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A review by bgg616
When the Whales Leave by Yuri Rytkheu
5.0
The author, Yuri Rthkheu (1930-2008) was an indigenous Chukchi, born on the Chukotka Peninsula in Siberia on the Bering Sea. He was was an Arctic explorer, hunter and writer. He worked on the sea and as a stevedore to earn money to go to university. He was the descendant of fishermen, and a shaman, and understood the decline of his subsistence hunting society was due to the communist way of life as well as its opposite, market economies. His writing was his life long work to preserve descriptions of the rich culture of his people. He was a man with his feet in two worlds.
When the Whales Leave is at its heart the origin story of the Chukchi people. They believe they are the product of a marriage between a human woman and a whale who became a man. Their first two children were whales, and the remainder had human forms. Rthkheu tells the story of a people who moved away from a lifestyle that treasured their Arctic environment, and moved to exploiting it. The resulting destruction of the natural riches, particularly wildlife which they overhunted and wasted, leads to the devastating conclusion of this story.
This is a tale for our times, although it was published in 1975. Climate change has become impossible to ignore. I became aware of this book after discovering Milkweed Editions, part of Seedbank. Seedbank collects writing from around the world that describe the relationship of humans to the natural environment. I discovered Seedbank after reading Tim Robinson's [b:Listening to the Wind|48661159|Listening to the Wind (Seedbank Book 2)|Tim Robinson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1572647449l/48661159._SY75_.jpg|74004267]. These books will move readers to think deeply about the future of our planet.
When the Whales Leave is at its heart the origin story of the Chukchi people. They believe they are the product of a marriage between a human woman and a whale who became a man. Their first two children were whales, and the remainder had human forms. Rthkheu tells the story of a people who moved away from a lifestyle that treasured their Arctic environment, and moved to exploiting it. The resulting destruction of the natural riches, particularly wildlife which they overhunted and wasted, leads to the devastating conclusion of this story.
This is a tale for our times, although it was published in 1975. Climate change has become impossible to ignore. I became aware of this book after discovering Milkweed Editions, part of Seedbank. Seedbank collects writing from around the world that describe the relationship of humans to the natural environment. I discovered Seedbank after reading Tim Robinson's [b:Listening to the Wind|48661159|Listening to the Wind (Seedbank Book 2)|Tim Robinson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1572647449l/48661159._SY75_.jpg|74004267]. These books will move readers to think deeply about the future of our planet.