COUNTRY FOOD

        I began this series thinking about having nothing between me and the north pole. I then got looking at some photos and was reminded of things that I had forgotten. So the whale hunting popped up on some old photos.

       Then I saw the food processing and that's another whole post about gathering food.

      The men we went out with, were caretakers at the school. They received a decent wage for their work. However, if they bought their food from the Hudson Bay Store they wouldn't have enough money. Food in the store was very expensive. So they  processed country food to augment their food supply from their wages. There were many other people at this location. It had been a traditional hunting area and they still used it. 

     The butchering of a whale was a large process. These animals were about 12 ft long. The belugas are white. The skin is thick and tough. The outer layer of fat and skin are peeled off. Some of it is hung on poles and dried. Some of it is boiled in a large barrel and rendered down. The red meat is cut into strings of squares and hung up to dry. Some of this was made into muk tuk which they considered to be a delicacy. I didn't think it was a delicacy and I didn't try it. 

     So much of the summer was spent catching belugas and preparing the meat. This meat would last for a long time. For our guys (caretakers) they would eat this throughout the year with store bought food. They also shared some of this food with family and friends. 

     Traditionally this food was stored in the area and other hunting areas and consumed throughout the year, They were constantly hunting for fresh food. They could catch many seals and some of the seals were large. The skins were traded at the trading post. 

                                                 Boiling the fat

Whale skin and blubber hung up to  dry

White fish netted nearby

Parts of the beluga

Whale meat hung up for drying

Fat being cut for rendering. 

Fat being cooked in a barrel

Wood supply for cooking. 

WHALING

      I had the good fortune to be taken on a whaling trip while I was in the western arctic.(Inuvik)   I was teaching in a school with an approximate 900 enrolment, 50 teachers and 6 caretakers. 

      Some of the caretakers would spend part of the summer hunting whales and processing skin, fat and meat. They asked four of us if we'd like to go with them. I couldn't say no to this invitation. 

     They had their camp set up in an area known as White Fish station. They had camped there many times before and a lot of the equipment they used was stored there. 

     They hunted the beluga whales . Their hunting was not terribly efficient. They would spot some whales and chase them . The whales would need to come up to breath and then with a high powered rifle they would shoot at what little part was above water. So picture this. The boat is going up and down on the waves and the whale is also going up and down. Good luck in making a shot.

     However, when I went out they did manage to shoot a whale. Then they have to quickly harpoon the whale and attach floats to it. They then tow it to the beach. They were not able to harpoon the whale when I was there so the whale sunk and was lost. 

    Processing the whale on the beach is a tremendous amount of work. They carefully take off the white skin. Then they collect the fat. Sea mammals have a high percentage of fat. Then they take off the meat. The meat is very black. It is hung over poles and dried to be eaten later. 

    The fat is boiled and the skin cooked in it. This is the muktuk which is stored to be eaten later. I did not try any of this food as I was not offered a taste. However, the people in the area looked at muktuk as a delicacy. This meat is highly nutritious and contains many vitamins necessary for good health.

             

                          Taking a shot

                     Attempting to harpoon

 

                    Separating skin and blubber

                     Skin hung over poles to dry

Boiling the  fat in an old barrel

Meat hung over poles to dry

                       Tending the fire and boiling the fat

The skin has been cut in squares but not separated so that it is easier the work with.

    This whole process is somewhat different in various areas

    To live in an arctic climate rich food containing lots of fat is necessary for energy and body heat. These were some of the few hunters who knew how to harvest whales.