Pangnirtung celebrates landing its bowhead whale

People in Pangnirtung are still celebrating after hunters caught a female bowhead whale on Friday, in the community's third bowhead whale hunt in recent memory.

Adamie Veevee, the hunt captain, says the hunt was delayed for almost two weeks because of high winds.

Veevee says they spotted a pod of whales early Friday and the team chose one to hunt. By the middle of the afternoon, the crew had caught the bowhead, which measured nearly 12 metres.

"It is very exciting to participate in the whale hunt," he said in Inuktitut.

"We often forget how fortunate we are. It teaches us to be patient with our lives and our hardships, especially for our youth."

The local Hunters and Trappers Organization is holding a feast tonight for people in Pangnirtung. After that, they'll know if there's enough meat and muktukto share with other communities.

Arviat, Kugaaruk, Igloolik and Coral Harbour are the other Nunavut communities approved to hunt a bowhead whale this year.