Inuit families are taking to the ice Friday for a ‘sealfie’ protest against critics who they say have stigmatized the seal hunt — a tradition that members of the indigenous community argue is crucial to their way of life.

At the Inalquit curling ring in the Canadian Arctic territory of Nunavut, Inuit men, women and children are expected to don clothes and boots made from the animal’s hides for a group picture, inspired by the selfie phenomenon.

Pictures of Inuit people wearing sealskin started circulating on Twitter as a playful response to American TV host Ellen DeGeneres’ recent characterization of seal hunting as “atrocious” and “inhumane.” At first it appeared to be just the latest Internet meme or online activism. But the #sealfie campaign, coupled with new findings about food insecurity and a suicide epidemic, has cast a spotlight on a serious issue. Canada’s Inuit are in crisis, and they say seal hunting is one of the few traditions keeping their people and culture alive.

Canada’s once nomadic indigenous people are “a culture in shock,” said Inuit activist Aaju Peter. “You have to remember, we are one of the oldest living cultures,” she told Al Jazeera. “As climate change happens, the culture is changing because of imposed customs. And on top of that, it’s making it very hard for our hunters to feed the hungry.”

Approximately 32,000 people live in Nunavut, a vast, cold territory about the size of Mexico. Getting them food and supplies requires a fleet of ships and planes from southern Canada. Bad weather sometimes thwarts the deliveries, but when they do make it, the shipping costs are exorbitant. The cost is passed on to customers. Despite some government subsidies, shoppers have to pay about $10 for celery, $9 for two kilograms of sugar and $12 for instant coffee. In a community where unemployment is nearly twice the national Canadian average, at 12.5 percent, a lot of families are going without.

The Inuit in Nunavut are suffering more hunger and want than any other indigenous people in the developed world. Seventy percent of preschoolers live in food-insecure homes, with parents and children are regularly skipping meals, according to a new report by the Council of Canadian Academies.

Peter said that hunting seals provides vital meat to many Inuit communities in need. “Over the radio comes a hunter or wife saying, ‘If you want seal meat, come to this house.’ This is how the communities are surviving. The hunters are providing,” she said.