Investigation into caribou killings near Point Hope hits a brick wall.

Clashing visions of justice between Alaska Wildlife Troopers and elders from the Inupiat Eskimo village of Point Hope threaten to stall progress in finding hunters responsible for massacring 120 caribou on the Arctic tundra this month.

Meat from at least 60 animals was left to rot as still-nursing calves were stranded nearby, and troopers now say village officials are refusing to cooperate as they probe what one investigator called the worst, most blatant case of waste he has ever seen.

"We just really felt like we were doing the right thing and wanted to get them involved. And it just fell flat," said wildlife trooper Sgt. Scott Quist, who is supervising the case. "Basically, they decided that they're not going to help us and that they wanted to deal with it in the community in their own manner."

When I posted this story yesterday there were some comments that my prediction that the villagers would not cooperate may have been a little too cynical. And admittedly I was not positive that would be the case. But from evidence I have observed in the past I know that many of the smaller villagers to not appreciate the State Troopers interference.

Sadly it looks like I was indeed correct about Point Hope and this particular incident. The reason given by the elders of the village do make some sense in that they clearly do not want to believe that any of their people could be so senselessly brutal. But I don't believe they are under illusions that it is impossible the perpetrators were locals.

"This is the first time it's happened. It's very strange, and so, with that said, it's very hard to believe that that was done, especially in our community, being as poor as it is," said Jack Schaefer, president of the Native Village of Point Hope. "Food is valued very much."

"We feel that we should be the ones to handle it after the investigation is done," Schaefer said. "We feel that we need to know the reasons behind it, and we need to try them in our own way and the state will be satisfied with the results."

He would not elaborate on what the tribal council's proceedings might look like; nor would he say what the punishment might entail: "That's up to the council, and they're not lenient."

Schaefer said he did not know who was responsible for the killings. Asked whether villagers would report the culprits to troopers if they did know, Schaefer said, "I am sure that we can handle it in our own way."

We may never know who was responsible for this heinous crime and I have no idea what kind of punishment the village elders will deem appropriate, but I do know this will not happen again around Point Hope. This is an embarrassment to that community and they will make sure that it is a one time incident.