Stocking up...

So! Yesterday, I did indeed try some of those wild meats (though not raw)! When we visited the elders at the school, we had caribou, polar bear stew, arctic char, seal (mmmm), narwhal, and mini strawberry cheesecakes. I have to say that seal was my favourite. The seal meat is dark dark maroon, because of their super-human blood which lets them hold their breath longer. This protein-rich wild meat I think will sustain me for our excursion today!

When we were with the elders, we got to ask them questions - and they all had to be translated to and from Inuktitut. The elders grew up before industrialization happened up north, so they really are messengers for their history; they lived and saw it all. They told us about some of the changes they saw and experienced, and specified noticing the ice melting faster - so it's safe to go out on the sea ice for shorter periods during the year. It's been difficult to teach their culture, as people have adapted partially to 'southern' lifestyle, and many Inuit did not survive through the disease and other problems brought by explorers. I can imagine that since the culture is no longer a way of life, it is much more difficult to keep it alive.

Today, we are going "out on the land" on sleds called "kamatik"s (I'm not sure I spelled that correctly) with skilled locals who know about the land. Exciting!
So far, the wildlife I've seen consists of ravens (in Yellowknife), dogs in the town, and a small bird flying in and out of the rocks.