For many Pangnirtung community members, more than ninety percent of their diet comes from “country food,” food that comes directly from the surrounding environment. They eat seal, char, turbot, beluga whale, walrus, bear, and caribou. In the summer they collect berries as well.

Country food helps Inuit maintain their relationship to the land, their cultural traditions and their health. Inuit people hunt in much the same way their culture has for thousands of years. Elders teach younger generations the knowledge of animal behavior and how to travel safely on the land.

Up until a few generations ago, the Inuit people were completely dependent upon the land. If they did not have success hunting, there would be starvation and suffering.

Now local grocery stores sell imported food. It is possible to buy a mango in the Pangnirtung Northern Store.

Store-bought food, however, is very expensive. A gallon of milk is more than fourteen dollars. Bananas cost almost three dollars a pound. For families with limited incomes, store-bought food can be very expensive.

Furthermore “fresh” foods are shipped in on cargo planes that are dependent on the weather to fly. A stretch of bad weather can mean low stock and less-than-fresh produce.

Also many pre-packaged and processed foods are not as healthful as country foods. Inuit communities have seen an increase in health problems as some community members replace portions of their diet with store-bought foods.

For these reasons country foods remain an important part of Inuit life. The changing Arctic climate impacts the success of hunting and fishing. In some cases it also impacts the quality of the meat.

Because they are so closely connected with the land, Inuit notice environmental changes.

Back at Steger’s Minnesota homestead when we were packing our expedition food, we wondered, “Will the Inuit team members want to eat oatmeal for breakfast?” We contacted Theo to ask. His reply: “I would prefer to eat char.”

Arctic char, the northernmost species of freshwater fish, is a mainstay of the Inuit diet. A member of the Salmonidae family, its flesh is pink like salmon but has a more mild taste. Some populations of char stay in freshwater lakes for their whole lives while others migrate to the sea in the summer to feed.

The Inuit members of the Global Warming 101 Expedition Team eat char not only in the mornings, but anytime during the day when they need nourishment and energy. When the dog-sleds pause during the day, we Minnesota team members eat dried fruit, nuts, chocolate and chunks of frozen cheese out of plastic bags. The Inuit members, on the other hand, pull a 15 pound frozen Arctic char from a wooden crate on the back of their komatiq sled.

With a sharp knife the Inuit expertly cut slivers of the flesh and pop the frozen morsels into their mouths. It’s the Arctic version of sashimi. At first we Minnesota members joked that we would like some wasabi and pickled ginger to accompany the raw char. We have now, however, come to appreciate the flavor and texture of the char.

As the climate changes and water warms, Arctic char increase their rates of respiration. This increases the amount of heavy metals that build up in their flesh. These heavy metals can then accumulate in the bodies of animals and people who eat the char. Heavy metals are especially worrisome in children and in women of childbearing age. Mercury is a neurotoxin that can cause birth defects, learning disabilities and other health problems. To the Inuit, for whom a large portion of their diet comes from char and marine mammals, mercury contamination is a serious threat.

When our energy is low and our stomachs are rumbling with hunger pains, however, the threat of mercury is far from our minds. We pause for a snack break, enjoy the delicious char, and share in a cultural tradition that is thousands of years old.

Elizabeth Andre

(Source: ACIA, 2004)

• "The long place where we ran out of chocolate" Peninsula
• The Expedition Diet = 5,000 - 7,000 calories per day
• Chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate