> > may be they had better ample sources of those vitamins other than
> > caribou
> > liver ( fishes liver,  seal liver ?)
>
> I recall reading of early French explorers who had considerable trouble
> with scurvy in the winter months, until some local Indians taught them
> to use some kind of pine  or spruce (I forget exactly) needle to
> prevent it.

That was probably a cedar--Northern White Cedar, also known as Arborvitae or
"tree of life", also known as Thuja Occidentalis. Grows all through French
Canada and quite far north, like up to James Bay, but probably not all the
way up to where the Inuit live.
Horses, goats, and deer all love it. I've tried eating it but it's kind of
nasty. A last resort.