Traditional Food Practices of Indigenous Peoples in Canada's Far North

Subsistence in the Arctic

Hunting (Primary)

Caribou, moose, muskox, seals (ringed, bearded, harp), whales (beluga, bowhead), polar bear (regulated). Meat, blubber, hides, sinew, bone—all used.

Fishing

Arctic char, lake trout, whitefish, salmon. Nets, weirs, jigging, spears. Summer runs critical.

Gathering

Berries (cloudberry, blueberry, crowberry), roots, seaweed, bird eggs. Preserved frozen or dried.

Preservation Techniques

• Air-drying (pemmican, dryfish)
• Smoking
• Freezing (natural winter cold, ice cellars)
• Fermentation (igunaq – aged walrus/seal)

Storage

Underground caches (permafrost), elevated platforms, seal-skin pokes.

Sharing

Communal distribution—elders, widows, hunters without catch. Reciprocity ensures survival.

These practices sustained Inuit, Dene, Inuvialuit, and others for millennia.