Above & Beyond | Canada's Arctic Journal 2020 | 01

The Inflight Magazine for Canadian North

JANFEB 2020 | 01 Yours to Keep

Qaggiavuut teaching traditional songs

Qajartalik The Most Northern Rock Art Site on the Continent

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Constable taggart High Arctic surveillance

Moosemeat & Marmalade Journeys to the North Country

Dear Guest ᑐᕌᖅᑐᑦ ᐃᑭᒪᔪᓄᑦ,

With the New Year upon us, allow me to wish the communities and people we serve and our own Canadian North, Makivik and Inuvialuit Regional Corporation team the very best for the new year.

What a year 2019 has been for us to look back on. This past year has been one of the most important for our airline. The success of our merger was made possible by the tremendous hard work and passion from all teams across previous First Air and Canadian North teams to form the New Canadian North for our customers. We were able to launch a unified schedule and brand seamlessly for our customers as we continue to fully integrate our operations. Our new service level, our improved schedules with better connections to smaller communities and generally our positive and caring approach and dedication to serving the people and communities in the North will allow us to look for growth within our network.

While launching our unified schedule and branding was no small feat and signifies significant progress, our work continues.

We are committed to reviewing every customer touchpoint to ensure we can offer the best service possible and make all our customers proud. We will continue to invest in the business to offer air travel services that deliver a great customer experience tailored to the North. We want to include as many northern connections as we can to our service; whether it’s our meal service partners at Big Racks in Iqaluit or our new meal service partners at Kuugaq Café in Cambridge Bay bringing you Northern flavours, we want to be able to bring local partners aboard with us.

It’s important for us to see our airline continue to be involved in the communities we serve, developing new programs, events and ways for us to be part of the fabric of the communities. We hope to be able to inspire many in the communities to perhaps one day join our team as part of our flight crew or our office team.

Wishing everyone a healthy, safe and prosperous New Year. We hope to see you aboard soon.

Chris Avery President and CEO Canadian North

Chris Avery fE{ ∑KE

Johnny Adams ÷i ≈bu Executive Chairman of the Board, Canadian North ᐃᓱᒪᑕᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᐃᒃᓯᕙᐅᑕᕆᔭᐅᔪᖅ ᑲᑎᒪᔨᓂ, ᑲᓃᑎᐊᓐ ᓄᐊᑦ

ᐅᑭᐅᖅ ᓄᑖᖅ ᐊᑐᕆᐊᕐᓂᐊᓕᕐᒥᑎᓪᓗᒍ, ᓄᓇᓕᒋᔭᐅᔪᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᓄᖏᓂᒃ ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᕐᕕᒋᕙᑦᑕᑦᑎᓐᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓇᖕᒥᓂᕆᓪᓗᑎᒍ ᑲᓃᑎᐊᓐ ᓄᐊᔅᑯᑦ, ᒪᑭᕕᒃᑯᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᓄᕕᐊᓗᐃᑦ ᐊᕕᒃᑐᖅᓯᒪᓂᖓᓂ ᑯᐊᐳᕇᓴᖓᓂ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖃᖅᑎᐅᔪᐃᑦ ᖁᕕᐊᓱᑦᑎᐊᖁᕙᒃᑲ ᓄᑖᒥ ᐅᑭᐅᕆᓕᕐᓂᐊᖅᑕᕗᑦ ᐊᑐᓯᒋᐊᕐᒥᑎᓪᓗᒍ.

ᐃᓛᓪᓚᕆᒃ ᐅᑭᐅᖓ 2019 ᐊᒥᓱᑲᓪᓚᓐᓂᒃ ᐱᓕᕆᓂᖃᕐᕕᒋᓯᒪᒐᑦᑎᒍᑦ ᖃᓄᐃᓚᐅᕐᓂᖓᓄᑦ ᐃᖅᑲᐅᒪᔭᒃᓴᖃᓕᕆᕗᒍᑦ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᖅᑎᒋᔭᑦᑎᓐᓄᑦ. ᑲᑎᓐᓂᖃᖃᑎᖃᓯᒪᓕᓚᐅᕐᓂᖓᑕ ᐃᖏᕐᕋᑦᑎᐊᖅᓯᒪᓂᖓ ᐱᔾᔪᑎᒋᓪᓗᒍ ᓇᓗᓇᐃᖅᓯᔪᓐᓇᖅᐳᒍᑦ ᐊᖏᔪᐊᓗᒻᒥᒃ ᐱᓕᕆᓂᖃᓚᐅᕐᓂᑦᑎᓐᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᖁᕕᐊᒋᑦᑎᐊᖅᓱᒍ ᐃᓕᕆᐊᕆᔭᐅᓚᐅᕐᓂᖓᑕ ᑕᒪᐃᓐᓂᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖃᖅᑎᒋᔭᐅᓚᐅᖅᑐᓂᑦ ᕘᔅᑦ ᐃᐊᒃᑯᓐᓂᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑲᓃᑎᐊᓐ ᓄᐊᔅᑯᓐᓂᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᔨᐅᖃᑎᒌᑦᑐᓂ ᐋᖅᑮᓯᒪᓕᕆᐊᖅᓱᑎᒃ ᓄᑖᒥᒃ ᑲᓃᑎᐊᓐ ᓄᐊᔅᖑᓕᕐᓂᐊᖅᑐᒥᒃ ᐱᔾᔪᑎᒋᓯᒪᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᐃᑭᒪᕙᒃᑐᖁᑎᕗᑦ ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᕐᕕᒋᕙᒃᑕᕗᓪᓗ. ᐃᖏᕐᕋᓕᖅᑎᑦᓯᔪᓐᓇᓚᐅᖅᐳᒍᑦ ᑲᑎᓐᓂᖃᖅᑎᑕᐅᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᖃᖓᑕᕝᕕᐅᕙᑦᑐᓄᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓇᓗᓇᐃᒃᑯᑕᕆᔭᖏᓂᑦ ᐱᔾᔪᑎᒋᓯᒪᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᕐᕕᒋᕙᑦᑕᕗᑦ ᑲᔪᓯᑎᑦᓯᓂᑦᑎᓐᓂ ᐃᓗᐃᒃᑲᐅᔪᑎᒍᑦ ᑕᒪᒃᑮᑎᒍᑦ ᐊᐅᓚᑦᓯᓂᖃᓕᕐᓂᑦᑎᓐᓂᒃ. ᓄᑖᖑᓪᓗᓂ ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᕈᑎᓄᑦ ᖁᑦᓯᖕᓂᕆᔭᖓ, ᐱᐅᓯᒋᐊᖅᑎᑕᐅᓯᒪᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᖃᖓᑕᕕᒋᕙᒃᑕᕗᑦ ᐱᐅᓂᖅᓴᑎᒍᑦ ᐃᑭᒪᕝᕕᒋᓕᕐᓂᐊᖅᑕᓄᑦ ᐊᖖᒍᑎᔪᓐᓇᖅᐸᓐᓂᐅᔪᓂᒃ ᐃᖏᕐᕋᓂᐊᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᐃᓄᒋᐊᖖᒋᓐᓂᖅᓴᐅᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᓄᓇᓕᐅᔪᓄᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓈᒻᒪᑦᓯᐊᖅᑐᒥᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᒃᐱᒍᓱᑦᓯᐊᖅᓱᑎᒃ ᐱᓕᕆᓂᖃᖅᐸᓐᓂᑦᑎᓐᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᕈᒪᑦᓯᐊᕐᓂᑦᑎᓐᓂᒃ ᐃᓄᖏᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓄᓇᓕᐅᔪᓄᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᐱᔾᔪᑎᒋᓗᒋᑦ ᓂᕆᐅᓐᓂᖃᕈᓐᓇᖅᓯᒐᑦᑕ ᐱᕈᖅᐸᓪᓕᐊᑎᑦᓯᔪᓐᓇᕐᓂᑦᑎᓐᓂᒃ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖃᖃᑎᒌᓐᓂᐅᔪᓂᒃ.

ᐱᒋᐊᖅᑎᑦᓯᑎᓪᓗᑕ ᑲᑎᓐᓂᖃᓕᖅᓯᒪᔪᑎᒍᑦ ᖃᖓᑕᕝᕕᐅᕙᓐᓂᐊᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓇᓗᓇᐃᒃᑯᑕᐅᓂᐊᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᒥᑭᔫᓚᐅᖖᒋᒻᒪᑕ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᒃᒃᓴᕆᓚᐅᖅᑕᕗᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓇᓗᓇᐃᖅᓯᔾᔪᑎᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᐊᖏᔪᐊᓗᒻᒥᒃ ᐱᓕᕆᓯᒪᓕᕐᓂᑦᑎᓐᓄᑦ, ᐱᓕᕆᐊᕗᑦ ᓱᓕ ᑲᔪᓯᓯᒪᐃᓐᓇᖅᐳᖅ. ᐱᓕᕆᐊᒃᓴᖃᕋᑦᑕ ᕿᒥᕐᕈᓯᒪᓕᕆᐊᒥᒃ ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᕐᕕᒋᔭᑦᑎᓐᓂᑦ ᑐᑦᑕᕐᕕᐅᔪᓂᒃ ᐱᐅᓂᖅᐸᐅᔪᑎᒍᑦ ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᕐᕕᒋᔪᓐᓇᕐᓂᐊᕋᑦᑎᒍ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᕐᕕᒋᔭᕗᑦ ᓴᕆᒪᒋᔭᖃᕈᓐᓇᓕᕐᓂᐊᖁᓪᓗᒋᑦ. ᑲᔪᓯᑎᑦᓯᓂᐊᖅᑐᒍᑦ ᕿᑐᕐᖏᐅᖅᐸᓪᓕᐊᑎᑦᓯᓂᑦᑎᓐᓂᑦ ᑮᓇᐅᔭᑎᒍᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᕝᕕᒋᔭᑦᑎᓐᓂ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᒃᑯᑦ ᐃᑭᒪᑎᑦᓯᕙᓐᓂᕗᑦ ᐋᖅᑭᒃᓱᐊᖑᓯᒪᑦᑎᐊᖁᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥᐅᖑᔪᓄᑦ. ᐃᓚᓯᒪᓕᖁᒐᑦᑎᒍ ᐊᒥᓱᓂᒃ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥᐅᓃᑦᑐᓂᒃ ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᕐᕕᒋᕙᓕᕈᒪᓪᓗᒋᑦᑕᐅᖅ; ᓂᕆᔭᑦᓴᖃᖅᑎᑦᓯᕙᓐᓂᕗᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᖃᑎᒋᔭᑦᑎᓐᓂᑦ ᐱᒡ ᕌᒃᔅ-ᑯᓐᓂᑦ ᐃᖃᓗᓐᓂ ᐱᔾᔪᑎᒋᒐᓗᐊᕈᑦᑎᒍ ᐅᕝᕙᓘᓐᓃᑦ ᓄᑖᖑᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᓂᕆᔭᒃᓴᖃᖅᑎᑦᓯᔨᐅᕙᒃᑐᓄᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᖃᑎᒋᓕᖅᑕᑦᑎᓐᓂᑦᑕᐅᖅ ᑰᒐᖅ ᑳᕕᑐᕐᕕᖓᓂᑦ ᐃᖃᓗᒃᑑᑦᑎᐊᕐᒥ ᐱᑕᖃᖅᑎᑦᓯᔨᐅᕙᒃᑐᓂᒃ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥᐅᑦ ᑎᐱᖁᑎᖏᓂᒃ, ᓄᓇᓕᐅᔪᓂᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᖃᑎᒋᔭᑦᑎᓐᓂᒃ ᐃᑭᒪᕙᒃᑐᓂᒃ ᐃᓚᐅᖃᑕᐅᓕᖅᑎᑦᓯᔪᒪᒐᑦᑕ. ᐅᕙᑦᑎᓐᓄᑦ ᐱᒻᒪᕆᐅᓗᐊᕐᒪᑦ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᖁᑎᑦᑕ ᐃᓚᐅᖃᑕᐅᓐᓂᕆᔭᖓᑦ ᑲᔪᓯᑎᑕᐅᓯᒪᖁᓪᓗᒍ ᓄᓇᓕᐅᔪᓄᑦ ᐱᔨᑦᓯᕋᕐᕕᒋᔭᑦᑎᓐᓂ, ᐋᖅᑭᒃᓱᐃᓯᒪᓕᕆᐊᒧᑦ ᓄᑖᓂᒃ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖑᓕᕋᔭᖅᑐᓂᒃ, ᖃᓄᐃᓕᐅᖅᑎᑦᓯᓂᐅᕙᒃᑐᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᖃᓄᖅ ᐃᓚᐅᓂᖃᓕᕈᓐᓇᕐᒪᖔᑦᑕ ᓄᓇᖅᑲᑎᒌᖑᔪᑦ ᐃᓕᖅᑯᓯᕆᔭᖏᓄᑦ. ᐃᔾᔪᐊᖅᑕᐅᔪᒥᓇᖅᓯᔪᒪᕗᒍᑦ ᐊᒥᓱᓂ ᓄᓇᓕᐅᔪᓂ ᐃᒻᒪᖄᓗ ᖃᑯᒍᑭᐊᖅ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖅᑎᒋᔭᑦᑎᓐᓄᑦ ᐃᓚᓕᐅᑎᔪᒫᕈᒪᓇᔭᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᑦᑎᓐᓂ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖅᑎᐅᔪᓄᑦ ᐅᕝᕙᓘᓐᓃᑦ ᐊᓪᓚᕝᕕᑦᑎᓐᓂ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖅᑎᒋᔭᐅᔪᓄᑦ.

ᑕᒪᐃᓐᓂᒃ ᐃᓄᓐᓂᒃ ᖃᓄᐃᖖᒋᑦᓯᐊᖅᑑᓗᑎᒃ, ᐋᓐᓂᐊᕐᓂᖃᖖᒋᑦᓯᐊᕐᓗᑎᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᒃᖢᐃᑦᑑᓂᖃᓕᕐᓗᑎᒃ ᓄᑖᒥᒃ ᐅᑭᐅᖃᓕᖁᖦᕗᒍᑦ. ᕿᓚᒻᒥᐅᔪᕐᓗ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᖁᑎᑦᑎᓐᓂ ᑭᒪᑎᓪᓗᓯ ᑕᑯᔪᒫᕈᒪᕙᑦᓯ.

ᑯᕆᔅ ᐄᕗᕆ ᐃᒃᓯᕙᐅᑕᖅ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᐅᓚᑦᑎᔨᒻᒪᕆᒃ ᑲᓃᑎᐊᓐ ᓄᐊᑦ

ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖅᑎᐅᑉ ᐅᔾᔨᕆᔭᐅᑎᑕᐅᓂᖓ

Employee Spotlight | Iqqanaijaqtiup Ujjirijautitauninga

ᓯᐊᕋ ᕈᐃ | Sarah Roy ᓯᐊᕋ ᕈᐃ ᐱᕈᖅᓴᓚᐅᕐᐳᖅ ᑯᐃᐸᒃ ᐳᕌᕕᓐᓯᖓᓂ, ᑭᓯᐊᓂᓗ ᓄᓇᖃᖅᓯᒪᓕᕐᐳᖅ ᑯᐃᐸᖕᒥ, ᐋᓐᑎᐊᕆᐅᒥ, ᐳᕈᑎᔅ ᑲᓚᒻᐱᐊᒥ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᐊᓪᐴᕐᑕᒥ.

Sarah grew up in Quebec, but has lived in Quebec, Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta.

ᓯᐊᕋ ᖁᑦᓯᓐᓂᖅᐹᓂᒃ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕌᓂᒍᑎᖃᖅᓯᒪᕗᖅ ᑐᕆᓐ ᓯᓚᑦᑐᖅᓴᕐᕕᖓᓂᑦ ᐲᑕᐴᕈ, ᐋᓐᑎᐊᕆᐅᒥ.

Sarah has a bachelor’s degree from Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario.

ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔮᕆᔭᖓᓄᑦ ᑐᕌᖓᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᒋᐊᒍᕆ, ᐃᐊᓪᐴᕐᑕᒦᑦᑑᒐᓗᐊᖅ, ᑭᓯᐊᓂᓗ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᓕᖅᓯᒪᕗᖅ ᑲᓈᑕᒥ ᐊᓪᓚᕝᕕᖓᓂ. ᓯᐊᕋ ᑲᓃᑎᐊᓐ ᓄᐊᔅ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᓕᕆᔨᖏᓄᑦ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᓕᕆᐊᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᕗᖅ ᓵᑕᒃᑯᑦ ᐃᖏᕐᕋᕙᓐᓂᕐᓄᑦ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᑕᕆᔭᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᑎᓯᐱᕆ 2013-ᖑᑎᓪᓗᒍ, ᓯᕗᓕᖅᑎᐅᓕᖅᓱᓂ 2015-ᒥ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑕᐃᒪᓕᑦᑕᐅᖅ ᐃᓱᒪᑕᕆᔭᐅᓕᓚᐅᕐᐳᖅ, ᓵᑕᒃᑯᑦ ᐃᖏᕐᕋᕙᓐᓂᕐᓄᑦ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᑎᐅᔪᓄᑦ 2016-ᒥᑦ 2018-ᒧᑦ ᑭᖑᓂᐊᓂᓗ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔮᖓ ᐊᓯᔾᔨᖅᓯᒪᓕᓚᐅᖅᓱᓂ ᑮᓇᐅᔾᔭᒃᓴᓇᓱᐊᕈᑎᓄᑦ ᐸᕐᓇᐅᑎᓕᐅᖅᑎᐅᔪᓄᑦ.

ᑮᓇᐅᔾᔭᒃᓴᓇᓱᐊᕈᑎᓄᑦ ᐸᕐᓇᐅᑎᓕᐅᖅᑎᐅᔪᓄᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖃᖅᑎᒋᔭᐅᕙᑦᑐᖅ ᑕᒪᐃᓐᓂᑦ ᑲᑎᓐᓂᖃᖅᓱᑎᒃ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᒃᑰᕈᑎᒃᓴᒥᓐᓂᒃ ᐋᖅᑭᒃᓱᖅᑕᐅᕙᑦᑐᓂᒃ ᑲᓃᑎᐊᓐ ᓅᐊᔅᑯᓐᓄᑦ ᐃᓚᖃᖅᓱᒋᑦ ᐊᕈᐊᕋ ᕆᕗᐊᑦᓂᒃ ᑕᐃᒪᓐ ᑳᓐᓯᐅᕐᔾ ᐱᔾᔪᑎᒋᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᓂᐅᕙᒃᑐᓄᑦ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑮᓇᐅᔭᑎᒍᑦ ᐃᑲᔪᕈᑎᐅᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᒃᑰᕈᑎᔅᓴᓂᒃ ᐋᖅᑭᒃᓱᐃᕙᓐᓂᐅᔪᓄᑦ. ᐃᑲᔪᖅᑎᐅᓚᐅᕐᒥᔪᖅ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖅᑎᓄᑦ ᓇᓗᓇᐃᔭᐅᑎᓂᒃ ᑎᑎᖅᑲᖁᑎᓕᐅᕐᓂᕐᓄᑦ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖅᑎ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᒃᑰᕈᑎᖏᓂᒃ ᐋᖅᑭᒃᓱᐃᓂᕐᓄᑦ, ᐃᓚᖃᖅᓱᒋᑦ ᐊᔾᔨᒌᖖᒋᐅᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᓕᐊᖑᕙᑦᑐᓂᒃ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᕐᕕᖓᓂᑦ.

ᒫᓐᓇᐅᔪᖅ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖃᓕᖅᓯᒪᕗᖅ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᒃᑰᐸᒃᑐᓄᑦ ᑐᕌᖓᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᐃᑲᔪᕈᑎᒃᓴᓕᕆᔨᑦ ᐊᒪᓗ ᓇᖕᒥᓂᖃᕐᓂᓕᕆᔨᒃᑯᓐᓂ, ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖃᖅᑎᐅᕙᑦᑐᓂᒃ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᒃᑰᐸᒃᑐᓄᑦ ᑐᕌᖓᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᐃᑲᔪᕈᑎᒃᓴᓕᕆᔨᑦ, ᐃᑭᒪᕙᒃᑐᓄᑦ, ᐱᖁᑎᒥᓐᓂᒃ ᓇᒃᓴᖅᑕᐅᕙᒃᑐᓄᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐅᓯᔭᐅᕙᑦᑐᓄᑦ ᓇᖕᒥᓂᖃᕐᓂᓕᕆᔾᔪᑎᓂᒃ, ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖃᕆᓪᓗᓂ ᐊᑕᐅᑦᓯᒃᑰᕐᓱᑎᒃ ᐊᕈᐊᕋ ᕆᕗᐊᑦᓂᒃ ᑕᐃᒪᓐ ᑳᓐᓯᐅᕐᔾ ᐱᔾᔪᑎᒋᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᐅᖄᓚᐅᑎᑎᒍᑦ ᐃᑲᔪᕈᑎᒃᓴᓕᕆᓂᐅᕙᒃᑐᓂᒃ/ᖃᕆᑕᐅᔭᑎᒍᓪᓗ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᒃᓴᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐋᖅᑭᒃᓱᐃᕙᓐᓂᕐᓄᑦ ᐃᑭᒪᔾᔪᑎᒃᓴᒥᓐᓄᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓇᓂᓯᔨᐅᕙᓐᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᑲᓃᑎᐊᓐ ᓄᐊᔅᑯᑦ ᖃᖓᑦᑕᐅᑎᒃᑰᕈᓐᓇᐅᑎᓂᒃ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᖅᑎᒃᑯᑦ ᑮᓇᐅᔭᑎᒍᑦ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᓯᒪᔭᖏᓐᓄᑦ, ᐱᖖᒍᐊᕆᐊᖅᓯᒪᔪᓄᑦ ᐅᕝᕙᓘᓐᓃᑦ ᖃᓄᐃᓕᐅᖅᑎᑦᓯᓂᐅᕙᑦᑐᓄᑦ ᑐᕌᖓᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ.

Technically based in Calgary, Alberta, she is currently working at the Kanata office.

Sarah started with Canadian North as a Charter Specialist in December 2013, became a lead in 2015 and then became Supervisor, Charter Support from 2016-2018 after which she moved over to the Commercial Planning department.

With Commercial Planning she has handled all group bookings for Canadian North as well as the Aurora Rewards Diamond Concierge line, and sponsorship bookings. She also assisted with the Employee Profile Record creations, and Employee travel set up, as well as various reports for this department.

She is currently working in the customer relations and claims department, which handles customer relations, passenger, baggage and cargo claims, while continuing to handle the Aurora Rewards Diamond Concierge phone line/email and booking and tracking Canadian North travel certificates for the airline’s sponsorships, whether for sports teams or events.

Sarah likes that no day is ever the same at her job and she enjoys the inter departmental collaboration. In customer relations and ᓯᐊᕋ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔮᒥᓂᒃ ᖁᕕᐊᒋᔭᖃᕐᐳᖅ ᐱᔾᔪᑎᒋᓪᓗᒍ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᒃᓴᕆᕙᒃᑕᖏᑦ ᐊᔾᔨᒌᖖᒋᓐᓂᖃᓕᖅ- claims, she interacts with customer services across the airline’s ᐸᒻᒪᑕ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᖁᕕᐊᒋᓪᓗᓂᐅᒃ ᒪᕐᕈᐃᓐᓂ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᕐᕕᐅᔪᓐᓂ ᑲᑐᔾᔨᓂᖃᖃᑎᒌᑦᓱᑎᒃ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖃᖅentire network including in flight, contact centre, airports, and cargo, ᐸᓐᓂᐅᔪᓂᒃ. ᖃᖓᑕᓲᒃᑰᐸᒃᑐᓄᑦ ᑐᕌᖓᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᐃᑲᔪᕈᑎᒃᓴᓕᕆᔨᑦ ᐊᒪᓗ ᓇᖕᒥᓂᖃᕐᓂᓕᕆᔨᒃᑯᓐᓂ, among others.

ᐅᖃᓪᓚᖃᑎᖃᖅᐸᒻᒪᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᖃᑎᒋᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᒃᑯᑦ ᐃᑭᒪᕙᒃᑐᓕᕆᔨᐅᔪᓂᒃ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᖅᑎᒃᑯᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖃᖃᑎᒌᓐᓂᓕᒫᖏᑎᒍᑦ ᐃᓚᖃᖅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᒃᑯᑦ ᐃᑭᒪᔪᓄᑦ, ᑐᑭᓯᒋᐊᕐᕕᒃᓴᓕᕆᔨᓂᒃ, When not at work, Sarah has been skating competitively her entire life. When she stopped skating freestyle as a teenager, she started ᒥᑦᑕᕐᕕᓐᓂᒃ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐅᓯᔭᐅᕙᒃᑐᓂᒃ, ᐊᓯᖏᓐᓂᒃᓗ.

her career as a synchronized skater. Sarah holds two national titles

ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᕐᓇᓂ ᐃᓱᓕᓯᒪᓕᕌᖓᑦ, ᓯᐊᕋ ᓯᐊᕐᕆᔮᕆᐊᖅᓯᒪᐃᓐᓇᖅᐸᑦᑐᖅ ᓵᓚᒃᓴᐅᑎᒋᒋᐊᕐᓂᐊᖅᓱᒍ. with her team in East Gwillimbury, Ontario. She has been skating ᑕᐃᒪ ᒪᒃᑯᒃᑑᓪᓗᓂ ᓯᐊᕐᕆᔮᑐᐃᓐᓇᖅᐸᓐᓂᕐᒥᓂᒃ ᐃᓱᓕᑎᑦᓯᒐᒥ, ᓯᐊᕐᕆᔮᖃᑎᖃᖅᓱᓂ ᐋᖅᑭᒃᓱᐊᒐᑎᒍᑦ and assistant coach with the Calgary Synchronized Skating Club for ᓯᐊᕐᕆᔮᖃᑦᑕᓕᓚᐅᕐᐳᖅ. ᒪᕐᕈᐃᖅᑕᕐᓱᓂ ᑲᓇᑕᓕᒫᒥ ᐃᓕᑕᕆᔭᐅᔾᔪᑎᖃᕈᑎᒋᓯᒪᓕᖅᐸᖏᑦ ᐱᖃᑎᒋᓪthe past five seasons. ᓗᓂᒋᑦ ᓯᐊᕐᕆᔮᖃᑎᒋᔭᓂ ᐄᔅᑦ ᒍᐃᓕᒻᐴᕆ, ᐋᓐᑎᐊᕆᐅᒥ. ᓯᐊᕐᕆᔮᕆᐊᖅᓯᒪᐃᓐᓇᓲᖑᕗᖅ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑐᑭᒧᐊᒃᑎᑦᓯᔨᐅᔪᒧᑦ ᑐᖓᓕᕆᔭᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᒋᐊᒍᕆ ᐋᖅᑭᒃᓱᐊᖑᓯᒪᔪᑎᒍᑦ ᓯᐊᕐᕆᔭᖅᑎᒃᑯᓐᓄᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᖑᓂᐊᓕᖅᑐᓄᑦ ᑕᓪᓕᒪᓄᑦ.

From the Flight Deck How bad can the weather be for us still to be able to land?

Despite all the advances in aircraft instruments and navigation systems, the reality is that, in almost every case, our pilots are required to see the runway before landing.

They carry out the landing visually, by looking out the window. While many aircraft can land without the pilots needing to see the runway we can, unfortunately, only make use of those capabilities at airports with specialized ground equipment and instrument approach procedures. There aren’t very many airports in Canada that are equipped to that level and very few of them are within our route network.

As a result, on most of our flights, the first step to land is being able to see the runway.

There are instrument approach procedures at all of the airports that we serve in our network. In some cases, those approaches rely on radio navigation equipment on the ground. In other cases, the approach procedures rely on the aircraft’s GPS. In all cases though, the purpose of the approach procedure is to allow us to get as close as possible to the runway to allow us to see it so we can land. Obviously, the worse the weather, the harder it is to see the runway, so the closer we need to be.

Not all instrument approaches are created equal. The type of radio navigation aids used and where they are in relation to the runway will play a major role. In general, the more accurate the navigation aids and the closer they are to the runway, the lower we are allowed to fly before we need to see the runway.

Another key factor to consider is the terrain around the airport. If it is relatively flat and there aren’t any obstacles, then the instrument approach procedure will likely let us get quite close to the ground before we have to see

© istock.com / hideto111

the runway. If, on the other hand, the airport has a bunch of obstacles — for example mountains — close by, the instrument approach will require that we stay up high until we can see the runway.

When you combine those two elements some dramatic differences can develop. For example, in Yellowknife, where they have fairly accurate navigation aids and there isn’t a great deal of obstacles, we can fly down to 200’ before we need to see the runway to land safely. On the other hand, in Qikiqtarjuaq where the airport is surrounded by mountains and the approach is based on a less precise navigation system, we can only descend to about 2000’ above the runway until we see it.

At some of our airports, like Yellowknife, we can land in some fairly poor weather.

Unfortunately, at some other airports, even though it seems like a really nice day below a solid layer of clouds, if the pilots can’t descend below the cloud base, we can’t see the good weather — or the runway — so we can’t land. Consequently, the answer to a simple question, “How bad can the weather be for us still to be able to land?” is an even simpler, “It depends….”

Captain Aaron Speer Vice President, Flight Operations Canadian North

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

Contents

The Inflight Magazine for Canadian North

JANFEB 2020 | 01 YOURS TO KEEP

Qaggiavuut Teaching Tradi onal Songs

Constable Taggart High Arc c Surveillance

January | February 2020 Volume 32, No. 1

Moosemeat & Marmalade Journeys to the North Country

10

Qajartalik The Most Northern Rock Art Site on the Continent

PM40050872

o www.arcticjournal.ca

26

The faces found in Qajartalik are carved in soapstone. © Heiko Wittenborn/Nunavik Tourism

Publisher: above&beyond ltd.

Managing Editor: Doris Ohlmann doris@arcticjournal.ca Advertising: 613-257-4999 Toll Free: 1-877-2ARCTIC 1-877-227-2842 (Canada only) advertising@arcticjournal.ca Design: Robert Hoselton, Beat Studios

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.

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23 Features

10

Qaggiavuut Teaching Traditional Songs

Using new technology, musicians from all Inuit regions of Nunavut and the Northwest Territories collectively weave together traditional Inuit songs.

— Ellen Hamilton

23

Constable Taggart and the Longest Patrol

Taggart’s ability to hunt, drive a dog team, and build an igloo made him a good choice for the 1929 High Arctic spring patrol. — Season Osborne

26

Qajartalik A Northern Rock Art Site

Near Kangiqsujuaq, Nunavik, archeological vestiges show an Inuit cultural way of life, but also Dorset people carvings on the Qajartalik.

— Guillaume Roy

31

Moosemeat & Marmalade Journeys to the North Country

Chefs from two entirely different walks of life travel to Canada's North to hunt, fish, forage, trade or source local foods and share the bounty.

— Krystal Wiggins

JANFEB 2020 | 01

A B O V E & B E Y O N D — C A N A D A’ S A R C T I C J O U R N A L

31 09 Destination Focus 13 Living Above&Beyond 21 Resources 38 Profile Alysa McCall’s Polar Bear Passion — Emily Leak

40 Culture Ice and Sky — Nick Newbery

43 Arts Baker Lake’s Jessie Oonark — Richard D. Mohr

47 Bookshelf 48 Arctic Trivia Quiz 50 Inuit Forum — Natan Obed President, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami

7

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

45.42178°N, -75.69119°E

OTTAWA Ottawa, Canada’s Capital, is a city like no other. Situated along the Ottawa River on the border between Ontario and Québec, Ottawa has big-city amenities within its walkable downtown

core and yet offers easy access to nature. Ottawa is home to Parliament Hill, national museums,

impressive hotels, inventive restaurants, and exciting attractions.

Ottawa is the place where you can connect with Canada’s soul and learn about the country as

a whole – it truly is Canada in one city. Learn about Indigenous culture in Canada at the largest

indoor collection of totem poles in the world at the Canadian Museum of History; discover the

country’s diverse ecology at the Canadian Museum of Nature and in the Canada Goose Arctic Gallery; investigate Canada’s contributions in the fields of science and technology, aviation and

space, and agriculture and food at the family of Ingenium museums; or dive deep into Canada’s

rich art history at the National Gallery of Canada.

Ottawa is a four-season destination that wows throughout the year. Celebrate winter in Ottawa

as the Rideau Canal Skateway, the largest outdoor skating rink in the world, marks its 50th skating season in 2019-2020. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is a sight to see in the winter months

Rideau Canal Skateway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. © Ottawa Tourism

Places and events to visit: • The Canada Goose Arctic Gallery at the Canadian Museum of Nature • The family of Ingenium museums • The largest outdoor skating rink in the world • Winterlude: January 31-February 17, 2020 • Canadian Tulip Festival

as visitors glide by with a Beavertail in hand and residents skate to work and school. Winter fun

continues with Winterlude, a true sign that Ottawans do not hibernate. Between January 31 and

February 17, 2020, find ice carving competitions, snow slides, special promotions at local businesses,

concerts, and much more. Looking forward to the spring, Ottawa is in bloom as a million tulips

grow in Canada’s Capital Region during the Canadian Tulip Festival. In May, we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the end of WWII and the first gift of tulips from the Dutch Royal Family.

At any time of year, visit the bustling ByWard Market neighbourhood for local produce,

independently owned shops, and delicious restaurants. Walk or bike along the Rideau Canal or Ottawa River on over 800 kilometres of multi-use pathways or explore vibrant neighbourhoods like the Glebe, Wellington West, Centretown, or others. City meets nature as Gatineau Park is

found just a 15-minute drive from downtown Ottawa, and the Greenbelt hugs the downtown core,

host to 1,100 farms within the Ottawa city limits. With a mix of attractions, there’s something for any kind of traveller in Ottawa!

JANFEB 2020 | 01

A B O V E & B E Y O N D — C A N A D A’ S A R C T I C J O U R N A L

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Arctic Song from left: Nataq Ungalaq, Jerry Laisa, Leanna Wilson, Tooma Laisa. © Tristan Omik

Qaggiavuut Using new technology to teach traditional songs

By Ellen Hamilton

Nataq Ungalaq of Igloolik (famous for his lead role in the iconic film Atanarjuaq: The Fast Runner) bends over his drum and quietly plays a beat to the harmony of Leanna Wilson and Tooma Laisa, two young singers from Iqaluit. They walk forward smiling and welcome Jerry Laisa from Pangnirtung and then Kurri Panika, Rankin Inlet, and Keenan Carpenter, Ulukhaktok, to the ancient song. It is the Arctic Song show performed on a Saturday night in Iqaluit, Nunavut, and these musicians from communities across Canada’s Arctic, come together to revitalize the ancient songs of Inuit and to celebrate through music the land they love. The song they are singing has not been heard in public for at least 50 years.

A

rctic Song is a music production formed in 2019 by Qaggiavuut, a non-profit society dedicated to strengthening Inuit performing arts. The project brings together musicians from all Inuit regions of Nunavut and the Northwest Territories to collaborate and collectively weave together traditional Inuit songs of the land, throat songs, spoken word and contemporary music. It is a process of reclaiming songs once banned during colonization, songs that are complex and poetic.

But the way they learn these songs is the compelling story. Qaggiavuut has designed an app that features elders teaching and sharing Pisiit (traditional Inuit songs) and through this technology teaches young musicians in the traditional way. To date, over 20 young musicians have used the app to learn songs and then come together through Qaggiavuut programming to perform as part of Arctic Song. Qaggiavuut will publicly release the app for free download this winter.

Qaggiavuut has worked for years to document and share Inuit performing arts that are at risk of being lost. In August of 2018, they brought seven elders, from all three regions of Nunavut and representing more than 550 combined years of wisdom and skill, to Iqaluit to teach in Qaggiavuut’s

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A B O V E & B E Y O N D — C A N A D A’ S A R C T I C J O U R N A L

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first Pisiit course. For one week, the elders told stories about the metaphors buried in the songs they had learned as youth, and taught them line by line, to 30 rapt musicians from communities across Nunavut, including renowned performer Susan Aglukark. Assembled in Iqaluit’s soup kitchen, the Qajuqturvik Food Centre, because it is the only space big enough — you could hear a pin drop as the elders recited the ancient poetry depicting the connection Inuit have to their environment.

It is this collaborative and connected way of learning and creating that Qaggiavuut envisions will one day be carried out in the Qaggiq Hub, a space for the Inuit performing arts to be strengthened, created and, of course, performed. Qaggiavuut, led by Project Manager Kathleen Merritt, is wrapping up a comprehensive feasibility study into building the Qaggiq Hub and is seeking partners to support their efforts to create space for Inuit performing artists in Nunavut.

They coin the phrase ‘Let’s Build a Qaggiq’ to refer to the beautiful iglu Inuit traditionally built to celebrate life in song and story.

Elders, from left: Francis Qaput, Rankin Inlet; Bernadette Uttaq, Taloyoak; Sidonie Nirlungayuk, Kugaaruk; Theresa Sikkuark, Kugluktuk; Madeline Ivalu, Igloolik; Miriam Aglukkaq, Gjoa Haven; and Susan Avingaq, Igloolik. © Nataq Ungalaq

For a video of Arctic Song, check out: www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUd4zX-nN-I&list=PL4sk7KF5KQSAy1HzW9zyVNkkBY8mNMbmH www.qaggiavuut.ca Some of the members of Arctic Song from left: Jerry Laisa, Nataq Ungalaq, Leanna Wilson, Tooma Laisa, Keenan Carpenter, and Kurri Panika. © Tristan Omik

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Land camp program prepares Northern youth for work

By Leslie Cuthbertson

It’s no secret that the Indigenous classroom has always been on the land. So, when Doug Dokis set out to move the dial on Indigenous high school graduation rates, he built a program that blends land-based learning with Western science.

Doug is Anishnabe from Dokis First Nation and the Director of Actua’s community-based science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education outreach program for Indigenous youth.

Last summer Actua worked with teachers, community members, Elders, and the Beaufort Delta Education Council to transform a traditional on-the-land harvesting camp into a for-credit STEM camp in Fort McPherson, Northwest Territories. Students from Inuvik, Aklavik, Tuktoyaktuk, and Fort McPherson came together for a 10-day fishing camp.

“They got to learn about the Gwich’in way of harvesting fish, of taking care of the land, of giving back to the land, and our beliefs and customs,” explains Shirley Peterson, Principal, Chief Julius School, Fort McPherson. “These are things we’ve done for hundreds and hundreds of years, and our students are continuing to learn today.”

The students discovered that the experiences led by their Elders had the same learning outcomes as those required by their courses in school and the land-based learning experiences would earn them credit towards their high school diploma.

Taking the experience one step further, Actua’s instructors, Indigenous undergraduate

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In Fort McPherson, Northwest Territories, learning about the Gwich’in way of harvesting fish is part of Actua’s northern for-credit land camp program. © ACTUA

students, led additional STEM activities designed to inspire students to value their unique Indigenous perspectives.

For example, “During an activity related to wind energy and the environment, the students were tasked with designing the most efficient wind turbine blades. A couple of students made blades that resembled a bird’s feather. The students explained that if the shape worked for birds to fly, then it would probably work for other designs, including the blade of a wind turbine.”

Norma Snowshoe, teacher, speaks of the value. “These are true credits. It's not sitting at the desk from nine to four. They work hard, and it is important that they get the credit for what they learn. I would really like to see that Actua

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continues working with our people up North.

I just want to see more.”

Actua’s northern for-credit land camp program is supported by the Government of Canada’s Future Skills Centre, Suncor Energy Foundation and Imperial as a promising practice for building essential employability skills and preparing northern youth for the future of work.

Since the first pilot of Actua’s for-credit InSTEM program in 2017, 270 Indigenous students have received 430 credits toward their high school diploma in four provinces and territories across Canada.

For more information, visit www.actua.ca.

Leslie Cuthbertson is Chief Operating Officer at Actua.

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Hunters share knowledge with new mobile app The Arctic Eider Society is a charity based in Sanikiluaq, Nunavut. In December, they released SIKU: The Indigenous Knowledge Social Network, a unique approach to bring together Inuit knowledge and technology. SIKU is a mobile app and web platform created by and for Inuit, providing tools for weather, ice safety and hunting stories as well as knowledge transfer and language preservation. SIKU puts Indigenous Knowledge and observations front and centre alongside weather and safety services, including sea ice products, tides, marine forecasts, and satellite imagery. This lets hunters share dangerous and changing ice conditions with their communities using their own language and knowledge systems.

SIKU includes profiles for wildlife, sea ice and traditional places in multiple dialects that are taggable and act as living wikis of Indigenous knowledge. Using the mobile app while on the land, posts, such as hunting stories and GPS tracks can be recorded and uploaded to SIKU when hunters are back in the community.

SIKU technology was inspired by groups like ‘Inuit hunting stories of the day’, communitydriven research programs and a desire by elders to document and share oral history with youth.

“SIKU is helping Inuit document the changes to our environment, especially our sea ice, which is changing rapidly because of climate change,” says Lucassie Arragutainaq, Manager of the Sanikiluaq Hunters and Trappers Association.

“It allows us to document these changes very accurately, including our wildlife, which we actively hunt every day. It is particularly important for our youth.”

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The SIKU app development team gets a standing ovation from delegates at the official launch during the 2019 ArcticNet Annual Scientific Meeting in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in early December.

Courtesy Arctic Eider Society

Candice Pedersen of Cambridge Bay, member of the SIKU Team says, “Inuit youth are like young people everywhere. We are on our smartphones a lot. We’re sharing our stories, messaging with each other, sending photos, videos, and memes. We’re living with instant information in small chunks all the time. It allows us, with a few clicks, to capture our data every time we go hunting, or are on the land, and gradually build up important data sets, which we have complete control over.”

Pedersen has played an important role in SIKU’s creation by delivering workshops throughout Inuit Nunangat and representing the SIKU project internationally, at venues like the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany. Her work has provided community members — especially youth — across Nunavut the opportunity to share their feedback and actively participate in SIKU’s development.

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“The importance of SIKU hit home to me while doing an early consultation workshop with Nunavut Sivuniksavut students,” says AES Executive Director Joel Heath. “One of the youth said, ‘now scientists will finally believe what Inuit have been saying all along.’ That was when I knew we were moving in the right direction with this project and it was going to be something special that really contributed to self-determination for communities as well as knowledge transfer, education, and environmental stewardship.”

The Arctic Eider Society has partnered with a wide range of partners to create SIKU, which was catalyzed after winning $750,000 in the 2017 Google.org Impact Challenge in Canada.

To learn more, visit SIKU.org and download the mobile app for Android and iOS.

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Transforming visitors with indigenous experiences

By Doris Ohlmann

A delegate at the 2019 NWT Tourism Conference experiences a spectacular immersive activity via a 360˚ video viewed through a special virtual reality headset. The display is part of the new NWT Tourism “The NWT Will Change You” campaign. © Sarah Pruys/NWT Tourism

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“Travel is the catalyst to personal growth and introspection,” so says Jake Haupert from the Transformational Travel Council and the last speaker at the Northwest Territories (NWT) Tourism Conference that took place at The Explorer Hotel in Yellowknife November 5-7, 2019. It was a fitting ending to a informationpacked and inspiring three days that included tourism sector consultations and break-out sessions, government updates, case studies in community tourism development, the sharing of indigenous experiences, statistical analyses and research findings, marketing tips, and the NWT Tourism Annual General Meeting, all under the theme of “Transformative Tourism”.

Tourism has become a key component of the NWT economy. Many operators are looking at ways to grow and improve their businesses and add offerings for travellers seeking out-of-theordinary, value-added or custom-specific tours and experiences. With the GNWT Department of Industry, Tourism & Investment developing their tourism strategy for the next five years, besides professional development and networking, the event provided the opportunity for operators and stakeholders to collaborate on ideas to help strengthen the industry and increase visitor spending. Break-out sessions included the following sectors: fishing, hunting, paddling; aurora; culture; parks; general touring/ outdoor adventure; accommodations; and other services like airlines, restaurants and cruise ships.

Results from the last five years show that tourism spending has increased 48 per cent since 2014. The number of leisure travellers has increased in that time frame 30.9 per cent.

There is a 93.7 per cent increase in tourism operators offering indigenous cultural tourism with 62 operators in 2018 versus 32 in 2014.

Aurora viewing has seen double-digit growth year after year. The fishing and hunting sectors have rebounded. The general touring and outdoor adventure experiences have seen solid growth in 2018-2019, with a 48 per cent increase in visitations. Tourism visitors are mainly coming from Canada and China, with the recent growth driven from these same areas. Chinese tourists spend the most in the NWT. Canada also ranks third in destination awareness for Germans. Visitations from German tourists to the North have doubled from previous years.

The $3M per year investments in infrastructure at NWT Parks have been successful with

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LIVING ABOVE&BEYOND Thaidene Nëné National Park Reserve, near Lutsel K’e, is now officially a protected area in the Northwest Territories. © Parks Canada

20-25 projects completed each year to enhance access to Parks.

The Government of the NWT’s new Protected Areas Act with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources is furthering meaningful partnerships with indigenous participation through tourism and conservation efforts. Thaidene Nëné National Park Reserve is the NWT’s newest protected area. This successful agreement with the Federal Government protects 26,376 km2 around Lutsel K’e from mining development. With the purchase of the Frontier Fishing Lodge in October 2019, the GNWT wants to expand the market by rebranding the area as an eco-tourist destination, which would include authentic experiences at the new Park Reserve, provide guiding and outfitting services and a Visitor’s Centre.

The Tuktoyaktuk Highway, Canada’s only highway to the Arctic Ocean, has seen a 43 per cent increase in the number of tourists. It is viewed as the new “hot destination” for Rvers, motorcyclists, and general motorists, with visitors including Asian tourists, business travellers, researchers and those visiting family and friends. A Heritage Centre is in the process of being created with plans including a fullservice RV campground.

Because of the reduction of sea ice, cruise ships can now travel further west. Four ships with 1,400 passengers came to Ulukhaktok in 2019 for the authentic shore experience, including cultural demonstrations like drummers and dancers, guided community walks, and opportunities to purchase local arts and crafts.

Presentations by advertience helped attendees understand the science behind advertising JANFEB 2020 | 01

digitally, including tips on how operators’ postings on Trip Advisor can boost their credibility and drive more visitors from the online travel market to choose their accommodation or service over competitors.

The Keynote Address on the final day of the Conference was gritty and inspirational as world

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traveller Bruce Kirkby enthusiastically described his family travels and experiences and encouraged operators to communicate their stories with clients to share the transformative power of the North.

The showing of the Aurora Love documentary wrapped up the Conference sessions and provided insights into two couples reasons for wanting to travel to Canada’s NWT to experience the Northern Lights in this upbeat, inspiring film. Later that evening at the Gala Dinner, the NWT Tourism Awards Ceremony took place, recognizing many who have made positive contributions to tourism in the territory. $1.7 Trillion is spent globally on tourism.

Of that, $102 Billion is spent in Canada with $210 M spent in the NWT. The potential for growth is tremendous. NWT Tourism says the North will change travellers. Operators were sure to be excited about the many insights and tips this stimulating and informative Conference provided to help them give visitors to the North that feeling of awe, curiosity and maybe even change them!

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Celebrating NWT’s best in tourism

Close to 200 people attended the NWT Tourism Industry Awards gala. As part of the event, donations for a live auction from members of NWT Tourism resulted in $19,600 being raised for NWT Tourism’s Annual Scholarship Fund. The fund supports NWT students undertaking post-secondary studies in accredited Tourism & Hospitality Programs.

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The Mike Stilwell Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes someone who has had a significant impact on the development of the tourism industry past or present. Katrina Nokleby, Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment and Infrastructure, presents the award to Mike Freeland from Blachford Lake Lodge.

© Sarah Pruys/NWT Tourism (5)

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Gerry Kisoun, left, Vice-Chair of the Board at NWT Tourism, presents Kota Kanamori (Tour Manager, Aurora Village) with the Service Excellence Award.

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The Explorer Hotel received the award for Operator of the Year. L to R: Harold Grinde, Chair of the Board at NWT Tourism; Kelly Martin, Director, Sales and Marketing at Nunastar Properties Inc.; Ed Romanowski, President & COO at Nunastar Properties; and Danny Dupuis, Engineering Manager at the Explorer Hotel.

The GNWT Parks Hospitality Award went to Debby Mundy, left, Parks Attendant at Hay River Territorial Park. Katrina Nokleby, Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment and Infrastructure presented the award. ▼

Susan Wright, right, outgoing Chair of the Board at NWT Tourism, presents the NWT Tourism’s first ever Honorary Lifetime Member Award to Sue Lindberg from Lindbergs Landing.

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Showcasing Nunavut’s Musical Talent Since 2015, the Iqaluit-based record label, Hitmakerz, has been helping artists by creating musical collaborations and releasing world-class pop and hip-hop music to the world, both in English and Inuktitut.

Ajungi, pronounced AH-YUNGEE, an Inuktitut word meaning “capable people” was designed to showcase Nunavut artists to a broader market and help them launch (or further) their musical careers.

In 2018, plans were made for a full-length album, and a call was put out on social media asking artists to submit song demos, snippets of singing, rapping, etc. Many talented Nunavummiut applied and a group of 19 up-and-coming artists were selected for the album.

The songs were recorded at Hitmakerz Studios in Iqaluit and then professionally produced, mixed, and mastered by Thor Simonsen, an Iqaluitbased music producer (and the founder of Hitmakerz), and Bardur Haberg, a music producer from the Faroe Islands.

Since its inception, Ajungi’s mission has been to “create sustainable careers in the arts” — a goal Hitmakerz has been trying to reach by producing other award-winning albums for Inuit artists (including Aasiva, Angela Amarualik, Kelly Fraser, etc.) and creating a series of touring musical workshops (Arctic Hitmakerz, Uke’cray).

Photo by Hitmakerz (2)

The Ajungi album is now available worldwide on all music platforms and for order at: music.apple.com/ca/album/ajungi/1483858016.

It was made possible with funding from the Government of Nunavut and Qikiqtani Inuit Association. A portion of album sales will be donated to the Kamatsiaqtut Nunavut Helpline (867-979-3333).

To learn more, visit www.ajungi.ca, www.hitmakerz.ca, or www.facebook.com/ajungiofficial.

Iniga Ilagiit archive available online

The McMichael Canadian Art Collection is digitizing and making public, for the first time, thousands of images from the Cape Dorset Archive made by the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative between the 1960s and 1980s. The physical archive is preserved at the McMichael and a multiyear digitization project supported by Virtual Museums Canada brings more than 4,000 prints, drawings and photographs online through a website called Iniga Ilagiit (A Place for Family).

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The website will be available in English, French and Inuktitut and has been consciously developed to accommodate Northern internet connections and low bandwidth.

The project makes accessible through technology art that has never been seen by the communities that produced it.

For more information, visit www.mcmichael.com.

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RESOURCES

NUNAVIK Drill program confirms REE

Commerce Resources Corp. has announced analytical results for drill core recently analyzed from the Ashram Rare Earth and Fluorspar Deposit, located approximately 130 km south of Kuujjuaq.

During the 2016 field campaign, 14 drill holes totalling approximately 2,014 m were completed as part of the resource definition drilling at Ashram, focused along the northern, western, and southern margins of the deposit. The drill core was sampled during the 2016 and 2017 field programs; however, due to market conditions at the time, as well as diligent financial prudence, the core was placed into secure storage and only recently submitted for analysis in the fall of 2019.

With assay results now received, the 2016 drill program confirms intervals of strong rare earth element (REE) mineralization through to the outer boundary of the deposit’s A-B zones.

Cores from the deposit’s southern margin are one of the highest grades returned from this area to date.

In addition to the strong REE mineralization returned at Ashram from the 2016 drilling, robust grades of fluorite continue to be present over wide intervals and as such have been identified as a potential by-product of significant value. Recovery and sale of the fluorite (industrially known as “fluorspar”) would also reduce the tailings footprint of the project, resulting in a social and environmental benefit.

The 2016 drill hole data will be integrated, along with other mineralogical and structural information, into an updated geological model which will form the basis of a mineral resource update anticipated in 2020.

The Ashram Deposit has now been drilled at roughly 50 m centres (distance between holes), with some 25 m infill also completed.

Additional infill drilling at 25 m centres may yet be completed ahead of the resource update. The 2016 program and subsequent exploration of the Property is being carried out by Dahrouge Geological Consulting Ltd.

NUNAVUT New portal to help future growth

TMAC Resources Inc. has started construction on the Madrid North underground portal. The portal and underground development is targeting the Naartok West zone, enabling access to JANFEB 2020 | 01

first production stopes in late 2020. This is an important milestone as Madrid North development will provide both near-term operational flexibility and enable medium-term potential growth alternatives at Hope Bay. To provide further operational flexibility, this portal can also be used to drive exploration drifts towards Naartok East, Suluk, Rand and Spur deposits for future bulk samples and exploration.

Opening the underground mine will also allow for key infrastructure for further development at Madrid North overall. Both surface infrastructure and the underground development will also improve exploration efficiency.

YUKON White Gold Corp stakes strategic claims

White Gold Corp. has staked three strategic claim blocks (Kodiak, Kirkman and Tea) totaling 689 mining claims contiguous to the Company’s White Gold property, Newmont Goldcorp Inc.’s Coffee project and Western Copper & Gold’s Casino project, all located in the prolific White Gold District in the Yukon.

The claims further extend the Company’s land package to the south, with Kodiak and Kirkman blocks located approximately 10 km south of the Company’s White Gold deposit and 10 km north of Newmont’s Coffee deposit, and the Tea block located contiguous to the Coffee project to the south. These properties each display similar geological characteristics to the nearby properties which host significant gold deposits. The Claims bring the Company’s expansive land package to 21,207 quartz claims across 33 properties, totalling over 422,730 hectares, representing over 40 per cent of the White Gold District.

The Kirkman claims were previously held by Kaminak Gold, who originally discovered the Coffee deposit and was subsequently acquired

by Goldcorp for $530M. Historically the properties have only had limited exploration work completed, comprised primarily of soil sampling, geophysical surveys, and minor trenching activity.

The Company’s recent high-grade gold discovery, the Titan, consists of a 650 m x 650 m gold in soil anomaly with multiple other prospective targets that show similar geophysical characteristics to the mineralization encountered in these drill holes. Titan surface exploration

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results include grab samples with fine grained visible gold observed, and the highest soil value samples ever in the Company’s 400,000+ soil sample database. The Titan is located on the road-accessible Hen property, contiguous to the JP Ross property, less than 15 km from the Vertigo discovery and 25 km from the Golden Saddle and Arc deposits.

Amended license issued and new targets discovered

Alexco Resource Corp. has been issued an amended Quartz Mining License (QML) for the Keno Hill Silver District from the Yukon Government.

The amended QML is effective for 17 years and was necessary to incorporate the Bermingham deposit into the Keno District Operations mine plan. The amended QML authorizes underground operations for development and production from Alexco’s Bermingham, Flame & Moth, Bellekeno, Lucky Queen and Onek deposits as well as construction and management of mine waste rock and dry stack tailings facilities.

The QML also extends the authorization to operate and maintain the 400 tonne per day Keno District Mill and associated ancillary facilities, construct and maintain the district wide surface haulage roads as well as operation of the Company’s 200-person camp located adjacent to the historical Elsa township.

The Company is also expecting renewal of its Water Use License, currently in the final stages of the permitting process. When issued, it will incorporate the Bermingham deposit as well as renew current authorizations at all other deposits to obtain, use water and deposit treated water from the associated mine water treatment plants, and deposit tailings and waste rock into authorized facilities.

Alexco has also discovered a new zone of silver mineralization, 3.7 kilometres northeast of the Bermingham Deposit, the Inca target, which has returned encouraging results. It is within a favourable structure that has at least 800 metres of untested strike length in rocks known to host most of the silver deposits in the district. More work is required in 2020 to better understand the importance of the Inca discovery.

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Constable Taggart and the Longest Patrol 1929 High Arctic surveillance by dog team and qamutiq

By Season Osborne

The day after Cst. Reginald Taggart was dropped off at the Dundas Harbour detachment, he went walrus hunting. Two of the massive beasts were killed, and one was cut up right there on the ice.

The 23-year-old’s two-year posting was going to be like no other.

T

aggart was six-foot-one with red curly hair, earning him the Inuktitut nickname Muqsaatuq — tight curls. He had joined the RCMP in 1926 and was thrilled to be selected for ‘Northern Service.’

“He very much loved the outdoors. That was where he preferred to be, rather than in an office,” says his daughter Alice Casson.

“I got the feeling being at Dundas was one of the highlights of his life.”

It was August 1928. Four years earlier, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) had built the detachment on the southeast coast of Devon Island at the entrance to Lancaster Sound.

There was no community to police. The only inhabitants of the island — the second largest in the Arctic Archipelago — lived at the post. It was a ‘flagpole’ detachment, established to assert Canadian sovereignty. Two other similar, remote posts had been built on Ellesmere Island at Craig Harbour and Bache Peninsula.

The relief party for the RCMP posts on board SS Beothic en route to Pond Inlet, July 1928. L to R: Cpl. McBride, Dr. Livingstone, Cpl. Timbury, Constables McLean, Taggart, Moore, Ashe, Hamilton, and Beatty. Courtesy of Peter Taggart

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Reginald Taggart in his Mountie serge, 1927.

Courtesy of Peter Taggart

Eleven people were stationed at Dundas: Constables Reg Taggart, Maurice Timbury, Paddy Hamilton, and Insp. Alfred Herbert Joy (officer-in-charge), Kipumi, his wife Ataguttiaq, their two small children, her stepsister Qannguainuk, her mother Makpainnuk, and father Qamaniq. The Inuit families, who had come from the Pond Inlet area, were essential to life at the post. Kipumi and Qamaniq would hunt for fresh meat and accompany the Mounties on their patrols. Ataguttiaq, Qannguainuk, and Makpainnuk would make traditional fur clothing for the men to wear during the colder months.

At 8 a.m. on Sunday, August 12, the men were awakened by a ship’s whistle. The government steamship Beothic had returned from the Ellesmere posts to pick up the two officers who were heading south.

That night Taggart wrote in his diary, “Ship left for Beechy [sic] Island to put down a cache for Inspector Joy’s patrol next spring.”

Joy had previously made several impressive long-distance dogsled patrols with the intrepid Greenlander Nukappiannguaq across the Queen Elizabeth Islands. Nukappiannguaq would travel to Dundas by dog team from the Bache post that winter. In the spring, he and Joy would leave Dundas Harbour on the longest patrol yet.

Taggart embraced life at the High Arctic detachment. He and Kipumi became friends and hunting partners, going out in a boat, or over the sea ice in pursuit of walrus, seals, and belugas.

In October 1928, Kipumi taught the young constable to build a qamutiq (sled) and hitch a team of dogs to it. Taggart was then out as much as possible with his dog sled, exploring the region and checking his traps for hare and fox. Casson said her father had not hunted much in the south, but he was a good marksman and took to hunting once posted to the Arctic.

“Dad liked to hunt,” says his son Peter Taggart. “He would periodically go out hunting while the other RCMP officers would not go outside. They liked to sit inside and play cards and whatever. Dad used to like to get out on the land.”

On January 10, 1929, Taggart and Kipumi loaded supplies on their qamutiq and travelled west to Croker Bay to spend a few days away from the post. Taggart wrote, “Built a snow igloo and stayed the night. Was quite comfortable, though it was new to me to sleep in an igloo. Distance covered forty miles.”

Taggart’s ability to hunt, drive a dog team, and build an igloo made him a good choice for the upcoming spring patrol.

His diary entry of January 22 says, “During the evening, Inspector Joy asked me if I would like to accompany him on his patrol to Melville Island. He said it would take two months to make the round trip. Of course, I was glad of the chance to go.”

It would be a major expedition. Joy, Nukappiannguaq, and Taggart would travel west to Melville Island, then head northeast across the archipelago to the post at Bache Peninsula on eastern Ellesmere Island. Cst. Hamilton and Qamaniq would accompany them the first part of the way, carrying extra supplies.

On March 12, 1929, in cold, bright sunshine, they loaded the qamutiq and hitched up the dog teams. Nukappiannguaq’s sled was loaded with 450 kgs of supplies.

Qamaniq and Taggart’s sleds carried over 225 kgs each. They left at 9:30 a.m. Their progress was slow through the deep snow. They stopped at 8 p.m., ate, built a small igloo, then the five exhausted men crawled inside and slept.

They continued west along the Devon coast. The going was difficult. In places, the shore ice was too narrow, bordered on one side by steep rock faces, on the other by open water. They portaged their loads up 50-metre snowbanks, cutting steps into the snow to help them climb up. At times, the ice was rough; sometimes, it was treacherously thin.

Hamilton and Qamaniq turned back for Dundas Harbour on March 19. Joy, Nukappiannguaq and Taggart continued west, arriving two days later at Beechey Island — famous as the place Franklin’s expedition overwintered and later the base for his search parties. From Beechey, the three crossed Wellington Channel to Cornwallis Island, continuing west over rough ice and through deep snow to Cockburn, Byam

The entire inhabitants of Devon Island,1929.

(Back, L to R): Maurice Timbury, Paddy Hamilton with his arm around Kipumi, Qannguainuk, Anna Ataguttiaq with baby Innutiq in her amauti hood, Makpainnuk, Qamaniq.

(Front): Reg Taggart and Samuel Arnakallak. Reg Taggart took the picture with a string attached to the camera.

Courtesy of Peter Taggart

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Dundas Harbour RCMP detachment, 1928.

Courtesy of Peter Taggart

Martin, and Bathurst islands, reaching Melville Island on April 15. From there, they headed west to Dealy Island, then headed north to Vesey Hamilton Island, up to Lougheed Island, then struck out northeast to cross King Christian, Ellef Ringnes, Cornwall, and Axel Heiberg islands, reaching the west coast of Ellesmere on May 20.

On May 31, the men arrived at the Bache Peninsula detachment.

“This finished the patrol which lasted eighty-one days, covering a distance of approximately eighteen hundred miles,” wrote Taggart.

It had been an arduous trek. They had weathered snowstorms, close encounters with polar bears and suffered snow blindness. Their journey would become one of the most famous RCMP dogsled patrols.

The milder June weather meant the deteriorating ice and snow conditions prevented any return by dogsled back to Devon Island. So, they stayed at the Bache post. When Beothic arrived on August 3, they boarded the vessel. Taggart disembarked at Dundas Harbour three days later. Joy carried on to Ottawa. Taggart’s second year at Dundas Harbour was spent hunting and exploring the region by dogsled in the company of Kipumi and Qamaniq. In August 1930, Taggart returned south, but enjoyed another northern posting at Baker Lake during the Depression. He retired from the RCMP in 1957.

The Dundas Harbour post was closed in September 1933. The RCMP reopened it in 1945, when for five years it was the most northerly post in the Eastern Arctic. It

Famous guide Nukappiannguaq who accompanied Insp. Joy and Cst. Taggart on the 1929 patrol. Courtesy of Peter Taggart

closed permanently in 1951. The wooden clapboard buildings are now dilapidated and boarded up. In August, ships still drop anchor in Dundas Harbour. But tourists, not residents, disembark to wander around the abandoned detachment.

They marvel at the beauty of the location, and the fact that Taggart and a handful of people once lived there.

Season Osborne is the author of In the Shadow of the Pole: An Early History of Arctic Expeditions, 1871–1912. She lives and writes in Ottawa, Ontario.

The abandoned RCMP detachment today—over 90 years after Taggart was stationed there.

It overlooks a small sheltered bay at the base of Talluruti mountain. © Season Osborne

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The petroglyphs are all different, ranging from 2 to 70 cm high. © Heiko Wittenborn / Nunavik Tourism

Qajartalik The most northern rock art site on the continent

By Guillaume Roy

To the watchful eye, the exposed rocks of Nunavik tell the tale of the Nordic people who came across the higher Arctic over the past centuries and millennia. Near Kangiqsujuaq, archeological vestiges show not only Inuit cultural way of life, but also Dorset people carvings on the Qajartalik. The area is so rich that it could be soon recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Cultural Landscape.

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s we ride on a snowmobile going southeast of Kangiqsujuaq, Lucassie Nappaaluk surveys the horizon. The snow still covers most of the landscape, but rocks start peaking out as the April sun melts it away. We are on our way to an archeological journey on the land, going to the Qajartalik site.

Once we reach the Hudson Strait, Lucassie points to a rock ahead, showing a face with definite lips and nose. He then tells a story about a Hudson Bay Company ship that was wrecked in this area near Aivirtuq, back in the 1890s. “Back in the day, Inuit people welcomed these people. After time, problems arrived because of alcohol and a girl and four people died,” he recalls, saying the history inspired the book and the movie, The White Dawn.

Aivirtuq is the name of the Inuit settlement located on the coast, before the onset of the first fur trading post was installed where Kangiqsujuaq is now located. This area is full of such stories, because food has always been plentiful, attracting people in the area, particularly for the bowhead whale and walrus hunt.

“We are lucky here because there is lots of food,” notes Lucassie Nappaaluk, 69 years old, who has never suffered from hunger. Even when the Canadian government decided to kill most of the dogs, in the 1960s, people around Kangiqsujuaq were able to gather and hunt enough food without travelling very long distances, he says.

In 1773, a Moravian missionary came to the area and estimated a population of 300 people, the largest in Ungava Bay. This number is particularly high since Inuit traditionally lived in small groups of 10 to 15 people.

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Inukshuk helped people find good hunting and fishing spots, according to Lucassie Nappaaluk. © Guillaume Roy

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Around 180 faces are carved on the rocks at the Qajartalik site. © Heiko Wittenborn / Nunavik Tourism

The Nordic people’s history dates back much longer because the Dorset people also lived on the Nunavik coast between 2,200 and 1,000 years ago. On Qikertaaluk Island, about 40 km from Kangiqsujuaq, they even made more than 180 carvings of faces on the soapstone. The site is known as Qajartalik, which means “where there is a qajaq (kayak),” because a small bay is a good spot to harbour a qajaq, notes Lucassie.

On this early spring day, large amounts of snow still cover the bay... and the carvings. I had been advised it could happen, but I wanted to try my luck, because the Canadian government added the site on its shortlist to become recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 2018. Lucassie does not know what the carvings mean, but he assumes they must have been important for shamans.

To get to know more about this site, I talked to Robert Fréchette, the Avataq Cultural Institute General Manager, Louis Gagnon, the Museology Department Director and Elsa Cencig, an archeologist.

When you walk around the Qajartalik site during summer, you can visit the most northern rock art site on the continent, where at least 180 petroglyphs can be found, representing stylized faces, all different, from two to 70 cm high, says Louis Gagnon.

Based on cultural comparisons, these carvings have been made by Dorset people, who disappeared about 800 years ago, notes Elsa Cencig. “The carvings are about 1,000 years old, around the end of the Dorset reign. We don’t know if they ever cohabited with Inuit people or if they disappeared because of other issues, like climate change,” she says.

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A fox trap used during the fur trading era to keep the fur away from animals. © Guillaume Roy

One thing is sure, the Qajartalik site is unique because it is the only place in the world where Dorset carvings can be found in such concentration. Only two other sites harbour Dorset petroglyphs, but nowhere near as many as Qajartalik, adds Elsa Cencig.

“These carvings are an example of the Dorset people’s impressive creative genius,” explains Robert Fréchette. “This is an outstanding cultural pole where the Dorset ‘engravers’ expressed themselves on a large surface by carving faces in the rock mass to communicate their vision of the world — a vision likely connected to the Dorset people’s spiritual universe and to Paleoeskimo shaman iconographic representations.”

According to Robert Fréchette, Qajartalik should not only be recognized as a World Heritage Site, but the recognition should encompass the whole area. “This area has been occupied continuously for 4,000 years and we think it should be recognized as a cultural landscape,” he says, since UNESCO defines a cultural landscape as “combined works of nature and humankind, they express a long and intimate relationship between peoples and their natural environment”.

This long-time presence on the land can be witnessed not only with the petroglyph, but also with the vestiges of the Inuit, who have used the territory extensively over the last eight centuries. “The last known Inuit shaman was also buried on Qikertaaluk Island,” adds Fréchette, saying the island was also used as a quarry, because rocks have been removed in some zones, probably to make lamps or kettles.

Even if I could not see the petroglyphs on this visit because of the snow cover, Lucassie Nappaaluk had many other archeological vestiges to show me. We hop on the snowmobile to reach the next island, a place of utmost importance to Inuit because they used to bury their loved ones on islands, he explains, after serving me a cup of tea on the shore.

We start walking on the rocks and he points out a set of stones placed in a circle.

“This is where the family stayed when their loved one died,” he says. The family would cry over their death and stay along the corpse, buried under many rocks, for days before moving on.

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The carvings are about 1,000 years old, around the end of the Dorset reign. © Heiko Wittenborn / Nunavik Tourism

Huge inukshuk also stand on the island, dating from another era, because people used to build them differently, notes Lucassie. “It means it’s a good place for hunting and fishing.”

Walking around the island, he shows other piles of rocks that were used to store food, to keep animals away. On our way, he tells me he has participated in more than 10 international documentaries, talking about Inuit traditions, hunting and fishing practices. Sharing with me his knowledge about the land and the history of his people, I feel deeply privileged to live this experience, as if I am in a live documentary, with one of the most respected elders of the community.

A Geographic Anomaly Even though Qikertaaluk Island is located only 10 km away from Nunavik, it is considered part of Nunavut due to old territorial politics. In 2011, Makivik Corporation, Nunavut authorities and the Federal Government of Canada signed the Nunavik Inuit Land Claims Agreement to solve this geographic anomaly. Even though the islands are still under Nunavut’s jurisdiction, they officially became the property of the Inuit of Nunavik.

At another place, Lucassie shows me a fox fur storage, made of rocks, used during the fur trade era, back in the late 1800s. “It could fit 1,000 foxes,” he says.

According to Robert Fréchette, UNESCO sites have brought economic development everywhere in the world, and there is no reason why Kangiqsujuaq should be different. To protect the site, experts are developing a management plan to avoid damages.

In this treeless territory, the Aivirtuq rocks have a long story to tell. They could become the major tourist attraction in the area, believes Brian Urquhart, Economic Development & Tourism Coordinator of Nunaturlik Landholding Corporation.

With its splendid mountains, the Pingualuit National Park, activities like under the ice mussel harvesting and this archeological hotspot, Kangiqsujuaq has everything to charm tourists.

The Qajartalik site is unique because it is the only place in the world where Dorset carvings can be found in such concentration. © Heiko Wittenborn / Nunavik Tourism JANFEB 2020 | 01

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Hunting guide Ben Kovic takes Art and Dan out searching for Arctic Hare while the Director of Photography finds a precarious viewpoint. © Ramsay Bourquin / Art Napoleon

Moosemeat & Marmalade Journeys to the North Country

By Krystal Wiggins

It’s minus 45 with the windchill as two chefs ride in the back of a qamutiq, an Inuit sled traditionally pulled by dogs. Today it’s pulled by a snowmobile. They are on the frozen sea ice somewhere on Frobisher Bay with the icy winds smacking their faces and churning up the snow all around them. They are bundled up in old sleeping bags but still shivering. The hunting guide, Alex Flaherty, stops the convoy and walks back to the qamutiq before calmly telling the chefs through the cloud of fog on his breath that they must turn back because it’s too dangerous to continue. The visibility is bad. The hunt is abandoned. Neither of the chefs have ever seen, felt, cooked or tasted wild seal meat.

As they pull back into Iqaluit, Nunavut, the storm has subsided revealing a grand red sunset that only locals are familiar with and have stories about. The seal hunt will have to wait until tomorrow — but only if the weather allows. One way or another the chefs will get their hands on the dark rich meat.

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Seal Fried with Salt Pork & Onions • 1 large onion, cut into chunks • small package of salt pork, cut into strips • ½ cup flour • 2 T oil or animal fat • 2 T butter • 1½ cups bone broth or stock 1. The meat: cut up seal into stewsized chunks and dredge generously in a bowl of flour until all chunks are coated. Then add to heated skillet and fry in oil or animal fat.

2. Give the meat a stir. Then add the onions and continue frying and stirring until mixture is evenly browned, scraping bottom of pan to prevent flour from sticking. Add more oil. If the flour absorbs oil, start adding butter for extra flavour.

3. When mixture is fully browned, add stock and cover with lid.

Turn heat down and allow stew to simmer until meat is tender and gravy has thickened (about 40mins).

Bubble & Squeak Side Dish • • • •

¼ head of cabbage 2 cups boiled potatoes 2 T animal fat 3 T powdered moose or ground jerky • salt and pepper

1. Cut cabbage into thin strands and fry in fat in a pre-heated medium-high skillet.

2. When cabbage begins to brown, add cubed boiled potatoes and season with salt and pepper.

3. Continue to fry stirring occasionally until the mixture is browned and caramelized. Remove from heat and sprinkle in powdered moose.

4. Serve hot seal and gravy with the piping hot Cree-style Bubble & Squeak.

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Seal meat with potatoes and onion. © Art Napoleon

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eet Art Napoleon and Dan Hayes, hosts of the popular Aboriginal Peoples Television Network’s (APTN) food show Moosemeat & Marmalade, a documentary series which features chefs from two entirely different walks of life. Napoleon (Moosemeat) is a bush man from the Rez and Hayes (Marmalade), a classically trained chef from London, England. Together they travel across Canada and abroad visiting new territories and seeking to hunt, fish, forage, trade or source local foods and share the bounty. From urban and remote Indigenous communities in Canada to Europe and beyond, this unlikely duo has logged countless miles over the last five years bringing mayhem into kitchens with their edgy, but good-natured banter and memorable adventures with locals.

Fall 2020 will mark the premiere of the show’s fifth season on APTN. “M&M,” as it’s affectionately called by the cast and crew, is the small budget Canadian filmed and produced show that never quits. It is one of the top shows on APTN and broadcast in three languages, reaching millions of households in countries including the U.S., France, Monaco, Bulgaria, New Zealand and parts of Russia. With four years of filming and travels behind them, the co-hosts draw a crowd wherever they go. They are routinely recognized by fans of the show and have become accustomed to signing autographs and posing for selfies wherever work and life happen to take them. What’s impressive is that both chefs remain unfazed by it and are simply grateful to have a global fan base that allows them to keep creating this show year after year.

“I am proud that many people find the show to be not just humorous but educational when it comes to Indigenous foods, cooking styles, hunting methods, preserving methods and many other aspects of culture,” says Art. “Some teachers are even using the show in their classrooms as an education tool, so viewers of all ages get to watch and benefit from this incredibly diverse and entertaining show.”

Art (right) pictured with Solomon Awa, igloo builder. © Ramsay Bourquin / Art Napoleon

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Birch Seared Arctic Char • • • • • • • •

Serves: 2 2 Arctic Char fillets 2 T soy sauce 2 t birch syrup ½ t toasted sesame oil Coarse ground salt and pepper to taste 1-2 T wild game or animal fat, or as needed 1 T butter 1 clove garlic (crushed or minced)

1. Add animal fat to preheated skillet on medium-high heat. Add scaled fish fillets (or deskinned if you prefer), skin side down to the skillet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and allow to fry until bottom edges start to caramelize. Add butter or more oil as needed.

2. Mix soy sauce, birch syrup, sesame oil, and garlic in a small bowl. Pour mixture over the fish and swirl pan to distribute the sauce.

3. Cover with lid and allow the fish to cook in steam and sauce until both fillets are cooked through.

(Approximately 4 mins total.) Do not overcook! If you like both sides of your fillets browned, flip them over before you add the sauce, being careful to keep them intact.

4. Serve hot with your favourite steamed rice recipe.

Drizzle sauce from pan over the fillets.

Chef’s notes: Birch syrup can be purchased from any specialty store or online.

Arctic char. © Ian Crawford

Travelling is a key part of this show, with each multi-faceted episode filmed over a three-day period. No two episodes are the same and can involve anything from hunting, fishing, foraging or sourcing local foods, to delving into a cultural topic from the territory or community they visit.

“When we travel to a new place, the first thing we look for is an authentic story to tell,” says Dan. “If that community has something they want to talk about that defines them in some way, it’s our job to give them the space to tell their story.”

Travelling to remote communities to film requires a relationship building process and reciprocity. This can be difficult to achieve over great distances and very little time but the crew of Mooswa Films strives for this kind of partnership building. As a result, the show’s unparalleled commitment to quality and authentic representation plays a large part in the show’s popularity year after year.

The last two seasons of the show have allowed the cast and crew to travel to Canada’s North, where they were welcomed with open arms. Travelling to remote communities in the North helped the duo develop a true appreciation for the lifestyle, including the high cost of living, and the hardiness of Inuit hunters and fishers working in extreme weather conditions.

As Dan recalls, “The guides would wear thin gloves and have no facial protection in minus 40 plus windchill while Art and I were curled up in fetal position covered from head to toe in a qamutiq [sled].”

Art, who is no slouch when it comes to rustic bush life even admits, “They are tough as nails and the hunters risk their lives a little each time they head out on the frozen landscape just to be able to bring home some meat. I hope that our show did some justice to this reality and that our viewers recognize this resilience that enabled them to survive in the Arctic for thousands of years.”

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Pangnirtung Elder Joavee Alivaktuk and David Poisey take the M&M team to film the deep-sea winter netting of Greenland turbot, also referred to locally as “halibut”. © Ramsay Bourquin / Art Napoleon

Betsina to learn about the impacts of the Giant Mine, and smoked whitefish with the late Elder Muriel Betsina who gave them a taste of their own medicine with a brand of teasing that only Elders can get away with. The co-hosts even had the chance to cook and serve their creations for locals at the infamous Bullock’s Bistro.

In season four, the show travelled to Nunavut where the hosts fished for turbot and char in Pangnirtung before moving on to Iqaluit, where they hunted for Arctic hare, ptarmigan and seal. The duo were familiar with the anti-sealing movement and plight of the Inuit to bring attention to the unfair criticisms and uneducated judgments from around the world before arriving, and the two felt strongly that filming a seal hunt from beginning to end was one small way they could help shed light on the misinformation out there.

Avid fans of the show will tell you that Art and Dan don’t agree on most things — quick jabs and insults are a cornerstone of their friendship — but one thing they both have a deep respect for are the people who still practice land-based livelihoods and those who’ve touched their lives along the way. Their travels in the North have allowed them to develop valued relationships and experiences with people including Pangnirtung Elder Joavee Alivaktuk on a sled convoy up to an alpine lake for fresh Arctic char, building an igloo with perennial Toonik Tyme Festival champion, Solomon Awa, and meeting the Laughing Chef Rebecca Veevee who shared some seal cooking tips. They also learned the many uses of seal from Elder Sheepa Ishulutak who speaks only Inuktitut and grew up living in igloos during the winter and tents every summer, and met with Iqaluit TV producer, Sylvia Cloutier, who taught them how to make aluk, the Inuit treat made from whipped animal fat and berries.

“We loved meeting the Elders and hearing their stories about the land,” says Dan. “It’s such an honour to have gotten the chance to spend time with them, especially those who have passed on to the spirit world since we met them. They are a link to the past and keepers of the old ways that more young people are now craving.”

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Art and Dan with the late Elder Muriel Betsina of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation. © Ramsay Bourquin / Art Napoleon

When the two friends happen upon spare time without the constraints of their day jobs or a production schedule (Dan runs a Victoria, British Columbia-based culinary school, London Chef, that also offers high-end catering and Art co-produces the show and serves as President of Mooswa Films Inc.), they enjoy catching up over a hunting or fishing trip together. As the show has evolved over the years, so have the hosts, with Dan becoming more rustic in his approach, while Art has become a lot more organized and methodical in the kitchen. Make no mistake though — he still prefers greasy spoons, hideaway food joints and moose ribs cooked on an open fire over fine dining any day!

Season five will see Art and Dan adventure to picturesque places including Haida Gwaii, Montreal, Kahnawake, Ireland and Wales. Check your local listings and tune in this fall for the season five premiere on APTN. In Canada, you can catch up on seasons one to four on www.aptn.ca. For additional recipes including the country foods featured in past Nunavut episodes, visit the ‘Recipe’ section of moosemeatandmarmalade.com.

Krystal Wiggins is Moosemeat & Marmalade Publicist for The Social Agency.

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PROFILE Alysa McCall braves the cold climate of the Great Canadian North. © KT Miller

Alysa McCall’s Polar bear and Arctic conservation efforts earn award

By Emily Leak

With a passion for polar bears and Arctic conservation, Yellowknife local Alysa McCall is on a mission to protect these majestic animals and the sea ice they call home for future generations. She has been studying Canadian polar bears for nearly nine years and focuses on the Hudson Bay polar bear population and their natural habitat in northern Canada. In 2019, McCall’s work supporting research, science education and empowering students to take action on climate change received recognition in a global sustainability competition by Contiki, a millennial travel company, naming her as one of its 35 Under 35 Changemakers.

This global award highlights 35 young individuals from around the world creating positive change in the areas of people, the planet and wildlife, aligned with the Contiki Cares ethos of making travel matter, powered by the TreadRight Foundation. McCall was the only nominee from Yellowknife and northern Canada, which goes to show how impactful her local work is on a global scale.

Originally from Kamloops, British Columbia, McCall completed her B.Sc. (Hon.) in Animal Polar Bear and Cubs in Churchill, Manitoba. © B. Dougherty

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PROFILE

Biology from Thompson Rivers University and furthered her research by obtaining an M.Sc. in Ecology from the University of Alberta. From there, she’s turned her passion into a career, and is currently the director of conservation outreach and a staff scientist at Polar Bears International (PBI), the world’s leading resource for information on polar bears and their Arctic habitat. Her job is multifaceted, ranging from data analysis to providing conservation education, to fieldwork, which brings her into direct contact with these intriguing animals.

No stranger to Northern Canada, she’s based out of Yellowknife, though spends every fall and part of every summer in Churchill, Manitoba, otherwise known as the polar bear capital of the world. She’s also spent multiple fall and spring seasons between Churchill and the Tuktoyaktuk Hamlet of the Northwest Territories and has been heavily involved in the collaring and tracking of Western Hudson Bay polar bears, the primary subject of her research.

The polar bears’ preferred habitat is sea ice, which they rely on for survival as they need it for hunting their main source of food: seals.

Seal blubber is high in fat and is necessary for polar bears’ long-term survival, as it’s needed for them to sustain energy for breeding and hunting, which often requires walking and/ or swimming — there’s not much else that compares to the calorically-dense food. They also rely on sea ice for travelling, and as it’s rapidly melting at an estimated rate of 12.8 per cent per decade, according to Polar Bears International, the polar bears are forced to walk and swim further distances to find food.

Conservation and Education Efforts

As one of the few people in the world who comes face to face with these creatures on a regular basis, McCall’s passion extends beyond researching the fascinating bears of the North, into sharing her expertise and educating the wider public on tangible ways they can make a difference in conservation efforts for both polar bears and their natural habitats. Each fall, during the gathering of the polar bears in Churchill, McCall runs Polar Bear International’s ‘Tundra Connections’ program with weekly live — and free — broadcasts, including webcasts and live chats from the tundra. Featuring various leading scientists and educators as special guest panelists, each week highlights a different theme, ranging from polar bears to Arctic wildlife and Arctic communities to sea ice.

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McCall monitors equipment for PBI’s live polar bear broadcast. © Andrew Derocher

into the expertise of the panelists. The program is geared towards a general audience, though special broadcasts are planned for educating elementary school students, businesses or university students.

To further research and conservation efforts in the polar bear capital of the world, PBI has announced the opening of a polar bear centre on the main street of Churchill. PBI staff spend every fall there, as McCall has over the last several years, and the new space will serve dual purposes as a headquarters to the PBI team with lodging and workspace, but also as a resource for the general public. The PBI house will provide the opportunity to connect the Churchill community and guests to visiting experts and allow them to learn more about the important research being conducted.

According to McCall, the best way to help these creatures is to reduce energy consumption,

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reduce waste and act sustainably to lessen environmental impacts contributing to climate change. The sea ice is disappearing at an alarming rate as a result of human actions which have led to warming temperatures in the Arctic, which could eventually have catastrophic outcomes for our furry friends in the North. Starting at home, one of the simplest ways to cut energy consumption is choosing to commute more sustainably, opting for public transportation or biking to work. Reducing waste is also as simple as opting for reusable products and materials and avoiding unnecessary single-use plastics.

McCall continues to share her message and emphasizes it’s not too late to make a difference, but the only way to reverse climate change and sea ice loss is to take individual action and engage the global community to work together to preserve the world as we know it, the Arctic sea ice and the precious polar bears who call it home.

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C U LT U R E

Sun dogs, Taloyoak.

Ice and sky Like-no-other landscape

By Nick Newbery

Ice splinters.

The most striking and powerful thing about the North is the immensity of the landscape which seems to go on forever, with the tundra and the water sometimes indistinguishable in wintertime. Wind, cold, ice, pressure ridges, icebergs, drifts and snow dominate everything for much of the Arctic year, reminding everyone of their insignificance and their low rank in such an immense world.

Inuit have come to know how to live in such a climate and how to enjoy what it has to offer. The land is both the deadliest of environments as well as the provider of life, food, beauty and peacefulness.

Ice and snow are brothers in a like-no-other landscape. They are accompanied by their sister world in the sky, which has its own singular northern identity, represented by sun dogs, unique sun mirages, sudden rainbows, 24-hour periods of day or night and a unique variation of the constellation of the stars. No wonder Inuit shamans believed spirits were to be found in virtually every aspect of the northern world.

Nick Newbery taught in several communities in Nunavut from 1976-2005.

The photos in this article are from Nick’s Arctic photo collection which can be found at www.newberyphotoarchives.ca and should be viewed from a historical perspective.

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C U LT U R E Top left: The old man’s face iceberg, Qikiqtarjuaq.

Middle left: Rainbow over the Pangnirtung fiord.

Top right: The ice cream cone iceberg, Qikiqtarjuaq. © Nick Newbery/Government of Nunavut (6)

An emerald green iceberg, Ellesmere Island.

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Jessie Oonark, shown in Baker Lake. Prints 1983‒84. © Canadian Arctic Producers

Art, Gods, and ATVs Baker Lake’s Jessie Oonark

By Richard D. Mohr To get there this citified boy would have to learn how to control an All-Terrain Vehicle.

There is the gravesite of Jessie Oonark (O.C., 1906‒1985), Baker Lake’s most famous artist.

The art I like best comes from Baker Lake, so, in August 2018, I visited the hamlet for a week to meet with its artists, get some sense of their day-to-day lives — and make a pilgrimage to Oonark’s resting place out on the land. And what land it is.

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Here the land is not just a patch of earth extending indeterminately outward. Rather it is granite and ground. The land is water and the possibility of life. The land is willow and lichens and berries, collectively the start of the local food chain. Still more, the land is the outside, the sky, the weather, breath, the spirit of spirit.

It is awareness, discernment, life itself, in short, the lost Inuit divinity Sila. ◆◆◆

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In his 1975 Baker Lake memoir Shadows, Armand Tagoona (1926‒1991), an artist and the first Inuk to be ordained an Anglican minister, recounts that “Inuit used to believe that there is a silaup inua, or ‘man of the air,’ who controls everything and watches the Inuit.”

In 1922, the shaman Kinalik introduced Knud Rasmussen to Sila at Baker Lake: “On this clean and untrodden place, I was to exhibit myself to Sila, stand silent and humble with

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The Jessie Oonark Centre, founded 1992, is a combination gift shop, art gallery, and makers space. The Centre is a division of the Nunavut Development Corporation, which reports to the Government of Nunavut. © Richard D. Mohr

downcast eyes and merely desire that the sky, the weather, and all the forces of nature should take notice and have pity on me.”

In 2007, the Nunavut Department of Education, though without naming Sila, incorporated this expanded understanding of “the land” into its model curriculum as a fundamental Inuit value (Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit: Education Framework for Nunavut Curriculum, p. 24). ◆◆◆ In Baker Lake, ATVs outnumber cars by four or five to one. As is common across Nunavut,

all ATVs here are referred to as Hondas, whatever their brand or make.

They are the basic way of getting around town and out on the land. For Inuit, driving Hondas is like breathing. Eight-year-olds whiz by on four-wheelers going 60 kmph. Locals were puzzled that I did not own a Honda and flabbergasted that I had never ridden on one.

The last three kilometres up to Oonark’s grave are a scree of red granite boulders. My excellent guide, David Ford, the general manager of the Jessie Oonark Centre, thought

a three-minute lesson on my designated rock mobile, dodgy brake included, was sufficient for the ascent.

And so, with a thousand what-ifs shoved out of mind, off I go — bounce, bounce, bounce, jolt, buffet, jolt.

We reach the top just as dusk begins to hover.

A shank of sunset reddens the heavens and extracts deep reds from the granite expanses.

Mats of autumn-tinged Alpine bearberry and Arctic willow, irradiated into a carmine haze, stretch towards an infinitely remote horizon.

An untitled Jessie Oonark wall-hanging from around 1978 displayed in Baker Lake’s Inuit Heritage Centre. For years, it hung in the mayor’s office and is somewhat sun-faded. The exquisite infilled stitchery of the central column is rare, especially for a relatively late piece. Oonark is also known for her prints and drawings.© Richard D. Mohr

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The land is water and the possibility of life.© Richard D. Mohr

The air glows, vibrates, and breathes red, becomes life incandescent. My metal bronco has transported me to sacred space. ◆◆◆ The arc of Oonark’s extraordinary life perhaps offers a model for navigating the shoals of contemporary hybrid Northern culture.

On March 31, 1958, within a few calories of death by starvation, Oonark was collected from the land and brought into Baker Lake by Mounties who had flown out to try to locate her iglu when her son William Noah (b. 1943), himself driven by starvation toward Baker Lake, reported her dire straits to authorities.

She took whatever work she could find. She was part of the Utkuhikhalingmiut, who, among the nine Inuit groups that consolidated into Jessie Oonark’s grave points its visitors to the land, the sky, the light, the outside, awareness, discernment, the spirit of spirit, life itself — Sila. © Richard D. Mohr

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Baker Lake during the starvation times of the late 1950s, had had the least contact with whites and who were looked down upon by the rest.

So, between this social impediment and the late date of her arrival, only lousy jobs were available to her. She cleaned skins for the Hudson Bay Company and was a scullery maid at the Anglican Church.

Soon enough, though, whites were handing her paper and pencils. Late in 1959, she drew four groups of Inuit women on a single sheet that was sent to Cape Dorset, where two appeared in the celebrated 1960 Cape Dorset Print Collection.

So, in just two years, she turned from death’s door and belittlement to national celebrity. ◆◆◆ Oonark was a devout Anglican, according to the Baker Lake art-advisor Jack Butler, “certainly the most devout Anglican in Baker Lake.” Though her father had been active as a shaman, she witnessed for the Lord at the age of 21 in 1927 and was formally baptized in 1943. She produced only a smattering of explicitly religious works, but they span the length of her artistic career, culminating in 1984 with the Good Fridaythemed print “Giver of Life,” the artist’s proof of which she sent to the Pope when he was in Ottawa, Ontario, that September.

The devout Anglican goes rogue. And then when she dies in February of the next year, she has herself buried not in Baker Lake’s gorgeous Anglican Cemetery, but all by herself atop the only hill anywhere around.

The grave orients her facing due East with her sightlines skirting the village. This positioning, in turn, entails that visitors to the grave are oriented toward the land, the sky, the light, the air, the weather, awareness, discernment, the spirit of spirit, life itself — Sila.

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BOOKSHELF

Hunters on the Track William Penny and the Search for Franklin W. Gillies Ross McGill-Queen’s University Press July 2019

Hunters on the Track describes and analyzes the efforts made by Scottish whaling master William Penny to locate Franklin’s missing expedition. Author W. Gillies Ross provides an in-depth history of the first Franklin searches — eight ships involved with four search expeditions. Reconstructing events, relationships, and decisions, using private journals from each of the expeditions, Ross focuses on the work of Penny as commander of HMS Lady Franklin and Sophia, while outlining events of other expeditions and the interactions among the officers and crews.

Nuptse & Lhotse in the Land of the Midnight Sun

Taaqtumi An Anthology of Arctic Horror Stories Various authors Inhabit Media September 2019

Taaqtumi is an Inuktitut word that means “in the dark”—and these spine-tingling horror stories by Northern writers show just how dangerous darkness can be. A family clinging to survival out on the tundra after a vicious zombie virus. A door that beckons, waiting to unleash the terror behind it. A post-apocalyptic community in the far North where things aren’t quite what they seem. These tales from awardwinning authors Richard Van Camp, Rachel and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley, Aviaq Johnston, and others will thrill and entertain even the most seasoned horror fan.

Jocey Asnong Rocky Mountain Books October 2019

With imaginative text and colourful artwork, Nuptse and Lhotse’s latest adventure showcases the history, culture, and environment of the Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut. Nuptse and Lhotse are excited when they find an unusual snow globe that can change the weather. With the help of Roald, a Polar Explorer Fox, they set off together on an adventure to Canada’s Arctic on a quest to find the great treasure of the North. As they make their way from the Chilkoot Trail to the North Pole through all the four seasons, the cats pan for gold, ride a caribou across the tundra from the boreal forest to the Arctic Ocean, and sail among ice floes in the Northwest Passage with the help of an Inuit hunter.

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Arctic Trivia Quiz

TRIVIA

BY ALAN G. LUKE

Fabulous freshwater lakes and myriad majestic mountains dot the Canadian Arctic region. Test your knowledge of the resplendent northern scenery and natural vistas that are home to a rich tapestry of culture and history with these trivia questions.

1. Mount Logan is Canada’s highest mountain at an elevation of 5,959 m (19,551 ft). It is located within which one of our National Parks. a) Sirmilik National Park (NU) b) Aulavik National Park (NT) c) Kluane National Park (YT) d) Wapsuk National Park (MB)

2. What is the largest lake entirely within Canada; the fourth largest in North America and the seventh largest in the world? a) Big Cedar Lake b) Big Quill Lake c) Great Slave Lake d) Great Bear Lake

3. Nunavut’s largest lake is listed in Canada’s top 10. What is the name of this 14,354 sq. km. (5,542 sq. mi.) lake? a) Nettilling c) Nonacho b) Nipigon d) Nipissing 4. Match the annual Arctic festival to the city / town hosting it: a) Toonik Tyme Festival b) Cabin Fever Music Festival c} Adaka Cultural Festival d) Thaw di Gras Spring Carnival e) Beluga Jamboree A) Tuktoyaktuk, NT B) Dawson City, YT C) Whitehorse, YT D) Inuvik, NT E) Iqaluit, NU

5. Actually a series of sand dunes created by glaciation, this one square mile area is often recognized as the world’s smallest “desert,” located outside of which Arctic town? a) Champagne, YT b) Carcross, YT c) Cape Dorset, NU d) Colville Lake, NT

Yukon landscape with Mt. Logan inset. © Jacquie Durand

6. Churchill, Manitoba, is recognized as the “Polar Bear Capital of the World”. These “Lords of the Arctic” may be viewed during a tundra buggy excursion along the south western Hudson Bay. What is the most acute sense of this apex predator? a) Smell b) Hearing c) Sight d) Taste

7. Churchill and its environs are home to more than 60 per cent of the world’s 20,000-plus polar bear population. The Royal Canadian Mint has depicted the polar bear on various coin denominations over the years. In what year did this apex predator first appear on the “toonie” ($2 coin)? a) 1996 b) 2000 c) 2004 d) 2009

8. In Dawson City, Yukon, there is a “writers block” in the northern section of town.

Which one of the following prolific Canadian writers did not reside on this corner? a) Pierre Berton b) Jack London c) Robert Service d) Stephen Leacock

9. Constructed during World War II, the Alaskan Highway (aka ALCAN Hwy) stretches 2,232 km. Dawson Creek is the southern terminus; what is the northern terminus of this famous route? a) Juneau b) Fairbanks c) Delta Junction d) Haines Junction

10. Eldorado Creek was previously named Bonanza Creek when the “Discovery Claim” initiated the Klondike Gold Rush in 1896.

Before this, the tributary of the Klondike River was named after what animal at the time of the prospectors’ find? a) Badger Creek b) Rabbit Creek c) Beaver Creek d) Deer Creek Discovery Claim sign. © Alan Luke

Polar Bear sniffs out a friendly face. © Alan Luke

ANSWERS: 1. c) Kluane National Park (YT) 2. d) Great Bear Lake (NT) 3. a) Nettilling 4. a) E; b) D; c) C; d) B; e) A 5. b) Carcross, YT (formerly Caribou Crossing) 6. a) Smell 7. a) 1996 8. d) Stephen Leacock 9. c) Delta Junction 10.b) Rabbit Creek

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Pub at 1016 Mile marker of Alaska Highway. © Alan Luke

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INUIT FORUM

© Letia Obed

The stories we want all Canadians to know There is a billboard on Sparks Street in Ottawa, Ontario, not far from Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami’s office. It is promoting an exhibit at a national museum.

The ad features the image of a couple looking at Inuit artifacts held within a glass showcase.

There is also a mannequin of an Inuit man in traditional sealskin attire. The ad says, “Welcome to your history.”

A display of our culture on a busy street in a major city should be a source of joy. Instead, it feels like a punch to the gut — for all the work Inuit have done to assert ourselves in this country, there remains a perception by some Canadians that Inuit culture is not alive today, and that we exist primarily in anthropological texts, black and white photos and artifacts in history museums.

It illustrates how far we still must go before we overturn stereotypes and the colonialist mindset that guides those views, and truly be respected as a modern Indigenous people rooted in tradition, and full participants in Canadian society.

It is with this in mind that Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami developed Inuit Nunangat Taimannganit, a living history project that tells the story of our homeland from time immemorial. Through a series of short films, we celebrate who Inuit are today and our foundational connection to our homeland.

In these films we meet Mary Kudlak, an Inuvialuit Elder who lives in Ulukhaktok in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. She takes us by all-terrain vehicle to Okpilik, a lake just outside the community where she has gone ice fishing all her life. Mary tells us about her hope that future generations will continue to hunt and fish and make a living from the land.

In Tasialuk, near Kuujjuaq, Nunavik, we meet Charlie Watt Jr. and his young son, Mark, who teach us about dog sledding. “When I grow up,”

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Mark Watt and his father’s dog team near Tasialuk, outside Kuujjuaq, Nunavik. “When I grow up, I will run my own dog team, hunt and trap, and I will teach my children all that I’ve learned growing up.” © Taqramiut Nipingat Inc.

Mark says, “I will run my own dog team, hunt and trap, and I will teach my children all that I’ve learned growing up.”

Esa Qillaq and Raygee Palituq go seal hunting at a breathing hole in Pinguarjuit near Clyde River, Nunavut. Esa tells us the place is where Inuit in the area have always come to hunt seals. “My forefathers, our grandfathers, used to hunt here all the time. We hunt seals because we’re still able to catch seals here.”

Gregory Flowers shows us his solar powered cabin and lumber mill at Oojituk Bay, more than 60 kilometres from Hopedale, Nunatsiavut. He hunts ducks and geese and pulls fish from the ice in his backyard.

This collection of stories is a living legacy of who we are as a people and the richness of our land. These are the stories we want all Canadians to know.

In Ottawa, Inuit Nunangat Taimannganit is the central showpiece of an exhibit within

a space dedicated to the use of Inuit, First Nations and Metis, located directly across from Parliament Hill. We expect it to open to the public soon, and people walking past that museum billboard on Sparks street claiming that Canada owns Inuit history will also have an opportunity to see our story of self-determination in the present and our future, and what it means to be an Inuk in Canada today.

You can see a selection from the video collection too. By 2021, we will have completed 150 individual stories, each one a living testament to the things that make us unique and that bind us together as a people.

Visit us online at www.itk.ca/taimannganit to see the collection and learn more about how we are working to change our own narrative and defining what it means to be Inuit.

Natan Obed

President, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami

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