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The far north

is no wasteland.

Its ice is all heart,

dancing in summer

coming together

in winter to sleep.

Polar bear liver

is poisonous

but walrus liver

is delicious enough

to fight over.

If you wish to save

the feathers of a bird,

you'd pinch its heart

until it stopped.

It takes six seal skins

to make a parka for a man.

Snow doesn't stick to wolf fur

and a drum can be made

out of the lung of a whale.

When hunting seals,

look for shadows in the water.

True wisdom is only to be found

away from people.

The cold effects how you breathe,

how you think.

If someone's hands become frozen,

cut open one of your dogs,

shove their hands into the stomach

until their fingers can feel again.

Remember to allow vulnerability

to strengthen your heart

and backbone.