IQALUIT, Nunavut - It may have bombed in Brussels, but Michaelle Jean's seal-skinning performance has earned her rock-star status on the tundra.
The Governor General was given a hero's welcome in Arctic hamlets and on Friday two provincial-territorial governments publicly congratulated her.
Jean's decision to help butcher the blubbery mammal at a festival was derided as "bizarre" by the Belgium-based European Union, and compared by environmentalists to Neanderthalism and wife-battery.
But north of the 60th parallel the Governor General has been showered with presents and given standing ovations. The roads of one hamlet emptied as villagers swarmed around her at an air strip refuelling stop.
Jean received her latest standing ovation from a crowd of hundreds in Iqaluit that included her predecessor, Adrienne Clarkson.
She told a symposium hosted by Clarkson's husband, John Ralston Saul, that she was deeply touched by Arctic hospitality. She said Northerners were generous hosts who offered the best of themselves - which is when she alluded to Monday's festivities.
"When the time comes to share a meal," Jean said, "it should come as no surprise they should share the heart."
The reference prompted the packed high-school gymnasium to spring to its feet and applaud loudly.
Among those standing and clapping were Clarkson and Saul, who was wearing a sealskin vest.
Many of the dignitaries at Friday's event -- the LaFontaine-Baldwin symposium -- wore sealskin vests.
The keynote speaker blamed misguided southerners for destroying the economic viability of the Arctic seal hunt in recent decades.
Siila Watt-Cloutier, an environmentalist and 2007 Nobel Peace Prize nominee, said Inuit hunters are taught from a young age the value of conservation and respecting the climate.
But she said ill-informed activists down south -- enabled by weak politicians -- began limiting the market for seal products long ago.
"Here we go with Round Two," she said of the current debate.
On Friday, the government of Nunavut issued formal thanks to Jean for accepting Inuit culture.
"Eating seal and other wildlife is an integral part of Inuit culture," said the statement from Premier Eva Aariak.
"As a multicultural country, we have the freedom not to be judged by the fabric of our cultural individuality. It is our fundamental belief that all Canadians are equal and we take pride in our identity and ancestry. ...
"(Jean) has shown her and Canada's acceptance of the diversity of this country, and especially Inuit culture. We are honoured to share our culture with Her Excellency."
Locals were shocked to see their traditional diet gain international headlines.
Outsiders expressed disgust at the sight of Jean slicing apart the furry mammal, and environmentalists accused her of trying to use the Inuit to stir sympathy for Canada's controversial commercial seal hunt.
The vast majority of Canada's $35-million to $40-million annual commercial sealing happens on the East Coast, and the economic value for the Inuit is pegged at less than $1 million.
In the north, where fresh food is scarce and shockingly expensive, subsistence hunting remains a way of life. Virtually every piece of the seal -- from the organs, to the fur -- is consumed locally.
On the East Coast, seals are primarily hunted for their fur.
Jean says she was simply sharing in a local custom when she helped butcher a seal and eat a piece of its raw heart Monday.
But she has also said she was aware that in slicing a seal, her gesture might be seen as political, and she expressed support for sealers everywhere in Canada.
The federal government has also applauded the Governor General's gesture. On Friday the government of Newfoundland and Labrador joined in the praise.
Fisheries Minister Tom Hedderson issued a statement saying the government was pleased to see the Governor General's support for aboriginal peoples and their culture and traditions.
Hedderson added that the seal harvest is also critical to the survival of coastal communities in Newfoundland and Labrador.
"While we are pleased to see the Governor General recognize that the Canadian seal harvest is essential to aboriginal culture and tradition, it is important to realize that coastal people in this province also have a rich heritage, of which sealing is a vitally important component," Hedderson said.
Earlier this month, the European Parliament voted to ban seal products, a move that was seen by aboriginals and East Coast fishermen as an attack on their trade and way of life.
The bill still needs the backing of EU governments, though they are expected to sign it into law June 25.
The provincial government says about 6,000 people regularly participate in the hunt and sealers have indicated that up to 35 per cent of their income is derived from sealing.
Jean received a standing ovation from a crowd in Clyde River. A school principal in Resolute awarded her a certificate thanking her for teaching the world about Inuit culture.
The streets of tiny Pond Inlet were deserted as residents of the hamlet flocked to a tiny airport lounge to cram around Jean and shake her hand.
People demonstrated their enthusiasm in a variety of ways.
At one event a man wore his seal skin tie.
At another, Jean's daughter Marie-Eden was given a tapestry with her name embroidered in Inuktitut on one side and a traditional ulu blade, like the one Jean used, stitched into the other.
One woman in Iqaluit said residents were grateful that the Governor General was unlike other "high people" who looked down their noses at Inuit customs.
Others asked rhetorically: Just what did their city-dwelling accusers expect them to eat?
The tiny grocery co-ops here sell few fresh vegetables and meat, all of which carries a high price tag because it needs to be flown in.
While a hot roasted chicken can be purchased for $9 in an urban grocery store, the co-op in Resolute Bay sells an uncooked frozen one for $21.
Sitting in the nearby fridge this week was one green bell pepper that had already started wilting, along with two bags of broccoli and a bag of lettuce that had also started turning brown.
"There are thousands -- millions -- of people who've never seen a seal before," said George Eckalook, who went to see Jean in Resolute.
"They want us to stop. We understand their concerns. But we won't change. They should understand that."
