by Mark Sproxton
Northern News Services

NNSL (May 12/97) - Inuit of Nunavut need to prevent more damage from anti-fur sentiments in Europe, said a student recently returned from the Netherlands and Belgium.

"We're not loud enough and we have to do something about it," said Pauline Pemik from Rankin Inlet.

She and 11 classmates from the Nunavut Sivuniksavut training program in Ottawa spent two weeks in Europe lobbying against the fur ban.

Joining her were students from Kimmirut, Coral Harbour, Pangnirtung, Iqaluit, Arviat, Kuglugtuk and Arctic Bay.

They met with numerous college students in Holland, indigenous peoples' organizations and members of the Dutch government.

While the European students were receptive to the Nunavut students' message, Pemik said the Dutch government didn't seem swayed.

"I asked that if a standard trap is agreed upon, would they leave hunters alone," she said. "I never got an answer.

"That gave me the impression there will be more opposition to hunting and trapping and whaling. I think that'll be their next issue."

The Nunavut students, ranging from 18 to 26 years old, chose to take up the seal lobby effort as part of their program's annual educational trip. The students raised $30,000 for the April 7 to 21 journey.

One meeting the students had was with the European director for the International Fund for Animal Welfare, the group that was at the centre of the successful attack on the sealskin industry in the 1980s.

The students' presentation included a statement of why they were in Europe, followed by a slide show of cultural ties to the seal and then they took questions from the floor.

Despite the information coming directly from Inuit, some Europeans still weren't convinced that seal hunting is a cultural phenomenon and not a cruel, money-making scheme, Pemik said.

"They've been told everyone is killing animals in a mean way," she said. "But they are just hearing one side of the story."

Instructor Beth Williamson said the students handled their diplomatic and lobbying tasks admirably as representatives of Nunavut.

"Even the most experienced politicians would have been proud how the students carried themselves," she said.