Seal Hunting: Newfoundland's Heritage with Clare Dawn Fowler & Lori McCarthy — WildFed Podcast #048
In this episode:
Clare Dawn Fowler | Artisan of sustainably beautiful seal leather & fur designs
Lori McCarthy | Founder of Cod Sounds & Director of Canadian Wildlife Federation
Podcast discussion:
Introductions and learning how to say Newfoundland
The importance of local food to Newfoundlanders
Capturing and preserving traditional food knowledge
The disney-fication of seals
How seals are intertwined with Newfoundland
The threat of losing traditional food knowledge
Seals, pack ice, and the northeast wind
The seal hunt
Understanding the anti-sealing campaign
Preparing and eating seal
What Clare creates with seal hides
Controversy over Clare's work
Wild game in grocery stores and restaurants
The properties of seal hides
Closing thoughts on the seal hunt
WildFed Podcast is brought to you by:
Wild Food Warehouse delivers ethically hand-harvested, wood fire parched wild rice from Minnesota direct to your door. Wild rice is a nutritious and local North American staple food.
Price breaks start at 5 lbs, and the coupon code WILDFED will get you 10% off your order! Shop sustainably-harvested, USA-sourced wild rice here.
Earth Runners is an ancestral-inspired sandal company that builds shoes to support a more barefoot experience. They’ve taken the millennia-old design known as the huarache and upgraded it with Vibram soles and earthing technology to give you the most minimalist, natural, and grounded shoe experience you’ve ever had.
Add a pair of Earth Runners to your minimalist shoe collection. Stay grounded, stay connected.
Go here to grab your pair, and use the coupon code WildFed for 10% off your order!
Episode Resources:
Clare on Instagram @clare_dawn
Lori on Instagram @eatitwild and @codsounds
Newfoundland, Food Is Who We Are with Lori McCarthy — WildFed Podcast #011
Cultural Heritage, Food Security, and COVID-19 with Lori McCarthy — WildFed Podcast #027
Article: Sealskin designer's Facebook page restored after unpublished 'in error'
Meet Clare Dawn Fowler
Clare Dawn Fowler creates sustainably beautiful designs using materials that focus on the use of Newfoundland harp seal leather and fur. Her design philosophy comes from a desire to explore and challenge traditional textiles. She uses wool and seal fur — two traditional textiles that complement and strengthen one another — to create unique, contemporary garments. She strives to create excitingly modern designs using materials inherent to Newfoundland culture. Seal skin is the only textile material in Newfoundland that is created and processed entirely in Newfoundland. It's local, sustainable, humane, and possesses the most wonderful combination of durability and biodegradability. Check out Clare's website, Instagram @clare_dawn, or drop by the Quidi Vidi Village Plantation in Newfoundland to see her at work.
Website | Instagram @clare_dawn
Meet Lori McCarthy
Lori McCarthy is dedicated to the cultural foods of Newfoundland and Labrador through her company Cod Sounds and the Livyers Cultural Alliance.
Her core values embrace locally sourced regional cuisine and wild foods from the land and sea; this is reflected in her food experiences and workshops.
Lori has been listed as a hidden gem in National Geographic and has been written up in Costal Living as one of the 8 great excursions in North America. The Telegraph speaks about her in an article with Newfoundland being one of the most unlikely culinary destinations and check out what the National Post has to say.
Website |Instagram @eatitwild and @codsounds