117 



Testimony of Caleb Pungowiyi 



before the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee 



Concerning the Marine Mammal Protection Act 



February 10, 1994 



Good morning. My name is Caleb Pungowiyi, President of the 

 Inuit Circumpolar Conference and a member of the Indigenous 

 People's Council for Marine Mammals. I appreciate the opportunity 

 to present my testimony on behalf of Native subsistence users of 

 marine mammals in Alaska, and also in Greenland, Canada, and 

 Russia. 



The Indigenous People's Council for Marine Mammals (IPCMM) is 

 composed of Native commissions and organizations working to 

 conserve and protect marine mammal populations and Native uses of 

 those mammals for subsistence and the making of handicrafts and 

 clothing. The Council's members are: 



Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission 



Alaska & Inuvaluit Beluga Whale Committee 



Alaska Sea Otter Commission 



Arctic Marine Resources Commission 



Association of Village Council Presidents 



Bristol Bay Native Association 



Eskimo Walrus Commission 



Inuit Circumpolar Conference 



North Slope Borough Department of Wildlife Management 



Pribilof Aleut Fur Seal Commission 



Southeast Alaska Native Subsistence Commission 



The Council is authorized to speak for the Alaska Native community, 

 including the Alaska Federation of Natives, on marine mammal issues 

 and reauthorization of the Marine Mammal Protection Act. 



I sit on the Council in my capacity as President of the Inuit 

 Circumpolar Conference (ICC) . The ICC is an international 

 organization that represents approximately 115,000 Inuit living in 

 the Arctic regions of Alaska, Greenland, Canada, and Chukotka 

 region in the Commonwealth of Independent States. The principal 

 goals of the ICC are: 



1. to strengthen unity among Inuit of the region; 



2 . to promote Inuit rights and interests on an international 

 level; 



3. to seek full and active partnership in the political, 

 economic, and social development of circumpolar regions in 

 order to promote greater self-sufficiency among Inuit and to 

 ensure the growth of their culture; and 



4. to develop and encourage long-term policies which safeguard 

 the Arctic environment. 



