On occasion, falcon was hunted and consumed in winter by Nuvorugmiut (Inuvialuit) [1]. Other cultures, including the Red Earth Cree, regarded the eating of falcon to be taboo [2].
Peregrine Falcons are reported to have been hunted and consumed by the Hare (Sahtu), who cooked them by boiling, frying in lard, fire-grilling or roasting [3]. The Gyrfalcon is reported to have been eaten by Nuvorugmiut. Bering Strait cultures usually ate these birds fire-roasted or boiled, the latter being the most common method [4].
Falcons were sometimes hunted for their prized feathers. In the North, special arrows called bird bolts were commonly decorated with two falcon feathers [5]. The feathers of Gyrfalcons were used in arrows and spears and were valuable trading items [4]. The skin of a Peregrine Falcon was also used by some cultures. Plains cultures and Arikara were known to stuff the skins with grass or hemp to fashion ceremonial medicine bundles; these were said to have special healing powers [6]. The mighty falcon is also a common character in Arctic legends. These stories tell of the falcon’s important relationship with humans [4].
References
1. Morrison DA: The Kugaluk Site and the Nuvorugmiut: The Archaeology and History of a Nineteenth-Century Mackenzie Inuit Society. Hull, Quebec: National Musems of Canada; 1988.
2. Meyer D: Appendix I: Plants, Animals and Climate; Appendix IV: Subsistence-Settlement Patterns. In: The Red Earth Crees, 1860-1960. Volume 1st edition, edn.: National Musem of Man Mercury Series; 1985: 175-185-200-223.
3. Hara HS: The Hare Indians and Their World. In. Ottawa: National Museums of Canada; 1980: 95-147.
4. Vaughan R: Birds and Arctic peoples. In: In Search of Arctic Birds. edn. London: T & A D Poyser; 1992: 20-48.
5. Russel F: Explorations in the Far North. In: Explorations in the Far North. edn. Iowa: University of Iowa; 1898.
6. Olsen SL: Animals in American Indian Life: An Overview. In: Stars Above, Earth Below American Indians and Nature. edn. Edited by Bol MC. Dublin: Roberts Rinehart Publishers; 1998: 95-118.
Falcons are compact, fast flying birds of prey that hunt during the day. Like other birds of prey, they have a hooked beak to tear flesh, strong legs with sharp talons to grasp their prey, and very keen eye sight. Unlike eagles and hawks, falcons have long, narrow, and pointed wings [1]. In North America, falcons include the medium-sized, darker Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus), breeding from the tundra to the tropics in a variety of habitats [2], and the larger and paler Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus) restricted to the arctic and subarctic regions of northern Canada [3].
References
1. Sibley D: The Sibley guide to bird life and behavior. New York, NY, USA: Alfred A. Knopf; 2001.
2. White CM, Clum NJ, Cade TJ, Hunt WG: Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus). In: The Birds of North America Online. Edited by Poole A. Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; 2002.
3. Booms TL, Cade TJ, Clum NJ: Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus). In: The Birds of North America Online. Edited by Poole A. Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; 2008.