Upon the advent of yankee whaling, an intercultural bridge was constructed across the globe. With increased world traffic came an intensified spread of ideas and goods, the repercussions of which were both positive and negative. As once stolid civilizations mobilized, so did their sense of place, geographies upended.

Worldwide, many native and non-native groups alike experienced a diverse set of reactions; the individual experience unique, yet also indescribable. For some, terms such as cultural appropriation, cultural recontextualization, and cultural integration applied, often simultaneously. Although for many, these terms can only vaguely describe the complexity of whaling globality.

This moment of contemplation, the individual experience, becomes the crux of my investigation into the unintentioned residue of yankee whaling as its repercussions echo across time. This book serves not as an answer, but instead a snapshot of the misperceptions, imperialism, multiculturalism, and absence resultant of the New England whaling industry.