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Inuit gather in Iqaluit for pro-sealing, anti-Ellen #sealfie

People in Iqaluit gathered at the Four Corners in the city's downtown to shoot a #sealfie, a reference to Ellen DeGeneres' Oscar selfie, and a rebuttal to her support of an anti-sealing group since then.
Ikkidluak Temela posted this pro-seal hunt #sealfie on Twitter, in response to Ellen DeGeneres' Oscar selfie, which delivered a large donation to an American group that opposes the seal hunt. (Twitter)
Five-year-old Igimaq Williamson Bathory in his seal skin jacket. (CBC)
About 30 people at the Four Corners in downtown Iqaluit dressed in their best sealskin clothes to shoot a "#sealfie."

At the Oscars, DeGeneres' selfie with a throng of celebrities became the most retweeted photo of all time. The tech company Samsung, which made the phone DeGeneres used to snap the pic, donated millions of dollars to a charity of her choice.

DeGeneres chose the Humane Society of the United States, which does not support seal hunting.

The website for the Ellen DeGeneres show calls sealing "one of the most atrocious and inhumane acts against animals allowed by any government."  

Two-year-old Riley Savikataaq shows of a one-piece seal skin snowsuit made by his great-great grandmother. (Emily Ridlington/CBC)
​Alethea Arnaquq-Baril is an Iqaluit filmmaker.

She's taken up the cause to help raise awareness in the media about the seal hunt from the Inuit point of view.

Her message to DeGeneres: "That we're big fans and I think we're on the same page and if she just took a little bit of effort to understand where we're coming from she might realize that Inuit are the ultimate animal rights activists and environmentalists and we need to find some common ground.”

Arnaquq-Baril posted a "seal-fie" of herself on her Facebook page, in an effort to bring positive attention to indigenous seal hunting.

The idea for the group #sealfie came from Iqaluit resident, Nancy Mike, who plays with the Iqaluit band, the Jerry Cans.

Susan Savikataaq answered the call and explains why she attended the event: "To show off this beautiful seal skin amauti."