Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to welcome all our colleagues back to the Assembly, and yourself for the warm welcome. Mr. Speaker, spring is a busy time for traditional hunters across the Northwest Territories. Spring hunting is also very important to the people of Nunakput.
Mr. Speaker, spring is when the caribou migrate north to calve, arctic char can be caught in large numbers as they swim from freshwater lakes to the Beaufort Sea. Traditionally, the lnuvialuit cut a hole through ice and fish with a net or jigger with a line and lure. The fish were then prepared and dried for the winter.
We know it is really spring when waterfowl arrive from the South. Geese are hunted along the coast and spring is a time to collect eggs. Mr. Speaker, before the 1900s the lnuvialuit had very little contact with outsiders and were a completely self-sufficient people. They lived entirely off the land and sea. Everything they ate, wore, built, hunted with, and used for daily activities came from the plant or animal life in their surroundings.
Mr. Speaker, the lnuvialuit, like all traditional cultures, saw themselves as part of the environment, not separate from it. The plants and animals of the Arctic are still respected in our communities today, and that value needs to be passed on to the next generation. Nutritious meat from the animals that are hunted and fish that are caught is still central to many people's diet, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, the Arctic landscape may look empty, especially to the people who are unfamiliar with it, but it is home to approximately 1,700 kinds of plants. When the snow melts, thousands of flowers and lichens grow on the tundra. Arctic summers are a time for berry picking. Mr. Speaker, subsistence harvesting makes a huge difference to people's health and well-being. Imported foods are expensive even in the southern parts of the Northwest Territories.
Pre-packaged and processed foods, like chips and cookies that are easier to transport, convenient and popular, especially with youth, aggravate problems such as diabetes, Mr. Speaker, but they are more affordable than imported perishables like fruits and vegetables.
Mr. Speaker, let's not forget where our traditional health foods are: on the land where our ancestors hunted. A traditional diet consisting of food from the land is healthier and less costly than a typical modern diet.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize all of my constituents who are out hunting this spring and the Indigenous peoples across the Northwest Territories who are keeping subsistence harvesting and our cultures strong. Quyanainni, Mr. Speaker.