Ethnic minorities around the world
and their food culture
- INUITS -
“In total, approximately 155,000 Inuit live in Canada, Greenland, Alaska and Russia.” [Source]
The term of inuit regroups all the indigenous populations that live in the Arctic circle in Canada (Inuit Nunangat), United States (Alaska), Russia (Siberia) and Denmark (Greenland).
The term of inuit regroups all the indigenous populations that live in the Arctic circle in Canada (Inuit Nunangat), United States (Alaska), Russia (Siberia) and Denmark (Greenland).
Canadian Inuits (Inuit Nunangat region)
“Three-quarters of Inuit in Canada live in 53 communities across the northern regions of Canada in Inuit Nunangat, which means "the place where Inuit live." Inuit Nunangat is comprised of four regions: Inuvialuit (NWT and Yukon), Nunavut, Nunavik (Northern Quebec) and Nunatsiavut (Labrador).”
[Source]
“Today one-third of the world’s Inuit live in Canada, scattered in communities that range in size from a few dozen to several thousand. The Internet and satellite television have given these northern inhabitants an unprecedented awareness of the wider world, while a money-based economy has given them goods manufactured by that world. Snowmobiles and powerboats have largely replaced dogsleds and kayaks, just as high-powered rifles long ago replaced hunting spears. And where people once wrested their own food from the surrounding land or sea, today many buy groceries in a store, including processed and packaged products that would have been unknown a few decades ago.
Drastic and often disastrous shifts in diet can be traced to the Canadian government’s forced settlement of these formerly nomadic peoples in the years following World War II.
“It’s not just the monetary value of the traditional foods, it’s the sociocultural aspects,” he says. “In the old days [hunters] would go out with their families for a month for the spring harvest of waterfowl. Many don’t do that anymore.”
According to James Ford, a geographer at McGill University, it all adds to the risk faced by anyone venturing out to look for food—risks that many individuals no longer care to assume. “We’re seeing younger generations not developing the same skills as they once would, skills for safe and successful hunting,” he says. “In many cases we’re seeing young people who aren’t going hunting because it’s too dangerous. They don’t have the knowledge, they don’t have the skills, they don’t have the equipment.” “
[Source]
[Source]
“Today one-third of the world’s Inuit live in Canada, scattered in communities that range in size from a few dozen to several thousand. The Internet and satellite television have given these northern inhabitants an unprecedented awareness of the wider world, while a money-based economy has given them goods manufactured by that world. Snowmobiles and powerboats have largely replaced dogsleds and kayaks, just as high-powered rifles long ago replaced hunting spears. And where people once wrested their own food from the surrounding land or sea, today many buy groceries in a store, including processed and packaged products that would have been unknown a few decades ago.
Drastic and often disastrous shifts in diet can be traced to the Canadian government’s forced settlement of these formerly nomadic peoples in the years following World War II.
“It’s not just the monetary value of the traditional foods, it’s the sociocultural aspects,” he says. “In the old days [hunters] would go out with their families for a month for the spring harvest of waterfowl. Many don’t do that anymore.”
According to James Ford, a geographer at McGill University, it all adds to the risk faced by anyone venturing out to look for food—risks that many individuals no longer care to assume. “We’re seeing younger generations not developing the same skills as they once would, skills for safe and successful hunting,” he says. “In many cases we’re seeing young people who aren’t going hunting because it’s too dangerous. They don’t have the knowledge, they don’t have the skills, they don’t have the equipment.” “
[Source]
Nunavik region (in Inuktitut: ᓄᓇᕕᒃ)
Population: 12,090 (in 2011)
Meaning: “Great land”
Number of villages: 14
Language: Inuktitut (Nunavimmiutitut dialect)
Meaning: “Great land”
Number of villages: 14
Language: Inuktitut (Nunavimmiutitut dialect)
A family from Inukjuak in traditional clothing [Image source ]
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A hunter near Inukjuak [Image source]
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Main food culture and ingredients
When Inuit rely only on traditional food to survive, every part of the animal is eaten (muscle, fat, brain, stomach contents, organs). Each of these parts gives the body different nutritive elements that it needs.
[Source] (page 8)
To get the same amount of iron found in one portion of seal meat, you would have to eat about 50 hot dogs.
[Source] (page 12)
All is not lost as far as traditional food goes: one survey revealed that two-thirds of indigenous households got at least half their food from traditional sources.
[Source]
According to Edmund Searles in his article "Food and the Making of Modern Inuit Identities," they consume this type of diet because a mostly meat diet is "effective in keeping the body warm, making the body strong, keeping the body fit, and even making that body healthy”.
[Source]
Nutrition and Food Consumption Among the Inuit of Nunavik (Report)
Traditional [food supply] represents 16% of total calories in comparison with 84% supplied by store-bought foods.
[Source] (page III)
The contribution of traditional foods to energy intake was higher among older Inuit (28%) than among young people (11%).
[Source] (page III)
In 2004, nearly one person out of four (24%) indicated they had lacked food during the month before the survey.
[Source] (page IV)
The traditional foods most frequently consumed by the Inuit (≥ 11 times per year) in decreasing order of importance were caribou, arctic char, goose, wild berries, ptarmigan and beluga blubber/misirak. Walrus, igunak, scallops, seaweed, bear and hare were consumed by less than 20% of the respondents during the year before the survey.
The other fishes consumed were mainly fourhorn sculpin (often called “ugly fish” by the Inuit) and northern pike whereas the other birds include birds such as eider, black scoter, northern pintail and murres.
[Source] (page 11)
When Inuit rely only on traditional food to survive, every part of the animal is eaten (muscle, fat, brain, stomach contents, organs). Each of these parts gives the body different nutritive elements that it needs.
[Source] (page 8)
To get the same amount of iron found in one portion of seal meat, you would have to eat about 50 hot dogs.
[Source] (page 12)
All is not lost as far as traditional food goes: one survey revealed that two-thirds of indigenous households got at least half their food from traditional sources.
[Source]
According to Edmund Searles in his article "Food and the Making of Modern Inuit Identities," they consume this type of diet because a mostly meat diet is "effective in keeping the body warm, making the body strong, keeping the body fit, and even making that body healthy”.
[Source]
Nutrition and Food Consumption Among the Inuit of Nunavik (Report)
Traditional [food supply] represents 16% of total calories in comparison with 84% supplied by store-bought foods.
[Source] (page III)
The contribution of traditional foods to energy intake was higher among older Inuit (28%) than among young people (11%).
[Source] (page III)
In 2004, nearly one person out of four (24%) indicated they had lacked food during the month before the survey.
[Source] (page IV)
The traditional foods most frequently consumed by the Inuit (≥ 11 times per year) in decreasing order of importance were caribou, arctic char, goose, wild berries, ptarmigan and beluga blubber/misirak. Walrus, igunak, scallops, seaweed, bear and hare were consumed by less than 20% of the respondents during the year before the survey.
The other fishes consumed were mainly fourhorn sculpin (often called “ugly fish” by the Inuit) and northern pike whereas the other birds include birds such as eider, black scoter, northern pintail and murres.
[Source] (page 11)
According to this table (Table 20: Consumption frequency of traditional foods during the year before the survey, Nunavik, 2004, page 48):
Marine mammals:
29.8% of the population eats seal meat more than 11 times a year
39.3% eat Beluga blubber/misirak more than 11 times a year
Fish and seafood:
75.8% eat Arctic char more than 11 times a year
35.1% eat Dried fish more than 11 times a year
Also eat mussels, trout, salmon, whitefish.
Land animals: 87.4% eat caribou more than 11 times a year
Birds:
- 60.8% eat goose more than 11 times a year
- 43.9% eat Ptarmigan more than 11 times a year
Berries: 46.4% eat berries more than 11 times a year
Marine mammals:
29.8% of the population eats seal meat more than 11 times a year
39.3% eat Beluga blubber/misirak more than 11 times a year
Fish and seafood:
75.8% eat Arctic char more than 11 times a year
35.1% eat Dried fish more than 11 times a year
Also eat mussels, trout, salmon, whitefish.
Land animals: 87.4% eat caribou more than 11 times a year
Birds:
- 60.8% eat goose more than 11 times a year
- 43.9% eat Ptarmigan more than 11 times a year
Berries: 46.4% eat berries more than 11 times a year
--------- Aupaluk (in Inuktitut: ᐊᐅᐸᓗᒃ), smallest Nunavik community
Dog sledding on the frozen Ungava Bay at -39°C, Aupaluk, Nunavik. [Image source]
Existing? Yes
Population: 195 (in 2011)
Meaning: “Where the earth is red” , from the iron-bearing (ferruginous) soil (source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aupaluk)
Language: Inuktitut (Nunavimmiutitut dialect)
Main food ingredients:
Caribou hunting, August through to October usually. [Source]
Fishing: June to September every year
Atlantic salmon
Arctic char
Brook Trout or Sea-run Trout
Lake trout
History:
Aupaluk is the first village of the Canadian Arctic to have been entirely designed by Inuit.
Aupaluk was incorporated as a Northern Village in 1981 and opened its co-operative store in the early 1980s. Life of Aupalummiut remains essentially centred on traditional activities. [Source]
“Aupaluk, the smallest Nunavik community, is located on the southern shore of Hopes Advance Bay, an inlet on the western shore of Ungava Bay. It is about 150 km north of Kuujjuaq and 80 km south of Kangirsuk. The village is built on the lowest of a series of natural terraces about 45 m above sea level. The landscape around is rather flat and is ideal for hiking excursions. The village offers a superb view of Ungava Bay. Aupaluk owes its meaning to the reddish colour of its ferruginous soil. This soil constitutes the northern reaches of the Labrador Trough which is rich in iron deposits. There was even mining activity in the region in the late 1950s.”
[Source]
Population: 195 (in 2011)
Meaning: “Where the earth is red” , from the iron-bearing (ferruginous) soil (source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aupaluk)
Language: Inuktitut (Nunavimmiutitut dialect)
Main food ingredients:
Caribou hunting, August through to October usually. [Source]
Fishing: June to September every year
Atlantic salmon
Arctic char
Brook Trout or Sea-run Trout
Lake trout
History:
Aupaluk is the first village of the Canadian Arctic to have been entirely designed by Inuit.
Aupaluk was incorporated as a Northern Village in 1981 and opened its co-operative store in the early 1980s. Life of Aupalummiut remains essentially centred on traditional activities. [Source]
“Aupaluk, the smallest Nunavik community, is located on the southern shore of Hopes Advance Bay, an inlet on the western shore of Ungava Bay. It is about 150 km north of Kuujjuaq and 80 km south of Kangirsuk. The village is built on the lowest of a series of natural terraces about 45 m above sea level. The landscape around is rather flat and is ideal for hiking excursions. The village offers a superb view of Ungava Bay. Aupaluk owes its meaning to the reddish colour of its ferruginous soil. This soil constitutes the northern reaches of the Labrador Trough which is rich in iron deposits. There was even mining activity in the region in the late 1950s.”
[Source]
Inuvialuit region (in Inuvialuktun: ɪnˈuviˌaluət)
Existing? Yes
Population: 5,000 (in 2011)
Meaning: “the real people”
Language: Inuvialuktun but English is slowly taking over
The Inuviualuit region is located in the north of the Northwestern Territories of Canada.
Population: 5,000 (in 2011)
Meaning: “the real people”
Language: Inuvialuktun but English is slowly taking over
The Inuviualuit region is located in the north of the Northwestern Territories of Canada.
Main food culture and ingredients
Caribou [Image source]
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The Inuvialuit inhabitants eat mostly caribou, bannock, charr, beluga, muskrat, geese, ducks, and hare. [Source]
“They used to round up the caribou and chase them into the water. Once the caribou were in the water, they would chase them with their qadjut (kayaks) and kill them with spears.”
[Source: Inuvialuit Pitqusiit, The Culture of the Inuvialuit, 1991, p. 31]
“Traditional country foods include caribou, muskox, polar bear, arctic hare, muskrat, seal, bearded seal, duck, goose, ptarmigan, beluga and bowhead whale, fish (whitefish, herring, inconnu, arctic char and trout) and berries (aqpiit, blueberries, crowberries, currants and cranberries).”
[Source]
Seasonal activities
Spring: fishing, geese hunting, grizzly hunting
Summer: whaling, fishing, gathering berries, roots and medicinal plants
Autumn: fishing, sealing, geese hunting, and plant gathering
Winter: fishing, sealing, polar bear hunting
[Source]
“They used to round up the caribou and chase them into the water. Once the caribou were in the water, they would chase them with their qadjut (kayaks) and kill them with spears.”
[Source: Inuvialuit Pitqusiit, The Culture of the Inuvialuit, 1991, p. 31]
“Traditional country foods include caribou, muskox, polar bear, arctic hare, muskrat, seal, bearded seal, duck, goose, ptarmigan, beluga and bowhead whale, fish (whitefish, herring, inconnu, arctic char and trout) and berries (aqpiit, blueberries, crowberries, currants and cranberries).”
[Source]
Seasonal activities
Spring: fishing, geese hunting, grizzly hunting
Summer: whaling, fishing, gathering berries, roots and medicinal plants
Autumn: fishing, sealing, geese hunting, and plant gathering
Winter: fishing, sealing, polar bear hunting
[Source]
Maktak: Skin of a whale (beluga or bowhead), which can be cooked or eaten raw after aging
[Image source] |
Pipsi: Deboned fish hung to dry in the sun or smoked in a smokehouse.
[Image source] |
Traditional specialities:
Akutuq or Eskimo ice-cream: A mixture of caribou meat, caribou fat or marrow and broth, stirred by hand until light and fluffy, then frozen.
Caribou stew or soup: Diced caribou meat, vegetables, rice, and stock.
Dry fish: De-boned fish hung to dry in the sun or smoked in a smokehouse. Either way, it tastes great.
Mipku or dry meat: Thin strips of whale or caribou meat which have been hung to dry.
Muktuk: Skin of a whale (beluga or bowhead), which can be cooked or eaten raw after aging.
Muqpauraq or bannock: Made of flour, sugar, baking powder, lard and milk or water, then fried over an open fire or baked in the oven.
Pipsi: Deboned fish hung to dry in the sun or smoked in a smokehouse.
Putuligaaq or Eskimo donuts: Deep fried donuts with 6 to 8 holes.
Quak: Meat that is frozen raw and then eaten.
Suvaq: Fish eggs that may be eaten frozen or cooked.
Uksuk: Oil of the whale.
Tea water: Many Inuvialuit believe that fresh water from lakes or blocks of ice should be used in the making of tea for that extra essence.
[Source]
Akutuq or Eskimo ice-cream: A mixture of caribou meat, caribou fat or marrow and broth, stirred by hand until light and fluffy, then frozen.
Caribou stew or soup: Diced caribou meat, vegetables, rice, and stock.
Dry fish: De-boned fish hung to dry in the sun or smoked in a smokehouse. Either way, it tastes great.
Mipku or dry meat: Thin strips of whale or caribou meat which have been hung to dry.
Muktuk: Skin of a whale (beluga or bowhead), which can be cooked or eaten raw after aging.
Muqpauraq or bannock: Made of flour, sugar, baking powder, lard and milk or water, then fried over an open fire or baked in the oven.
Pipsi: Deboned fish hung to dry in the sun or smoked in a smokehouse.
Putuligaaq or Eskimo donuts: Deep fried donuts with 6 to 8 holes.
Quak: Meat that is frozen raw and then eaten.
Suvaq: Fish eggs that may be eaten frozen or cooked.
Uksuk: Oil of the whale.
Tea water: Many Inuvialuit believe that fresh water from lakes or blocks of ice should be used in the making of tea for that extra essence.
[Source]
Nunavut region (in Inuktitut: ᓄᓇᕗᑦ )
Nunavut region in Canada [Image source]
This is Iqaluit, the largest community in Nunavut, with a population of 6,699 recorded in 2011.
Existing? Yes
Population: 6,699 (2011)
Meaning: “our land” in Inuktitut
Language: Inuktitut
The Nunavut region was officially separated from the Canadian Northwest Territories on the 1st April 1999, through the Nunavut Act.
[Source]
An Inuit woman cooks in an igloo in the Baker Lake village. [Image source]
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Nuvanut traditional foods [Image source]
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Main food culture and ingredients
Arctic char (with a taste somewhere between salmon and trout) is served in many ways - as well as sampling it stewed, baked or smoked, try it dried for a true northern experience.
Mussels, scallops (especially from Cumberland Sound), clams, turbot (especially from the Baffin region) and Greenland shrimp.
Musk ox and caribou.
Local bannock (a simple unleavened bread dough cooked slowly in a frying pan, baked or boiled) which can be kept for a few weeks in an easily transformable form (a favourite for early Arctic explorers).
Raw whale blubber and skin, is a highly prized local speciality, despite whaling being frowned upon internationally.
Alcohol is prohibited in 7 communities and regulated in the others.
[Source]
Nutrition Factsheets [Source]
Beluga whales:
“You really get the satisfaction beyond imagination; you cannot enjoy a good meal more than eating the ones that I mention (narwhal or beluga maktaaq).” Abraham Ulaajuruluk, Igloolik, 1999
A large beluga can provide 44 pounds of meat, 110 pounds of maktaaq, and 66 gallons of oil.
Article: Tackling The Culture Clash Over Country Food in Nunavut
Some experts have suggested that commercializing country food could improve access to healthy produce and reduce food insecurity across the northern Canadian territory. The problem is that many local people consider exchanging cash for country food instead of sharing it is against Inuit culture.
Nevertheless, some Nunavummiut have started buying and selling country food at local shops, pop-up community markets and, most recently, on Facebook.
[Source]
Feeding Nunavut: non-profit organization, is piloting a hunter support program.
Arctic char (with a taste somewhere between salmon and trout) is served in many ways - as well as sampling it stewed, baked or smoked, try it dried for a true northern experience.
Mussels, scallops (especially from Cumberland Sound), clams, turbot (especially from the Baffin region) and Greenland shrimp.
Musk ox and caribou.
Local bannock (a simple unleavened bread dough cooked slowly in a frying pan, baked or boiled) which can be kept for a few weeks in an easily transformable form (a favourite for early Arctic explorers).
Raw whale blubber and skin, is a highly prized local speciality, despite whaling being frowned upon internationally.
Alcohol is prohibited in 7 communities and regulated in the others.
[Source]
Nutrition Factsheets [Source]
Beluga whales:
“You really get the satisfaction beyond imagination; you cannot enjoy a good meal more than eating the ones that I mention (narwhal or beluga maktaaq).” Abraham Ulaajuruluk, Igloolik, 1999
A large beluga can provide 44 pounds of meat, 110 pounds of maktaaq, and 66 gallons of oil.
Article: Tackling The Culture Clash Over Country Food in Nunavut
Some experts have suggested that commercializing country food could improve access to healthy produce and reduce food insecurity across the northern Canadian territory. The problem is that many local people consider exchanging cash for country food instead of sharing it is against Inuit culture.
Nevertheless, some Nunavummiut have started buying and selling country food at local shops, pop-up community markets and, most recently, on Facebook.
[Source]
Feeding Nunavut: non-profit organization, is piloting a hunter support program.
Greenland Inuits
Population: 75,000
84% of Greenland's landmass is covered by the Greenland ice sheet
84% of Greenland's landmass is covered by the Greenland ice sheet
Kalaallit of west Greenland (Inuit)
Nuussuaq district in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, with the Sermitsiaq mountain in background
Tunumiit of Tunu (East Greenland)
Taasilaq community
Inughuit (North Greenland)
Siorapaluk community
Alaska Inuits
Siberian Inuits
References
Canadian Inuits
http://www.irc.inuvialuit.com/
http://www.irc.inuvialuit.com/