AniaR
03-28-2014, 05:01 PM
Here's the article about Ellen calling out seal hunting in Canada and what it has spurned: http://www.cbc.ca/newsblogs/yourcommunity/2014/03/sealfie-northerners-respond-to-ellens-seal-hunt-views-with-fur-photos.html?cmp=fbtl
Here's an article about hunger and poverty in Nunavut (Canada's North) where seals are hunted for food and clothing: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/inuit-go-hungry-more-than-any-other-indigenous-group-report-1.2588107?cmp=fbtl&utm_content=buffer5b7cb&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer
Here's the letter I just sent Ellen, please consider liking it or commenting on fb so people see it: https://www.facebook.com/ellentv/posts/10154031045655425
My post:
Hi Ellen,
I heard you were speaking about the seal hunting that goes on in my country today. I wanted to contact you as one animal lover to another to clarify something. I think many people who aren't Canadian often see "the seal hunt" as one big giant thing that happens all over Canada, and they often don't differentiate between people who are legitimately hunting for survival, and a very stupid cull.
Now you may be thinking, in this day and age, who really needs to hunt for survival? And this is where I wanted to share some startling information that I think is very important for you to know.
The Canadian Inuits have the highest hunger rates for any aboriginal group. What do I mean when I say that? First of all, food is flown and floated up North, which costs a lot of fossil fuel and money. It takes a long time to get there and is usually spoiled by the time it does. It costs a ridiculous amount in comparison to what we in the rest of North America pay for food. The same goes for things like clothing and pretty much anything else a person needs to live.
I want to quote to you from a recent article on the topic (also linked for your info)
"A new study released Thursday highlights the fact that people in Nunavut have the highest food insecurity rate for any indigenous population in a developed country at 68 per cent.
The report, published by the Canadian Council of Academies, notes that a quarter of Inuit preschoolers are severely food insecure. Of that 25 per cent, 76 per cent skip meals and 60 per cent have gone a day without eating. "
"The report says the average cost of groceries for a family of four in Nunavut is $19,760 per year while almost half of Inuit adults earn less than $20,000 annually."
I am an educator, a pretty unique one. I'm a mermaid who uses her teaching degree and her degree in child and youth development to teach children about the importance of our Oceans, sustainability, and having a healthy planet. As part of my education I did several university courses on Nunavut (Canada's North) and have several peers who have gone their to teach.
The Inuit only came off the land in the 60s, and their culture was quite literally beat out of them. There is such a generation gap between the people who experienced that and the people being born now that it is contributing to alarmingly high suicide rates (5 times the average). Many Inuits report a lack of identity. And while I appreciate that many people do not agree with culture as an excuse for hunting animals, in this instance the oppression of their culture is a direct factor in high suicide rates.
A school will kill, gut, eat and tan an animal. Everyone eats and the fur is used for clothing. ( seal fur is far superior than modern boots when it comes to many of the Arctic climates, the fur is water proof, and caribou sinew is used for sewing) bones and sinew are used for tools and arts and craft that are then sold to help offset the poverty.
Yes I believe and support animal rights in many cases but in a situation like this people must be educated in WHY a particular event happens. Many people are not as privileged as we are. They do not have the luxury of choosing what they eat. In addition when people propose bans on Natives or Inuit being able to hunt a specific animal we open the door to having their hard earned treaty ( in this case a land agreement) rights revoked!
I hope your fans and yourself can show empathy to the first Canadians and push our government to help. And before you throw a judgemental stone be sure you understand. If we want people to stop doing a certain action, we must first examine why they are doing it in the first place.
Hunting is no easy task up North either. It's dangerous giving the ever-changing environment, global warming, and the cost for hunting tools and transportation across the tundra. A person takes their life in their hands when they go out to hunt.
As a person who loves animals, especially marine creatures, I hate seeing the images of seals being bashed against the snow for something as stupid as a cull based on the destruction humans have already done to the fish stocks. I do not like the idea that the Inuit will eat a beluga. Or a polar bear. But I understand that until we can provide them with help for the damage we have already done to their identity, and provide them with food, that this really is one of those cases where it is a necessity.
I hope you or someone on your team had read this. You have always seemed to me to be a level headed person who does her best to always see all sides of something. I totally agree that the needless terrible deaths of animals for stupid reasons like fashion and human error (the fish stocks) are wrong. But I hope this has educated you and given you something else to consider. Because many people who watch your show do not understand. They want all hunting of seals to stop, and if we do that, we condemn a people to death.
Here's an article about hunger and poverty in Nunavut (Canada's North) where seals are hunted for food and clothing: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/inuit-go-hungry-more-than-any-other-indigenous-group-report-1.2588107?cmp=fbtl&utm_content=buffer5b7cb&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer
Here's the letter I just sent Ellen, please consider liking it or commenting on fb so people see it: https://www.facebook.com/ellentv/posts/10154031045655425
My post:
Hi Ellen,
I heard you were speaking about the seal hunting that goes on in my country today. I wanted to contact you as one animal lover to another to clarify something. I think many people who aren't Canadian often see "the seal hunt" as one big giant thing that happens all over Canada, and they often don't differentiate between people who are legitimately hunting for survival, and a very stupid cull.
Now you may be thinking, in this day and age, who really needs to hunt for survival? And this is where I wanted to share some startling information that I think is very important for you to know.
The Canadian Inuits have the highest hunger rates for any aboriginal group. What do I mean when I say that? First of all, food is flown and floated up North, which costs a lot of fossil fuel and money. It takes a long time to get there and is usually spoiled by the time it does. It costs a ridiculous amount in comparison to what we in the rest of North America pay for food. The same goes for things like clothing and pretty much anything else a person needs to live.
I want to quote to you from a recent article on the topic (also linked for your info)
"A new study released Thursday highlights the fact that people in Nunavut have the highest food insecurity rate for any indigenous population in a developed country at 68 per cent.
The report, published by the Canadian Council of Academies, notes that a quarter of Inuit preschoolers are severely food insecure. Of that 25 per cent, 76 per cent skip meals and 60 per cent have gone a day without eating. "
"The report says the average cost of groceries for a family of four in Nunavut is $19,760 per year while almost half of Inuit adults earn less than $20,000 annually."
I am an educator, a pretty unique one. I'm a mermaid who uses her teaching degree and her degree in child and youth development to teach children about the importance of our Oceans, sustainability, and having a healthy planet. As part of my education I did several university courses on Nunavut (Canada's North) and have several peers who have gone their to teach.
The Inuit only came off the land in the 60s, and their culture was quite literally beat out of them. There is such a generation gap between the people who experienced that and the people being born now that it is contributing to alarmingly high suicide rates (5 times the average). Many Inuits report a lack of identity. And while I appreciate that many people do not agree with culture as an excuse for hunting animals, in this instance the oppression of their culture is a direct factor in high suicide rates.
A school will kill, gut, eat and tan an animal. Everyone eats and the fur is used for clothing. ( seal fur is far superior than modern boots when it comes to many of the Arctic climates, the fur is water proof, and caribou sinew is used for sewing) bones and sinew are used for tools and arts and craft that are then sold to help offset the poverty.
Yes I believe and support animal rights in many cases but in a situation like this people must be educated in WHY a particular event happens. Many people are not as privileged as we are. They do not have the luxury of choosing what they eat. In addition when people propose bans on Natives or Inuit being able to hunt a specific animal we open the door to having their hard earned treaty ( in this case a land agreement) rights revoked!
I hope your fans and yourself can show empathy to the first Canadians and push our government to help. And before you throw a judgemental stone be sure you understand. If we want people to stop doing a certain action, we must first examine why they are doing it in the first place.
Hunting is no easy task up North either. It's dangerous giving the ever-changing environment, global warming, and the cost for hunting tools and transportation across the tundra. A person takes their life in their hands when they go out to hunt.
As a person who loves animals, especially marine creatures, I hate seeing the images of seals being bashed against the snow for something as stupid as a cull based on the destruction humans have already done to the fish stocks. I do not like the idea that the Inuit will eat a beluga. Or a polar bear. But I understand that until we can provide them with help for the damage we have already done to their identity, and provide them with food, that this really is one of those cases where it is a necessity.
I hope you or someone on your team had read this. You have always seemed to me to be a level headed person who does her best to always see all sides of something. I totally agree that the needless terrible deaths of animals for stupid reasons like fashion and human error (the fish stocks) are wrong. But I hope this has educated you and given you something else to consider. Because many people who watch your show do not understand. They want all hunting of seals to stop, and if we do that, we condemn a people to death.