I'm cultured!

I got the chance to go to a Cultural Orientation seminar a little while ago. I spent the day on the tundra in a tent listening to stories and learning about traditional Inuit practices from a couple of the local elders. I had caribou heart stew, bannock, and muktuq for lunch, along with tea made from plants gathered from the land. I actually enjoyed the muktuq this time - it was more frozen than the last time I tried it. I even cut it up myself with an ulu - a crescent shaped cutting tool - the same tool that I'm using in the photo to clean a seal pelt! I also went berry picking - the tundra is covered in blueberries and crowberries, which are more sour than blueberries. I had a fantastic day, and it was a great reminder to continue to go looking for 'local flavour' even though I'm beginning to feel like one of the locals.





This is a photo of a qulliq - it was often the only source of light and heat inside of the igloos and tents. I have a hard time imagining that, because it does NOT throw off a lot of heat! Apparently it would take most of the day just to boil water for tea. I think I know why Inuit people ate their food raw - they would starve just waiting for it to cook! The seal oil gets wicked up by a combination of moss and arctic cotton and burns very slowly. This lamp burned all day, and the moss did not have to be replenished at all.