Whale Bone Alley, Yttygran Island

Your ship nears the wild coast of Yttygran Island at the first light of dawn; discovered by Jean Malaurie in 1976, it is a holy place shrouded in mystery. On the silent beaches, bathed in a surreal light, lies Whale Bone Alley, the revered and sacred shamanic grounds of the Chukchi people. Along a 400 m stretch of beach, the Chukchi have carefully arranged hundreds of whale bones, skulls and jawbones in accordance with ancient rites and there they stand, proud and reaching for the astral sky. With each passing year a little more of our ancient history is lost, and this site bears valuable witness to humankind’s eternal search for a harmonious co-existence with the Spirits and with Nature and the rituals we’ve employed along the way.