Whale Bone Alley

Along about half a kilometre of shore on Yttygran island stand rows of bowhead whale jawbones and skulls, set upright and grouped, with meat pits dug behind them and a stone circle inland. It was recorded by archaeologists in 1976 and dated to roughly the fourteenth to sixteenth century. What it was for is not settled: the leading interpretation is a shared ceremonial and storage site where several Yupik communities came together for large-scale whale processing and ritual, at a period when hunting conditions changed, but local Yupik people had no tradition explaining it when it was found, which is itself part of the puzzle. The bones have weathered and many have fallen. Reaching it means a boat across the Senyavin Strait in a border zone with permit requirements, usually on an expedition cruise or a chartered trip from Provideniya, and the weather in that strait decides whether a landing happens.

What you actually see

• The standing bones - bowhead jawbones and skulls set upright along the shore.
• The meat pits - storage pits dug behind the bone rows.
• The open question - a purpose still argued over, with no local tradition explaining it.
• The weathering - bones fallen and eroded since the site was recorded in 1976.

When to go

July to September, the only months boats operate. Two to three hours ashore if the landing happens.

Honest expectations

Chukotka is a border zone requiring permits arranged well in advance, and foreign visitors face extra requirements. Landings are cancelled by weather and swell with no notice. There is nothing at the site - no facilities, no shelter. Trips are expensive and usually part of a cruise.

Nearby

The Senyavin Strait hot springs and Provideniya are on the mainland side.