Dee
05-18-2006, 04:20 AM
I think the notion of raising animals for killing sport is appalling. Would I, could I club a seal pup to death? No I could not.
However, in the category of the seal harvest being "wrong" just because white men condemn it, I must disagree. If you look beyond the media hype and sensationalism, the negative "celebrity" spin, you will find that seal hunting is a deep-rooted part of the Inuit way of life in the north of Canada.
If you object to cultures living out their traditions then read no further.
Seal is a main food in our diet. Hunting seal is part of a healthy and traditional way of life. Seal meat and organs provide us with an excellent source of protein, iron and some B vitamins. Seal liver and blubber are an excellent source of vitamin A and contain some vitamin C.
What we know about Seal:
Elders tell us that seal is a "special food" for our people. Seal meat and organs keep us healthy and help to keep us warm. Seal is also used as a medicine to heal the body and soul from sickness. Almost all parts of the seal are eaten. The skin and other parts of the seal are used to make clothing, such as kamiks, in crafts, and for fuel oil.
http://www.itk.ca/environment/wildlife-ringed-seal.php
We often hear non-Inuit say "Inuit really should not have special rights to harvest because they can go get food at the store just like people down south." Well that is not really true. Store food is expensive and it is not very healthy. Of course we like to eat it once in a while and sometimes it is very convenient.
One way of understanding just how important wildlife is to our present day life, is through what we call Harvest Studies. We have collected very detailed information about what a family will harvest at different times of the year and we continuously monitor our level of harvest. This shows that it is possible for each Inuk to obtain about one kilogram of wild food each day without upsetting the natural ecological balance.
The food we obtain from hunting, or what we call country food, contributes to our health and it gives us a sense of wellness by providing us with a way to participate in our culture. It is while hunting and living on the land that our elders teach responsibility and the skills that give us confidence.
The time we spend on the land helps restore our inner harmony and balance. It also helps maintain our mental and physical well being. Much of the time we spend with our family and friends happens while we are out hunting, preparing the country foods, and taking part in meals. Eating land foods helps us to feel whole. It keeps us "in tune" with nature.
http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/Exhibitions/Inuit_Haida/inuit/English/Our_culture/country_foods/country_foods.html
While our research shows that young Inuit have a different level of involvement in subsistence hunting than older hunters, many of them are still involved as much as time, money, circumstance, and knowledge allow. Some of them are even increasing their involvement as they mature and their parents become infirm. Since economic and political circumstances have changed so dramatically in contemporary northern society, it is perhaps unfair to judge these young hunters, both active and occasional, by the standards of their parents and grandparents who came of age under remarkably different circumstances, when hunting and trapping were not only lucrative but the only viable economic options available to them. On the surface, subsistence hunting will never appear to be as important to young Inuit as it was for members of this older generation. The real issue is not how often young people go out, but whether they go out at all and what it means to them and their community when they do go out hunting. We believe that subsistence hunting continues to be an economically viable activity, but any examination of the importance of subsistence hunting should also consider socially beneficial factors related to Inuit identity, mental health, and self esteem.
As one of our informants who decided to start trapping again said:
I haven’t been trapping since 1979 and I really miss it. I used to run a trapline with my Dad down Prince Albert Sound. I was always impressed with how my Dad always knew where the traps were even though it might be dark out. Sometimes, I would get disoriented but my Dad would not. This year, I’m trapping because I really want to do it. I’m going to skin my own foxes. I’m not going to give them to my Mom. I’ve decided that this is something that I want to do myself.
(P.K.,13 November 1992, Biweekly Interview)
http://pubs.aina.ucalgary.ca/arctic/Arctic48-1-31.pdf
However, in the category of the seal harvest being "wrong" just because white men condemn it, I must disagree. If you look beyond the media hype and sensationalism, the negative "celebrity" spin, you will find that seal hunting is a deep-rooted part of the Inuit way of life in the north of Canada.
If you object to cultures living out their traditions then read no further.
Seal is a main food in our diet. Hunting seal is part of a healthy and traditional way of life. Seal meat and organs provide us with an excellent source of protein, iron and some B vitamins. Seal liver and blubber are an excellent source of vitamin A and contain some vitamin C.
What we know about Seal:
Elders tell us that seal is a "special food" for our people. Seal meat and organs keep us healthy and help to keep us warm. Seal is also used as a medicine to heal the body and soul from sickness. Almost all parts of the seal are eaten. The skin and other parts of the seal are used to make clothing, such as kamiks, in crafts, and for fuel oil.
http://www.itk.ca/environment/wildlife-ringed-seal.php
We often hear non-Inuit say "Inuit really should not have special rights to harvest because they can go get food at the store just like people down south." Well that is not really true. Store food is expensive and it is not very healthy. Of course we like to eat it once in a while and sometimes it is very convenient.
One way of understanding just how important wildlife is to our present day life, is through what we call Harvest Studies. We have collected very detailed information about what a family will harvest at different times of the year and we continuously monitor our level of harvest. This shows that it is possible for each Inuk to obtain about one kilogram of wild food each day without upsetting the natural ecological balance.
The food we obtain from hunting, or what we call country food, contributes to our health and it gives us a sense of wellness by providing us with a way to participate in our culture. It is while hunting and living on the land that our elders teach responsibility and the skills that give us confidence.
The time we spend on the land helps restore our inner harmony and balance. It also helps maintain our mental and physical well being. Much of the time we spend with our family and friends happens while we are out hunting, preparing the country foods, and taking part in meals. Eating land foods helps us to feel whole. It keeps us "in tune" with nature.
http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/Exhibitions/Inuit_Haida/inuit/English/Our_culture/country_foods/country_foods.html
While our research shows that young Inuit have a different level of involvement in subsistence hunting than older hunters, many of them are still involved as much as time, money, circumstance, and knowledge allow. Some of them are even increasing their involvement as they mature and their parents become infirm. Since economic and political circumstances have changed so dramatically in contemporary northern society, it is perhaps unfair to judge these young hunters, both active and occasional, by the standards of their parents and grandparents who came of age under remarkably different circumstances, when hunting and trapping were not only lucrative but the only viable economic options available to them. On the surface, subsistence hunting will never appear to be as important to young Inuit as it was for members of this older generation. The real issue is not how often young people go out, but whether they go out at all and what it means to them and their community when they do go out hunting. We believe that subsistence hunting continues to be an economically viable activity, but any examination of the importance of subsistence hunting should also consider socially beneficial factors related to Inuit identity, mental health, and self esteem.
As one of our informants who decided to start trapping again said:
I haven’t been trapping since 1979 and I really miss it. I used to run a trapline with my Dad down Prince Albert Sound. I was always impressed with how my Dad always knew where the traps were even though it might be dark out. Sometimes, I would get disoriented but my Dad would not. This year, I’m trapping because I really want to do it. I’m going to skin my own foxes. I’m not going to give them to my Mom. I’ve decided that this is something that I want to do myself.
(P.K.,13 November 1992, Biweekly Interview)
http://pubs.aina.ucalgary.ca/arctic/Arctic48-1-31.pdf