Up here, seal is a staple for people and dogs. During our wonderful encounter with past friends, Qitdlogtoq offered us 2 seals for purchase. Given that our komatik was already fully loaded for the return trip from Qeqertat to Qaanaaq, he was kind enough to offer to deliver them! He was making the trip to go pick up his new born granddaughter. Here's how they traveled.
Tine & I went down to the beach to unload our precious cargo and towed it up to the house.
Qillaq Kristiansen one of the hunters who will be making the long journey north with us came over to teach us how to butcher the meat. Wow... he knew precisely where to place the blade to make the whole task look so easy. Masterful he is! He's been doing this since he's a child.
Tine taught me that fresh seal is best enjoyed raw. So right there in the kitchen I tried my first seal: a piece of liver wrapped in blubber (the pink stuff). It was great!
Our good friends and neighbours Puto and Odak then showed us how to cook the meat for a tasty dinner.
Nothing is wasted here. Our dogs will be the happy recipients of all the left overs for several days; it all gets eaten, bones, fur, all of it. Ours was a ring seal. Bearded seal is also found here both used to make clothing, mittens, footware, etc. It is a common site at many homes to see the seal skin stretched and drying in the cold air - giving it a beautiful white bleached appearance. I was lucky enough to sew my own pair of mittens! Scroll below...