Wolves and Mothers

As Inupiaq People, we have a special connection with wolves.

We see them as equals, a fellow predator that uses wits and wiles to to feed our respective families. We both wander the tundra searching for the life that the caribou bring. We both know what it is like to rely on another animal for sustenance.

We as Inupiaq also have a special bond with the wolf. The scent of wolf fur is one of the First memories. A memory that is closely tied with the smell of Mother. A scent closely tied with the scent of love and safety and warmth. When a Inupiaq is presented with a wolf pelt, more often than naught they will bring it to their nose and inhale the scent, or maybe they will ruffle the long furs to release it into the air. Generation after generation of Inupiaq Mothers have carried their infants on their backs, surrounded by the Wolf.

This post goes out to the Wolf, and to our Mothers. Forever entwined.