Seal Liver

The Governor General made history this week as she travelled through to new Territory of Nunavut. The act of accepting the Inuit cultural heritage was one of sheer courage and Brilliance. With all this fuss over seal hunting and animal rights in the press the timing could not be more appropriate. I worked and lived in Nunavut for the best part of five years. These were the years leading up to the 1999 signing of the documents establishing of a new Canadian Territory Called Nunavut. The name is perfect because translated it means Our Land. The Inuit who are over 80 percent of the total population of the territory consider the land to be owned by all and no one has the right to own the land for themselves. This may change but the concept is there.

Inuit believe everyone who walks the land have a definite and clear obligation to look after the environment and the creatures that habitat it. For 10,000 years the people lived the free life on their land in harmony with nature and without contact with outside people other than we now know the Vikings.

Their way of life , their culture, their religion and ways were directly derived from their environment. One reality was the custom of sharing food with visitors. Eating raw food was a must in many cases as heating and heating materials were not readily available. Seal oil and blubber oil gave some relief providing some light and heat in the igloo but on the land eating the food uncooked was the norm. When I first went to the north in those exciting days before the territory was formally introduced I was able to experience first hand some of the traditions.

The first experience was with dried caribou which I personally loved and formulated my own recipe during the years I was there. It was offered a few days after I arrived. Shortly after the fishing for char gave me the opportunity to have fresh raw char sliced thin and dipped in a sauce was delicious. I immediately adjusted to this mode of eating fish when on the land.

In early spring I was out on the shores of the North West Passage where a small settlement of Inuit from Cambridge Bay summered. They built small cabins of plywood and stayed there to catch Char to dry and have for winter. Large numbers were caught in nets and hung to dry for a few days. This dry fish would keep for a long time and provide nourishment for the family. As I was driving my ATV across the beach I was hailed by no other than the commissioner of the NWT. Mary was the first lady commissioner of the territory and the first Inuit. She and John her husband had just shot a seal trying to steal fish from their net. It was a small seal - but fresh - and John was cutting it up. I was invited to join and approached it as a an experiment. John suggested I try the liver and cut a small piece for my testing. I ate it with some fear that I would not pass the test but I did. It was not to my liking but I took a second piece to thank my host.

Tea was boiled in a kettle that was always filled and the pilot biscuits and jam provided the insulation I needed to offset the strong taste of the seal liver. That small gesture gave me more credibility with the Inuit than any other act or deed. Ikey, my assistant, gave me a certificate pronouncing me the fastest white man to become an Inuit. It was all in good fun but on many more occasions I was able to join in with the People of the land and socialize with them.