotting scope for looking out to the ocean.

Now, you aren’t going to be driving the sled; instead you'll be sitting in the bedbasket, that flat area there where the cargo goes. Feel free to hold onto our bundle of gear and get comfortable while I stand on the footboards and use the handlebar and driving bar to control the sled. You won’t need to know the commands for sledding since you aren’t driving, but it’s best to know them anyway. There’s 11 commands in all but we’ll mainly be using these four: Hike to command the dogs to go, Gee to have them turn right, Haw to have them turn left, easy to slow down, and woah to stop. 

Are you ready to head out? Looks like you're all settled in. Hold on tight now. Hike!

Easy team…..woah!

Go ahead and get up visitor; take a stretch and walk around if you need to. We’ve arrived at our destination, the edge of Eastern Greenland looking out to the Greenland Sea. Let me set up my spotting scope and we’ll start looking for Kăk-whăn'-û-ghăt Kǐg-û-lu'-nǐk, more commonly known as Akhluts, a variation of the word for Orca in the Yupik language They are shapeshifting creatures that are a cross between wolves and orca whales. But also make sure to keep your eyes out for the Qiviitoq, a ghost man from Inuit folklore that lives in the nearby mountains. This creature is said to have once been a man, who had abandoned society for some reason; usually they committed a crime in their community and had been banished from their village. In a place so far from other villages and never ending cold, it’s important to keep close to your community in order to survive; if one ended up being banished from their village then it’s as good as a death sentence.

 Qiviitoqs are hungry and aggressive, surviving alone in the mountains for so long. Can you imagine being alone out here in the wilderness and cold? Perhaps you could survive for a little while, if you had the skills and know how to live in the wilderness. But the need for a community is strong within the human race. We are, after all, a social species, and wired to connect. Love and belonging are perhaps one of the most important needs we need fulfilled, in order to achieve our best potential. 

If one were to live alone, one may find peace in nature. And perhaps one would find connection within that space. But ultimately, like many other mammals, we would miss the social connectedness that we find when exchanging ideas, hopes, and dreams. From the smallest of rodents, to the largest of elephants, we are profoundly shaped by the social circles we live within. When we get together with other people that share our interests and ideas, we exchange positive energy with each other, thereby bettering ourselves and the world around us. We find greater satisfaction in life, and having a strong support system helps us endure what can sometimes be unbearable. 

Perhaps the Qiviitoqs didn’t become ghosts by  being starved for food; but rather starved from the need to connect with others. One wonders what crimes they must have committed as humans, to be kicked out of their community. Indeed, surviving in the wilderness alone can be a death sentence in the physical sense, but live long enough by yourself, with no one to speak your thoughts to, and you can see how  one might become starved for human interaction. So perhaps, the best thing we can do is to extend kindness to those within our community, and to help each other feel like we belong and are needed. Let us not forget the one rule,that has rung true throughout time and said in many different ways; Live as you will, but harm none. 

Speaking of  kindness, let’s show a little love to the Park. It’s time for our Lunch Break. 

Today’s lunch break submission is called Boiling Water by Karen Pierce Gonzalez.

Boiling Water

A group of people stand over me. One of them says it’s a good thing they decided to

update their records. “Otherwise,” he adds, pointing to me, “Galapagos tortoises like this would

be considered extinct. Must weigh over 300 pounds. How did this crusty thing manage to escape our attention before?”

For good reason, we’ve kept hidden for a very long time. We are descendants of reptiles

that have called this part of the ocean home for as long as anyone of us can remember.

A strong female, I have laid more eggs than I can count and have chewed my way

through more than a century of winters. I am not to be taken lightly. Even when held down by

the heavy net they have just tossed over me.

I had been basking; with sunlight confined to only a few afternoon hours each day this

time of the year, such moments of warmth count.

As always, I had first peered out from the shadows of my protective, basalt cave.

Through the fall mist, always looking to avoid the fate of less fortunate tortoises, I saw nothing;

believed I was safe. I would never be captured by seal fur hunters who chased my kind in circles before tearing off their shells, cooking their bodies in kettles to render their body fat for dry biscuits.

Have they come back for more?

The one with long blonde hair points at me, speaks in a high-pitched voice and grins at

the others. “She is doing quite well. Doesn’t appear to be traumatized.” Another elbows his way

to the ropes around me, holding something that flashes. Small bursts of light momentarily blind

Me.

I snap at their heavily padded boots and khaki pant legs. Stretching my neck out as far as

I could. I try to rip through the thick hide covering their hands. Then I hiss and burrow into the

sand.

Two more approached. One made scratches on a flat object in his hand while the other

places a thin strip of something long like dry seaweed across my shell.

“Bigger than we thought.”

As they talk, I move my arms and legs as best as I could to sweep away traces of any

other tortoise tracks. Let them think I am the only one left. Unlike sea turtles, we do not migrate.

We cannot swim. Able to hold our breath for only short periods of time, we manage just long

enough to get from one side of a small eddy to the other in search of shallow grasses and lichen.

They lift the knotted ends of cord on me and try to turn me over. I gasp. The weight of

my body presses against my lungs - I can’t breathe.

They pierce my upper chest with something sharp. Are they cutting off my shell?

“Tracker’s in.” They roll me back over and quickly step back.

I bob my head wildly, push off with rear legs and lunge towards them as they run away. I am not going to be put into a pot of boiling water.

Visitors, I always enjoy a good story of personification; the attribution of a personal or human characteristics to something that is non-human. I believe it allows us to see through another being’s eyes, and empathize with something other than ourselves; which the world is in dire need of. Thank you for your submission Karen!

Karen Pierce Gonzalez’s writing credits include True North (Origami Poems Project), and forthcoming: Coyote in the basket of  my ribs (Alabaster Leaves), Down River with Li Po  (Black Cat Poetry Press). Her writing has also appeared in numerous publications. You can find her work at karenpiercegonzalez@blogspot.com and follow her on twitter at folkheartpress, on Facebook at Karen.P.Gonzalez.14 and on Instagram at KarenPierceGonzalez

I’ve set up the spotting scope, so look out to the sea, or along the shore line but  be careful to not get too close to the edge. Since Akhluts are both orcas and wolves, they have the ability to hunt in water and on land; in fact a sure sign that one is around is the sight of wolf tracks leading to or from the ocean, stopping just at the shore where they shapeshifted. Like many creatures from Inuit legends, the Akhlut is a spirit only taking a physical form when it is active and hunting. 

Origin stories of the Akhlut vary, and like many folktales, was never written down, only orally shared with others and so many versions of it exist. There is one, however, that seems to be more well known than most. A man was once obsessed with the sea and wanted to be near it all the time. One day, after returning from the shore, no one in his village recognizes him and banishes him. After wandering the ice covered plain, he finds a pack of wolves. He wishes for revenge on his village and so he becomes a wolf but he hasn't lost his love of the ocean and so rather than go back for revenge he jumps into the ocean instead to become one with it and transforms into an orca. When he swims in the ocean as a whale, he is happy and at ease within the waters. But whenever he craves justice for being banished from his village he returns to land in the form of a wolf to hunt.

They are often depicted as being halfway through their transformation, as a wolf at one end and a whale at the other. Like the Qiviitoq, it is a very hungry spirit. Although it preys on anything it can find, it does have a fondness for human flesh; which has made fisherman and travelers cautious of being too near the sea shore. 

However, unlike the qiviitoq, the Akhluts are highly social creatures, most likely due to their dual wolf/whale nature. They live in packs or pods, ranging from two to twenty individuals. Larger groups may form for a short time, for temporary social interactions, mating, or to hunt prey together which they use a coordinated hunting strategy to work together. Although they are spirits that can take physical form, that doesn’t mean they aren’t impacted by challenges normal orcas face in the ocean. As a vocal species that relies on underwater hearing and echolocation to feed, navigate, and communicate, they tend to hunt and travel less when ships are present and making noises or any other human made contraptions are in the area. In fact, they will actually call to each other louder, which causes them to spend more energy that could be used for surviving in the frigid waters. 

We’ve been talking about the theme of community during our time here visitor. And while we may think of our community as being filled with the immediate individual humans we live around, we should remember that our community also includes non-human entities-like whales-who are not too dissimilar to us. They establish complex social hierarchies, with the female at the top. Familial pods often have four generations in them, the offspring staying with their mothers in the same pod throughout their lives while having offspring of their own. In each of these pods, a unique  dialect is form to communicate with each other and gets passed down through each generation.

Even if some of us don’t live directly in connection with these magnificent creatures, we still have an impact on their livelihoods as they do to us. Chinook salmon is a major food source for them and as overfishing causes the population of salmon to decline, the population of the whale declines with it. With the appearance of whales, there is a good indication that there is a healthy population of salmon, and therefore, clean water. 

Have you heard of keystone species? A species which is largely depended on in the ecosystem, the environment would drastically change with their disappearance. Think of a arched bridge made of stone with a central stone that locks the whole thing together and keeps it from falling apart.These apex predators have an existing population of only 70 individuals left in the wild and the disappearance of these animals will have a major influence on the community as they ensure that certain populations don’t become overwhelming to their ecosystem. An example of this is keeping the population of seals and sea lions in check. Too many of those creatures would also affect local fish populations, adding to the already exacerbated over-fishing challenge we are experiencing. Orcas can even shape the hunting behavior of competing predators like sharks by keeping them away from areas where they normally hunt and also prevent the spread of disease by preying on sick animals. They really do it all! 

Oh dear, it looks like I’ve prattled on too much about orcas and forgot the main reason we were here; although how can you not get distracted when they are such wonderful creatures to talk about and share with the world? Fortunately, I didn’t get so distracted that I missed the view-take a look in the spotting scope!

Do you see them out in the distance? There, 3 whales breaching, 15 feet high out on the horizon. Now since they’re in full whale form,  I’m actually not sure if they are a group of Akhluts or Southern Resident Killer Whales. But what a sight! For a creature that spends most of its time underwater, why would it want to be airborne? There are a few theories: communication between distant groups, ridding themselves of parasites…perhaps in the case of the Akhlut and it’s origins, perhap’s the man who became the akhlut didn’t just love the ocean. Perhaps he had dreams to be near the sky as well. After all, what is the ocean but an endless connection of water and sky?

Well…that seems to be it. They have continued their journey, wherever they were heading. Perhaps they were hunting and following a food source. It’s a good thing they didn’t see us and head our direction isn’t it? Let’s load up the sled and head back to the park’s gate visitor.

Here we are visitor; the trail of sea glass is at your feet ready to bring you home. Don’t worry about helping me unload the sled and place the dogs in the kennels. The park can take care of all of that. For now, just enjoy your time connecting with nature and your community around you. 

Have a safe journey back home. And please remember: Do not feed the wildlife. Sources cited from today’s episode can be found in the show description. If you want to learn more about southern resident killer whales, more commonly known as orcas, as well as the challenges they face and ways you can help  them, please visit www.NOAAfisheries.gov and NWF.Org and search for orcas. 

If you have a short story, flash fiction or poem about nature, conservation, magic, or the supernatural and you would like to feature it on a future episode’s Lunch Break, please send it in written form along with a short bio of yourself to thesupernaturalpark@gmail.com

Today’s episode was sponsored by Great Lakes Great Responsibility, a network of volunteers keeping the Great Lakes basin clean through litter removals. Join their current effort to pick up 1 million pieces of trash by visiting greatlakeslove.org" 

The episode is also sponsored by Great Lakes Aquarium. Based in Duluth, Minnesota, the Aquarium is dedicated to leading freshwater conservation by connecting all people to Lake Superior and the world’s waters.Their mission is to engage and inspire, encouraging stewardship of wildlife and water. Plan your visit at GLAquarium.org

The music intro used in the show was created by John Kingsley. You can find more of his work at theberevet.com. Audio editing and sound effects are supported by Zenith City Media, the pulse of the Northland. Visit them at ZenithCityMedia.Com and download the Zenith City Radio app to listen to Supernatural Park episodes, every Friday at 5:30 p.m.