Above & Beyond | Canada's Arctic Journal 2019 | 01 by above&beyond

The Inflight Magazine for First Air

2019 | 01 Yours to Keep

remembering Yellowknife the people You Meet

tuktoyaktuk: the Holy Grail of Biking Destinations

sailing expedition From Chisasibi to umiujaq

Traditional Inuit Clothing

PM40050872

o www.arcticjournal.ca

Chris Avery fE{ ∑KE

Dear Guest ᑐᕌᖅᑐᑦ ᐃᑭᒪᔪᓄᑦ, Happy New Year! With the New Year upon us, I’d like to extend the warmest wishes to our customers, the communities and people we serve and, of course, our own First Air team. As most of us do at this time of year, we think about the year ahead and about our goals and aspirations. In this spirit, I thought I would share some of my goals and aspirations for the year to come. This coming year will see the merger of First Air and Canadian North into one northern airline wholly owned by the Inuit of Canada’s North. I envision us coordinating the merger with little or no disruptions to our customers. Our new combined service level, our improved schedules, better connection to smaller communities, improved customer facing technologies, and generally our positive and caring approach and dedication to serving the people and communities in the North, we hope will have our customers raving about the new airline. We want our customers to also be our champions and recognize we need to earn it. I envision an Inuit-owned airline that makes all our customers proud. We will invest in the business to oﬀer air travel services that deliver a great customer experience tailored to the North. That may include newer, modern aircraft and onboard meals that meet the needs of customers travelling in our unique geography. Finally, I see our airline helping and getting even more involved in the communities we serve, ranging from partnering with Canada Goose to bring free parka material to communities, to supporting youth sports and activities, to helping with mental health and suicide prevention. I envision us being very much a part of the communities we serve. We have a great team of over 900 employees at First Air to deliver these goals. With the merger, we will be an even bigger family. Wishing everyone a healthy, safe and prosperous New Year. Thank you for choosing First Air for your ﬂight today. I hope we were able to make your journey a great one and we hope to see you aboard again soon. Chris Avery First Air President & CEO

Johnny Adams ÷i ≈bu Executive Chairman of the Board, First Air ᐃᓱᒪᑕᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᐃᒃᓯᕙᐅᑕᕆᔭᐅᔪᖅ ᑲᑎᒪᔨᓂ, ᕘᔅᑦ ᐃᐊᕐ

ᕼᐋᐱ ᓂᐅ ᔨᐅᕐᐸᑦᓯ!

ᓄᑖᒥᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᕐᒧᑦ ᑎᑭᐅᑎᓂᐊᓕᕐᒥᑎᓪᓗᑕ, ᐆᒻᒪᑎᓐᓂᖖᒑᖅᑐᒥᒃ ᖁᕕᐊᓱᑦᑎᐊᖁᔨᕗᖓ ᐅᑭᐅᕆᓂᐊᖅᑕᑦᑎᓐᓂ ᐃᑭᒪᕙᒃᑐᖁᑎᑦᑎᓐᓂᒃ, ᓄᓇᖅᑲᑎᒌᖑᔪᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᓄᓐᓂᒃ ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᕐᕕᒋᕙᒃᑕᑦᑎᓐᓄᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗᑦᑕᐅᖅ, ᓲᖃᐃᒻᒪ, ᐅᕙᒍᑦ ᕘᔅᑦ ᐃᐊᒃᑯᓐᓂ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖅᑎᒋᔭᑦᑎᓐᓂᒃ.

ᓲᕐᓗ ᑕᒪᑦᑕᑲᓴᑦᑎᐊᖅ ᓄᑖᖅ ᐅᑭᐅᖅ ᐊᑐᓯᓂᐊᓕᕐᒥᔭᕌᖓᑦ, ᐃᓱᒪᒋᔭᖃᕆᐊᖅᐸᒃᑲᑦᑕ ᐅᑭᐅᕆᓂᐊᖅᑕᑦᑎᓐᓂ ᖃᓄᐃᓕᐅᕐᓯᒪᓂᖃᕈᒪᓂᐊᕐᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑐᕌᖓᔪᓄᑦ ᑎᑭᓯᒪᓕᕐᕕᒋᔪᒪᓂᐊᖅᑕᑦᑎᓐᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐱᓯᒪᓕᕈᒪᓂᐊᖅᑦᑕᑦᑎᓐᓂᒃ. ᑕᒪᑐᒪᓂ ᑕᐃᒪᓐᓇᐃᓐᓂᖃᓕᖅᓯᒪᑎᓪᓗᑕ, ᐃᓱᒪᓕᓚᐅᕋᒪ ᐃᓚᖏᓂᒃ ᐅᑭᐅᖅ ᐊᑐᖅᐸᓪᓕᐊᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᑎᑭᓯᒪᓕᕐᕕᒋᔪᒪᔭᑦᑎᓐᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐱᓯᒪᓕᕈᒪᓂᐊᖅᑕᑦᑎᓐᓂᒃ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᖃᕈᒪᓪᓗᖓ. ᑕᕝᕙᓂ ᐅᑭᐅᕆᓂᐊᖅᑕᑦᑎᓐᓂ ᕘᔅᑦ ᐃᐊᒃᑯᑦ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᕐᓂᓕᕆᔨᖏᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑲᓃᑎᐊᓐ ᓄᐊᔅ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᕐᓂᓕᕆᔨᖏᑦ ᑲᑎᓐᓂᖃᖅᓯᒪᓕᕐᓂᐊᕐᒪᑕ ᐊᑕᐅᓯᐅᓕᕐᓗᑎᒃ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᖅᑎᒋᔭᐅᓕᕐᓗᑎᒃ ᓇᖕᒥᓂᕆᔭᐅᓗᑎᒃ ᐃᓗᐃᒃᑲᐅᔪᒥᒃ ᑲᓇᑕᐅᑉ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᖓᓂ ᐃᓄᖏᓐᓂᑦ. ᑕᐅᑐᖖᒍᐊᓚᐅᕋᒃᑯ ᐅᕙᒍᑦ ᑲᑐᔾᔨᓂᖃᕐᓗᑕ ᑲᑎᓐᓂᖃᓕᕐᓂᐊᕐᓂᖏᑦᑕ ᐋᖅᑭᒃᓱᐃᓂᖃᖃᑎᒌᖁᔨᓪᓗᖓ ᒥᑭᑦᑐᑯᓗᒻᒥᒃ ᓈᒻᒪᖖᒋᓕᕈᑎᐅᔪᓐᓇᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᐱᑕᖃᕐᕕᐅᑎᑕᐅᓗᑎᒃ ᐅᕝᕙᓘᓐᓃᑦ ᖃᖓᑕᕙᓐᓂᖏᑕ ᐃᑭᒪᕙᒃᑐᖁᑎᕗᑦ ᓈᒻᒪᖖᒋᑦᑐᒃᑰᕐᑎᑕᐅᓯᒪᓂᐊᖖᒋᓪᓗᑎᒃ. ᓄᑖᖑᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᑲᑎᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᑎᒍᑦ ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᐅᑎᖃᓕᕐᓂᕗᑦ, ᐱᐅᓯᒋᐊᖅᑎᑕᐅᓯᒪᓗᑎᒃ ᖃᖓᑕᕙᓐᓂᐅᔪᑦ, ᐃᖢᐊᕐᓂᖅᓴᑎᒍᑦ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᓄᑦ ᐊᓯᖏᓄᑦ ᖃᖓᑕᕙᒃᑐᓄᑦ ᒥᑭᓂᖅᓴᐅᔪᓄᑦ ᓄᓇᓕᒋᔭᐅᔪᓄᑦ ᐃᑭᔪᓐᓇᖅᓯᑎᑕᐅᓯᒪᓕᕐᓗᑎᒃ, ᐱᐅᓯᒋᐊᖅᑎᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᑎᒍᑦ ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᕐᕕᒋᕙᒃᑕᕗᑦ ᓴᓇᕐᕈᑎᒃᓴᖃᓕᖅᑎᑕᐅᓗᑎᒃ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓈᒻᒪᑦᑎᐊᖅᑐᑎᒍᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᒃᐱᒍᓱᑦᑎᐊᖅᑑᓗᑕ ᐱᓕᕆᔾᔪᓯᖃᓕᕐᓂᑦᑎᓐᓄᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᕈᓐᓇᑦᑎᐊᕐᓗᑎᒍ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓄᓇᓕᒋᔭᐅᔪᐃᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ, ᐃᓱᒪᒐᓗᐊᖅᑐᒍᑦ ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᕐᕕᒋᕙᒃᑕᕗᑦ ᖁᕕᐊᒋᔭᖃᑦᑎᐊᖁᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᓄᑖᖑᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᖅᑎᐅᓕᕐᓂᐊᖅᑐᓂᒃ. ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᕐᕕᒋᕙᒃᑕᕗᑦ ᐊᔪᖖᒋᓐᓂᖅᐸᐅᖁᒐᑦᑎᒍ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐅᔾᔨᕈᓱᒃᑲᑦᑕ ᑕᒪᒃᑯᓂᖓ ᐱᓕᕆᓯᒪᔭᕆᐊᖃᕐᓂᑦᑎᓐᓂᒃ.

ᑕᐅᑐᖖᒍᐊᕋᒃᑯ ᓂᕆᐅᓐᓂᖃᖅᑐᖓ ᐃᓄᓐᓂᑦ ᓇᖕᒥᓂᕆᔭᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᖅᑎᖃᓕᕐᓂᒃᓴᑦᑎᓐᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᑭᒪᕙᒃᑐᖁᑎᑦᑎᓐᓂᑦ ᓴᕆᒪᒋᔭᐅᑦᑎᐊᖅᑐᒥᒃ ᐱᑕᖃᓕᖅᑎᑦᑎᓯᒪᓂᑦᑎᓐᓂᒃ. ᑮᓇᐅᔭᑎᒍᑦ ᕿᑐᕐᖏᐅᖅᑎᑦᑎᓯᒪᓂᐊᕋᑦᑕ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖑᔪᒧᑦ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᒃᑯᑦ ᐃᑭᒪᕙᒃᑐᓄᑦ ᐱᔨᑦᓯᖃᕈᑎᖃᓕᕆᐊᒃᓴᑦᑎᓐᓂᒃ ᐊᑐᐃᓐᓇᐅᓕᖅᑎᑦᑎᓯᒪᔪᓂᒃ ᖁᑦᑎᖕᓂᖅᐹᑎᒍᑦ ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᕐᕕᐅᕙᓕᖁᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᐋᖅᑭᒃᓱᐊᖑᓯᒪᔪᓄᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥᐅᓄᑦ. ᐃᒻᒪᖄᓗ ᑕᒪᒃᑯᐊ ᐃᓚᖃᕐᓂᐊᖅᑐᑦ ᓄᑖᖑᓂᖅᓴᓂᒃ, ᐅᓪᓗᒥᓂᑕᓂᒃ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᖃᓕᖅᑎᑦᑎᓯᒪᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᑭᒪᔪᓄᑦ ᓂᕆᔭᒃᓴᖃᖅᑎᑦᑎᕙᓐᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᓂᕿᒋᔭᐅᔪᒪᕙᒃᑐᓂᒃ ᐱᔭᐅᔭᕆᐊᓕᓐᓂᒃ ᐃᑭᒪᕙᒃᑐᓂᑦ ᐅᐊᔭᕐᓂᖃᖅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᐊᔾᔨᖃᖖᒋᑦᑐᒥ ᓄᓇᒋᔭᐅᔪᒥ.

ᑭᖑᓪᓕᕐᒥᒃᓕ, ᑕᑯᓐᓇᕐᓂᖃᕋᒪ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᕆᕙᑦᑎᒍᑦ ᐃᑲᔪᕐᓂᖃᓕᕆᐊᑦᑎᓐᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᖏᓂᖅᓴᐅᔪᒥᒃ ᐃᓚᒋᔭᐅᖃᑕᐅᕙᓕᕐᓗᑎᒃ ᓄᓇᓕᒋᔭᐅᔪᓄᑦ ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᕐᕕᒋᔭᑦᑎᓐᓄᑦ, ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖃᖃᑎᒌᓕᕐᓂᑦᑎᓐᓂᑦ ᑲᓇᑕ ᒎᔅ-ᑯᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᕝᕕᖓᓂᒃ ᓇᒃᓴᖃᑦᑕᖅᑎᐅᔪᓂᑦ ᐊᑭᖃᖖᒋᑦᑐᓂᒃ ᔭᐸᓕᐊᕆᔭᐅᕙᒍᓐᓇᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᓄᓇᓕᒋᔭᐅᔪᓄᑦ, ᐃᑲᔪᖅᑐᐃᓯᒪᓕᕐᓂᕐᓄᑦ ᒪᒃᑯᒃᑐᐃᑦ ᐱᖖᒍᐊᕐᓂᕆᕙᒃᑕᖏᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐱᓕᕆᓂᖃᕐᑎᑕᐅᕙᓐᓂᖏᓐᓄᑦ, ᐃᑲᔪᓕᕐᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐃᓱᒪᒃᑯᑦ ᐋᓐᓂᐊᖃᓕᖁᔨᖖᒋᓐᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᓂᐅᔪᓄᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᖕᒥᓃᖃᑦᑕᖁᔨᖖᒋᓐᓂᓕᕆᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖑᔪᓄᑦ. ᐅᕙᑦᑎᓐᓂᒃ ᑕᐅᑐᖖᒍᐊᖅᓯᒪᒐᒪ ᐅᕙᒎᓪᓗᑕ ᐃᓚᐅᓂᖃᑦᑎᐊᓕᕋᔭᕐᓂᑦᑎᓐᓄᑦ ᓄᓇᓕᒋᔭᐅᔪᓄᑦ ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᕐᕕᒋᕙᑦᑎᓐᓄᑦ.

ᐊᔪᖖᒋᑦᑎᐊᒻᒪᕆᒃᑐᓂᒃ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖃᖅᑎᖃᕋᑦᑕ ᐅᖓᑖᓄᐊᖅᓯᒪᔪᓂᒃ 900-ᓂᑦ ᕘᔅᑦ ᐃᐊᒃᑯᓐᓂ ᐱᑕᖃᓕᖅᑎᑦᑎᔨᐅᔪᓐᓇᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᑕᒪᒃᑯᓄᖓ ᑐᕌᕐᕕᐅᓇᓱᐊᖅᑐᓄᑦ. ᑲᑎᓐᓂᖃᓕᖅᓯᒪᓂᓕᖅᑎᓐᓂ, ᐊᒥᓱᕈᕆᐊᒃᑲᓐᓂᖅᓯᒪᓕᕐᓂᐊᕐᒪᑕ ᐱᓕᕆᓂᖃᖃᑎᒌᒃᑐᑦ. ᑕᒪᐃᓐᓂᒃ ᐃᓕᑦᓯᓐᓂᒃ ᐋᓐᓂᐊᖃᖖᒋᑦᑎᐊᕐᓗᓯ, ᖃᓄᐃᖖᒋᑦᑎᐊᖅᑑᓗᓯ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᖏᕐᕋᓂᖃᑦᑎᐊᖁᕙᑦᓯ ᐃᓅᓯᑦᓯᓐᓂ ᓄᑖᖑᓂᐊᖅᑐᒥ ᐅᑭᐅᒥ. ᖁᔭᓐᓇᒦᒃ ᐅᓪᓗᒥ ᐃᑭᒪᔪᒪᓚᐅᕋᑦᓯ ᕘᔅᑦ ᐃᐊᒃᑯᑦ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᖁᑎᖓᓂ. ᐃᓱᒪᒐᓗᐊᖅᑐᖓ ᖃᖓᑕᓂᕆᓚᐅᖅᑕᓯ ᓈᒻᒪᑦᑎᐊᖅᑎᑕᐅᓚᐅᕐᒪᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᕿᓚᒥᐅᔪᖅ ᑕᑰᑎᒃᑲᓐᓂᕈᓐᓇᕐᓂᐊᕐᒥᒐᑦᑕ.

ᑯᕆᔅ ᐄᕗᕆ ᕘᔅᑎᐊᒃᑯᓐᓄᑦ ᐊᖓᔪᖅᑳᖅ & ᐊᐅᓚᑦᑎᔨᒻᒪᕆᒃ

ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖅᑎᐅᑉ ᐅᔾᔨᕆᔭᐅᑎᑕᐅᓂᖓ |

Employee Spotlight | Iqqanaijaqtiup Ujjirijautitauninga

ᑕᐃᓗᕐ ᐆᕐᓐᔅ | Tyler Ernst ᑕᐃᓗᕐ ᐆᕐᓐᔅ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᖅᑎᐅᒋᐊᒥᒃ ᖁᕕᐊᒋᔭᖃᓕᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᕗᖅ ᓱᓕ ᐃᓅᓱᒃᑑᓪᓗᓂ. ᐅᑭᐅᖃᓕᖅᑐᓂ 12-ᓂᒃ, ᐃᓚᒋᔭᐅᖃᑕᐅᓕᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᕗᖅ ᕈᐃᐅᓪ ᑲᓃᑎᐊᓐ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᖅᑎᓕᕆᔨᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖓᓐᓄᑦ ᐃᓕᑉᐸᓪᓕᐊᒃᑲᓐᓂᕈᑎᒋᒋᐊᖅᑐᒍ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᓕᕆᔨᐅᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖑᔪᖅ. ᕼᐋᓕᕚᒃᔅ, ᓅᕙ ᓯᑰᓴᒥᐅᑕᐅᓪᓗᓂ, ᑕᐃᓗᕐ ᐋᑐᕙ, ᐋᓐᑎᐊᕆᐅᒧᑦ ᓄᒃᑎᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᕗᖅ ᐅᑭᐅᑦ ᑕᓪᓕᒪᐅᓕᖅᑐᑦ ᑕᒫᓂᕐᒥᐅᑕᐅᓕᕐᖢᓂ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᖅᑎᓄᑦ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᑎᐅᓕᕋᒥ (ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᖅᑎᐅᓕᕋᒥ). ᓇᖕᒥᓂᕐᓗ ᐃᓛᒃᑯᑦ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᖅᑎᐅᓕᕐᓂᒃᓴᒥᓄᑦ ᓚᐃᓴᑖᖅᓯᒪᓕᕆᐊᕐᑐᓂ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕈᑎᖃᓕᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᒐᒥ, ᖃᖓᑕᓲᖅᑎᖖᒍᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᕗᖅ 2017-ᒥ.

ᑕᐃᓗᕐ ᕘᕐᔅᑦ ᑎᐊᒃᑯᑦ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᖅᑎᓕᕆᔨᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᐃᓚᒋᔭᐅᖃᑕᐅᓕᓚᐅᕐᐳᖅ ᔮᓄᐊᕆ 2018-ᒥ ᐋᖅᑭᒃᓱᐃᔨᐅᓂᕐᒧᑦ, ᓵᑕᒃᑰᖅᐸᒃᑐᓕᕆᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐊᐅᓚᑦᓯᔨᒋᔭᐅᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔮᖅᑖᕋᒥ. ᑕᐃᒪᓗ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᒥᒃ ᓵᑕᖃᕈᒪᔪᓂᒃ ᑐᒃᓯᕋᖅᑐᖃᕌᖓᑦ, ᐋᖅᑭᒃᓱᐃᔨᒋᔭᐅᕙᒃᑐᖅ ᐋᖅᑭᒃᓱᐃᖃᑎᒋᕙᒃᑐᓂᒋᑦ ᑕᒪᕐᒥᒃ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᕐᕕᐅᔪᐃᑦ ᕘᕐᔅᑦ ᐃᐊᒃᑯᓐᓂ, ᑕᒪᕐᒥᒃᓗ ᐊᐅᓚᔪᓐᓇᐅᑎᒋᔭᐅᕙᒃᑐᑦ ᓵᑕᒋᔭᐅᓂᐊᖅᑐᒧᑦ ᐊᔪᖖᒋᑦᑎᐊᕐᒪᖔᑕ ᓇᐅᑦᓯᖅᑐᐃᔨᒋᔭᐅᕙᒃᑐᓂ — ᐃᓱᒪᒋᖃᓯᐅᑎᕙᒃᑐᓂᒋᑦ ᓵᑕᖃᖅᑎᐅᓂᐊᖅᑐᑉ ᑐᒃᓯᕋᐅᑎᒋᓯᒪᔭᖏᑦ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐱᓯᒪᔭᐅᔭᕆᐊᖃᕐᓂᐊᖅᑐᑦ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᒥ, ᖃᖓᑕᓲᒃᑯᕝᕕᓐᓂ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓯᓚᐅᑉ ᖃᓄᐃᓐᓂᕆᓂᐊᖅᑕᖏᓄᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᒃᓴᐅᕙᒃᑐᓄᑦ ᐱᔾᔪᑎᖃᖅᑐᑦ. ᐃᓛᓗ ᑕᐃᓗᕐ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᕐᕕᖃᕋᓗᐊᕋᒥ ᐋᑐᕙᒥ ᐊᓪᓚᕝᕕᖓᓂ, ᐱᓕᕆᓂᖃᕐᕕᒋᔭᕆᐊᖃᖅᑕᖏᑦ ᐊᓯᐊᓃᖏᓐᓇᐅᔭᖅᐸᒃᑐᑦ. ᓵᑕᒋᔭᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᖅ ᖃᖓᑕᓕᕌᖓᑦ, ᑕᐃᓗ ᐃᑭᒪᖃᑕᐅᒐᔪᒃᐳᖅ, ᑲᒪᔨᒋᔭᐅᕙᒃᑐᓂ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᒥ ᐱᓕᕆᔨᒋᔭᐅᔪᓄᑦ, ᓄᓇᒥ ᐱᓕᕆᔨᒋᔭᐅᔪᓄᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᐅᓚᑦᓯᓂᖃᕐᕕᑦᑎᓐᓄᑦ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᒃᑯᕕᖕᒥ. ᓄᖅᑲᓚᐅᕈᓐᓇᑦᑎᐊᖖᒋᒻᒪᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᒃᓴᕆᔭᒥᓂᒃ ᐱᓕᕆᓂᖃᖅᑐᓂ, ᓂᓪᓕᐅᓯᕆᔭᐅᒐᔪᒃᑐᖅ “ᓇᓃᒻᒪᑦ ᑕᐃᓗᕐ?” ᐊᓪᓚᕝᕕᑦᑎᓐᓂ.

ᐃᓛᓗ ᐊᐅᓪᓚᖅᓯᒪᔭᕆᐊᖃᖃᑦᑕᕐᓂᖅ ᐊᑯᓂᑦ ᐊᒥᓱᓄᑦ ᐃᑲᕐᕋᓄᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᒃᓴᓂᒃ ᐱᓕᕆᓂᖃᕆᐊᖃᕈᓐᓇᖅᐸᒃᑲᓗᐊᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑕᖃᒪᓇᖅᓯᔪᓐᓇᕐᓗᓂ ᖃᖓᑕᑯᑖᖃᑦᑕᕐᓂᕐᒥᑦ, ᐃᑭᒪᕙᒃᑐᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᕘᕐᔅᑦ ᐃᐊᒃᑯᓐᓄᑦ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖅᑎᓂᒃ ᐅᖃᖃᑎᖃᕈᓐᓇᖅᐸᓐᓂᕐᒥᓂᒃ ᑕᐃᓗᕐ ᖁᕕᐊᒋᔭᖃᓗᐊᖅᐸᒃᑐᖅ. ᐊᒥᓲᖖᒋᑦᑑᕙᒃᑲᓗᐊᕐᒥᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ, ᐃᓚᖓᒍᑦ ᓵᑕᒃᑯᑦ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᖃᕈᒪᔪᓕᕆᔾᔪᑎᒃᓴᐃᑦ ᐱᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᐅᐊᔭᕐᕕᖃᕈᓐᓇᖅᐸᓐᓂᖓ ᐊᒥᓱᐊᓘᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᒃᑯᕝᕕᓕᕆᕝᕕᒋᔭᕗᑦ — ᑲᑎᖃᑎᖃᕈᓐᓇᕐᐸᒃᑐᑦ ᑲᒪᔨᒋᔭᑦᑎᓐᓂᒃ, ᐊᐅᓚᑦᓯᔨᒋᔭᐅᔪᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᑐᐃᔨᐅᓕᕈᓐᓇᖅᐸᒃᑐᓂ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᒃᑯᕕᒻᒥ ᐱᓕᕆᔨᒋᔭᐅᔪᓄᑦ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᑕᐅᔭᕆᐊᖃᓕᕌᖓᑕ. ᑕᐃᓗᕐ ᐅᔾᔨᕈᓱᒃᐳᖅ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔮᒥᓂ ᖁᕕᐊᒋᓪᓚᕆᓐᓂᖅᓴᐅᕙᒻᒪᒍ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥᐅᑦ ᐱᐅᓯᑐᖃᖓᓐᓄᑦ ᐃᓚᒋᔭᐅᔪᓐᓇᖅᑎᑕᐅᓕᕌᖓᒥ. ᐅᔾᔨᕈᓱᒃᑐᓂ ᑲᑎᓯᕙᓐᓂᓂ ᐃᓄᖏᓐᓂᒃ, ᓄᓇᖓᑦᑕ ᑕᑯᕋᓐᓂᖅᑑᓂᖓᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑐᑭᓯᐅᒪᓕᕆᐊᖃᑦᑕᕐᓂᖅ ᐊᑐᖅᓯᒪᔭᐅᔪᓂᒃ ᐊᕙᑎᐅᔪᓂ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᓕᒃᑲᓐᓂᕈᒪᓗᐊᖅᐸᒃᑲᒥᒋᑦ.

ᓇᖕᒥᓂᕐᓕ ᐃᓅᓯᖓᓄᑦ ᑕᐃᓗᕐ ᓇᓗᓇᐃᖅᓯᒋᐊᕐᓂᐊᕐᓗᓂ ᕘᕐᔅᑦ ᐃᐊᒃᑯᓐᓂ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖅᑎᒋᔭᐅᓂᖓᓂ ᑐᕌᖓᕗᑦ ᑲᑎᓯᓯᒪᓕᓚᐅᕐᓂᖓᓂᒃ ᐱᖃᓐᓈᒥᓂᒃ, ᐋᓕᒃᔅᒥᒃ, ᐊᖅᑭᒃᓱᐃᕙᓪᓕᐊᓂᕐᒥᓂ ᓵᑕᒋᔭᐅᔪᒃᑯᑦ ᖃᖓᑕᓂᐅᓂᐊᖅᑐᒥᒃ ᒥᐅᓪᕗᐊᑭᒧᑦ. ᑕᐃᓗᕐ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕈᓯᐅᑉ ᓄᖖᒍᐊᓂ ᑕᑯᔭᖅᑐᐃᓯᒪᒐᒧᒃᐳᖅ ᐋᓕᒃᔅᒥᒃ, ᐅᖃᓪᓚᐅᓯᖃᖃᑎᒌᒍᓐᓇᖅᓯᕙᒃᑲᒥᒃ ᐱᔾᔪᑎᖃᖅᑐᓄᑦ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᖃᖓᓕ ᐊᐅᓪᓚᖅᓯᒪᖃᑎᒌᒍᖕᓇᖅᓯᔪᒫᓕᕐᒥᒻᒪᖔᕐᒦᒃ ᐊᓯᐊᓄᑦ.

ᐃᓛᓗ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᒃᑯᑦ ᐃᖏᕐᕋᑲᑕᒃᐸᒋᐊᒥᒃ ᐱᓕᕆᓂᖃᖔᕈᒪᕙᒃᑲᓗᐊᕋᒥ, ᑕᐃᓗᕐ ᐃᓛᒃᑯᑦ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᒃᑯᑦ ᐃᖏᕐᕋᔪᒪᓗᐊᖅᐸᒃᑐᖅ ᓴᓇᑦᑕᐃᓕᐅᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᖅᑎᐅᔭᕆᐊᒃᓴᒥᒃ ᑮᓇᐅᔾᔭᒃᓴᔾᔪᑎᒋᓂᐊᕐᓗᒍ ᐅᕝᕙᓘᓐᓃᑦ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᖅᑎᒃᑯᑦ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᖏᓂᒃ ᐃᓱᒪᒋᔭᖃᕆᐊᖃᕐᓂᐊᕋᓂ — ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓱᓇᑐᐃᓐᓇᑦ ᓴᖅᑭᓯᒪᓕᕈᓐᓇᕋᓗᐊᕐᒥᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᐃᓅᓯᖓᓂ, ᖃᖓᑕᖃᑦᑕᕈᓐᓇᕐᓂᖅ ᑕᒃᐹᓂ ᓯᓛᓗᑉᑎᖕᓂ ᐱᕕᒃᓴᖃᓕᕐᕕᐅᔪᓐᓇᕐᑐᖅ!

Tyler Ernst’s passion for aviation started early. At the age of 12, he joined the Royal Canadian Air Cadet program to deepen his roots within the industry. Originally from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Tyler moved to Ottawa, Ontario, nearly ﬁve years ago to become a Flight Attendant. He also began working on his Private Pilot’s License, earning his wings in the spring of 2017.

Tyler joined First Air in January 2018 as the Coordinator, Charter Operations. When a request for an aircraft charter is received, it’s up to him to coordinate with all departments within First Air, ensuring all moving pieces of a charter are perfectly in order — taking into account special client requests, and requirements for aircraft, airports, and weather. Although Tyler’s desk is located at our Ottawa office, his work location seems to be everywhere but. When a charter flight flies, Tyler is most often onboard, acting as a liaison between the flight crew, ground crews and our Operations Control Centre. He’s so often on-the-go, the term “Where’s Tyler?” has become a common office joke.

Though life on the road can lead to long work hours and a bit of jet lag, it’s the interaction with passengers and First Air team members that Tyler loves. Although minimal, some down-time in the charter business allows him to travel throughout our vast network of stations — meeting with our agents, their Managers and providing support to the airport teams when necessary.

Tyler acknowledges that the most fascinating part of his position so far has been the opportunity to immerse himself in the northern culture. He notes that meeting the people, appreciating the landscapes and understanding the history of the areas we serve have been most interesting.

The more personal highlight of Tyler’s time at First Air has been the chance to meet his partner, Alex, which happened entirely through the coordination of a charter ﬂight to Milwaukee. Tyler most often spends his weekends visiting Alex, where the two can be found discussing all things related to airplanes and planning their next big getaway. Although the sky is where his heart is, Tyler reserves his Private Pilot’s License for leisurely Sunday ﬂights with no plans of piloting commercial or airline aircraft — though anything is possible, and the sky truly is the limit!

From the Flight Deck What’s with all the lights? Now that winter has set in across our network, there’s a good chance that at least part of your flight with us today will take place during a period of darkness. To allow us to safely operate an aircraft at night, as you likely suspect, lights are installed. In fact, there are a great deal of different lights that allow us to fly at night. (On the ATR, there are over 20 different light switches in the flight deck.)

About half of the light switches allow us to control the lights inside the flight deck. Just like in your car, some of the lights allow us to read all the various instruments and other lights are designed to allow us to read our maps or checklists, as well as to complete any required in-flight paperwork. There are many different lights on the outside of the aircraft too and each set of lights serves a different purpose. Some of the lights are designed to help pilots see at night but there are also many lights designed to help other pilots see our aircraft.

The taxi light on the nose wheel of the aircraft helps us see while taxiing on the ground. On the wings of the B737 or on the belly of the ATR are landing lights. These much brighter lights improve our visibility during takeoﬀ and landing, kind of like high beam lights on your car. There are also lights pointed back at the wings of the aircraft to help us look for any ice build-up.

The rest of the lights on the outside of the aircraft help other pilots see our aircraft. On the top and bottom of the aircraft you can find the beacon — a white or red flashing light. The aircraft is also equipped with strobe lights on the wingtips and perhaps the tail. Strobe lights are very bright, flashing white lights.

Unlike in a car, just seeing another aircraft isn’t enough. Since there are lanes on the roads, once we see another car, we can easily figure out which way it is going. That isn’t the case with an aircraft since there aren’t any lanes in the sky. We use the beacon and strobe lights to see the other aircraft but other lights help us figure out which way the other aircraft is moving. This is where the navigation lights come into play. Those lights are located on each wingtip and on the tail of the aircraft and are different colours depending on where they are located. The navigation light on the left wingtip is red, the one on the right wingtip is green and the one on the tail is white. Based on the colour of the lights, you can tell which way the other aircraft is pointing. (If you have ever noticed the lights on a boat, you will see the same layout. When aviation regulations were drafted, many of the rules came from the maritime regulations, lights included.)

We will use all of the lights at some point during a flight at night. During the day, we don’t need many of the lights in the flight deck but we still use all the exterior lights for the same reason that modern cars have daytime running lights to make the vehicle more visible. The only difference is that they aren’t automated in the airplane so we must turn them on manually. So, all those lights help us safely manoeuvre aircraft in the skies and are especially useful at night.

Captain Aaron Speer Vice President, Flight Operations First Air

If you are curious about a speciﬁc topic regarding ﬂying and aircraft operations, let us know what you’d like to learn about and we’ll try to include it in a future column. Email: editor@arcticjournal.ca

The Inflight Magazine for First Air

2019 | 01 YOURS TO KEEP

Remembering Yellowknife The People You Meet

Tuktoyaktuk: The Holy Grail of Biking Des%na%ons

Sailing Expedi%on From Chisasibi to Umiujaq

Traditional Inuit Clothing

PM40050872

o www.arcticjournal.ca

Inuit clothing not only kept them warm but allowed Inuit to enjoy various outside games. Here, David Sowdluapik plays the popular ajagaaq. © Nick Newbery

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above&beyond ltd., (aka above&beyond, Canada’s Arctic Journal) is a wholly owned subsidiary of First Air, and a media instrument intended solely to entertain and provide general information about the North. The views and opinions expressed in editorial content, advertisements, or by contributors, do not necessarily reﬂect the views, oﬃcial positions or policies of First Air, its agents, or those of above&beyond magazine unless expressly stated. above&beyond ltd. does not assume any responsibility for any errors and/or omissions of any content in the publication. Reproduction in whole or part without permission is prohibited. We welcome contributions but assume no responsibility for unsolicited material. Send to editor@arcticjournal.ca.

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Contents 12

January | February 2019 Volume 31, No. 1

Features

Traditional Inuit clothing

One of the critical skills that enabled pre-contact Inuit to survive in a harsh environment was the women’s ability to make warm clothing. — Text and photos by Nick Newbery

Remembering Yellowknife

Perched on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake, Yellowknife is literally on the edge of the wilderness. ...“I met so many great people in the Northwest Territories.” — Myles Shane

Tuktoyaktuk The Holy Grail of Biking Destinations

09 Destination Focus

15 Living Above&Beyond 21 Resources

37 Education Nunavut Literacy Council-Ilitaqsiniq

41 Culture Discovering Franklin’s Lost Crew — Diana Trepcov

It was about time I rode through more of my own country. And now I had a new road I could not refuse. — Text and photos by Larry Simpson

45 Proﬁle Sam Steele Legendary Northern Lawman

The planning of this 1,100 km sailing expedition, from Chisasibi to Umiujaq, Nunavik, took us nearly a year. — Text and photos by Jean Lelièvre

50 Inuit Forum — Natan Obed National Inuit Leader & President, ITK

Sailing Expedition

A B OV E & B E YO N D — C A N A DA’ S A RC T I C J O U R N A L

2019 | 01

48 Bookshelf

69.11428° N, 105.0575° E

CAMBRIDgE BAy Cambridge Bay, in Inuktitut ‘Ikalutuuttiaq’, meaning ‘good ﬁshing place’, has been a gathering place for Inuit

for over 4,000 years. Today, Cambridge Bay continues to welcome Inuit and visitors alike, embracing the

traditions of the past while building for the future. It represents the best of Nunavut: a strong connection

to the land and wildlife, a history of welcoming visitors, and, a proud leader in Arctic science and technology research.

Cambridge Bay continues to be an excellent hunting and ﬁshing spot. Today you can still enjoy Arctic

char ﬁshing, a ‘green’ and sustainable seafood. Travel to nearby Ovayok Territorial Park, an area that has

been vital to local Inuit life for centuries. The park has numerous hiking trails and camping spots, allowing you to immerse yourself in the habitat of a muskox herd.

The community hosts the 'Omingmak Frolics' each May, which include seal hunting and ice carving

competitions, ﬁshing contests, talent shows, children's games, dog sledding and snowmobiling races.

Renowned for its local art, Cambridge Bay was home to artist Inuk Charlie and the tradition continues

D E S T I N AT I O N F O C U S

Essential Cambridge Bay experiences include:

• Experiencing the land and viewing muskox herds at nearby Ovayok Territorial Park • Fishing for abundant Arctic char, considered a ‘green’ and sustainable seafood • Exploring ancient Inuit campsites and the relics of the European search for the Northwest Passage

with today’s artists. Local galleries highlight the beautiful works of Cambridge Bay’s famous carvers, who use materials that are unique to the area.

Explore Cambridge Bay to discover both the past and the future. Archaeological sites reveal ancient

Inuit campsites and signs of the ﬁrst European explorers. In contrast, Cambridge Bay is also home to military

installations and the Canadian High Arctic Research Station, where scientists conduct research on polar science and technology.

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Fur clothing. Fur clothing requires a lot of preparation, yet many women even in pre-contact times went beyond the basics, by juxtaposing contrasting colours to make the clothing look attractive. Skin clothing is extremely warm but the fur wears down comparatively quickly and, when the people lived on the land, it required replacing every year which made for a lot of work for the women.

Traditional Inuit clothing A means of survival

Text and photos by Nick Newbery

Survival suits. Fur clothing, as worn here by Joanasie Qarpik, was critical to Inuit survival in traditional times. When the men went hunting in winter, their wives made them two layers of caribou clothing, the ﬁrst with the fur turned inside, the second with the fur on the outside. Kamiit (skin boots) would also consist of at least two layers of caribou skins, sometimes also packed with dried grass or (after contact with whalers) shredded hemp rope as an extra insulator. Summer would often see the caribou clothing replaced by sealskin due to its waterproof qualities.

One of the critical skills that enabled pre-contact Inuit to survive in a harsh environment was the women’s ability to make warm clothing. The women had to clean the caribou or seal skins and then sew them into clothing every fall for each member of the family. There would be two sets of caribou clothing per person, one with the fur facing in, the other with the fur facing out. The woman’s crescent-shaped knife, the ulu, was used for cutting, while sinew from the caribou was transformed into waterproof thread for both winter caribou clothing and summer/fall sealskin outfits. Needles were made from bird or ﬁsh bones or slices of ivory. Both women and men carried a sewing kit in a bag hung around their necks for emergency repairs when travelling. The skill involved in creating clothing from raw animal pelts, let alone the intricate designs often sewn into the clothing (frequently under very harsh light and climate conditions), pay witness to the artistic abilities of Inuit seamstresses. Survival of a family depended in large part on the woman’s ability to produce warm clothing and to pass on her skills to her daughters. A B OV E & B E YO N D — C A N A DA’ S A RC T I C J O U R N A L

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Making kamiit. (top left) The high-quality sewing by Inuit women was critical to the survival of the people when they lived on the land. Skins had to be cleaned, dried and then chewed to be soft enough to sew with sinew, as illustrated here by Mary Ittunga from Taloyoak, Nunavut.

Beaded amoutiit. April 1, 1999, the day Nunavut came into being, saw a huge unofficial fashion display in Iqaluit put on by Inuit women. Traditional and modern variations of Inuit clothing were to be seen everywhere, with skin, fur, beaded and duffle parkas and amoutiit on every corner. In this photo Dorothy and Lilian Aglukkaq stand with Alexina Kublu in front of the Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. offices.

Teaching traditions. (above) Annie Nauyaq was among the best seamstresses of her time in Iqaluit, Nunavut. Proud of their Inuit heritage, she and her husband Eliyah were inummariit, examples of Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (Inuit Traditional Knowledge) in daily practice. In the photo Annie cuts a skin as part of a class at the high school where she taught for several decades.

On display. (right) Each Canada Day and Nunavut Day sees a display of women’s fashion in Iqaluit, usually a mixture of the traditional caribou and seal fur clothing contrasting with the white summer amoutiit usually decorated with intricate beadwork. Beads came north as trade goods with the whalers in the 19th century and have been popular ever since.

Nick Newbery taught in several communities in Nunavut from 1976-2005. He would like to acknowledge the assistance he received for this article from Bert Rose, northern educator and long-time resident of Nunavut. The photos in this article are from Nick’s Arctic photo collection that can be found at www.newberyphotoarchives.ca and should be viewed from a historical perspective.

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Arctic achievements celebrated

Christopher Robert Burn and Her Excellency the Right Honourable governor general Julie Payette. Sgt Johanie Maheu, Rideau Hall © OSGG, 2018

Her Excellency the Right Honourable Julie Payette, Governor General of Canada, presented honours to Canadians in celebration of their incredible achievements and contributions, in ceremonies this past fall. Those receiving awards from Canada’s Arctic or for work performed in the Arctic regions include:

POLAR MEDALS to Christopher Robert Burn from Ottawa, Ontario; Norman E. Hallendy from Carp, Ontario; and Jerry Kobalenko from Canmore, Alberta. Chris Burn is an internationally recognized expert in the domain of permafrost and ground ice in the Yukon and the western Arctic. Norman Hallendy is an Arctic ethnographic expert and the foremost non-Inuk authority on Inuksuit and Inuit sacred sites. Jerry Kobalenko, a professional writer and photographer, has skied, hiked, sledded and kayaked more than 16,000 kilometres through the High Arctic over the course of 30 expeditions, sharing his adventures with national and international audiences through publications and lectures.

Norman E. Hallendy and the governor general. Sgt Johanie Maheu, Rideau Hall © OSGG, 2018

MERITORIOUS SERVICE MEDALS (CIVIL DIVISION) were awarded to: Daniel Gaudet from Déline, NWT, and Derek Crowe, Justin A. J. Ferbey, and Jane Koepke from Whitehorse, Yukon.

Danny Gaudet negotiated the Déline Final Self-Government Agreement, the ﬁrst of its kind in Canada, providing a model for other communities to follow on their path towards greater self-determination.

The governor general and Daniel gaudet. MCpl Mathieu Gaudreault, Rideau Hall © OSGG, 2018

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LIVING ABOVE&BEYOND

The governor general and Jerry Kobalenko. MCpl Mathieu Gaudreault, Rideau Hall © OSGG, 2018

Derek Crowe, Justin Ferbey and Jane Koepke started Singletrack to Success, a 65-kilometre network of mountain biking trails on Montana Mountain near Carcross, Yukon, attracting thousands of tourists to the area and helping Carcross/Tagish First Nation youth gain valuable life skills and a sense of pride while building and maintaining the trail system. Visit www.gg.ca.

The governor general and Derek Crowe, Justin A. J. Ferbey, and Jane Koepke. MCpl Mathieu Gaudreault, Rideau Hall © OSGG, 2018

LIVING ABOVE&BEYOND

Entrepreneur caters to Northerners at home and in ﬂight

By Dawn Fallis

When you meet Matti Wilkins, the first things you notice are his ginger lumberjack beard, bright blue eyes and engaging smile. This 32year-old father of three is the owner of Big Racks BBQ, a restaurant in Iqaluit, Nunavut, which just celebrated its third anniversary this past November. Born and raised in Whitby, Ontario, Matti graduated from Durham College as an automotive technician and obtained a coveted Red Seal. He travelled North in 2008 as a licensed automotive mechanic with his brother, working for Wynberg Automotive for several years and then moving on to Canadian North as a ground mechanic. He has been a full-time resident of Iqaluit since 2008, meeting and marrying his wife, Marlyn, who is originally from the Philippines, in 2009. Marlyn and Matti saw an opportunity to provide the Iqaluit community with more choice in restaurants and thus Big Racks BBQ was born. They purchased a neighbour’s house, renovated it and opened Big Racks. The name came from a brain-storming session and Matti commissioned local artist John Cruz to design the logo and paint it on the interior wall of the restaurant. It sounds simple but wasn’t. The biggest challenges were dealing with all the logistics: planning and developing, costs, sealift, lag time and staffing. Matti continues to work through these but Matti has a successful thriving business that has expanded into a second fast-food service restaurant, Pita Shack, located in Iqaluit’s Aquatic Centre. Matti, the constant entrepreneur, saw an opportunity to provide food for First Air and reached out to the company. First Air, always supportive of the North and of using local suppliers, responded enthusiastically. At the end of August, Matti’s restaurant became the provider of fresh sandwiches and salads for First Air’s Northern flights out of Iqaluit. First Air passengers can enjoy a freshly made Big Racks’ sandwich, like their popular Chicken Club, on flights. Customer reviews have been fantastic; they are enjoying the new catering items and First Air has a successful new, local partnership. Matti’s future business goals are to expand, serve great food to more communities and provide jobs for residents of the North. Plans for opening a second Big Racks BBQ in Rankin Inlet are nearing fruition.

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Order of Nunavik medals received

LIVING ABOVE&BEYOND

Right: Zebedee Nungak, along with his fellow signatories and family members of signatories who have since passed, accepted their Order of Nunavik medals at Makivik’s 40th gala. The signatories were oﬃcially awarded the Order of Nunavik in 2015 but were given plaques at the time. © Makivik Corporation | Miriam Dewar

During the Makivik Gala held on November 14, 2018 in Kuujjuaq at the Katittavik Town Hall, four new recipients to the Order of Nunavik were named. They were: Charlie Tooktoo of Kuujjuaraapik, Lazarusie Epoo of Inukjuaq, Jacob Oweetaluktuk of Inukjuak, and Johnny Watt of Kuujjuaq. Members of the families of Charlie Tooktoo, Lazarusie Epoo, and Jacob Oweetaluktuk accepted the medals on behalf of the recipients as they have passed away. The original James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement Signatories were also given their new medals at the event. Eleven Inuit signed the JBNQA on November 11, 1975. They were: Charlie Watt, George Koneak, Johnny Williams, Zebedee Nungak, Putulik Papigatuk, Tommy Cain, Robbie Tookalook, Peter Inukpuk, Mark Annanack, Sarolie Weetaluktuk, and Charlie Arngak. Left: Johnny Watt received the Order of Nunavik during Makivik’s 40th gala. L to R: Philip Awashish, Johnny Watt, Robert Kanatawat and Charlie Watt Sr. © Makivik Corporation | Miriam Dewar

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Tourism operators recognized

LIVING ABOVE&BEYOND

Bruce Davidson receives the gNWT Parks Hospitality Award.

The 22nd annual NWT Tourism Conference and Annual General Meeting was held in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, from November 6 to 8, 2018. Speakers inspired delegates to think about changes, challenges and opportunities for the tourism industry in the NWT in the year ahead. At the Gala Dinner and Awards, the 2018 Industry Awards were announced as follows:

Harold grinde, Vice-Chair of the Board of NWT Tourism, presents Margaret and Amanda Peterson with the NWT Tourism Service Excellence Award for Bill Braden. © Amos Scott (4)

• GNWT Parks Hospitality Award: Bruce Davidson, Camp Attendant at Prelude Lake Territorial Park. • Service Excellence Award: Bill Braden, Guide for My Backyard Tours. • Operator of the Year: Yellowknife Sportﬁshing Adventures. • Lifetime Achievement Award: Neil Hartling of Nahanni River Adventures and Canadian

Susan Wright, Chair of the Board of NWT Tourism, presents Andrew Moore with the NWT Tourism Operator of the year Award.

River Expeditions, acknowledging 30-plus years of a positive legacy and signiﬁcant contribution to NWT’s growing tourism industry. • Outstanding Service Award: Alex Hall, owner of Canoe Arctic, recognizing more than 40 years of outstanding commitment and service to tourists and residents through spectacular paddling and outdoor adventures delivered in the Northwest Territories.

The Honorable Wally Schumann, Minister of Industry, Tourism & Investment, presents Neil Hartling with the Mike Stilwell Lifetime Achievement Award.

Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment Wally Schumann presents the 2018 Outstanding Service Award to the territories longest-service tourism operator Alex Hall of Canoe Arctic.

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NWT residents honoured

Three new recipients of the Order of the Northwest Territories were inducted at the Legislative Assembly building in Yellowknife on October 30. The late Les Carpenter was recognized for his work in indigenous media. He was CEO for the Native Communications Society of the NWT, which owns CKLB Radio. The station, based in Yellowknife, broadcasts in ﬁve languages to 30 communities in the NWT and northern Alberta. Lillian Elias, from Inuvik, received the award for her work with the Inuvialuit language and for being a strong advocate for language revitalization. Sharon Firth was awarded for her athletic achievements and her work promoting sports and recreation, and for volunteering with Northern sports organizations. A Gwich’in athlete from Aklavik, Firth competed in four Olympic games in the 1970s and 1980s. Established in 2013, the Order of the Northwest Territories is the highest honour awarded to NWT residents.

LIVING ABOVE&BEYOND

2018 Order of the NWT Recipients: Sharon Firth, Les Carpenter (awarded posthumously, accepted by his brother Merle on his behalf), and Lillian Elias. © Pat Kane Photography

Exhibits feature Back River and Baker Lake artwork

Born in the Back River area north of Baker Lake, Nunavut, artist Mary Yuusipik Singaqti became well known for her wall-hangings and carvings. Recently purchased by the Winnipeg Art Gallery, a collection of her incredibly detailed coloured-pencil drawings is featured in the new exhibition, Mary Yuusipik Singaqti: Back River Memories, which runs until March 10, 2019. It features drawings about life of her inland Utkuhiksalingmiut Inuit, in the most remote region of Canada’s Arctic, as well as striking wall hangings and sculptures. A second exhibit, from Baker Lake, brings together wall hangings dating from the 1970s to the 1990s by nine artists. Nivinngajuliaat, or “wall hanging” in Inuktitut, includes work by Mary Yuusipik’s acclaimed mother, Jessie Uunaq (Oonark), as well as Dr. Irene Avaalaaqiaq Tiktaalaaq, Naomi Ityi, Victoria Mamnguqsualuk Kayuryuk, Miriam Qiyuk, Jimmy Taipanak, Winnie Tatya, and Marion Tuu’luuq. The exhibition is guest curated by Krista Ulujuk Zawadski, Curator of Inuit Art for the Government of Nunavut Fine Art Collections. Nivinngajuliaat from Baker Lake is on view until March 24, 2019. wag.ca

Jessie Oonark. Untitled, c. 1983, appliqué, embroidery on stroud, 125.5 x 124 cm. Collection of the Winnipeg Art Gallery, G-84-52. Photograph: Ernest Mayer, courtesy of the Winnipeg Art Gallery.

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Arctic Comedy Festival raises funds for Help Line

LIVING ABOVE&BEYOND

The Crack Up Comedy Team is pleased to announce that the first ever First Air Arctic Comedy festival in Iqaluit, Nunavut, raised over $6,700 through ticket proceeds, silent auction, and ticket draws for the Kamatsiaqtut Help Line, which provides a vital, volunteer-run service across Nunavut 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Over three days, over 1,000 attendees were inspired by the Festival. The Festival drew a powerhouse of star talent, including Mary Walsh as host and Howie Miller and his son Tyson Houseman from the Twilight Movie series. The Festival also included fabulous Nunavut comics and provided opportunities for them to break into the comedy scene. First Air and the Crack Up Comedy organizers hope to eventually expand the festival to more communities in the Arctic. “Laughter cheers our spirit, relieves stress and strengthens relationships, so it makes sense to have a comedy festival that supports mental health and youth in crisis,” says Dan Valin of First Air. “The Kamatsiaqtut Help Line is a life-saving and life-supporting organization, and we’re proud and privileged to support their vital efforts. We hope this Festival continues to raise awareness of the tools available to youth and our communities.” John Helmkay from Crackup Comedy adds, “The community response in Iqaluit to the First Air Arctic Comedy Festival was amazing — businesses, schools and individuals all got involved. We had a lot of sponsors and partners who stepped up with financial support and in-kind contributions. They provided volunteers, promotion and more. The crowds at the shows

2018 Arctic Comedy Festival performers. L to R: Angnakuluk Friesen, Chad Anderson, Bibi Bilodeau, Raxhelle Elie, JC Surette, Howie Miller, Paul Rabliauskus, John Helmkay (producer), Dakota Ray Hebert, Samasuni Fortin, Mary-lee Aliyak, Bernard Choquette, and Mary Walsh. © Shawn MacDonell

and workshops were amazing. Our line-up combined local and visiting comics, and everyone had a blast. Our goal was to have fun and support the Kamatsiaqtut Help Line. Mission accomplished. We’d love to do this again!” Spin-oﬀ events as part of the Festival included:

• Visiting comedians Howie Miller, Dakota Hebert, Chad Anderson, Paul Rabliauskas and special guest Tyson Houseman spoke at an assembly with over 350 students at Inuksuk High School. • Crush Improv gave a presentation about the importance of laughter and well-being as it relates to improv to all Grade 5 students at Joamie Elementary School. It was well received with many of the students choosing to attend the Improv show the next day. • Comedians Mary Walsh, Dakota Ray Hebert, and Jenn Hayward visited the local Women’s Shelter and were inspired by their stories and strength.

• Eight local comics were given the opportunity to perform in four of the shows and they absolutely inspired and impressed the visiting comics from all over Canada. • Three workshops were held by Mary Walsh, Howie Miller, and Crush Improv, sharing their experience in Writing, Improv, and Stand-up Comedy with local and visiting comics. • Mary Walsh, Howie Miller, and Tyson Houseman visited Pangnirtung to meet with local oﬃcials to return next year to hold a show in the town.

Alongside First Air, sponsors included Arctic Co-op, NCC Investment, C&K Services, and Ottawa-based Alphabet Creative. Local venues hosted events and provided support and sponsorship, including the Frobisher Inn, the Astro Theatre, the Royal Canadian Legion, the Francophone Centre, Inuksuk High School, Joamie Elementary School, and Travel Nunavut.

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RESOURCES

NWT

Celebrating excellence in mining and exploration

The NWT & Nunavut Chamber of Mines, in partnership with the Government of the Northwest Territories, announced the 2018 Northwest Territories Mining and Exploration (MAX) Award recipients during a banquet November 22 at the Explorer Hotel in Yellowknife. The awards recognize the achievements of individuals, businesses, and organizations that have played a key role in the NWT’s minerals sector. The recipients are: • Economic Leadership: De Beers Canada — Gahcho Kué diamond mine operator. • Environmental & Social Responsibility — Ni Hadi Xa environmental monitor for Gahcho Kué mine. • Distinguished Service — Gren Thomas, explorer and mine ﬁnder. • Indigenous Achievement — Cece HodgsonMcCauley (posthumous), development and community supporter. • Special Achievement awards were presented to Diavik Dike Design, Construction and Operations and the Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Ice Road.

Scholarships for Indigenous women available

De Beers Group is pleased to announce additional scholarship funding for Canadian women pursuing full-time studies in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) subjects and STEM-related studies. In 2019 De Beers Group will continue its partnerships with the University of Waterloo and the University of Calgary, while funding additional opportunities for study through a new partnership with Scholarships Canada. At the University of Waterloo, six one-year entrance scholarships will be awarded in September 2019, with four more being awarded in each of September 2020 and September 2021. At the University of Calgary, six one-year entrance scholarships will be awarded in 2019. Successful applicants will have the option to renew their funding for an additional two years

Pictured at the November 22 banquet in yellowknife are: Allan Rodel with De Beers, Tom Unka with Ni Hadi Xa, gren Thomas, Denton Henkelman with Diavik, Todd McCauley, and Ron Near representing the Winter Ice Road joint venture. Photo courtesy GNWT

based on academic performance. Nine new entrance scholarships that can be applied towards STEMs at any Canadian University will be made available in 2019 through Scholarships Canada. Successful applicants will have the opportunity to renew for an additional two years based on performance. The expanded STEM-related programs eligible for study include (among other ﬁelds): Nursing, Medicine, Accounting, Information Technology, and Business Management. Additional preference for these scholarships goes to Indigenous women from the Northwest Territories, Northern Ontario and Nunavut, as these are the areas in which De Beers Group currently has Canadian mining operations and projects.

NUNAVUT

Project certiﬁcate received

TMAC Resources Inc. has received the Project Certificate from the Nunavut Impact Review Board for the Madrid and Boston gold project. The Project Certificate marks the end of the environmental assessment process including terms and conditions for monitoring and reporting. In addition to the Project Certificate, the Nunavut Water Board has concluded final hearings. As a result, TMAC is anticipating timing for receipt of the Type A Water Licences to the first quarter of 2019.

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gold projects move forward

Sabina Gold & Silver Corp has received approval for its Type A water licence for its Back River Gold Project from the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Northern Affairs and Internal Trade. Receipt of the Type A water licence represents a key step in the environmental permitting process, allowing mine construction and operations to move forward. The Type A water licence includes development of the Umwelt open pit and underground, as well as the Llama and Goose Main open pits. It also includes the ability to potentially develop the Llama and Goose Main undergrounds and the Echo open pit and underground in the future. Sabina has also reported results from its 2018 summer exploration program from the Boulder property at Back River. The Boulder property is approximately 15 km northwest of the Goose property. Exploration at Boulder over the 2018 summer season focused on a >1.6 km trend of under explored, folded iron formation that has anomalous gold in till signatures. At Boulder, the Vega target offers considerable potential for discovery of a new shallow gold zone. As well, Sabina has announced the expansion of the Nuvuyak discovery at Back River. Drilling results continue to demonstrate that Nuvuyak has the potential to be a significant new discovery. 21

Remembering Yellowknife The people you meet By Myles Shane It was the summer of 1993 and my father, a prominent Winnipeg psychiatrist, received a phone call from a lawyer in Yellowknife asking if he was available to appear as an expert witness for an upcoming trial. Dad, who was always up for a challenge, agreed to ﬂy up north for a weekend. The Aurora at Blachford Lake Lodge in NWT. © Martina Gebrovska/Blachford Lake Lodge/NWT Tourism

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East Arm of Great Slave Lake, 2013. © Jeﬀ Hipfner/NWT Tourism

“I

flew to Yellowknife and on the plane met a famous Canadian general, MajorGeneral Lewis Wharton MacKenzie.” MacKenzie is known for establishing and commanding Sector Sarajevo as part of the United Nations Protection Force in the former Yugoslavia in 1992. “Ironically he was on the cover of Time magazine that month and signed a copy for me. It was nine at night when the plane landed, and it was still bright outside.” In the summer months the Northwest Territories has daylight for almost 18 hours. “That night I literally had to put garbage bags on the hotel window to keep my room dark at night.” The next day my dad took a two-seater plane to the small community of Tuktoyaktuk to examine the lawyer’s client and prepare for the upcoming trial slated in a few months. Tuktoyaktuk is an Inuvialuit hamlet located in the Inuvik Region of the Northwest Territories at the northern terminus of the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway. That night upon returning to Yellowknife he sauntered along Long Lake Beach with the sun still shining brightly in the sky, beachgoers were sun tanning, playing volleyball and the lake was buzzing with water skiers. In mid-January my father returned to Yellowknife accompanied by my mother. They booked into The Explorer Hotel, situated a few steps from the Yellowknife Veterans Memorial and Northern Frontier Visitors Centre and the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre. Along with a restaurant, the hotel has a 24-hour fitness centre, and a lounge. Additionally, a business centre, a meeting room and a 24-hour front desk are on site. My father, a long-distance runner, went for a jog the next morning. Dad bundled up in his warmest clothes, two pairs of long underwear, hot shots, two layers of sweaters, a balaclava, a glacier guide down parka, battery operated electric socks and a pair of Nike sneakers. Perched on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake, Yellowknife is literally on the edge of the wilderness. It was -33 Celsius and sidewalks, roads and trails were packed with snow and ice. My dad started his run with a jaunt through streets founded during the 1930s Gold Rush, then added some hills and distance by running down a lonely highway surrounded by lake-dotted tundra and forest and finished on 50th Avenue, home to the city’s business district and many shops. Later that day they flew in a five-seater plane to Tuktoyaktuk. “The town had no hotels and the court proceedings actually took place in a school gym,” my father recalled. That night my parents stayed with a family in the area who cooked dinner for them. My mother noticed they didn’t lock the door and asked why. The explanation was that they knew almost everyone in the community and there was virtually no crime in the area. As of 2016 only approximately 900 people live in the small community. Tuktoyaktuk is predominately Inuit/Inuvialuit with a tiny non-Aboriginal population. A B OV E & B E YO N D — C A N A DA’ S A RC T I C J O U R N A L

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An aerial shot of Yellowknife. © Hans Pfaﬀ/NWT Tourism

While working on this case my dad met Hollywood director/ writer turned Yellowknife lawyer Les Rose. Early in his career Les had written the famous Canadian film, “Paper Back Hero”. Later he’d moved to LA where he wrote and directed films with major Hollywood talent like Tony Curtis and Donald Sutherland, but Les wasn’t happy with the glitz and glamour of Hollywood and felt his true calling was the Great White North. Already armed with a law degree, Les decided to start

Docked ﬂoatplanes are a common sight in Old Town. © Gerold Sigl/NWT Tourism

a law practice in the Northwest Territories as a defense lawyer. Over 10 years Les and my father became quite good friends. On the third day of their working vacation, my dad went for a jog in Old Town. It was -37 Celsius outside. His run started at Overlander Sports and then he turned left onto 50th Ave, ran past Pilot’s Monument and onto MacDonald Drive. “It was surreal; while I was running, I could see docked floatplanes.” That evening my parents watched the Aurora Borealis. My mother described it as “dancing, glowing patterns from the heavens lighting up the northern sky.” My parents, always keen on adventure, watched the brilliant light spectacle from Aurora Village in the heated viewing areas while enjoying hot chocolate. During the fourth day of the trip my father woke up early for a long run. He jogged along a trail which took him around Frame Lake, a freshwater body located between the city’s downtown section and a larger residential area. My father remembers, “I jogged the trail from The Explorer Hotel to the Hospital. I wanted to run the loop but was told there had been bear sightings on the gravel part past the hospital, so I didn’t want to chance that kind of an encounter. The view of the lake was breathtaking.”

That night my parents went to see a show at the hotel lounge. The R&B vocal group performing was the New Platters. The original band, The Platters was one of the preeminent doo-wop groups of the mid ’50s rock ’n roll era. That evening they watched them play their classic hits: “The Great Pretender,” “Only You,” and their unique rendition of “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes”. Afterwards my parents had the opportunity to hang out with one of the original members, Herb Reed, who signed photos for them and took a bunch of Polaroids. This was a time before selfies. “It was a thrill to meet one of my teenage crushes,” my mother blushed, recalling the moment. On my dad’s third trip to Yellowknife my best friend and I accompanied him, and we stayed at my dad’s favourite stomping ground, The Explorer Hotel. While my father worked during the day, we wandered the city with our Sony Walkman’s strapped to our heads. That afternoon we took a bus over to Centre Square Mall which is one of the Northwest Territories’ largest shopping centres. The mall had about 20 to 25 stores and a nice mixture of different shops. We purchased T-shirts with the slogan, “Welcome to Yellowknife”. In the 2000s, my father stopped travelling to the Northwest Territories. His practice pushed him in different directions, but he’ll never forget his time there. “I met so many great people in the Northwest Territories. The scenery is magnificent, the communities are down to earth, and the people are some of the kindest you’ll meet anywhere. The relationships I made I’ll keep for a lifetime. For anyone wanting to visit, I highly recommend it.”

Dipping a toe in the Arctic Ocean: Tuktoyaktuk is an Inuvialuit hamlet located in the Inuvik Region of the Northwest Territories at the northern terminus of the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway that has recently received an inundation of tourists as a result of the opening of the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway. © Colin Field/NWT Tourism

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TUKTOYAKTUK The Holy Grail of Biking Destinations Text and photos by Larry Simpson

Humble beginnings of the Dempster.

Having treated my BMW 700 GS motorcycle to some aggressive new tires and a full service in Edmonton, Alberta, I steered toward Mile 0 of the Alaska Highway at Dawson Creek, British Columbia. North? Yes, a tad diﬀerent from most of my international trips, which have generally landed me in more tropical locations around the globe. It was about time I rode through more of my own country. And now I had a new road I could not refuse, some 900 km of gravel layered over rock and ﬁckle permafrost to a dead-end at frigid saltwater at Canada’s third coast.

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A stop for gas and coﬀee.

Northwest Territories tourism ad calls it, “Canada’s Northernmost Public Road”. While it’s true I previously resided for more than 30 years in communities a stone’s throw from the Arctic Ocean in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, this was all about a post-retirement motorcycle pilgrimage to the Arctic Ocean. I’d been monitoring the extension of the Dempster Highway that runs from near Dawson, Yukon, to Inuvik, Northwest Territories. The last bridges and helpings of gravel on the final slice (ITH for Inuvik Tuktoyaktuk Highway) were to come after freeze-up in 2017. Heeding the advice of an Inuvik buddy, I penciled in August 2018 as my best bet. And now the ride was on. In Fort Nelson, British Columbia, I started running into other adventure bikers, a funneling reminiscent of many other “roads less travelled” far from home. I look over the various mounts, bikes with attitude, most of them with appended camping gear and backup gas containers. I mingle, breathing in the camaraderie. Some of these riders have ridden far and wide and are lusting for more. And now we head North to the latest Holy Grail. Roads that win their way into adventure bikers’ conscious share several attributes: remote, challenging/dangerous, exotic, unique, scenic, often terminating somewhere. “New” is a plus. This new extended public highway linking the Alaska Highway to the Arctic Ocean brushed on most of these: pingos, the midnight sun lighting up the Tombstone and Ogilvie Mountains, indigenous cultures, and wilderness geography transforming from northern coniferous to taiga to tundra. Spectral panoramas pull your eyes up from the mesmerizing road surface, and you are ultimately rewarded with a glimpse of a polar sea most folks will never see. And yes, the road is new, very new. I zoom right by the Liard Hot Springs, opting for an earlier arrival at my friend Mike’s place in Whitehorse to catch up. Then it is on to Dawson, where I hop the ferry across the Yukon River to overnight in a hostel. More than a decade earlier my Iqaluit buddy Dave and I passed through here on KLR 650’s primed for the Top of the World Highway bound for Tok, Alaska, and beyond. Next morning, I look at the pot-holed and rain-slickened surface of the Dempster. I check over my bike, take a deep breath, and let out the clutch. As the minutes pile up A B OV E & B E YO N D — C A N A DA’ S A RC T I C J O U R N A L

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event-free and the sun breaks through the clouds, the scenery begins to engage me. There are a few trucks and RVs, not much dust, and the surface offers more grip. A couple KLRs pass me, Colorado boys riding a little too fast for me. We meet up again at a patch of road construction and a pilot-car driver herds us through a section of nasty road. Eagle Plains is situated at about the halfway mark to Inuvik and is a good fueling and resting spot. I spend the night there in a comfy bed, not knowing what tribulations lay ahead. Next morning, I stopped at the “Arctic Circle” marker for the obligatory picture, and shortly after am trading the Yukon for the Northwest Territories. Then before long it is

Pull the eyes oﬀ the road and look at the scenery.

You can see a long way up here.

Waiting for the ferry to cross the Mackenzie River. There were reportedly 34 bikers on one ferry crossing of the Mackenzie. These bikers usually travel solo or more often in pairs, sometimes three together. They gather at ferry crossings, gas stations, etc.

the ferries, first the relatively small cable ferry over the Peel River. Another gathering of bikers there, and a few more up the road at Fort McPherson where I top up my gas tank. As I approach the next ferry, the Louise Cardinal over the mighty Mackenzie River, I have flashbacks to my days in nearby Arctic Red River (now Tsiigehtchic) where I managed a Hudson’s Bay Company post. It was a remote fly-in Gwich’in community

back then. A casual word with the ferry crew has them rounding a bend and dropping me off at the community instead of heading directly across the big river with the other traffic. The crew advises I have an hour to indulge myself in nostalgia and the loss of my youth. Back on the road, I have come to learn that “variable” is a key word here: the weather, the road conditions and construction, the traffic, the mosquitos. As Forest Gump might put it, this road to the Great White North is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get. You can get blissful gravel where doing the speed limit is a breeze, and then there are other patches (sometimes known as a kilometre of terror) where attempting this will get you a helicopter ride home. There are potholes and ruts and mud that blossom with heavy rains, and, even worse, is the occasional greasy calcium chloride anti-dusting surface. Toward Tuk there is still summer melt into July, including ice crystals trapped in the gravel of the roadbed during construction. My ride in mid-August is problem-free, with only a few tense moments of wrestling the road for traction and direction. Inuvik is not only a waypoint for me but an opportunity to get together with an old Arctic hand from the past. After a pleasant finale to dip my toe in the Arctic Ocean at Tuk (145 km one-way on mostly firm and level gravel with short breaks for picking a few handfuls of aqpiq berries) I return to Inuvik for a few more days of combined rest and reminiscing. This interlude followed by my resumed journey home to Nova Scotia was an opportunity to reflect on my latest journey. To most bikers, Inuvik and Tuk are great places to ride to, but we know that this roadway was not built for us. Originally it was all about access to Arctic oil and gas (“roads to riches”). Then the federal moratorium put a halt to that, though there remains potential for smaller-scale natural gas development proximate to this new road and for a regional market. Sovereignty figures large too, as does a national vision of trans-Canada highway infrastructure connecting our huge land-mass to all our three oceans. It is also about A B OV E & B E YO N D — C A N A DA’ S A RC T I C J O U R N A L

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Tuk at last.

tourism development and business opportunities for local indigenous businesses in construction and maintenance. And it’s about lowering the cost of living for Tuk. Tuk residents, numbering 900, view the road as somewhat of a mixed blessing. Rubberneck, camera-toting tourists are a reality, but now one can drive to Inuvik or even Vancouver. While economic return on investment on the 300-million-dollar Tuk road may be nebulous, Mother Nature is posing some clear threats to the community. Rising sea levels and storm surges together with melting permafrost along the coast are an ongoing concern. Yet there is perseverance in Tuk, a determination to adapt while developing new attractions and opportunities for local people, especially youth. Summer of 2018 saw a reported 543 bikers board ferries to cross the Peel and Mackenzie, most of whom continued to Tuk. Next year this number could double as the word gets out that the Dempster/ITH riding experience arguably trumps that of Alaska’s Dalton Highway feeding the oil and gas infrastructure at Prudhoe Bay. And, unlike the Dalton, the Dempster/ITH offers unrestricted public access to the Arctic Ocean. With estimates of more than 7,000 visitors of all stripes in the first year (also projected to double in 2019), new hotels and restaurants are opening, arts and crafts are booming, and tourism outfitting is finding its legs. A new Tourist Visitors Centre is in the wind to replace the cabin at “the Point”. For now, you can check out the traditional sod house and the Catholic Church’s famous coastal vessel Our Lady of Lourdes, snap a picture of the North Warning (Dew Line) site with its radar domes, and gobble down a muskox burger while ogling handicraft offerings. Skip a rock on the Arctic Ocean and reflect that you are at the end of the Trans Canada Trail while chatting with some friendly locals. Nellie Cournoyea, a former Premier of the Northwest Territories now residing in the community, says it took 45 years of ups and downs to get the road to Tuk, and now it will take some time to fully capitalize on the opportunities and benefits. As I ride back to Nova Scotia, I am proud to share my recent journey with other travelers and to show off my “I made it to Tuk” sticker purchased there, happy to know that the sales proceeds ($8,000 and climbing) are directed to community projects. Some say travel is about the journey and not the destination, but the fact is that they are very much intertwined. Here’s to Tuk! A B OV E & B E YO N D — C A N A DA’ S A RC T I C J O U R N A L

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New addition for my adventure bike: Made it to Tuk sticker.

Me in Tuk at the Arctic Ocean. Larry Simpson first ventured north with the Hudson Bay Company before moving on to Inuit cooperatives and the Government of NWT and Nunavut. He has lived in the western, central, and eastern Arctic for more than 30 years, and three of his children were born there. Happily retired in Nova Scotia, Larry continues to explore the world on two wheels, sometimes with one or another of his sons. He also writes for magazines and, more recently, is just about finished a historical fiction novel based in the Baffin region (Cold Refuge).

Aerial view of Hudsonian cuestas at Tursujuq Park, Nunavik.

Sailing Expedition From Chisasibi to Umiujaq

Text and photos by Jean Lelièvre

Hudson Bay remains today an almost forgotten sea in the nautical world. There, are of course, some merchant ships that supply the Cree and Inuit communities along the coasts of the Hudson Bay from July to October. There are also Cree and Inuit ﬁshermen and hunters who occasionally move along the coast with their 24-foot freighter canoes. But sailing today in Hudson Bay is still considered to be more an expedition than a sailing cruise. According to our research, the last sailboat navigation on the East coast of Hudson Bay dates back to the 1920s.

rom Montreal, a 1,400-km paved road leads directly to the Cree community of Chisasibi, along the La Grande River, the starting point of our expedition. The planning of this 1,100 km sailing expedition, from Chisasibi to Umiujaq, Nunavik, took us nearly a year. The main difficulty lies in the lack of available information on navigation conditions in this area. Nautical charts are only available on very large scales and very little bathymetric information is available near the coast. Google Earth proved to be very useful in establishing our navigation route in order to avoid shallow areas as much as possible.

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Map.

The second step of our planning was to identify safe mooring sites such as islands, deep bays and river estuaries where we could shelter in case of bad weather. Access to complete satellite weather forecasts was also an important part of the safety plan of our expedition given our inexperience at sea and the small size of our 22-foot sailboat. Our odyssey began July 23, 2017 from the Cree community of Chisasibi. This was a smooth 14-km sail on the La Grande River before reaching James Bay. The meeting of the La Grande River with James Bay was quite an impressive moment. James Bay waters are quite shallow and dotted with innumerable low elevation islands. The passage along Long Island, Nunavut, marked our entry into Hudson Bay. These bare elongated rocky islets are composed mainly of rectangular rocks of contrasting colours in an arrangement of great beauty. Here, we are in an Arctic environment which will be observed again only 300 km further north in the Umiujaq region. Castle Island (Manitounuk islands, Nunavut).

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Aerial view of Inuit camp on the sandy shore of Little Whale River.

The “Goulet” is a water passage connecting the Nastapoka Sound to Tursujuq Park.

On the fourth day of sailing, we reach the community of Kuujjuarapik (Whapmagoostui). This community has two names since it is inhabited by both Cree and Inuit. Our stay of a few hours in this community allows us to experience the vibrant activity of a northern community in summer. The relatively short summer is a time when most construction work needs to be done rapidly. There are many construction sites and the air traffic is quite impressive for such a small community of 700 inhabitants. The freighter Sarah Desgagne moored a few kilometres off Kuujjuarapik assures the annual supply of goods of all kinds to the community. These include food, petroleum, building materials, etc. The Manitounuk Islands are a jewel in the Kuujjuarapik region. These islands that stretch for nearly 70 km, delimit the Manitounuk Sound, allowing for protected navigation from the open sea. On the west side of these islands, there is 34

a subarctic environment, almost without trees because of cold winds from the Hudson Bay. In contrast, the eastern side of these islands, protected from the prevailing winds, give way to a more boreal environment. July 28 around 19:00, we finally reach the mouth of the Goulet. The Goulet is a stretch of water that connects the Nastapoka Sound to Tasiujaq Lake in Tursujuq Park, Nunavik. The Goulet offers an impressive view with these bare hills that make us realize we have reached the latitude of the subarctic environment. The passage from the Goulet to Tursujuq Park must absolutely coordinate with the tide. Tursujuq National Park is a site of great beauty that by itself justifies this expedition. This unique environment is characteristic of Hudsonian cuestas of over 300 m in height. We will keep an unforgettable memory of our stay in Tursujuq Park. The next day, July 30, departure at 5:30 am towards Umiujaq. Departure is coordinated with the low tide at 8 am to make a fast sail in the Goulet with the tide current estimated at about 11 kmph. The trip to Umiujaq is motor-driven, with head winds from the north of nearly 30 kmph and a temperature of just under 10 C. We decide to spend the night at the sheltered harbour of Umiujaq instead of going directly to Nastapoka Falls as planned. Overnight, the weather forecast completely changes. A strong windstorm of three to four days is expected in the next two days. It is therefore necessary to plan a stay in a good sheltered area. At 5 am the next day, our decision is made: We are going back to the south and giving up going to Nastapoka Falls, which was only 40 km further north. Our 70-kilometre navigation from Umiujaq to the mouth of Little Whale River is done quickly by crosswinds of more than 30 kmph with two reefs in the mainsail and with a small jib. Our entry into the river is well coordinated with high tide. We are then seized by the sublime beauty of the site. The rugged coastline along our route was transformed here almost magically into a surreal assemblage of fine sandy beaches and bare mountains, all softened in pastel hues. An Inuit camp is installed on the sandy banks of the river. The Inuit greet us from afar and we take the opportunity to meet them. This Inuit family from the village of Umiujaq is occupying the site for a period of two weeks and practicing traditional A B OV E & B E YO N D — C A N A DA’ S A RC T I C J O U R N A L

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The crew of the sailing expedition: Jean, Vincent and Samuel Lelièvre.

activities. The men fish for white fish during the day while the women clean the goose down that is used to make traditional parkas. The fish is smoked on the spot. This almost surreal meeting in such a special environment will forever hold a unique place in our memory. As expected, the windstorm settled late in the evening of July 31. For three days and four nights, we are buffeted by winds of 30 to 50 kmph. We stay most of the time in our tiny cabin. We sleep, read, eat and observe the many belugas that are more and more present near the boat. Inside the cabin, beluga songs are sometimes heard as they approach the sailboat. On August 6, we begin the long five-day return trip to Chisasibi. After having sailed 1,100 km, we like to think we have been "explorers" in our own way by demonstrating that it is possible to make a sailboat expedition in James Bay and Hudson Bay from Chisasibi with a small transportable 22-foot sailboat. Having the opportunity to sail 17 days in a subarctic environment, reached in just two days by car from Montreal, represents an exceptional situation in North America. With a minimum investment in nautical infrastructures, marine tourism could easily begin. In Chisasibi, for example, the addition of a boat launching ramp and floating dock on the La Grande River would be essential to help start up expeditions on these northern seas. But beyond these unique subarctic landscapes, we are happy to have had the chance to meet these northern native peoples who are the Cree and Inuit, to better know their environment, to better understand the attachment to their culture and ancestral land. We were touched by their kindness but also by the difficulties they must deal with

daily. We now understand our “neighbours” in the North a little better and we dream of the day we can return. Goodbye Eeyou Itschee. A 33-minute video of this sailing expedition is available on YouTube: Hudson Bay Sailing Expedition 2017. Jean Lelièvre, is a mining engineer from Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec. This 1,100 km sailing expedition on James and Hudson Bays with two of his sons is the fulfillment of an old dream to discover this inner sea located only 350 km from Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec.

Kuujjuarapik: drone view of the mouth of Great Whale River into Hudson Bay.

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NUNAVIK’S LEADING INTERNET SERVICE Affordable. Reliable. Accessible.

The Survey Vessel the Polar Prince navigating its way through unusually late sea ice in the Hudson Strait. The Polar Prince is performing the sub-sea survey for an eventual marine fibre-optic cable.

IT Telecom crew prepare to launch a sonar/scan device to obtain Geophysical information.

IT Telecom crew prepare to launch a Gravity Corer used to obtain seabed core samples.

Broadband Internet is more than just a convenience. Remote northern communities, businesses, hospitals, schools and other institutions need it to offer services and create opportunities. That’s why the Kativik Regional Government (KRG) launched Tamaani Internet in 2004 and is proud to announce its latest project to improve broadband Internet service in Nunavik, Arctic Québec.

The Tamaani phase 5 project.

KRG representatives and IT telecom representatives during the planning/Kickoff meeting for the subsea survey. IT Telecom won the bid for the project.

The KRG Tamaani Internet Phase 5 Project is constructing an undersea fibre optic backbone along the eastern coast of Hudson Bay that will initially reach as far north as Puvirnituq, and even beyond. The fibre optic infrastructure will connect at least four of Nunavik’s Hudson coast communities, enabling residents to have access to broadband Internet service on par with major cities in the south. A broadband Internet backbone is also planned from Schefferville to Kuujjuaq, and fibre-to-the-home networks will be completed in the remaining 10 Nunavik communities. These latest upgrades will be completed by 2021, making Nunavik an integral part of the digital age. They will permit better tele-health services, faster tele-justice, and increased education, skills development and job opportunities. They will improve videoconferencing and bring residential users closer together. This KRG Tamaani Internet Phase 5 Project is being made possible through a joint Canada–Québec investment of $125.2 million. Canada’s Connect to Innovate program and Québec’s Société du Plan Nord have each committed $62.6 million. The KRG’s Tamaani Internet has a client base of almost 2,800 residential subscribers and operates more than 300 points of service for its corporate clients in all 14 communities of Nunavik, Arctic Québec.

1 888 TAMAANI www.facebook.com/tamaani

E D U C AT I O N

Nunavut Literacy Council-Ilitaqsiniq

Stepping stone education programs

The Nunavut Literacy Council-Ilitaqsiniq was established in 1999, which branched off from the NWT with the creation of Nunavut. Ilitaqsiniq is the only organization within the territory with a sole focus on supporting the development of literacy skills in Nunavut’s official languages. As a not-for-profit society, Ilitaqsiniq relies solely on project-based funding to offer its many programs and initiatives. Ilitaqsiniq has developed a strong reputation for work that considers the unique social, cultural and linguistic context of Nunavut. They work for and in service to Nunavummiut. Ilitaqsiniq works to apply the principles of adult learning, community development and capacity building in the following four areas: Non-formal, culture-based learning programs; Intergenerational or family literacy initiatives, Workplace-based initiatives; and Community-based research. Through our projects, our community-based research and non-formal embedded literacy programs, Ilitaqsiniq has developed a reputation for holistic, high-quality, innovative work in adult learning in support of families, communities and for individual participation in both the cash and land-based economies. Ilitaqsiniq creates innovative models of non-formal, culture-based learning programs embedded with literacy, language and other work and life skills. Cultural content, known in Nunavut as Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, is the foundation for all Ilitaqsiniq programs and is carried out by Elder instructors. Our programs include teaching both traditional and contemporary cultural content and knowledge in specific skill set areas. This is made possible by teaming up Elder instructors with younger Nunavummiut who are content specialists (fashion designers, chefs, guides and mechanics.) Ilitaqsiniq has captured the outcomes of embedded literacy programs through comprehensive community-based research. The outcomes of these non-formal culture-based learning programs consistently have results of over 85 per cent of the program participants going on to either join the workforce or enrolling in formalized training or post-secondary education. When you consider that the majority of participants when applying to the programs are out of school or out of work, this outcome is a huge success and is an example of the impact the programs make on participants’ lives and within the community. Ilitaqsiniq celebrates the achievements of all participants. To name a few: Aqpa Aulatjut and Tara Green have gone on to receive their Bachelor of Education and are currently teaching in their home communities. Victoria Kakuqtinniq became

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E D U C AT I O N Elder Instructors. L to R: Top row: Inuaraq Tattuinee and Quluaq Pilakapsi. L to R: Bottom Row: Kumak Kabvitok and Rosemary Angugasak Sandy. © Sue Folinsbee

the owner and operator of Victoria’s Arctic Fashion. Lukisha Tatty is currently pursuing her culinary arts diploma at Holland College in Prince Edward Island. Ilitaqsiniq has developed a model of learning for Nunavummiut that engages participants, meets their needs, inspires them to continue learning, builds their conﬁdence and supports them to connect to their language, culture and identity. Often called the ‘Miqqut model of learning,’ after one of Ilitaqsiniq’s more prominent programs, which also won the Arctic Inspiration Prize in 2012, it is a style of teaching and learning that re-engages learners who may not have had a positive learning or schooling experience in their past and supports them to take the risk to try again. Results of our research show that embedding literacy into non-formal programs simultaneously addresses wellness, community engagement, language/literacy development, and cultural transmission in a holistic way. Some of the many elements of Ilitaqsiniq programs that contribute to the level of success participants experience include: • having Elder instructors as the leaders of the program to enrich Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit and the connection to language, culture and identity; • embedding literacy into cultural content and skill development, which gives participants the tools and transferrable skills to engage in modern Inuit society; • providing services to the community through program training initiatives; • building conﬁdence, well-being and supporting mental health through literacy activities and essential skill development; • allowing participants to take risks in learning by using non-formal program approaches to remove the fear of failure; and • allowing participants to pursue their own learning journey.

Ilitaqsiniq sees itself as an integral part to the overall spectrum of education in Nunavut. There are individuals in the communities who cannot meet the demands or requirements to enter basic college programs, complete high school or enter the workforce due to literacy barriers. Ilitaqsiniq programs are stepping stone programs because they help to support participants to build their conﬁdence and increase their literacy, language and essential skills to take on the challenges of completing high school, enrolling in post-secondary education or pursuing employment opportunities.

To learn more about Ilitaqsiniq, readers can view Ilitaqsiniq’s video, which captures the impacts the programs have on participants and their communities at https://vimeo.com/chickweedarts/ ilitaqsiniq or by visiting www.ilitaqsiniq.ca or by contacting Ilitaqsiniq’s Executive Director at adrianakusugak@nunavutliteracy.ca.

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C U LT U R E

Discovering Franklin’s Lost Crew

The magic of forensic art

By Diana Trepkov

Who would have thought a young girl who couldn’t watch horror movies, would be putting a face to a skull in the future. Never in a million years did I think that girl could be me.

As time went by I realized I love art and I love helping people so becoming a forensic artist made perfect sense to me. It felt like it must be magic, to be able to put a human face to a skull, but with art and science combined it is possible. Forensic art is 75 per cent art and 25 per cent science. I started off working at the York Regional Police Service in the Forensic Identification unit. Eventually I left and started to train under some experts in the forensic art field. I have always believed everyone deserves to be identified and hopefully with these facial reconstructions that I have completed, these Franklin expedition members stand a greater chance of that. In 1845, Sir John Franklin left England and led a British search for the Northwest Passage. Unfortunately, 129 people lost their lives on

two ships, the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror. The ships became stuck in Canada’s Arctic ice and all members perished. This is one of the world’s greatest mysteries and has the highest death rate of any Northwest Passage Expedition.

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Fourth reconstruction from the Franklin Expedition

I only had the crania to work with on this individual. The crania is the top part of the head that encloses the brain. The mandible was

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C U LT U R E

missing, that is the jaw. I started oﬀ by using a useful tool which is a custom eye template that was made by an instructor from the FBI. He gave this to me while I was studying facial reconstruction from members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Once I placed the correct position in the orbits, I slowly drew in the eye dimensions, as shown in image 2, which is called the circle template for eyeballs. The image with the underlying skull, image 3, is called the half frontal skull overlay. As I followed the diﬀerent bones of the skull such as his orbits, brow bridge, nasal aperture and the forehead of the skull, a face slowly appeared. The hairstyle I used is from that era as I wouldn’t know what his hair would have been like as only his skull was retrieved. I left him clean shaven and used clothing from the 1800s. The most important part of his

face is his eyes, eyebrows and nose. Anything at all that triggers recognition, such as a feature that might look familiar to a relative, is important for any identiﬁcation purposes.

Recap of four Male Faces from the Franklin Expedition

Identifying the members of the Franklin Expedition hasn’t been an easy task. The Government of Nunavut has been the leading land-based component of the Franklin Expedition investigation since 2008. Since 2013, I have re-created these men’s faces in an eﬀort to identify them. These human remains have been returned to King William Island. We are hoping relatives of the Franklin Expedition members will submit their DNA and help with the identiﬁcation process.

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A special thank you to the exceptional team that I have been very grateful to be a part of: Dr. Douglas R. Stenton, Dr. Anne Keenleyside and Dr. Robert W. Park.

ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᑕᐃᒎᓯᓕᐅᖅᑏᑦ Inuit Uqausinginnik Taiguusiliuqtiit Inuit Language Authority Office de la langue inuite ᐃᓕᓴᕆᔭᐅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐅᖃᐅᓰᑦ ᐱᖁᔭᑦ ᓇᓗᓇᐃᖅᓯᑦᑎᐊᖅᖢᓂ ᐃᒫᒃ ᑕᒪᓐᓇ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᓇᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᐃᓄᖏᑦ ᓄᓇᕗᑦ ᐱᔪᓐᓇᐅᑎᖃᕐᒪᑕ ᐊᑐᕈᓐᓇᕐᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᖓᓂᒃ • ᑲᑎᖅᓱᐃᔩᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓴᖅᑭᑎᑦᑎᓲᑦ ᑐᑭᓯᐅᒪᖃᑎᒌᒍᑕᐅᓂᐊᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᕐᓂᒃ, ᐊᑐᖅᑕᐅᓂᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪ ᑎᑎᕋᐅᓯᖏᓐᓂᒃ; • ᐋᖅᑭᒃᓱᐃᓲᑦ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᕐᒥᒃ ᐊᑐᕈᓐᓇᑦᑎᐊᕐᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᖃᐅᔨᓴᕈᑎᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪ ᖃᐅᔨᓴᕐᓂᕐᒥᒃ; • ᐃᑲᔪᓲᑦ ᓇᒻᒥᓂᖃᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᐊᓯᖏᓐᓂᓪᓗ ᑕᒻᒪᖅᓯᒪᙱᑦᑐᓂᒃ ᑎᑎᕋᖅᓯᒪᔭᕆᐊᓕᖕᓂᒃ; • ᑲᒪᒋᔭᖃᓲᑦ ᐊᒻᒪ ᑐᑭᒧᐊᒃᑎᑦᑎᔨᐅᓲᑦ ᖃᐅᔨᓴᕐᓂᐅᔪᓂᒃ ᐃᓄᒃᑐᑦ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᖏᓐᓂᒃ; • ᑎᑎᖅᑲᒃᑯᑦ ᐊᓯᐅᔾᔭᐃᖅᓯᓲᑦ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᑐᖃᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪ ᓄᓇᓖᑦ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᖏᓐᓂᒃ; • ᑐᒃᓯᕋᕐᕕᐅᓲᑦ/ᑲᑐᔾᔨᖃᑎᖃᓲᑦ ᑎᒥᖁᑎᒋᔭᐅᔪᓂᒃ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ ᓯᓚᑖᓂᓗ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᖏᑕ ᒥᒃᓵᓄᑦ

Ilitariyauhimayut Uqauhiinni Maligaq Nunavut Kavamatkunnit nalunairutauyuq Inuit Nunavunmiut pilaarutiqaqtut aturiamikku uqauhiqtik Inuinnaqtun • Havaktut ilitturipkaiyullu nalaumayunik taidjutinik, atuqpauhiinik, titirauhiiniinullu; • Havaktut uqauhiit ayunnginnikhaagut, uuktuutikhaagullu; • Ikayuqhugit nanmiuyut havagviit aallallu ihuaqtunik atuqpauhikhaagut; • Havaariliqhugu tiliuqhugit ihivriuqhiyut uqauhikkut; • Titraqhugit ilitturipkatigiblugit taimani atuqtauvakut tainiit aallatqillu uqauhiit inuktut; • Tuhaqtittivaktut/ havaqatigivagait katimayiuyut Nunavunmi ahinilu Inuit uqauhiannut. Official language Act within the Government of Nunavut affirming that the Inuit of Nunavut have an inherent right to the use of the Inuit Language • Develops and promotes standard terminology, usage & orthography; • Develops language competency levels & testing; • Assists businesses and others with correct usage; • Undertakes or supervises research about the Inuit Language; • Documents and promotes traditional terminology and dialects; • Shares & collaborates with organizations in Nunavut and abroad on Inuit Language Issues. Loi sur les langues officielles du gouvernement du Nunavut affirmant le droit inhérent des Inuit à l’utilisation de le langue inuite • Élabore la terminologie, les usages et les expressions normalisés, et en assure la promotion; • Élabore les niveaux de compétences et les tests permettant de mesurer ces niveaux; • Aide les entreprises et d’autres organismes à offrir des services de qualité en langue inuite; • Entreprend ou supervise des recherches au sujet de la langue inuite; • Consigne et fait la promotion des expressions et des dialectes traditionnels; • Partage et collabore avec des organismes au Nunavut et ailleurs vis-à-vis les enjeux ayant trait à la langue inuite. ᐃᑲᔪᖅᑕᐅᔪᒪᒍᕕᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᕝᕕᒋᔭᐃᑦ ᐃᓄᒃᑐᑦ ᐊᑎᖅᑖᖁᒍᖕᓂ ᐅᕙᑦᑎᓐᓄᑦ ᐅᖃᕈᓐᓇᖅᑐᑎᑦ Ikayuqtiqariaqaqqata nanminiit havagviit atiliuriarni Inuinnaqtun uqarvigittaaqtaptigut If you need help with creating your business name in Inuktitut contact us Si vous avez besoin de l’aide pour traduire le nom de votre entreprise en inuktitut, veuillez prendre contact avec nous

www.taiguusiliuqtiit.ca ᑐᕌᕈᑖ ᐸᕐᓇᐃᕕᒃ ᑎᑎᖅᑲᒃᑯᕕᒃ 1000, ᑐᕌᕈᑎᖓ 810, ᐃᖃᓗᐃᑦ, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ X0A 0H0 Parnaivik Bldg 2nd floor P.O. Box 1000 Station 810, Iqaluit, NU X0A 0H0 (: 1 855 232 1852 | 867 975 5539

IUT@gov.nu.ca

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Legendary Northern Lawman

PROFILE

The original man of Steele

By Alan G. Luke

This year is the centennial of the death of Sam Benﬁeld Steele (1849 – 1919). This imposing and incorruptible individual exempliﬁed the stereotypical broad-chested man-of-steel persona.

In 1873, Sam Steele was appointed a Staff Constable (Sergeant-Major) in the newly created North West Mounted Police. The Canadian Mint struck a (1973) centennial quarter depicting a Mountie you can still find in your circulated change. Mounties in the Musical Ride “dome” formation were previously depicted on the Canadian $50 banknote where the riders are in a circle pointing their lances inward.) In 1879, Steele oversaw police detachments supervising the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Following its completion in 1885 with the “Last Spike,” he was promoted to superintendent.

Serving in the Yukon for 18 months, he allegedly worked 18 hours daily to ensure the goldﬁelds were a model of order and civility. He even issued a decree requiring an experienced pilot guide to operate boats through the tumultuous Miles Canyon and White Horse Rapids to prevent loss of life. During the Klondike Gold Rush in 1898, he assisted in establishing the Canadian government’s authority. This was the same year the Yukon Territory entered Confederation, celebrating their 120th anniversary last year. Arriving in 1898, Steele was ordered to take

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command of main staging areas overseeing the influx of fortune seekers through trails such as Chilkoot Pass. Thousands of stampeders hauled heavy loads through the passes which were guarded by the Mounties who collected customs duty, as well as tended to the welfare of the phalanx of prospectors. “Along with the prospectors had come the usual assortment of riffraff, prostitutes, gamblers, and crooks. With only 13 policemen stationed in Dawson, Sam and his men were constantly busy in the wild town, known as San Francisco of the North,” Holly Quan stated in

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PROFILE

The Wild West Adventures of the Most Famous Mountie. In the community of Dawson City, he concentrated on maintaining order; gambling and saloons were tolerated but strictly controlled. “Big Sam was regarded as the stern paterfamilias of Dawson City, doing what was right for everybody. Henry Woodside, the editor of the Dawson Midnight Sun, called him, “the Lion of the Yukon,” recalls Robert Stewart in his book, Sam Steele: Lion of the Frontier. Legally exercising his legislative talents and prudent unilateral authority, he would require minor offenders to cut firewood for the headquarters. The more dubious and heinous characters were shipped out on the first available vessels. Among his attributes was Steele’s inherent capacity to be an effective diplomatic administrator. At the peak of the gold seeking frenzy, surprisingly, not a single person was murdered in the winter of 1898 as the small town swelled to more than 14,000 (and peaked the following year at almost 30,000). Commander Steele stated that “along with their comrades of the Yukon Field Force, they fought fires twice saving Dawson from destruction, they assessed and collected taxes; they sorted and delivered mail. They went out on epic patrols into the wilderness to look for missing persons and they buried the dead,” all for a mere pittance. Sam was transferred from Dawson City the following year due to his opposition to the existing patronage and graft he encountered. Steele received a fond farewell from a multitude of citizens and was presented with a poke

of gold nuggets collected from the miners and merchants to show their respect. A positive profile in Chicago’s Sunday Chronicle (May 1899) stated: “Colonel S.B. Steele…is a whole army unto himself. He was born to rule in a country where he must become dictator for he is…far away from assistance, from advice and from supplies”. In 1996, a Canadian stamp featuring Sam Steele was issued to celebrate the centennial of the initial big gold find in 1896 at Bonanza Creek (formerly Rabbit Creek). Steele also has streets, parks and schools named in his honour. West of Whitehorse in Kluane National Park is Canada’s fifth highest mountain peak, Mount Steele, in the St. Elias Range. A newspaper editor remarked that he was a “monumental man, as strong and selfless as the Rocky Mountains”. A bronze bust of the man sits in front of the RCMP Headquarters in Whitehorse. Several colourful murals depicting Mounties in various

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situations are located throughout the capital. Drawings on vertical banners of a pair of Mounties line the streets as well. In one of the Historical Canada’s vignettes, Steele is shown evicting a gun-wielding American gambler from the region in a classic Heritage Minute. Pierre Berton, a prolific writer on Canadian history, was born in Dawson City the year after Sam Steele’s death. He described him as the “prototype of the Hollywood Mountie”. During the 1930s, there were more than 40 feature films released featuring the Mounties. Sir Samuel Steele was the “quintessential Canadian man of action in the Victorian era”. He was the personification of northern jurisprudence, a legendary lawman whose successful sojourn secured his legacy in the Yukon and beyond.

WHEN YOU VISIT: www.yukoninfo.com www.travelyukon.com

BOOKSHELF

Traditions, Traps and Trends

Transfer of Knowledge in Arctic Regions

Jarich Oosten & Barbara Helen Miller, Editors The University of Alberta Press July 2018

The transfer of knowledge is a key issue in the North as Indigenous Peoples meet the ongoing need to adapt to cultural and environmental change. In Traditions, Traps and Trends, experts survey critical issues surrounding the knowledge practices of the Inuit of northern Canada and Greenland and the Northern Sámi of Scandinavia, and the difficulties of transferring that knowledge from one generation to the next. Reflecting the ongoing work of the Research Group Circumpolar Cultures, these multidisciplinary essays offer fresh understandings through history and across geography as scholars analyze cultural, ecological, and political aspects of peoples in transition.

Split Tooth

Tanya Tagaq Viking Canada September 2018

A girl grows up in Nunavut in the 1970s. She knows joy, and friendship, and parents’ love. She knows boredom, and listlessness, and bullying. She knows the tedium of the everyday world, the raw power of ice and sky, and the seductive energy of the animal world. She knows the ravages of alcohol and violence. Veering back and forth between the grittiest features of a small Arctic town, the electrifying proximity of the world of animals, and the ravishing world of myth, Tanya Tagaq explores a world where the distinctions between good and evil, animal and human, victim and transgressor, real and imagined lose their meaning, but the guiding power of love remains. From this internationally acclaimed Inuit throat singer, comes a haunting, exhilarating, and tender story that moves eﬀortlessly between ﬁction and memoir, poetry and prose.

The Arctic

Richard Sale and Per Michelsen Whittles Publishing November 2018

This stunningly beautiful and informative book celebrates the Arctic, one of the last great wildernesses on the planet, a place where animals have survived for thousands of years. Many travel to the Arctic to see the animals, the land mammals, the whales and seals, and the birds. However, the Arctic also has an absorbing human history. The origins of the Inuit in North America and the array of Eurasian northern peoples, from the Sami of Scandinavia to the Yuppik hunters from Asia’s Bering Sea coast, are still debated. The Arctic provides not only an understanding of the formation of the Arctic but the science of snow and ice including the phenomena of aurora and parhelia, and the way in which the area’s wildlife contends with the chilling harshness of its climate. This magniﬁcent area is now under severe threat. Global warming is causing the sea ice to shrink, in both area and volume. This allows easier access to its probable resources and, ironically, this access merely adds to the threats to the area and its wildlife. Richard Sale is a physicist with a PhD in astrophysics who once worked as a glaciologist studying the ﬂow of glacial ice. He has since been exploring the Arctic for 20 years, consistently fascinated by the animals that make their home there. Per Michelsen lives near Stavanger, Norway. He has been a passionate outdoor photographer since the late 1970s working mainly in the Arctic, capturing wildlife, landscapes and cultural history.

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INUIT FORUM

Confronting violence in Inuit society

The high rate of violence against Inuit women and girls requires all of us who are able to take action to change this unacceptable reality. We know there has been an elevated rate of violence in our communities compared to most other parts of Canada for decades, usually perpetrated by Inuit men against the most at risk members of our society. The impacts of violence cascade through our communities and can lead to further violence. If we do not actively push back against it at all levels, we are allowing the cycle of violence and abuse to continue for subsequent generations. To eﬀect change, we must start by agreeing that every act of violence is unacceptable and, at minimum, forcefully speaking out about this issue and advocating for the investments of time, money, and support for the changes to our society that we know help create safety and stability for our people. Inuit men, especially, have an obligation to model non-violent behaviour and speak out against violence in all its forms, and to teach our children to do the same. The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls has helped erode the silence around this issue in our communities, and has shined a light on the root causes, lived experiences, and enabling factors that put women and girls at risk for violence. It has allowed many Inuit to share their truths. Those who have bravely testiﬁed include Lesa Semmler, Susan Enuaraq, Gordon and Silpa Obed, and Laura McKenzie. I think of Susan Aglukark, who spoke her truth at the National Inquiry hearing in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut. In publicly naming her abuser, she said: “You did not win. Not now, not ever.” In addition to her incredible courage, at the heart of her message was also the stark truth that she did not get the supports she needed from government and sometimes from her

Elder Naulaq Ledrew drum dances in Toronto to open the Expert and Knowledge-Keeper Panel on Racism in June as part of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Photo Courtesy of MMIWG

community. Nobody should not have to overcome a system in addition to their perpetrator. In expert hearings held across the country, Canada has learned how systemic racial discrimination against Inuit contributes to conditions that create risk for violence. This can be seen in the profound infrastructure gaps that have existed between Inuit Nunangat and most other regions of Canada since Inuit began living in permanent communities. Infrastructure gaps include a shortage of housing, family violence shelters and transitional housing, limited access to inpatient mental health and addictions treatment facilities, and child care facilities. These gaps are linked to the high burden of stress and intergenerational trauma experienced by too many families. In this environment, the most vulnerable in society often have few places to turn to escape violence or heal from trauma. For perpetrators of violence, who are

often victims of intergenerational trauma and violence themselves, the criminal justice system is often their first rather than their last stop in a society with limited access to services. We must take action to change this unacceptable reality. We do what we can to improve all the lives that come after us, and to improve the lives of people who need more help. We do this not because it’s easy, but because it's necessary. I hope that we can find the optimism in imagining what we can all achieve. We must focus on what each one of us can do individually and collectively to respect and support women and girls. I am certain we can find a path that is productive and successful. Nakummek,

Natan Obed

President, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami

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