Inuit knowledge
Inukitsoq Sadorana
Hunter from Siorapaluk, Greenland
Eva Aariak:
"Today you attended the public meeting about the Pikialasorsuaq, seals, and other animals. Inuit food sources and their living conditions in Canada and in Qaanaaq are very similar to one another, and these animals have become more difficult to get. What comments do you have about this?"
Inukitsoq Sadorana:
"Yes, that area of Pikialasorsuaq, we call it Ikeq (The in-between), has a lot of different animals, narwhals and belugas, seals, bearded seals, hooded seals and lots of Arctic char that pass our coastal areas. Then there are lots of mammals that breed and that polar bears eat. Most importantly, there are lots and lots of little auks (Alle alle), eiders, gulls, kittiwakes that feed over there and we cannot live without that meat source. Those are our most important food sources. A huge number of Arctic chars come by our coasts, big ones, and they are still growing. Earlier, they used to be smaller but lately they have become much bigger. We can catch Arctic char along the shore from here and all the way up north to the shoreline of Inuarfissuaq (Maybe up to Humbolt Glacier?) area without mountains where you can find the Arctic char. They come to our area during the summer, go up the river in Iterlassuaq (McGormick Fiord) and return to the sea. Those are what we eat. If only a small amount of oil is leaked, those are the species that we would lose forever and all the other species like narwhals and other whales that are up here amongst different animals."