Inuit woman perfectly responds to vegans criticising indigenous culture for hunting

An Inuit woman’s Twitter thread has gone viral for perfectly explaining why criticising indigenous people for hunting animals is problematic.

The thread begins with Katara Piujuq posting the prices of fruit and vegetables in the Arctic. In the thread, a cauliflower is advertised as being $13.79.

Broccoli is an equally extortionate $16.79 and a pack of bottled water is priced at a shocking $104.99.

The high prices, Piujuq explains, make hunting a necessity and a vegan lifestyle unviable for Inuit people.

She wrote:

A lot of Inuit live in poverty-stricken homes and can't afford to live an expensive vegan lifestyle. We need to hunt to eat. 

We have survived for thousands of years eating sustainably. We respect the animals that gave us food.

Poverty and food insecurity is a massive problem in the Arctic, where 56 per cent of the indigenous population is classed as food-insecure compared to a 16 per cent average in Canada. It's a particularly bad situation for Inuit women, 76 per cent of whom have reported skipping meals and cutting the size of their meals to ensure that their family can eat.

Food insecurity is the result of high poverty levels and therefore hunting is something many Inuit people are dependent on to survive.

Piujuq explained:

Please do your research before calling Inuit murderers for trying to feed themselves, survive in the frozen arctic with warm clothes, and practising our tradition. A few vegan articles won't cover living in the arctic for thousands of years.

People responded to the thread sympathetically.

This thread serves as a useful reminder to us all to do your research before making hurtful statements.