Seal Hunting in Newfoundland with Mina Campbell

Mina Campbell joins us from the Labrador region of Newfoundland. She lives in a small town where seal hunting season is a community endeavor. Mina tells us about what it's like to hunt and harvest seals, the cultural dimensions of the hunt, and how lake ice makes or breaks the season. Plus, she tells us how to make an ulu and how a traditional harpoon works.    1:00 An enviable #freezerselfie - ptarmigan, grouse, salmon, moose, trout, beaver 2:00 Life in a small community in the Newfoundland 3:00 Baked beaver tail 5:00 Growing up in a family & culture of hunting/foraging/trapping for subsistence 6:30 "My ancestors from time immemorial came from here -- and I think now, at my age, I will always be here." 8:00 A tradition of sharing harvests 9:00 Seal hunting - ecology, ice conditions, where to look, seasonality 11:00 Harpoon vs. rifle / How a harpoon works 14:00 Cleaning seal skins with an ulu & making boots from them 16:00 Ice conditions make or break spring seal season; Freeze-up in the fall can tell you a lot about spring ice conditions 19:00 Processing seal skins [19:00 I love it when Mina says, 'You know... an ulu? You must've seen them... even down there." This made me lol. I have 2 cherished ones that sit in a kitchen drawer. I need to start using them more] 23:00 Making an ulu (plural: uluit) 33:00 A year of seasonal harvest in Labrador 37:00 Abrupt decline in the George River caribou herd 38:00 "It's not only about the [seal] hunt... it's a communal gathering out on this big lake" 40:00 Skills, etiquette, and other values that pass person-to-person during a hunt 42:00 When hunts involve people of all ages 43:00 Waterfowl hunting in the far north Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices