11/04/2024
RePosting a Letter from the Canadian Arctic, Cambridge Bay, that helped prevent an ill conceived NYC fur ban in 2019:
"Here's a Letter sent to NY Councillors from the CDN Arctic about the importance of the Fur trade to Inuit..
Dear Councillor,
My name is Dave Crockatt. I live in Cambridge Bay Nunavut, a small community in Canada’s North. Most of the population, (85%) in my community, and in the entire Territory of Nunavut are Inuit, as are my six children.
Inuit, from time immemorial, have survived making use of the richness of the land and animals. Hunting for animals and the fur that they provide was a necessary survival skill. The harvesting of fur is still an important cultural and economic activity for most Inuit today.
Seventy Five percent of the population of Nunavut live below the poverty level and rely on hunting and the fur trade to provide for their families. The European ban on the import of seal products dealt an economic blow to the livelihood of many families in Nunavut and Canada’s north. The New York City Council’s contemplated Fur Ban Bylaw would be devastating for our Territory and people.
Fur is a sustainable resource that is environmentally friendly and an economic lifeline for our people. The fur ban would encourage clothing designers to substitute the use of this sound ecological resource for “Faux Fur” and synthetics made of chemicals and oil-based products which are not sustainable or environmentally sound.
Please vote NO to the Fur Ban and support indigenous hunters and the environment.
ן encourage you to watch the documentary “Angry Inuk” available on youtube so that you may gain a greater understanding of the affects that your decisions have on our people.
Thank you
Dave Crockatt
Cambridge Bay Nunavut Canada
