Question

Whale muktuk can be preserved by rolling it in herbs (with no salt) and fermenting it in a pit for several months to make a treat known as kopalchen.

a.true
b.false

Answer 1

The statement about muktuk preservation and fermentation to make kopalchen is false, as the process described relates to kumis, not muktuk. The Inuit have distinct cultural practices surrounding whale hunting and muktuk that involve their shamanistic beliefs.

Step-by-step explanation:

The statement about preserving whale muktuk by rolling it in herbs without salt and fermenting it in a pit for several months to make a treat known as kopalchen is false. The traditional practice being described actually pertains to the fermentation process of mare's milk to create a drink known as kumis, which is associated with Central Asian cultures, not with the Inuit practices related to whale hunting and muktuk. The Inuit have their own rich cultural practices surrounding whale hunting and the sharing of muktuk, which are deeply tied to their shamanistic beliefs and community relations, as reflected in the studies of cultural anthropologists like Frédéric Laugrand and Jarich Oosten.