Inupiat elders speak of sea ice: Pt 1

[henrikhankhagnell]

i just don't get it. if they need whales to eat why don't they just move to a place where they can grow vegetables instead. then they wouldn't need to be cruel to animals.

[VideoUAF]

@henrikhankhagnell

There is an intimate bond between the Iñupiat people and the whale that goes far beyond mere sustenance of the body. It is this bond that has enabled indigenous peoples to do more to PROTECT whales, polar bears, and other arctic marine mammals than any other group. It is not a matter of politics, but one of cultural integrity that motivates them to protect the environment and the natural world.

[henrikhankhagnell]

i know they protect animals but i just think killing animals is stupid when you don't need it. some people say that the reason for not living on the north pole/artcic is that this place is bad for growing vegetables and it sounds true to me.. i respect the elders in the video but i just don't get it...

[eskimochuck77]

@henrikhankhagnell I am from Nortwest Alaska, and I don't know where you live. However, I assume you live in the continental US, and eat burgers and hot dogs. I don't understand why you have to kill cows and pigs when you don't need it. I just don't get it.

[G0IMB]

@henrikhankhagnell The people here clearly respect the animals they hunt for food and will not deplete their numbers as commercial moneymaking ventures do. They give back. The commercial ventures just took. These people know this territory and how to survive and thrive in hostile dangerous conditions

[rapauli]

Nice to hear an elder describe the mechanisms of sea ice build up