Monday, February 27, 2012

The Food

did you know? people have blogs totally dedicated to foods?
i never have a lot to say about food, except that i eat it.
lately, i have been watching anthony bourdain's no reservations
it is a show dedicated to foods, travelling and trying whatever food is given.

so i have been thinking about food, our foods
the so called traditional foods, country foods
and how that might affect our culture.

what do you eat? and once we add carrots, onions, broccoli or potatoes,
is it still traditional?
what constitutes traditional?

the liver of a caribou? does it just involve the meat?
how many of us eat the head of a caribou? are we traditional if we don't?

how many of us eat polar bear? igunaq (fermented meat)?
ptarmigans? seal intestines? male ringed seal (tiggaminiq)?
ducks? beluga meat, not just the maktaaq?

have you had qisaruaq (Caribou stomach lining)?
tunnuq? tongue? seal liver, kidneys?

what is available at what times of the year?
is the duck at its prime in july?
baby seals in august?
bull caribou in october?

is our diet dictated by seasons? when is food best?
cooked or raw?

can we still eat nothing but country foods?

can we eat these words? will they sustain us?

Friday, February 24, 2012

While you sit and watch

For a good part of
our lives
we tend to sit and watch
the commotion
the gathering
the consultations
people doing the work for us

For a good part of
our lives
we tend to stay quiet
while the people talk
while the people point
while companies make plans
while the government approves

and before we know it
you'll see the helicopters flying
and
the announcement of this and that
and one day you'll think
what the hell was i doing that whole time?

People from the south
come and go
as they always have
but we, who love the cold
the snow to its fullest,
will stay and have children and
grandchildren, nephews and nieces
we'll want to stay here and will do so,
have a responsibility
to be part of everything
that happens here

because while we sit and watch
there are people interested in
your language,
your land, and your life
and they'll do anything to
grab a hold of it
they'll even spend money to do so

because while we sit and watch
there are a group of people
from vancouver, toronto and ottawa
looking over maps
considering which areas have diamonds
gold, iron and everything else in
between

considering ways of making it
seem that they will help you, when
in the end
they want to fill their pockets
with hundred dollar bills

considering ways how they can
retire with a cottage by a lake
how they can put their kids through college
and all of this while we sit and watch?

don't you think its time
we stand up and ask questions
stop them in their tracks?

don't you think its time
we protect something that
cannot speak for itself?

don't you think we should
all stand up and demand what is ours?