The current“Welcome to Iqaluit”: the current in northern Canada
In a store in Iqaluit, Ainia Nooshota is cutting the fat of a lot of narval meat, a rare gift, just trapped by hunters 750 kilometers away in northern Nunavut.
“Narwhal is not always available in this area, so I have always had Beluga,” said Nooshota, manager of the food store and Qinnirvik Country’s bulk.
“Some people cook it; I’ve always had it raw,” he said The current Matt Galloway. “[It’s] tough. It doesn’t have a real flavor, but it’s very good … I love it. “
It has been described that Narkhal has a light and soft taste with a chewable and hard texture. Although often consumed raw, It can also be cooked in pea or seasoned soups, with Maktaaq, pieces of the skin and tap, being a particular delicacy.
In a nearby freezer, the shelves are stacked with caribu, seal and arctic coal, from fillets full of vacuum cleaner to bones, fish and hoove heads. It is what Inuit calls “country food”, harvested of the earth, air and water, and what defenders say it is a key tool not only to address food insecurity in northern Canada, but also in keeping Inuit culture alive.
“Hunting is essential for Inuit life,” said Joseph Murdoch-Flowers, executive director of the Qajuqurvik Community Food Center (QCFC), a parent organization and the parent organization of the food store.
“Our clients … They tell us that they feel more related to Inuit culture when we eat country food,” he said. “Being able to eat your own food is to truly practice sovereignty.”
Help hunters help communities
Since 2022, QCFC has worked with about 20 hunters and fishermen to supply seasonal captures of the entire territory. Then it is sold on a sliding scale in the food store, while the non -profit organization also directs a meal that offers food in the field in daily foods and free food boxes. The general financing of the Food Center comes from a combination of federal, territorial and municipal money, as well as donations.
According to Statistics Canada, 63 percent of households in Nunavut experienced food insecurity in 2022compared to 23 percent of households in the southern provinces. That is partially feeds for the high prices of the edibles in the north, which they have resurrected even more from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Murdoch-Flowers said that the hunting initiative helps people with difficulties and hunters themselves, paying them directly and financing fighters where excess food can feed their own communities. It is this connection between people, and for previous generations, that is important for him.
“When we eat country food, it’s just about eating a delicious frozen caribu. It’s all those relationships.”
In QCFC, Murdoch-Flowers has requested funds for a new program, where hunters and fishermen will teach the youngest Inuit the skills to maintain their own communities. He hopes that the initiative can begin within next year, supported with a combination of government money and private donations.
There is already a “food exchange economy” in the country “in Nunavut, said Murdoch-Flowers, where people use Platforms like Facebook to exchange excess food from a hunt. Other organizations too Game with huntersas the ITTAQ Heritage and Research Center.
‘Don’t exaggerate, don’t waste’
Johnny Flaherty, a hunter who is not affiliated with the QCFC program, says that the cost of venturing on earth or water can be high. Fuel and extended travel foods can reach several hundred dollars, without guarantee of a return on that investment.
“Many hunters sometimes return [with] nothing.”
Johnny took The current Arctic carburetor fishing in a boat in two river bay, a couple of hours southwest of Iqaluit. He says he feels proud and free while he is in the water.
“When I’m here, it’s my church. Your soul calms down,” he said. “You feel that you belong here, although it belongs to everyone.”
His wife, the Chef Inuk Sheila FlahertyIt says part of that feeling is knowing that they are hunting and harvesting for the same reasons as generations before them.
“We are maintaining the traditional practices of our people. And that feels really good, you know, be an active part of maintaining our cultural life,” he said.
Johnny said that a part of that tradition, as taught, is to catch only what he needs.
“Do not exaggerate exaggerated, do not waste animal meat, answer them and thank the animal that caught and share among people.”
Food insecurity touches everyone
One day at the end of August, visitors to the Food Center and the store enjoyed a free chicken pasta meal and a blueberry blueberry muffin.
“I’m full,” said a woman named Martha Qaunirq The current. “This is the best place in Iqaluit at this time.”
“I have a good home and good food, but sometimes I like to see people, what is happening … I find it too expensive in Iqaluit, there are no options.”
There was also tomato soup to carry, and a fridge full of basic products such as butter and cream, with a large sign that urged people to take what they needed.
“We do not want people to be shy to grab something they really need,” said Curtis Mesh, a member of the QCFC Board. “We want a little hammering to everyone for you.”
Mess said that food insecurity touches everyone in Iqaluit, including people with good jobs and housing. He pointed out a different day that month when the QCFC kitchen delivered more than 560 free meals, feeding almost eight percent of the approximately 7,500 IQaluit residents.
“It affects the results of people in education, in long -term health … really all facets of the life downstream of food, which is essentially everything,” he said.
He said that country food is part of the need, but overcoming such a high food insecurity means joining as a community.
“It is not an ideal response, but it is something that works with us and is quite well incoming with our culture as Inuit to take care of others,” he said.
“Meanwhile, it is something that works, but it seems that we need some more tangible solutions in the long term.”
