Vancouver, British Columbia is hosting the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. This past weekend Inuvik hosted the 40th Annual Circumpolar games. There was no ski jumping or bobsledding, just a celebration of traditional skills from around the Arctic. There were contests in seal skinning and muktuk(whale meat) eating. Each night ended with drum dances that lasted long into the late evening light.
While watching some afternoon festivities I heard an announcement that there were still spots in the men's muskrat skinning event. I could hardly contain my excitement as a walked up to the stage to see if I could fill in as a last minute entry. I was welcomed with open arms, but warned that it could be dangerous, this event was highly competitive (an athlete in the women's competition had just been taken to the hospital for stitches--she returned in time for the seal skinning). After a quick tutorial on the best method for striping the fur off of these cute, very dead little animals I was off--armed with a very sharp knife, hammer(for mounting the skin to a piece of wood for drying), and the knowledge that Canadian health care would take care of me if my knife slipped. Nine minutes later I was done. I had not placed last--though the winner could have finished a half dozen skins in the time it took me to do one.
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Hi Brett, When Carl was young and during the depession, he and his father killed, skinned and ate muskrats to put food on the table of a growing family. It's a dying art in South Jersey. Glad you had the experience and didn't cut yourself! Miss you and so enjoy reading your blog. Love, Marie
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