Fortunately, famine is no longer a problem for Arctic peoples. In most native


communities there are shops, and some larger places have supermarkets. But the cost of shipping into the Arctic makes imported foods extremely expensive, so while many young people prefer fried chicken and pizza, a lot of the older generation still eat traditional food such as caribou, seal, and whale – not only because it’s cheaper, but also because they enjoy it. Among the Inuit, a strong tradition of food sharing has endured to this day; when a hunter returns to Igloolik with game, he’ll often go on local radio and invite people to come and take some of it home. Similarly, in Ituko’s village of Moriussaq, he and another hunter together tended to provide most of the meat for its 60 inhabitants. He told me this with a little pride, since good hunters are always respected in Inuit society.


and hunt seal, while others head inland in search of caribou. During February and March, some hunters in northwest Greenland prepare to travel long distances to hunt polar bear — the ultimate quarry, particularly in the Thule district, where trousers are still made of polar-bear skin for its durability and warmth. Generally, hunters from the north of the district head to Smith Sound to hunt bears along the floe edge, while those from the south usually hunt them on the moving ice sheets of Melville Bay. Polar-bear hunts can last for a month or more, and if the


At dusk, Tatigat pulls aside the snow brick at the entrance to his igloo. Nunavut, Canada, 1993. Between mid January and mid February,


the Sun returns to most Arctic communities — an occasion long celebrated by the Inuit. In the Igloolik area, there was an ancient belief that, on the first day the Sun reappears, the whole community must start a new life, so children were sent from house to house to blow out the flames of every qulliq (seal- oil lamp). After the old wick had been extinguished, it was removed and a new one put in place, then the lamp was relit. In the late 1980s, this tradition was reintroduced to the hamlet, and Inuit communities across the Arctic hold similar festivities. Every February 17th in Qaanaaq, north Greenland, for example, villagers climb the mountain behind the village to catch their first glimpse of the Sun for four months. As its first rays appear, they sing a traditional song, and later they organize celebrations and traditional games in the community hall. It’s ironic that the Sun makes its dramatic reappearance in the Arctic at the very coldest time of the year. Every Inuit community has its yearly cycle, in which hunters go to specific areas at


particular times for different types of game. During the winter months, they normally fish until the ice gets too thick. With the return of the Sun and the longer days, hunting activities increase, and hunters often go further afield. Some will travel to the floe edge


32 arcticjournal.ca March/April 2012


hunters are unlucky and the wind blows from the wrong direction, they can get stuck out on moving ice sheets for weeks. Hunts involve travelling long distances across the frozen sea in a continual search for bears or fresh tracks, and hunters often climb icebergs to scan the surrounding ice for signs. Once a bear is sighted, the hunters give chase — they cut some of the huskies’ traces so the dogs can race ahead to the prey. Polar bears seem to have an instinctive fear of dogs, so they’ll sometimes respond by standing at bay, giving the hunters time to catch up and shoot. Today, the number of


Left: Qaavigannguaqq takes a breather while skinning a seal. Northwest Greenland, 1980.


Above: Snowmobile crossing Pangnirtung Fiord, Nunavut, Canada 2008.


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