George Satuqsi removes a narwhal’s two-metre-long tusk on a warm, sunny Tuesday near Pond Inlet after the rest of the animal was taken away to harvest. Satuqsi is the father of Henry Maktar, 15, who hunted the narwhal — his first — earlier in the day off the coast of the north Baffin hamlet. It took Henry Maktar 40 minutes to bag the narwhal with his harpoon after it was first spotted, said Maktar’s uncle, Bernard Ulaayuk Maktar. This catch will be the first of many in his lifetime, Ulaayuk Maktar predicted. (Photo courtesy of Bernard Ulaayuk Maktar)
Whenever I see a narwhal tusk, i keep wondering what it’s used for.