• Home
  • About
  • Explore
    • Whales Today Virtual
    • Docent Moments
    • Museum Topics >
      • Old Dartmouth History
      • Whale Biology
      • Whaling History >
        • Yankee Whaling
        • Lagoda
        • Grand Panorama
        • Cultures of Whaling
      • Captain Paul Cuffe
      • Local Women's History
      • Decorative Arts
  • Energy and Enterprise
  • Learn
    • Creature Feature
    • Lessons >
      • Whales - Giants of the Ocean
    • Activities
  • Create
    • Ocean Beats
    • Common Ground
  • Resources
  • Contact
LEARNING @ NBWM
  • Home
  • About
  • Explore
    • Whales Today Virtual
    • Docent Moments
    • Museum Topics >
      • Old Dartmouth History
      • Whale Biology
      • Whaling History >
        • Yankee Whaling
        • Lagoda
        • Grand Panorama
        • Cultures of Whaling
      • Captain Paul Cuffe
      • Local Women's History
      • Decorative Arts
  • Energy and Enterprise
  • Learn
    • Creature Feature
    • Lessons >
      • Whales - Giants of the Ocean
    • Activities
  • Create
    • Ocean Beats
    • Common Ground
  • Resources
  • Contact

Cultures of Whaling

These video guides provide an introduction to and an examination of mankind’s historic and current interactions with whales. 

Subsistence Whaling Cultures
Geography, environment and habitat have all contributed to the growth of cultures that hunt whales for food, bones and oil for survival in regions where agriculture is difficult or impossible.
​
A History of Commercial Whaling 
The Basques from the shores of the Bay of Biscay on the border of Spain and France were among the earliest documented commercial whalers. By the end of the first millennium they were regularly hunting migrating right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) and processing them on shore. 

The Yankee Whaleboat 
The Yankee whaleboat represents the ultimate evolution of its type in the American whale fishery. Double-ended whaleboats seating six men had been in use since the time of the Basques in the 12th century. 

​Whale Mythology and Folklore 
Folklore and mythology about whales can tell us a great deal about human interaction with whales across cultures.  These stories function to encapsulate cultural beliefs about the origins of people, nature and the universe and provide insight into the meaning of the universe and people’s place within it.
 Training Videos
Resources
  • ​Subsistence Whaling Cultures
  • A History of Commercial Whaling
  • The Yankee Whaleboat
  • ​​Whale Mythology and Folklore
​New Bedford Whaling Museum
18 Johnny Cake Hill
​New Bedford, MA 02740
508-997-0046
Picture
  • Home
  • About
  • Explore
    • Whales Today Virtual
    • Docent Moments
    • Museum Topics >
      • Old Dartmouth History
      • Whale Biology
      • Whaling History >
        • Yankee Whaling
        • Lagoda
        • Grand Panorama
        • Cultures of Whaling
      • Captain Paul Cuffe
      • Local Women's History
      • Decorative Arts
  • Energy and Enterprise
  • Learn
    • Creature Feature
    • Lessons >
      • Whales - Giants of the Ocean
    • Activities
  • Create
    • Ocean Beats
    • Common Ground
  • Resources
  • Contact