S10 E3: Voices of the North: Nuka’s First Musk Ox

Earth Rangers

GZM Shows

Education, Nature, Earth Sciences, Science

4.2 • 2.5K Ratings

🗓️ 9 October 2025

⏱️ 14 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Emma and Aputik visit 10 year old Nuka at his home in Nunavik to hear the incredible story of his hunt. From spotting "furry rocks" on a distant mountainside (that turned out to be a 400kg muskox!) to navigating treacherous terrain by snowmobile, Nuka shares every detail of his first big hunt – including the moment he got nervous pulling the trigger. But this episode isn't just about the hunt. Emma learns how Inuit families use every part of the animal – from vacuum-packing the meat to share with elders and relatives, to spinning the soft qiviut fur into luxurious warm clothing. And she learns about Nuka's favourite things about living in the north – including the wolves that visit his backyard! Join Emma as she realizes that Inuit children learn survival skills and cultural knowledge that connect them deeply to the land – skills that have been passed down for thousands of years. Next episode: Emma goes dog sledding! Learn about the ancient tradition of qimutsik (dog sleds) and discover how Inuit traveled across the Arctic long before snowmobiles. If you're a kid who loves learning science and animal facts, you'll love Earth Rangers! Visit earthrangers.com to learn more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey Ruth Rangers, it's Emma.
0:05.0	And after that incredible community feast, Hepatic is bringing me to meet someone very special, her 10-year-old nephew Nuka.
0:14.0	We're driving there now through the streets of Kudrik. It looks like school just let out.
0:20.0	Kids are playing in the grounds and making their way back home.
0:23.6	Nuka's a pretty cool kid.
0:25.6	You're going to hear his story and you'll see that he's not a typical 10-year-old boy that you're probably used to see.
0:33.6	He's going to tell us the story of how he caught his first umimak.
0:38.3	It's a muskok.
0:40.3	Muscocks are pretty big, no?
0:44.3	They are definitely big beasts.
0:47.3	They can weigh about three to four hundred kilos fully grown.
0:53.3	They're similar to bison but with a shaggy coat and short legs.
0:57.0	With this distinct horn that points down, they live in herds on the tundra and they feed off
1:05.0	the lichen.
1:06.0	I can't wait to hear Nuka's story. A 10-year-old hunting of 400-kilogram beast sounds intense.
1:13.6	Let's go.
1:15.6	Oh, yeah rangers.
1:39.3	Many of them are colorful, like bright blues, reds and yellows that stand out against all the white snow.
1:47.0	They're raised up off the ground, some on stilts because of the permafrost underneath.
1:56.0	Here we are at Nuka's house. I could see that his father is home. Nuka, Nuka, eh.
2:02.6	Nuka, gai.
2:08.6	Nuka, eh.
	...

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