Hunting and Cooking Seal From The Perspective of a Tsimshian Scholar, Spencer Greening
Tsimshian Harvested Seal Meat
A gift of the seal from La’goot, Spencer Greening
I received a gift of frozen seal meat wrapped in brown butcher paper from a man named Spencer Greening. Spencer, also known as La'goot, a Tsimshian Scholar and harvester. He comes from the Gitga'at Tribe of the Tsimshian people of the northwest coast. We met in a coffee shop beside a protest. Members of the Wet' suwet' en First Nation were working to oppose the Coastal GasLink pipeline.
We connected briefly during a live podcast recording of Rookie Hunter Episode 123. I hadn't expected this gift, and I instantly put pressure on myself to not mess this precious piece of game up. It sat in the freezer for months as I went back on forth on several ideas on how to honor this harvest. During that time, I spent a lot of time educating myself on seal hunting and cooking. Being a firm believer in finding my own truths, I've shared some of my findings below.
Seals and hunting the marine mammal from a Tsimshian Perspective
Seals are typically hunted in the heart of the winter.
The harvest often happens while the animal is in water, most commonly with a 22 magnum.
Seals have unique spongy bones inside that allow for floatation.
A seal produces as much meat as it does fat.
The fat is just as valued as the meat; it's often rendered into oil.
When there's a sun lack on the coast, vitamin-rich seal meat is a prized supplement during seasons such as winter.
Organ meat is considered a delicacy (the kidney is Spencer's favorite offcut).
Traditionally the meat is eaten boiled, cooked over a fire, and sometimes fried or smoked.
Seals are prey to killer whales, humans, bears, and wolves.
Seals are predators to any salmon.
The Indigenous people recognize the importance of their harvest to balance all of these relationships, as mentioned above. This is especially important with the dramatic decrease in salmon stocks we have seen in recent years.
Listen to Spencer Greening's chat with April Vokey on Indigenous Management of Ecosystems HERE.
Interesting articles on seal hunting
Anti-seal hunt rhetoric ignores facts and suppresses Indigenous culture https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/anti-seal-hunt-rhetoric-borne-of-long-legacy-of-suppression-of-indigenous-food/article36565128/
Canadian feature-length documentary film: Angry Inuk https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angry_Inuk
An 'Angry Inuk' defends the seal hunt, again https://www.canadiangeographic.ca/article/angry-inuk-defends-seal-hunt-again
The seal hunt through a different lens https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/seal-hunt-through-a-different-lens-1.4353232
After sharing my recipe for Vietnamese Shaken Seal on Instagram, I had a few other messages from Scandinavian countries practicing a controlled harvest of seal and whale meat.
Tips on cooking seal meat
Seal meat doesn't keep long in the freezer; cook sooner rather than later
The seal can be consumed raw and is served best when cooked to a max of medium-well.
The more the meat is cooked, it will bring out the less desirable fishy taste.
In summary, I found the dark red meat is best treated like the more common duck or geese meat. It carries many similar flavors and textures. Hunting seals has been a part of many cultures for centuries and vital to some community’s health. However, there is no public open season for seal hunting in British Columbia, Canada.
Happy cooking & learning!
Jenny
