Animal Oil, Animal Blood: Energy, Metabolism, and Protecting the Seal Hunt in the North American Arctic as an Act of Colonial Resistance

Abstract

Interrogating dominant conceptions of energy is an important practice in diversifying the field of the energy humanities. By including various understandings and definitions of energy in the field’s discussions, we can strive to reach a more culturally inclusive understanding of energy. This article proposes that emphasizing a singular conception of energy (petroleum) is socially harmful and leads to inconsistent policies surrounding the trade of energy sources. Specifically, the essay examines the 2009 European Union trade ban on seal products, which continues to adversely affect Inuit communities in the Canadian Arctic by limiting the financial viability of the subsistence seal hunt. The ban occurs while the potential of oil development in the waters surrounding Nunavut is consistently reviewed and examined by the Canadian government, demonstrating bias in which voices are amplified in discussions of energy-related policy during the early twenty-first century. To fully demonstrate the connection between subsistence sealing and oil development, the essay interrogates dominant conceptions of energy and reframes energy narratives. This reframing is compared to historical formations of energetic sources that proved more fluid and less centered on a single source. The discussion identifies Alethea Arnaquq-Baril’s 2016 film Angry Inuk as a central activist text that supports a reinsertion of Inuit perspectives into policy decisions regarding the seal hunt. Furthermore, the film aids in understanding the impact of unilateral energy formations by contesting the 2009 seal trade ban and discussing the subsequent cultural harm. Throughout the essay, the reader is asked to consider in what forms energy appears, as well as the importance of acknowledging the many forms through which energy arises. This leads us to understand that energy formations are reflective of the culture in which they are built, and that restricting the trade of energy is harmful to cultures and communities.