NUNAVUT
A battle of words between southerners against seal hunting and Canadian Inuit who rely on harvesting the animals for food and traditional clothing has erupted once again - this time on social media.

Pangnirtung's Rebecca Mearns, an instructor at Nunavut Sivuniksavut in Ottawa, was actively promoting sealfies on Twitter last week and has received some negative backlash. Mearns bought the pictured t-shirt at the Northern Lights Trade Show in Ottawa this year and is wearing a sealskin and leather jacket on loan to the school from the Government of Nunavut. - photo courtesy of Fred Cattrol

Since 17-year-old Killaq Enuaraq-Strauss of Iqaluit posted a video titled Dear Ellen targeting Ellen DeGeneres' recent anti-sealing comments following the 2014 Oscar Awards, social media sites have been ablaze with #Sealfies - a play on the

cellphone "selfie" where virtual protestors have been taking photos of themselves wearing various seal clothing.

The #sealfie trend was started as a response to DeGeneres' $1.5-million Oscar selfie, the proceeds of which went to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), a group that has campaigned heavily against the Inuit seal hunt.

Rather than slamming the American celebrity for her ignorance on the subject of seal hunting, Iqaluit filmmaker Aletha Arnaquq-Baril published an open letter to DeGeneres on her blog March 26 that sought to educate on the common misconceptions surrounding the traditional harvest.

"To speak publicly about the seal hunting issue is a minefield, and you've jumped right into it," stated Arnaquq-Baril.

"As Inuit we try to be respectful and reasonable when discussing it, and this causes many to underestimate how desperate and upset we are about the issue. Please take a moment to consider the plight of the Inuit."

The idea to post #sealfie pictures of people proudly wearing their sealskin products came from the mind of Iqaluit's Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory, who told Nunavut News/North that she sees this as an opportunity for Inuit to show their pride in their culture.

It is an opportunity to use cellphone images as a medium through which to say, "we've got great cultural pride within ourselves, always have and always will," she said.

The misinformation spread by many animal activist groups, including HSUS, effectively collapsed a global trade system that was once one of the main sources of income for the Inuit.

The surge in social media posts displayed just how far that misinformation has spread.

After posting a picture of her young daughter next to a freshly-killed seal on Twitter, throatsinger Tanya Tagaq of Cambridge Bay received a flurry of messages, most of which have been hateful. One user went so far as to post a Photoshopped image of her baby girl being skinned. That image has since been taken down.

"She's a musician and performer and has a big following and is getting a lot of negative attention. She's a strong woman, she can take it, but it's so unfortunate," said Arnaquq-Baril.

However, Arnaquq-Baril is concerned for those posting sealfies who may not know how to handle the negative backlash attached to the statements.

She admits to receiving several hateful messages, as well.

Several messages include claims that traditional Inuit harvesting involves the clubbing of baby seals, that the practise is causing the collapse of seal populations in the Arctic, that seals are skinned alive and hunted only for their coats, and that Canadian laws do nothing to regulate the harvest.

According to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, the Canadian harp seal population is "healthy and abundant" with an estimated 7.3 million animals - three times what it was in the 1970s. Harvesting baby seals, known as "white coats," has been illegal in Canada since 1987.

In a territory where two-thirds of Inuit households are classified as food insecure, none of the animal goes to waste and internal organs, including the heart, liver and intestines are regarded as delicacies. The traditional hakapik, when used properly, is a more humane means to put down an animal than many common slaughterhouse practices. In modern-day seal hunting, the animals are most commonly shot in the head.

Getting the correct information about the traditional Inuit seal harvest into the international conversation is one of the goals of the #sealfie campaign, said Williamson Bathory.

"That's what we're trying to do with social media. With social media, we've got a shot at a level playing field," she said.

Going up against well-funded animal rights organizations is a large barrier for the protest.

"These monolithic animal rights groups are so highly funded and are such well-oiled machines, there's nothing that will stop them from their animal rights activism, which is so ludicrous," she added.

The main focus of the #sealfie campaign revolves around cultural pride, said Williamson Bathory.

To promote this idea, she, along with Arnaquq-Baril and Iqaluit's Nancy Mike, organized a group #sealfie shot which gathered more than 30 Iqaluit residents in front of the Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. monument.

"We thought it was a great moment of cultural pride and a good tongue-in-cheek moment," said Williamson Bathory.

According to her, the trend has quickly gained momentum not only through Canada, but through Greenland, Scandinavia and Alaska.

Amidst the firing of tweets, accusations and moral questioning, Williamson Bathory is not surprised Degeneres' public relations team have been so quiet.

As of press time, Degeneres had not responded to the backlash from her anti-seal-hunting comments.

"She's probably stepped into a pit of discussion. She's gone the road of Brigitte Bardot," said Williamson Bathory.

Bardot was vehemently attacking Canadian seal hunts in 2005-2006.

"I know from experience, from her type of person, her type of PR will make sure there is no communication," she continued.

"If they are aware, they are terrified," added Arnaquq-Baril. "People don't want to be seen as mean to animals, or cruel to indigenous people."

Arnaquq-Baril emphasized that she doesn't blame DeGeneres for her views and added that, "you can't blame someone who lives so far away without knowing."

At the same time, Arnaquq-Baril is hoping that she would try to reach out to try to understand.

Arnaquq-Baril says this is an opportunity for DeGeneres to step up and say something meaningful, yet, "she's just the next celebrity and there's so many of them."

As a filmmaker, Arnaquq-Baril has been busy creating a film that promotes the necessities of sealing to Arctic Canadian way of life for the past five years.

The recent press, she said, has helped propel what she has been advocating for so long.

"It's really nice to know there are people listening to the Inuit voice on the issues, which is often a footnote," she said.

"Now it's nice to have Inuit lives at the centre of attention."

The title of the film is still up for debate, but has been narrowed down to Phoque you or Angry Phoquers - a play on phoque, the French translation of the word seal.

"What I'm excited to see is that people are acknowledging in themselves how strong they are. It's the same with the #sealfie. If you're acknowledging that meat and fur is a part of your life in this really celebratory way, you realize that everybody is doing it too," said Williamson Bathory.

"The change is going to come from within families, individuals and communities," she added.

"And for everyone to take ownership of the #sealfies is a step toward ownership."

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