Description
Part of the "Tradition of Hunting" series by the Royal Canadian Mint, this coin aims to capture the rich heritage of the northern First Nations cultures, with an original image created by Coast Salish First Nations artist Darlene Gait. Inuit efforts to maintain a co-dependent relationship with their natural environment is demonstrated here with a depiction of a traditional seal hunt. Archaeological evidence suggests that the First Nations people of the Arctic regions of Canada have been hunting seals for over 4,000 years; traditionally, when an Inuit boy killed his first seal, a feast was held in his honour. Though the act of seal hunting has been vocally condemned world-wide, the Aboriginal communities of Canada remain excluded from this criticism, as their practice is not usually commerce-based. Their hunt is done in very small numbers, making up 3% of the total amount of seal hunting worldwide; further, seal meat is a dietary staple in these communities, while the skin is used for water-proof jackets and boots, and the fat is used for fuel, cooking oil and lubricant. Engraved to perfection with a limited mintage 10,000, this fine silver coin would be a desirable addition to any collection of nature, arctic or First Nations-based coins.
The Design:
Your coin was designed by Canadian artist Darlene Gait and features two traditional Inuit hunters standing over a breathing hole in the ice while a seal emerges from another close by. This coin, strikingly crafted in over a half-ounce of 99.99% pure silver, depicts two Inuit individuals bundled for warmth, awaiting a seal to emerge from the breathing hole in the sheet of ice they are standing on. Cheekily, the creature watches them from a nearby access hole behind them, keenly aware of their presence. We see the stunning, ice-filled backdrop of northern Canadian waters behind them, the proof-finish brilliance of the coin symbolic of the white, bright sky.
