The governor general is higher-ranked than Canada's prime minister and is considered the envoy to the Queen of England. Though most people consider hers to be a "puppet-like position," she is a well-respected and well-educated woman. Her plane was late to Cambridge Bay, so she only had time to visit the Youth Centre (it's re-opening this weekend!!) and eat at the lodge. My host, the assistant manager at the lodge, said Her Excellency was extremely down to earth and that the whole party immensely enjoyed themselves. Unfortunately, I did not get to meet the governor general, though later found out that I could have. : (
Speaking of the Governor General, everyone here is talking about the controversy surrounding her Rankin Inlet visit, where she was taught how to butcher a seal and ate raw seal heart. You can read the articles for yourself...here's the BBC version and the CBC version. I consider myself extremely lucky to be in the North while this story unfolds. I think the whole thing is a little ridiculous, personally. Critics are condemning it as her condoning seal hunting, when in actuality, she was simply experiencing an important part of Inuit culture. She is, after all, a Canadian politician; one who should embrace all of the cultures in her country.
The Governor General and her husband eat raw seal heart in Rankin Inlet
For those of you not familiar to the debate, most of the opposition is against the practices of commercial seal hunters in Newfoundland, who have been portrayed as clubbing baby seals to death. While I am not familiar with their methods, I can tell you that the way Inuit harvest seal cannot hardly be called inhumane. Think about this: when you eat a hamburger, where does it come from? Most of the time, the animal you are eating has been pumped full of hormones and forced to live in a crowded cell where it has no room to even turn around. For example, the breed of chicken used for commercial processing can no longer copulate on its own because its reproductive organs are so large due to hormone injections. Yet here, seals are allowed to live in their natural environments, free of human interferences. When they are killed, no part of them is wasted, because every part provided humans here with life-essential nutrients not otherwise available (citrus fruits with vitamin C don't grow that well in the Arctic). Their skins are the only things that kept humans warm in this kind of environment. True, during modern times, things like synthetic fabrics and citrus fruits are available to people here. However, there are more negative environmental impacts concerning these modernities, like the enormous carbon footprints associated with shipping kiwis here from New Zealand.
Obviously, the EU ban will negatively affect the economy and the well-being of Nunavummiut (Nunavut citizens). What some people do not recognize, however, is the impact the ban will have on their culture. Yet again, people are judging their culture as something inhumane and "neanderthal" (see below), when in actuality, their actions are more natural than ours.
Regardless of my opinion, I think it important that PETA get a new spokesperson. Their vice president was quoted as saying, "It sounds like she's [the governor general] trying to give Canadians an even more Neanderthal image around the world than they already have." What a way to convince people that you're morally correct.
The third grade class visited us today to play traditional Inuit games. This one involves scooting on your backside. : )
This morning, one of the environmental students was very excited because she was going to meet the Governor General. I asked if she was part of the Cadets and she replied, "no, I'm getting to meet her because I was in the Arctic hip-hop video." "Really?" I said. "What video is this?" She explained that about a year ago, a hip-hop group came to Cambridge Bay to hold a weeklong workshop for the high school students. I asked if I could borrow the video and she brought it to me immediately after school. I was not prepared for how powerful the video would be.
It was a documentary that chronicled the week-long workshop run by the Canadian Floor Masters, a group that teaches hip-hop while also discussing social issues specific to the youth they are dealing with. The video also featured two students, Eric (the one I mentioned in a previous blog) and the girl who gave me the video, Shannon. I don't know whether I was more touched by the issues the CFM discussed, like bullying and suicide, or the stories of these two kids who I knew, but never talked with about their personal lives.
Eric's mom works in a mine outside of Cambridge Bay. She works in two-week cycles; working for two weeks and coming home for two weeks. When she is gone, Eric stays with his friend's family. I really enjoyed hearing Eric rap at the end of the week "battle." : )
Shannon was 21 and in the 11th grade when the video was filmed. She is a single mom and came back to school to finish her education. Her part of the video was the most touching; she described her struggle with suicidal thoughts and her desire to help the other youth of Cambridge Bay with their struggles.
The video was really eye-opening for me, because even though I knew many of the students struggle with difficult issues, I had yet to associate these problems with a face (besides Jorden's speech at the suicide awareness meeting). These kids, though seemingly well-adjusted, were living lives I couldn't even begin to comprehend. It reminded me that until I deeply invest myself in a community, living with its people and becoming deeply interested in them, I will not be able to understand what they face. However, the fact that this group came into the community for only a week and made such a huge difference reminded me that good intentions produce good results, and that showing people you care is sometimes the best investment you can make in a community.
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