Nicole Matute-Villagrana

AIIS 200 - 01

Professor J. Sanchez - Martinez

8 March 2019

Documentary Analysis - Angry Inuk

The controversy behind anti-seal hunting regulations and the negative effects they bring

into surrounding indigenous communities is one that I am actually familiar with. A few years

ago, after curiously clicking on an animal rights organization’s tweet regarding the lack of

morality behind seal hunting I observed that a few of the comments under it urged the

organization to think of the Inuit people. I was unfamiliar with this topic at the time and did a

minimal amount of basic research on it. However, at no point did I learn as much about this issue

and the relation it has to the well-being, specifically, of Canadian Inuit communities, than I did

after watching ​Angry Inuk. ​A film shot over eight years, ​Angry Inuk ​explores the importance of

seal hunting in Inuit culture and how legislation limiting this custom affects the culture and its

people. The issue of seal hunting regulations remains a central issue that affects the native

community exponentially because the majority of seal hunters in Canada and arctic areas like

Russia, Greenland, and Alaska, are Inuit. The film also examines the animal rights and

environmental preservation campaigns that aim to abolish this practice, often through sly tactics

such as misleading the general public on information and data regarding the seal hunting custom.

The documentary focuses on the Inuit community in the capital and surrounding areas

Canada’s largest territory, Nunavut. Directed by urban Inuk scholar Alethia Arnaquq-Baril,

Angry Inuk ​follows Inuit activists and members of the community; the film aims to educate the
general public on the issue of seal hunting. In the film, Alethia explains that her purpose for

creating this work stems from her concern of the inaccuracy in the portrayal of seal hunting by

animal welfare and environmental activist groups. These groups depict this practice as being

evil, greedy, and inherently immoral. Alethia’s hope for creating this film was to incorporate and

advocate for a voice representing the Inuit population when it comes to this custom that affects

their daily life, more than people probably know. The underrepresentation of indigenous

communities in modern governments, legislation, and popular culture makes it very easy for

individuals to forget about, or even intentionally ignore, the natural rights and respect that this

community is owed. By expounding upon the common list of arguments anti-seal hunting groups

use and explaining how the information they spread is either inaccurate or purposely

exclusionary to native people, Alethia was able to create a narrative that explains the Inuit’s

frustrations and the reality of what seal-hunting in an Inuit population entails.

When arguing for the practice of seal hunting, ​Angry Inuk​ focuses on explaining how this

custom is not only a significant part of Inuit tradition, but also the economic and survival

implications that are less commonly addressed. The consumption of seal meat, the utilization of

parts of the seal for protection from the extreme weather in the area, and the vending of seal

skins in the international market all are included in a cycle that, should it be interrupted in some

manner, would result in an immediate increase in pressure on communities to look for other

viable economic options. The issue with this lies in the fact that there are very little options in

their area; even after a large number of Inuit people were forced to leave generational territory

for more urban areas because of things like an increase of living cost.
 The documentary begins by explaining the cultural significance that this practice holds

and how seal hunting is an integral and common aspect of native culture. Various times in the

film, it emphasizes the ways that seal hunting brings people together; whether it be a group of

people completing the arduous task of doing the actual hunting together or a group of people

bonding while sharing the actual meat and goods that seals provide. Often, the statement

regarding how seal hunting allows men to be able to provide for their family is accompanied

directly after with a declaration of the importance of sharing seal products with neighbors,

friends, and in general those in need. The Inuit people are very much so a people with a strong

sense of community and the custom of seal hunting exemplifies this.

While protection of traditional Inuit practices is an argument explored in the film, the

issue that Alethia focuses on more is the economic importance of seal skin trade. Inuit people

depend on sealskin sales for their livelihood. Again, there exist few economic opportunities in

the areas that these people reside in and have resided in for many generations. Seal skin trade is

under threat by animals rights and environmental groups as they focus on instances where seal

hunting has not been done in a sustainable way, however this is most often done by non-native

people. The continued example of nefarious seal hunting practices in the area around

Newfoundland in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence in southern Canada is used by these activist groups.

This mass spring seal hunt event is often referred to as ‘The Canadian Seal Hunt’ and cited by

these groups as being an example of the inhumanness behind seal hunting. Since the 1970s, these

organizations have aimed to convince the general public that this traditionally sustainable

practice is cruel and inhumane, often emphasizing a moral argument. They make this fur out to

be a shameful possession and a frivolous luxury; the only solution to this situation in their eyes
being the complete ban of sale The contrasting reality that Alethia, in turn, provides is one of

basic human survival. Without seal products, Inuit people would struggle immensely for food

and warmth in the tempestuous climate of the area they reside in. For Inuit people to be able to

contribute to the Western economy and prosper, there cannot exist limits or bans on seal hunting

in the form of legislation. The documentary does a very good job of producing a counter

argument to every single common argument that organizations against seal hunting have

explored. In regards to legislation, Alethia explains that even including an Inuit clause or

exemption dramatically reduces the possibility of economic prosperity for seal skin sellers as it

effectively crashes this market and makes the potential monetary gains of selling seal products

dramatically reduce. It is explained that due to the tiny remote communities and prevailing

language barriers that exist in Inuit communities, the government of Nunavut arranges for a

wildlife office in each community to buy skins from hunters throughout the year. After collecting

the skins from all the communities, the government combines them for sale at international

auction on the hunters behalf; this allows the Inuit to remain true to their traditions and practice,

while also allowing them to take part in the modern world.

Another focus of the fight for preventing a ban on seal hunting that the documentary

focused on is how past legislation having to do with different aspects of this custom have

affected the modern Inuit communities. After a ban on hunting whitecoat harp seals in 1983 by

the European Union (EU), various negative effects proceed to afflict the indigenous population.

Nevermind that this type of seal is not usually pursued by an Inuk hunter, as well as the fact that

this type of seal (or seals in general actually) are not and will not be anywhere on the endangered

species list.
 Throughout the 1970s, native people had to deal with residential school abuse, forced

relocations, and other destructive government policies; native suicide rates rose at an alarming

rate throughout this era. The EU ban in 1983 only exasperated this feeling of helplessness within

these people and, within the year, suicide rates spiked even higher and have been among the

worst in the world ever since. The Inuit population also holds the highest poverty and

unemployment rates, as well as the highest cost of living, in all of North America. After working

for 25 years to rebuild the damage that bans such as this caused to the reputation and demand of

seal skins, another form of regulation having to do with this topic was proposed by the EU

parliament in 2009; however, this piece of legislation advocated for the ​complete ​ban of all seal

goods (including skins, oils, and meat).

Angry Inuk s​ hared that a possible alternative to this ban could be a certification

program based on animal welfare standards and the regulation of things like killing methods or

quotas, boat size, or daily cash limit. Animal rights organizations on the other hand choose to

back the harshest options of legislation designed to crash the entire market. They do this by

purposely sharing inaccurate information with the intent to invoke strong emotional connections

between animal and man; the example of a whitecoat harp seal pup crying is often used, despite

the fact that we know that these pups are continuously crying throughout their lifetime as a way

to keep their eyes moistened. It is alluded quite frequently in the film that possibility that animal

rights organizations and environmental conservation groups are not actually intending to make a

change in their respective fields; but rather, they choose a topic that they know will tug on

people's emotions and essentially guarantee large profits.

 It is my opinion that ​Angry Inuk i​ s not only shot beautifully and aesthetically pleasing in

general, but I also believe that every person should watch this film, regardless of their interest in

indigenous studies. Every person should be aware of the issues that plague the indigenous

community because that’s the only way that they’ll be fixed. Oppression towards native peoples

is not only systemic, but it is also greatly fed by ignorance of the general population; the fight for

equality would be even just a little bit easier if everybody was simply made aware of the fact that

this group of people are struggling because we have failed to include their voice and opinions on

issues at large. Watching films like ​Angry Inuk h​ elps displace the societal mysticism and

romanticization of indigenous culture; the personal aspects that Alethia includes in the film are

vital to this. Very often, I think people are not shown the quiet anger and dignity that are so

central to Inuit people. When being bombarded with intense messages of hate from animal rights

groups Alethia succinctly explains: “I am inspired to keep sharing information respectfully, and

trust that we’ll eventually turn the tide in time for a new model of animal activism. I hope the

world will see that we as Inuit should be a part of it.” Non-natives lack this form of ‘quiet’ or

controlled anger that the Inuit people are, rightfully, proud of. I truly believe that if people were

exposed to more native directed films like ​Angry Inuk,​ perhaps overcoming our general

differences and entering an age of equality would cease to be such a strenuous and complex

issue.
 Works Cited

Angry Inuk. Dir. Alethea Arnaquq-Baril. Film Movement Exclusives, 2016. Kanopy. Web. 8

Mar. 2019.