Above & Beyond | Canada's Arctic Journal 2018 | 02

2018 | 02 • $5.95

A Bird the Colour of Winter From delicacy to cultural icon

The Wild Beauty of Eclipse Sound

PM40050872

o www.arcticjournal.ca

NorthWords Winner: Water Flows North

NorthWords Runner-up: My Sweat Lodge Prayers

Brock Friesen XÇ4 K‰n8

Dear Guest, First Air is privileged to be the largest air service provider in the Arctic. We are always looking for ways to contribute to the betterment of this land and its people. With that in mind, I would like to shine a light on one particular organization we have had the pleasure of supporting since their inception, “The Arctic Inspiration Prize”.

The Arctic Inspiration Prize, which was co-founded by Sima Sharifi and Arnold Witzig “is aimed at recognizing excellence and encouraging teamwork among diverse groups in order to use or expand Arctic Knowledge and bring it to action for the decisive benefit of the Canadian Arctic, its inhabitants and therefore all of Canada.”

Up to 10 prizes totaling $3 million are awarded annually through the Arctic Inspiration Prize. The prizes are allocated under the following priority areas: Education, Human Health, Socio-Cultural Issues, Environment and Economy.

I take tremendous pride in supporting such an amazing foundation from the outset four years ago. The prizes already have a track record of contributing to the betterment of northerners. I would like to share my heartfelt gratitude to Sima and Arnold and all those who have contributed to making the Arctic Inspiration Prize a reality.

I’d also like to mention some exciting recent developments at First Air. Firstly, we’ve recently introduced new lower base prices on the Inuvik-Yellowknife-Edmonton route. Inuvik is a market that is growing rapidly and we are happy to support this growth by making travel to and from Inuvik more accessible. We maintain a daily non-stop schedule between Inuvik and Yellowknife with connecting travel to Edmonton. We operate this route using our quiet ATR42-500 featuring generous leg room and outstanding inflight service.

Secondly, I’d like to welcome a new partner. Beau’s Brewery has been selected as our new beverage partner for our inflight service. Beau’s is a Canadian company located in Vankleek Hill, Ontario. It is our pleasure to offer a premium craft option to our customers. With Beau’s growing fan base, we are sure it will be a great success.

Thank you for choosing First Air for your flight today, I hope we were able to make your journey a great one and we look forward to seeing you on board again soon.

Brock Friesen First Air President & CEO

ᑐᕌᖅᑐᑦ ᐃᑭᒪᔪᓄᑦ,

ᕘᔅᑦ ᐃᐅ ᐊᖏᓛᖑᔪᓐᓇᖅᑎᑕᔪᖅ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᓕᕆᔨᓂᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᑕᖅᑐᒥᑦ. ᕿᓃᓐᓇᖃᑦᑕᖅᑐᒍᑦ ᐱᐅᓯᒃᑲᓐᓂᕈᑎᔅᓴᓂᑦ ᓄᓇᒧᑦ ᐃᓄᖏᓐᓄᓪᓗ. ᑕᒪᓐᓇ ᐃᓱᒪᒋᓪᓗᒍ, ᑕᑯᔅᓴᐅᑎᑦᑎᔪᒪᔪᖓ ᐊᑕᐅᓯᕐᒥᑦ ᑲᑐᔾᔨᖃᑎᒌᖑᔪᒥᑦ ᖁᕕᐊᒌᓐᓇᖅᑕᕗᑦ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᓱᖃᑦᑕᖅᑐᒋᑦ ᓴᖅᑭᖅᑎᑕᐅᔪᒻᒪᓂᑦ, “ᐅᑭᐅᑕᖅᑐᒥᑦ ᐱᔾᔪᓯᐊᖅ”.

“ᐅᑭᐅᑕᖅᑐᒥᑦ ᐱᔾᔪᓯᐊᖅ, ᓴᖅᑭᖅᑎᑕᐅᓚᐅᖅᑐᑦ ᓰᒪ ᓵᕇᐱ ᐊᒻᒪ ᐋᕐᓄᑦ ᕗᐃᑦᔩᒡ “ ᑐᕌᖓᔪᖅ ᐃᓕᓴᖅᓯᓂᕐᒥᑦ ᐃᓄᓐᓂᑦ ᐃᓕᖅᑯᓯᖃᑎᒌᖏᑦᑐᓂᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᖃᑎᒌᑦᑎᑦᑎᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐊᑐᖅᑕᐅᔪᓐᓇᕐᓂᖓᓄᑦ ᐊᖏᓪᓕᒋᐊᕐᓗᒍᓘᓐᓃᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᑕᖅᑐᒥᑦ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᓂᐅᔪᑦ ᐊᒻᒪ ᐱᓕᕆᔭᐅᓕᕐᓗᓂ ᐃᑲᔫᑎᐅᔪᖅ ᑲᓇᑕᒥ ᐅᑭᐅᑕᖅᑐᒥᑦ, ᓇᔪᖅᓯᔪᓄᑦ ᐊᒻᒪ ᑕᐃᒪᐃᓐᓂᖓᓄᑦ ᑲᓇᑕᓕᒫᖅ.”

ᖁᓕᓄᑦ ᑎᑭᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐱᔾᔪᓯᐊᔅᓴᐃᑦ ᑲᑎᑦᑐᒋᑦ $3 ᒥᓕᐊᓐ ᑐᓂᔭᐅᖃᑦᑕᖅᑐᑦ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᑕᒫᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᑕᖅᑐᒧᑦ ᐱᔾᔪᓯᐊᑎᒍᑦ. ᐱᔾᔪᓯᐊᔅᓴᐅᔪᑦ ᐃᓕᓯᒪᔭᐅᔪᑦ ᓯᕗᓪᓕᐅᔾᔭᐅᔭᕆᐊᓕᓐᓄᑦ: ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕐᓂᓕᕆᓂᖅ, ᐋᓐᓂᐊᖃᕐᓇᖏᑦᑐᓕᕆᓂᖅ, ᐃᓅᖃᑎᒌᓐᓂᕐᒧᑦ, ᐊᕙᑎᓕᕆᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐊᒻᒪ ᑮᓇᐅᔭᓕᕆᓂᕐᒧᑦ. ᐅᐱᒍᓱᑦᑎᐊᖅᑐᖓ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᓱᕈᓐᓇᕆᐊᔅᓴᖅ ᑕᐃᒪᐃᑦᑐᒥᑦ ᑎᒥᐅᔪᒥᑦ ᐋᖅᑭᑦᑕᐅᔪᒻᒪᓂᓂᑦ ᑎᓴᒪᓂᑦ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᓂᑦ. ᐱᔾᔪᓯᐊᖑᔪᑦ ᓇᓗᓇᐃᖅᓯᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐱᐅᓯᑎᑦᑎᒋᐊᕐᓂᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᑕᖅᑐᒥᐅᑕᓄᑦ. ᐅᐱᒍᓱᖃᑎᖃᕈᒪᔪᖓ ᓰᒪᒧᑦ ᐊᒻᒪ ᐋᕐᓄᑦ ᐊᒻᒪ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᓯᒪᔪᓕᒫᑦ ᐱᓪᓚᕆᕈᖅᑎ ᑕᐅᔪᓐᓇᕐᓂᖓᓄᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᑕᖅᑐᒥᑦ ᐱᔾᔪᓯᐊᖅ. ᐅᖃᐅᓯᕆᔪᒪᒻᒥᔭᒃᑲᑦᑕᐅᖅ ᑐᓴᕈᒥᓇᖅᑐᑦ ᐱᕙᓪᓕᐊᓂᐅᕋᑖᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᕘᔅᑦ ᐃᐅᑯᓐᓂᑦ.

ᓯᕗᓪᓕᖅᐹᒥᑦ, ᓴᖅᑭᑎᑦᑎᕋᑖᓚᐅᖅᑐᒍ ᐊᑭᑭᓐᓂᖅᓴᓂᑦ ᐃᓅᕕᒃ−ᔨᐊᓗᓇᐃ−ᐃᐊᑦᒪᑕᓐ ᖃᖓᑕᕕᐅᕙᑦᑐᓄᑦ. ᐃᓅᕕᒃ ᐱᕈᖅᐸᓪᓕᐊᔪᖅ ᓂᐅᕐᕈᑎᖃᕐᓂᖓ ᐊᒻᒪ ᖁᕕᐊᓱᑦᑐᒍᑦ ᐃᑲᔪᕈᓐᓇᕋᑦᑎᒍ ᐱᕈᖅᐸᓪᓕᐊᓂᐅᔪᖅ. ᖃᐅᑕᒫᑦ ᑐᕌᑦᑕᐅᑎᒋᕙᑦᑐᑦ ᐃᐊᑦᒪᑕᓐᒨᐸᓪᓕᐊᔪᓄᑦ ᐃᓅᕕᒃᑯᑎᒍᑦ ᐊᒻᒪ ᔨᐊᓗᓇᐃ. ᐊᑐᖃᑦᑕᖅᑕᕗᑦ ᓂᐱᖅᑯᑐᓗᐊᖏᑦᑐᖅ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᖅ ATR42-500, ᓂᐅᓐᓄᑦ ᐃᓂᖃᑦᑎᐊᖅᑐᓂ ᐱᔨᑦᑎᑕᐅᑦᑎᐊᖅᑐᓂᓗ.

ᐊᐃᑉᐸᖓᓕ, ᑐᓐᖓᓱᑦᑎᒍᒪᔭᒃᑲ ᓄᑖᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᖃᑎᒋᓂᐊᖅᑕᕗᑦ. Beau’s Brewery ᓂᕈᐊᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᓂᑦ ᐃᒥᕋᔅᓴᖃᖅᑎᑦᑎᓗᑎ ᐅᕙᑦᑎᓐᓄᑦ. Beau’s ᑲᓇᑕᒥᐅᑕᐅᔪᑦ ᕚᓐᒃᓖᒃ ᕼᐃᐅᓪ, ᐋᓐᑭᐅᕆᔪ. ᖁᕕᐊᒋᑦᑎᐊᖅᑕᕗᑦ ᐃᒥᕋᔅᓴᐅᑎᒍᓐᓇᕋᑦᑎᒍ ᖃᖓᑕᔪᖁᑎᑦᑎᓐᓄᑦᔭ Beau’s−ᑯᑦ ᐱᔪᒪᔭᐅᓕᖅᐸᓪᓕᐊᓂᖓ, ᖁᓚᕐᓇᖏᑦᑐᖅ ᑲᔪᓯᓂᖃᑦᑎᐊᓂᐊᖅᑐᖅ.

ᖁᔭᓐᓇᒦᒃ ᓂᕈᐊᕈᓐᓇᕋᕕᑦ ᕗᔅᑦ ᐃᐅᑯᓐᓂᑦ ᖃᖓᑕᕕᒋᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᐅᓪᓗᒥ. ᖃᖓᑕᑦᑎᐊᖁᒥᓇᖅᑲᐅᕗᑎᑦ ᐊᒻᒪ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᑦ ᑕᑯᒃᑲᓐᓂᕈᒪᔪᒍᑦ ᕘᔅᑦ ᐃᐅᒃᑯᑦ.

ᐸᕌᒃ ᕗᕇᓴᓐ ᕘᔅᑎᐊᒃᑯᓐᓄᑦ ᐊᖓᔪᖅᑳᖅ & ᐊᐅᓚᑦᑎᔨᒻᒪᕆᒃ

Johnny Adams ÷i ≈bu Chairman of the Board, First Air grjx5typz vtmpq5b, { wx Président du Conseil d'Administration, First Air

Chers invités, First Air est honoré d’être le prestataire de services aériens le plus important dans l’Arctique. Nous sommes toujours à la recherche de moyens de contribuer à l’amélioration de cette région et de ses habitants. Dans cet esprit, je tiens à mettre en valeur une organisation particulière que nous avons eu le plaisir d’appuyer depuis sa création, le « Prix Inspiration Arctique ».

Ce prix, qui a été créé par Sima Sharifi et Arnold Witzig, « reconnaît et encourage les équipes qui ont contribué de façon significative à la collecte de savoirs sur l’Arctique et qui ont fourni des plans tangibles pour transformer ces connaissances en applications concrètes, pour le bien de l’Arctique canadien, des peuples arctiques et, par conséquent, du Canada tout entier ».

Jusqu’à trois prix totalisant 3 millions de dollars sont accordés annuellement par l’entremise du Prix Inspiration Arctique. Ces prix sont versés selon les domaines prioritaires suivants : l’éducation, la santé, les questions socioculturelles, l’environnement et l’économie.

Je suis très fier d’appuyer cette fondation extraordinaire depuis ses débuts il y a quatre ans. Les prix sont déjà bien connus pour leur contribution à l’amélioration de la vie des habitants du Nord. Je voudrais communiquer ma profonde gratitude à Mme Sharifi et M. Witzig, et à toutes les personnes qui ont contribué à la création de ce prix.

J’aimerais aussi mentionner quelques faits nouveaux récents et intéressants, chez First Air. Premièrement, nous avons introduit dernièrement de nouveaux prix de base moins chers pour l’itinéraire Inuvik-Yellowknife-Edmonton. Inuvik est un marché qui évolue rapidement et nous sommes heureux d’appuyer cette croissance en rendant les vols à destination ou en provenance d’Inuvik plus accessibles. Nous conservons un horaire quotidien direct entre Inuvik et Yellowknife avec des vols de correspondance à Edmonton. Nous exploitons cet itinéraire au moyen de notre ATR42-500 silencieux, qui offre un espace généreux pour les jambes et un excellent service à bord.

Deuxièmement, je souhaite la bienvenue à un nouveau partenaire. La brasserie Beau a été choisie comme le commanditaire des boissons alcoolisées pour notre service à bord. Cette entreprise canadienne est située à Vankleek Hill, en Ontario. Nous sommes heureux d’offrir un choix de qualité supérieure à nos clients.

Grâce au nombre croissant d’admirateurs de Beau, nous nous attendons à un grand succès.

Merci d’avoir choisi First Air pour votre vol aujourd’hui.

J’espère que votre trajet est merveilleux et souhaite vous accueillir de nouveau à bord très bientôt.

Brock Friesen Président-directeur général de First Air

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We value your support and thank you for making First Air The Airline of the North.

Nous apprécions votre soutien et vous remercions de votre appui à First Air la ligne aérienne du Nord.

ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖅᑎᐅᑉ ᐅᔾᔨᕆᔭᐅᑎᑕᐅᓂᖓ |

Employee Spotlight | Iqqanaijaqtiup Ujjirijautitauninga

ᓵᓇᓐ ᐸᓚᐅᒪᓐ | Shannon Ploughman ᐅᒡᒍᑎ 21, 2017-ᒥ, ᓵᓇᓐ ᐸᓚᐅᒪᓐ ᕘᔅᑦ ᐃᐊᒃ-

ᑯᓐᓄᑦ ᐊᐅᓚᑦᓯᔨᐅᓪᓗᓂ, ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᖃᖓᑕ-

ᓲᒃᑯᕝᕕᓕᕆᔨᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖅᑎᖖᒍᓚᐅᕐᐳᖅ. ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖅᑎᒋᔭᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᔭᓗᓇᐃᒥ, ᓵᓇᓐ ᖃᐅᑕᒫᑦ

ᐊᐅᓚᑦᑎᓂᕆᔭᐅᔪᓂᒃ ᐅᐊᓕᓂᕐᒥ ᓄᓇᓕᒋᔭᐅᔪᓄᑦ

ᕼᐊᐃ ᕆᕗᕐᒥ, ᑰᒑᕈᕐᒥ, ᕗᐊᑦ ᓯᒻᓴᓐᒥ, ᐅᓗᒃᕼᐊᒃᑑᕐᒥ,

ᑕᓗᕐᔪᐊᕐᒥ, ᖁᕐᓗᕐᑑᕐᒥ, ᐃᖃᓗᒃᑑᑦᑎᐊᕐᒥ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐅᖅᕼᐅᖅᑑᕐᒥ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖃᕐᑎᒋᔭᐅᕗᖅ.

ᓵᓇᓐ ᓴᖖᒋᓂᖃᑦᑎᐊᖅᑐᒥᒃ ᓂᐅᕕᐊᒃᓴᓕᕆᓂᕐᒥ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖑᕙᒃᑐᓄᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᓂᖃᖅᓯᒪᕗᖅ, ᐃᖅᑲᓇ-

ᐃᔮᖃᓚᐅᕐᓂᕐᒥᓂᑦ ᑲᓃᑎᐊᓐ ᓄᐊᔅᑯᑦ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᓕ-

ᕆᔨᖏᑕ ᓂᐅᕕᐊᒃᓴᓕᕆᔨᒃᑯᓐᓄᑦ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖅᑎ-

ᒋᔭᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᖁᕝᕙᓯᓐᓂᖅᓴᒥᒃ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖅᑎᒋᔭᐅᓕᓚᐅᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᓂᐅᕕᐊᒃᓴᓕᕆᔨᒃᑯᑦ ᐋᖅᑭᒃ-

ᓱᐃᔨᖓᑕ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖏᓄᑦ. ᓵᓇᓐ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᓕᕆᓂᕐᒥ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᒃᓴᐅᕙᒃᑐᓂᒃ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᓂᖃᑦᑎᐊᕐᒪᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᕿᐊᑦᑕᐃᑦᑑᓪᓗᓂ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖃᖅ-

ᑎᐅᕙᓐᓂᕐᒥᓄᑦ ᐊᖏᔪᒻᒪᕆᒻᒪᒃ ᐃᑲᔪᕐᓂᖃᓕᕐᒪᑦ

ᕘᔅᑦ ᐃᐊᒃᑯᑦ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖅᑎᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᐃᓚᒋᔭᐅᓕᓚᐅᕐᓂᕐᒥᓂᑦ.

“ᑕᒪᕐᒥᒃ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖃᑎᒋᖃᑦᑕᖅᓯᒪᔭᒃᑲ ᑐᖖᒐᓇᑦ-

ᑎᐊᖅᑑᖃᑦᑕᖅᓯᒪᕗᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᑲᔪᕈᓐᓇᑦᑎᐊᖅᑑᕙᒃᑐᑎᒃ. ᖁᕕᐊᒋᔭᕋ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔮᓐᓂ ᓱᒃᑲᐃᓗᐊᕋᓂ

ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔮᒃᓴᓂᒃ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖃᕐᓂᐅᕙᑦᑐᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᑦ ᐅᖓᓯᒃᑐᒥᐅᓄᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᑎᑭᑎᑕᐅᓇ-

ᓱᐊᖅᐸᓐᓂᖏᓂ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᒃᓴᐅᕙᒃᑐᓄᑦ. ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖅᑎᒋᔭᒃᑕ ᑖᒃᑯᓇᓂ ᓄᓇᓕᐅᔪᓂ ᐱᓕᕆᒃᑲᕐᔪᐊᒻᒪᕆᐅᒻᒪᑕ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᖁᕕᐊᒋᖃᑦᑕᖅᓯᒪᓪᓗᒍ ᑕᒪᐃᓐᓄᑦ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᒃᑯᕝᕕᐅᔪᓄᑦ ᑎᑭᖃᑦᑕᕐᓂᕆᓚᐅᖅᑕᕋ ᑲᑎᔭᖅᑐᕐᓯᒪᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖅᑎᒋᔭᐅᔪᑦ,” ᐅᖃᖅᑐᓂ.

“ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᕐᕕᒋᒋᐊᒃᓴᒥᒃ ᑖᒃᑯᐊ ᑲᒻᐸᓂᑦᑎᐊᒻᒪᕆᐅᒻᒪᑕ, ᐃᑲᔪᖅᑐᐃᑦᑎᐊᖅᑑᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓂᕆᐅᓐᓂᖃᑦᑎᐊᖅᑑᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᒥᓐᓂ. ᖁᕕᐊᒋᓚᐅᖅᐸᕋ ᐋᑐᕙᒥ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᑲᓚᐅᕐᓂᕋ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᓕᖅᐸᓪᓕᐊᓪᓗᒋᑦ

ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖅᑎᒋᔭᐅᔪᓕᒫᑦ ᐊᔾᔨᒌᖖᒋᐅᖅᑐᓂ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᕐᕕᒋᔭᐅᔪᓂ. ᖃᐅᑕᒫᑦ ᓄᑖᓂᒃ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᒐᒃᓴᖃᖅ-

ᐸᒃᑐᖓ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᒃᓴᖃᖅᑎᑕᐅᕙᒃᑐᖓ ᐊᔾᔨᖃᖖᒋᑦᑐᓂᒃ ᐱᔭᕆᑐᔫᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᒃᓴᕆᔭᐅᕙᒃᑐᓂᒃ ᓄᓇᓕᒋᔭᐅᔪᓂ. ᑐᖖᒐᕝᕕᒋᓗᐊᖅᐸᒃᑕᒃᑲ ᖃᓄᖅ ᐋᖅᑮᓯᒪᓕᕆᐊᒃᓴᓐᓂᒃ ᓈᒻᒪᒍᖕᓃᕈᑎᐅᓯᒪᔪᓄᑦ ᓇᓂᓯᓯᒪ-

ᓕᕋᓱᒃᐸᒃᑎᓪᓗᖓ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑕᒪᒃᑯᐊ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔮᓐᓄᑦ ᐊᔾᔨᐅᖖᒋᔾᔪᑎᐅᕙᒻᒪᑕ.”

ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᕐᓇᖅ ᐃᓱᓕᓯᒪᓕᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ, ᓵᓇᓐ ᖁᕕᐊᒋᔭᖃᖅᐸᒃᑐᖅ ᐱᖃᓐᓇᕆᔭᒥᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᓚᒋᔭᒥᓂᒃ

ᐃᓅᖃᑎᖃᕈᓐᓇᕌᖓᒥ. ᐃᓱᒪᒋᒻᒪᒍ ᓄᓇᓕᖃᕐᓗᓂ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᐅᖓᓯᒃᑐᒻᒪᕆᐅᔪᒦᑦᑐᒥ, ᐱᒻᒪᕆᐅᓗᐊᕐ-

ᓂᖓᑕ ᖃᓂᑐᕋᐅᑦᑎᐊᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᐃᓅᖃᑎᖃᕈᓐᓇᕆᐊᒃᓴᒥᒃ ᐃᑲᔪᖃᑎᒌᒍᓐᓇᖅᐸᓐᓂᐊᖅᑐᓂᒃ. ᖁᔭᓕᔾᔪᑎᒋᑐᐃᓐᓇᖖᒋ ᒻᒪᒋᑦ ᖃᓂᑕᒥᓂᒃ ᐱᖃᓐᓇᖃᕆᐊᓂ ᐃᓅᓯᕐᒥᓂ ᑭᓯᐊᓂᓗᑦᑕᐅᖅ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖃᑎᒋᔭᓂ ᓲᕐᓗ ᐃᓚᒌ-

ᖅᑰᔨᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᐱᓕᕆᓂᖃᖃᑎᒌᒃᐸᓐᓂᖏᑕ.

ᓵᓇᓐ ᓄᓇᓕᖃᖅᓯᒪᕗᖅ ᐳᐊᕐᑦ ᐸᓛᓐᕗᑦ, ᓂᐅᕙᐅᓐᓛᓐᒥ.

On August 21, 2017, Shannon Ploughman joined First Air as Manager, Northern Stations. Based out of Yellowknife, Shannon will be responsible for managing the day to day operations of the western communities of Hay River, Kugaaruk, Fort Simpson, Ulukhaktok, Taloyoak, Kugluktuk, Cambridge Bay and Gjoa Haven.

Shannon has a strong background in customer service, having recently worked for Canadian North as a Customer Service Agent and advancing into a Customer Service Coordinator role. Shannon’s airline experience in the North and energetic personality make her a great addition to First Air’s team.

“Everyone I have worked with has been very welcoming and accommodating. I enjoy the fast-paced environment and the challenges of flights into remote northern stations. My agents in these stations are hard workers and I have enjoyed flying to all the stations and meeting them,” she says.

“It is a great company to work for, full of support and positivity.

I have enjoyed spending time in Ottawa and getting to know people from all the different departments. I learn something new every day and deal with unique challenges in the communities. I rely on my creativity to solve some problems and that keeps the job interesting.”

When not at work, Shannon enjoys spending time with friends and family. She feels that when living in the North with its seclusion, it’s important to have a close-knit group of people for support. She is grateful to not only have such a close group of friends in her life but also a work environment that resembles family.

Shannon is originally from Port Blandford, Newfoundland.

From the Flight Deck Why we still tell you how to fasten your seatbelt before each flight?

© Mark Taylor

Anyone who has travelled on board an aircraft has gone through the predeparture safety briefing from the flight attendants.

I know it’s easy to dismiss those announcements and tune them out, but they are done for both your safety and the safety of other passengers.

Likewise, there are plenty of funny examples that talk about “cramming your carry-on luggage under the seat in front of you” and to “ensure that your seatback is in the most uncomfortable, vertical and upright position”!

Why do we need to tell you how to operate your seatbelt before each flight? The simple answer is because the buckles used on aircraft are very different from the ones that are used in cars. There is a reason for that difference.

The buckles used in cars are designed to be released by the person wearing the seatbelt.

The ones used on aircraft are designed to be easily, and quickly, released by someone else helping the passenger, even in reduced visibility conditions.

Why do we insist that you have your seatback in the upright position for takeoff and landing? This one is less about your safety and more about the safety of the person sitting behind you. When your seat is reclined, that leaves less space in front of their seat if they need to quickly exit their row.

Stowing carry-on luggage under the seat in front of you is important to ensure there is enough foot room to let you, along with the others seated in your row, to quickly exit the row towards the aisle. (The same is true for tray tables, since they would block the person seated at the window from getting out.)

Even though First Air only flies B737 and ATR42 aircraft, it is important to note that the number of emergency exits is different between the all-passenger and combi versions of each aircraft. That’s why the number and location of all available exits is included in each briefing.

The potential need for us to quickly communicate with all passengers is the reason you are required to remove headphones and headsets for takeoff and landing.

The good news is that flying is very safe, emergencies are rare and the need to evacuate the aircraft is extremely unlikely.

Most of our training and procedures are focused on ensuring we’re prepared for those very unlikely scenarios.

Sometimes the need to evacuate can come at unexpected times. However, evacuations can be carried out extremely quickly. One of the certification requirements for all aircraft is that a complete evacuation of all passengers can occur in less than 90 seconds. That’s quick,

especially when you think about our allpassenger B737 aircraft that can hold 156 people. The preparation of the passengers (hence the safety briefing), the cabin configuration (seat backs, tray tables, and carry-on baggage), and the Flight Attendant training and procedures are all required to achieve that result.

As you can see, to ensure everyone’s safety we need your cooperation. Once you’ve finished cramming your carry-on bag under the seat in front of you, please sit back with your chair in the uncomfortable, vertical, position and enjoy the safety briefing. Everyone appreciates your efforts and we’ll get things underway as quickly as we can.

Captain Aaron Speer Vice President, Flight Operations First Air

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

Email: editor@arcticjournal.ca

Introducing onboard entertainment…

First Air will soon be launching a wireless in-flight entertainment on select flights.

It is a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) concept where passengers simply use their electronic device on-board, connect to the Wi-fi network and enjoy hours of entertainment.

Watch movies, listen to music, play games, read magazines!

Inuktitut and English Titles

Orphan and the Polar Bear

The Owl and the Lemming

Movies

Amaqqut Nunaat: The Country of Wolves

Amautalik

Black Mass

CHIPS

Dolphin Tale

Going in Style

The Great Gatsby

Harry Potter Deathly Hollows 2

King Arthur

Wonder Woman

11.22.63

Arrow

ER

Gotham

Mom

Pinky and the Brain

The Big Bang Theory

Teen Titans

The Flash

Westworld

The Mentalist

Television

Cirque du Soleil

Friends

Bugs Bunny

Tom and Jerry

Check out the entertainment onboard for further titles.

...and more.

2018 | 02 • $5.95

A Bird the Colour of Winter From delicacy to cultural icon

NorthWords Winner: Water Flows North

NorthWords Runner­up: My Sweat Lodge Prayers

Contents

The Wild Beauty of Eclipse Sound

March | April 2018 Volume 30, No. 2

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PM40050872

o www.arcticjournal.ca

Tommy and Matthias venture out from their sleds with harpoons in hand to test the depth and quality of the sea ice. © Natalie Gillis

Publisher: above&beyond ltd.

Managing Editor: Doris Ohlmann doris@arcticjournal.ca Advertising: 613-257-4999 Toll Free: 1-877-2ARCTIC 1-877-227-2842 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.

We welcome contributions but assume no responsibility for unsolicited material. Send to editor@arcticjournal.ca.

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Features

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The Wild Beauty of Eclipse Sound

While these photographs will never be able to fully express the experience of life on the ice, they try to touch upon the wild beauty that exists out there.

— Text and photos by Natalie Gillis

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A Bird the Colour of Winter

Nunavut’s territorial bird confounds southerners and even some residents. English speakers routinely pronounce the p, which really is silent.

And therein lies a tale. — Michael Engelhard

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NorthWords: Water Flows North

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NorthWords: My Sweat Lodge Prayers

above&beyond, Canada’s Arctic Journal, is proud to bring our readers the story chosen as the winner of the 2017 NorthWords Great Northern Canada Writing Contest: Water Flows North — Amélie Aubrey-Smith

above&beyond, Canada’s Arctic Journal, is proud to bring our readers the story chosen as the runner-up of the 2017 NorthWords Great Northern Canada Writing Contest: My Sweat Lodge Prayers — Libby Whittal Catling

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

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09 Destination Focus

14 Living Above&Beyond 21 Resources

33 Education Community-based Pre-employment Training — Woody Huizenga

37 Youth Ayalik Fund

41 Culture Fox Trapping — Nick Newbery

45 Arts Nunavut Hitmakerz

49 Bookshelf

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

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72.7001° N, 77.9585° W

POND INLET

Pond Inlet is renowned for its scenery. Located at the eastern entrance to the Northwest Passage on the Eclipse Sound and overlooking famous Bylot Island, mountain ranges are viewable in all directions and icebergs often dot the ocean. Pond Inlet provides you with intimate access to marine mammals such as narwhal, bowhead, orca, and beluga whales, migratory birds, and polar bears. Pond Inlet also has unique trips for those seeking something different — bicycle atop the sea ice or parasail above gigantic glaciers.

This is the perfect spot to indulge your Arctic fantasies.

Named Mittimatalik (place where Mittima is buried) in Inuktitut, no one knows for certain whom Mittima is, but he is believed to be buried here.

Inuit have occupied the area for over 1,000 years and were joined by the rush of whaling ships from the United States and Europe in the 1800s. Unusually, the first trading post in Pond Inlet was not opened by the Hudson’s Bay Company, but rather by private Scottish investors in 1910. In 1912, both the Anglican and Catholic churches founded missions in Pond Inlet. The Hudson’s Bay Company later opened a trading post in 1923.

Pond inlet is the home of the Tununiq Arsarniit Theatre Group. This original Inuit theatre group was founded in 1987 and has been developing and performing for over 20 years. The group develops its plays and performances by consensus, involving elders as actors and writers. Inuit language, culture, legends, myths, and the wisdom of the elders are central to all the plays developed.

Today, Pond Inlet is the largest community in Northern Baffin Island, and enjoys excellent infrastructure and air transportation links. Nearby Sirmilik National Park and Tamaarvik Territorial Park are unforgettable experiences.

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

2018 | 02

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

Pond Inlet. © Jedidah Merkosak

Essential experiences:

• Explore the incredible beauty and splendour of nearby Sirmilik National Park by dogsled, snowmobile, boat, or ski.

• Walk through the community and meet the people whose strong cultural values continue to thrive in everyday life.

• Attend a performance by the Tununiq Arsarniit Theatre Group.

• Discover the floe edge, glaciers, ice caves and scenic fiords.

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The Wild Beauty of Eclipse Sound Spring on the Sea Ice Text and photos by Natalie Gillis

During the 1920s, Canadian artist Lawren Harris travelled to the Eastern Arctic where he fell in love with the stark and quiet landscape of North Baffin and all the contrast it provided to the industrialized and hurried life of the southern cities. The region, which has long been a homeland to one of Canada’s most innovative and resilient cultures, has since become a destination for artists, adventurers, and those with a healthy appreciation for exploring the natural world.

A narwhal briefly coming up for air before descending below the ice we stood upon; these mythical creatures once thought to be no more than myth are very much at home in the wild.

On the most calm and peaceful of days it can be deafeningly quiet at the edge of the ice, with only the gentle flutter of feathers against the wind to break the dense silence.

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

2018 | 02

Heavy from a dense feeding on a freshly caught seal, this bear rolled onto his side to fall into a deep slumber for several hours, occasionally waking up to stretch before falling back asleep.

A

s winter descends on North Baffin, the temperature of the polar waters surrounding Canada’s largest island will slowly begin to drop, and as the salt water falls below -1.8 degrees Celsius, the ocean will begin to freeze. The process of salt water becoming ice is quite different than that of freshwater due to its increased density; freezing the ocean is a slow and intricate process, and owing to the influence of the dynamic winds, tides and currents, the sea ice develops a unique character that varies substantially from year to year.

By spring, the sea ice has grown to a variable depth of around three metres in Eclipse Sound and for those lucky enough to be able to venture out onto it, the quality of that ice is paramount. The floating sea ice is what keeps life suspended over thousands of metres of dark ocean depths. It dictates the best times for hunting and travel and provides a navigable highway to access spectacular concentrations of Arctic wildlife.

Depending on the year, polar bears can routinely be found wandering the expansive ice, endlessly searching for their next meal. The dark silhouette of a seal resting on the ice is a common sight, where mammals claw tirelessly at the surface to keep a small breathing hole from freezing over for the duration of the winter. Foxes in their pristinely white coats can be found scavenging, while by early spring comes the return of over 70 species of birds to the adjacent Bylot Island Migratory Bird Sanctuary.

Where Eclipse Sound spills into Baffin Bay, the sea ice abruptly halts to meet the open ocean, forming what is known as the floe edge, colloquially referred to as the line of life. It is at this rich ecotone where upwelling currents and algae growing beneath the ice supports an incredible diversity

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

2018 | 02

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A Glaucous Gull in flight, having recently scavenged from the remains of a polar bear’s seal.

Two adult polar bears engage in a flirting ritual before mating on the sea ice.

of marine life. A variety of seals, the occasional bowhead whale, and the mythical and elusive narwhal can be found lingering at the edge, waiting for the summer breakup to arrive so they might reach their feeding and calving grounds deep in the fiords of Baffin Island.

Adding to the surreal nature of the frozen environment, the vast landscapes and enormous concentrations of wildlife are illuminated at every hour of the day by the unsetting midnight sun. The light in the Arctic falls like nowhere else on Earth; a special mix of atmospheric conditions tends to refract the light travelling through the bitter cold air, causing the landscape to become illuminated in a crisp, clear wash that words can hardly describe. While the spring temperatures can shift slightly as the sun rises and falls on the horizon, the difference can be almost unperceivable at the height of spring. Free from any diurnal obligations, life on the ice under the midnight sun affords a unique freedom from daily rhythms; time passes as it will and loses its own respect on the ice.

Coming back to town after being out under the midnight sun feels like being woken up from an incredibly good dream. Being able to experience the vividly powerful wildlife and endlessly breathtaking landscapes is the kind of feeling that stays with one forever. While these photographs will never be able to fully express the experience of life on the ice, they try to touch upon the wild beauty that exists out there.

The pristinely white landscape that seems to go on forever is revealing of the Arctic's vastness, and our small place within it.

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

2018 | 02

LIVING ABOVE&BEYOND

Northern organizations receive generous gift

Unaaq Men’s Association of Inukjuak.

Sima Sharifi and Arnold Witzig. © Arctic Inspiration Prize/Patrick Doyle (9)

Eight teams from across Canada’s North were awarded a share of over $2.4 million for their innovative projects to improve the quality of life in their communities at the Arctic Inspiration Prize (AIP) awards ceremony.

It was held at the end of January in conjunction with the Northern Lights Business and Cultural Showcase in Ottawa, Ontario.

At the beginning of the awards ceremony, Natan Obed, National Inuit Leader and President of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, announced that the founders of the Arctic Inspiration Prize, Sima Sharifi and Arnold Witzig, immigrants with a deep love of the North and northerners, have given the AIP Charitable Trust another boost with a gift worth $60 million.

Madeleine Allakariallak from CBC Igalaaq hosted the awards ceremony along with Kevin Kablutsiak, AIP Executive Director, who was also given the reins to continue to manage the charitable trust.

Our Families, Our Way: The Peacemaking Circle.

• Our Families, Our Way: The Peacemaking Circle program in the Yukon will use their $500,000 award to train community members and professionals in the traditional practice of peacemaking circles to help deal with trauma and work through differences to support families and children at risk.

Arctic Indigenous Wellness Project.

The Qajaq Program.

• The Unaaq Men’s Association of Inukjuak, Nunavik, received $500,000 for its Intensive Traditional Program Development project that pairs youth participants with Elders and experienced hunters to promote self-esteem, leadership, and pride while sharing traditional Inuit knowledge.

Four teams received funds for projects in the newly-created category for youth that awards up to $100,000 each to up to seven teams.

The Arctic Indigenous Wellness Project, an urban land-based healing program to improve the health of at-risk Inuit, First Nation and Métis peoples in Yellowknife and surrounding communities in the Northwest Territories received the top award of $1 million.

Three prizes were awarded in the up to $500,000 category:

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• The Qajaq Program, based in Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut, was awarded $140,000 for its plan to engage knowledge keepers and Elders to teach the youth of Nunavut how to build and paddle their own qajait based on the design and shape that was used in the area hundreds of years ago.

• A youth leadership team from Colville Lake, Northwest Territories, was awarded $100,000 for its Dene Heroes Publication Project that

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

2018 | 02

LIVING ABOVE&BEYOND

Eight teams from across Canada’s North

were awarded a share of over $2.4 million

for their innovative projects to improve the

quality of life in their communities.

Dene Heroes Publication Project.

seeks to build literacy and leadership skills among Indigenous youth as they lead the annual development and publishing of a collaborative book about Dene heroes to be distributed to all five communities in the Sahtu Region and beyond.

• Rivers to Ridges was presented with a cheque for $100,000 to open a forest school – a land-based education initiative – in Whitehorse, Yukon, to meaningfully connect young people to the land and provide access to a natural space for child-directed, emergent and inquirybased learning. The school will also integrate First Nations knowledge and teachings through Elder involvement, and work to break down traditional barriers of accessibility for staff and participants.

Rankin Rock Hockey Camp.

• The Rankin Rock Hockey Camp received $80,000 for its project to develop youth leadership capacity and promote healthy active lifestyles in Rankin Inlet, Baker Lake and Arviat, Nunavut, by providing youth with hands-on experiential learning opportunities as coaches and leaders of a hockey camp.

Rivers to Ridges.

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

North in Focus.

• The North in Focus: Nunavut, Our Land, Our People team was awarded $20,000 to prepare a larger nomination in 2018 to deliver mental health workshops and connect individuals with mental health resources to tackle stigma associated with mental illness and help youth 12 and older realize their strengths and build pride.

Sharifi noted that “the partnership agreement between the AIP Trust and the Rideau Hall Foundation (RHF) secures management service and coverage of all the operational costs by the RHF for at least the next five years. The southern commitment allows that 100 per cent of funds from all the AIP prize partners goes directly to the Northern laureates and provides crucial stability for the AIP.” A production of Kiviuq Returns was also part of the awards ceremony.

Kiviuq Returns is a creative collection performance based on the legends of the Inuit hero Kiviuq and shared by the Inuit Elders — the last Canadian indigenous people to have lived traditionally on the land in iglus, sealskin tents and sod houses.

2018 | 02

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LIVING ABOVE&BEYOND

In Fort Smith with the Arctic Winter Games participant countries. © Thorsten Gohl

“Find Your Power” at the 25th Arctic Winter Games

The sun swings slowly higher above the horizon, ticking down the time until the 2018 Arctic Winter Games begin. From March 18 to 24, athletes, coaches, delegates, spectators, and volunteers will gather in the South Slave region of the Northwest Territories for a week of athletic competition, cultural exhibition, and social exchange.

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This year’s Games, co-hosted by the communities of Fort Smith and Hay River, will mark the 25th anniversary of the sporting event. What started out as a way for athletes from Alaska, the Yukon, and the Northwest Territories to compete on their own turf has grown into an international event that spans continents and crosses oceans. This year, athletes will be

competing from nine contingents, including the Northwest Territories, the Yukon, Nunavut, Alaska, Alberta North, Nunavik, Sapmi, Yamal, and Greenland. These North of 55 teams who compete every two years in a new host city or town also bring cultural contingents to showcase their local talent.

Most sporting events have a history in the North, like Dene Games, Dog Mushing, Ski Biathlon, Snowshoe Biathlon, Arctic Sports, Hockey, Snowboarding, Curling, Snowshoeing, Cross-country Skiing, Speed Skating, and Figure Skating; but other events have been adopted from other areas, like Futsal, Volleyball, Wrestling, Table Tennis, Gymnastics, Basketball, and Badminton.

As Fort Smith and Hay River’s populations hover around 2,500 and 3,500 respectively, the two small towns are co-hosting the Games so that they will still be able to offer all the usual sporting events.

While the smaller-than-normal host towns located a two-and-a-half-hour drive apart from each other have provided some unique logistical hurdles, everything has been falling into place as it always does in the end. This year’s theme, “Find Your Power,” is fitting, as the NWT and the international community come together to make the Games a reality.

While the 1,900 athletes and their team supports will spend the week divided between the communities in which their sports are being held, everyone will converge in Hay River for the Opening Ceremonies on March 18. As the Games are just as much about celebrating culture and making connections as they are about competing, it is important that everyone be together for the lighting of the torch as is tradition. Dene Drummers will sing, schoolchildren will jig, and with that, the Games will begin.

As the week progresses and snowflakes flutter down, athletes will receive special Ulu medals for their triumphs; while behind the podiums a different kind of flurry will be taking place as pins are traded—and at the end of the Games, contingent clothing will be traded too. While the Arctic Winter Games may be the elite sporting event of the North, camaraderie and tradition will abound beneath the Aurora as participants from across the circumpolar world bond over this exceptionally Northern experience.

Sarah Pruys

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LIVING ABOVE&BEYOND

Supporting NWT arts

In January, Michael McLeod, Member of Parliament (Northwest Territories), announced funding of $727,000 from the Government of Canada to three Yellowknife arts organizations: The Northern Arts and Cultural Centre (NACC), Folk on the Rocks (FOTR) and the Association francoculturelle de Yellowknife (ACFY). Funding is provided through the Canada Arts Presentation Fund which supports organizations that professionally present arts festivals or performing arts series, as well as organizations that offer support to arts presenters. This helps ensure Canadians have access to a variety of professional artistic experiences in their communities and assists in telling their stories and bringing the culture to life.

The NAAC grows local performing arts repertoire and nurtures talent by presenting, commissioning, creating and producing works from the North and around the world. Funding will be used to support their performing arts series as well as the Storytelling Festival. NACC received $570,000 in funding ($190,000 per year over three years).

ACFY is a multi-disciplinary arts presenting organization that serves the Franco-Ténois community in Yellowknife. AFCY offers artistic performances and cultural programming with a focus on attracting families and youth. Funding will be used to support its “Plein feux sur la scène nordique” performing arts series. The AFCY

Music enthusiasts gather for the Folk on the Rocks music festival in July 2016. © Doris Ohlmann

received $120,000 ($30,000 per year over four years).

FOTR advances the development of the performing arts in the Northwest Territories and promotes and supports Northern talent in music, art and entertainment. Funding will

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support the 38th edition of its annual music festival, as well as outreach activities, school programming and off-season concerts. FOTR received $37,000 in funding.

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LIVING ABOVE&BEYOND

Infrastructure key to development

Just some of the beautiful artwork available for sale at the Northern Lights Arts & Cultural pavilion. © Doris Ohlmann (6)

The Arctic should be explored respectfully. Such were the sentiments raised repeatedly during the many conference sessions, meet and greets, tradeshow discussions and evening celebrations during the 2018 Northern Lights Business and Cultural Showcase in Ottawa, Ontario, from January 31 to February 3.

With 1,400 participants attending the biennial event, attendees listened to presentations about the challenges and possible solutions facing Canada’s Arctic. It was quickly apparent that many felt that Canada needs an Arctic infrastructure policy to complete the Canadian nation building process so further economic development for Arctic communities is possible. Connectivity restrictions exist because of the lack of infrastructure in the Arctic, however innovative thinking is emerging to help solve these challenges.

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Many carvings were available for sale at the Northern Lights Trade show.

The popular Pang hats, in a wide array of colours, were on display.

According to the 2015 Nunavut Visitor Exit Survey from Nunavut Tourism, 16,750 travellers visited Nunavut in 2015. $108,289,000 was spent during that time. Approximately 250 direct jobs were generated in the Nunavut tourism industry due to these visitors. If such adventure tourism and authentic Arctic experiences can grow, infrastructure must be in place to accommodate the increase. This includes input from all partners, including the need for reduced airfares to stimulate tourism, the building of new hotels and developing culturally significant experiences.

Increased collaboration with the Arctic North American regions will aid in discovering solutions together. Traffic patterns and shipping corridors should help guide future development while mitigating risks and impacts on the Inuit and wildlife who reside in the Arctic regions.

An unprecedented gathering of all Arctic territorial premiers including Alaska, the Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Greenland joined a panel discussion to speak about similar challenges and possible outcomes. A vision of a shared marine region is important to all the five members. Presently, the North American Arctic seaway links have no coordination and minimum investment. Each area highlighted their challenges and how progress is being made.

Trade regulations in Greenland are trade barriers because of double taxation for those who want to do business in Greenland or the Arctic.

Tax treaties between Finland and Greenland have helped promote business between the two.

Greenland wants to strengthen partnerships with Canada. For example, by educating future fishermen of their seafood fleets, Inuit fishermen

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LIVING ABOVE&BEYOND

Sealskin products, including these cute toddler kamiit, were available for sale at the Tradeshow.

Arctic-themed jewellery and tapestries were popular items.

could be the best salesmen of Inuit seafood to the world. The Royal Arctic Line will help physically link Greenland to the rest of Canada’s Arctic, which will also open trade routes.

In the Yukon, 11 of the 14 First Nations have signed Land Treaties, which represents half of the self-government treaties in Canada. Control of the language centre from the Yukon government supports one of the calls to action of reconciliation, that is, to allow the First Nations to control their own language.

Resource development is still the single most economic driver in the Northwest Territories.

Infrastructure would help connect people across the NWT, so some places aren’t only accessible by air or boat in summer. With the warming trend in the climate, ice road opportunities are reduced. The North needs partners

like the government of Canada to improve roads, energy, and infrastructure. Solutions like extending the Mackenzie Highway to Inuvik and Wrigley and connecting with the Grays Bay Road in Nunavut would help transform the economy.

Nunavut has Memorandums of Understanding with Greenland, the NWT and Nova Scotia. Their shared cultural ties aid in building relationships with partners west to east for new opportunities.

The Conference sessions were rounded out with an arts and cultural pavilion and evening entertainment from Labrador, Nunavut and Nunavik, which included guest speakers, musical performances, Inuit artists exhibiting designs and Inuit-themed food.

During the Gala Dinner and Closing Ceremonies, a silent and live auction was held.

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This captivating duo, Twin Flames, combines two award-winning very unique singer songwriters Jaaji, an Inuk Mohawk from Nunavik, and Chelsey June, an Algonquin Cree Métis from Ottawa. They were just some of the entertainers in the Pavilion. Their most recent second studio album is called Signal Fire and includes songs in English, Inuktitut and French.

Proceeds went towards supporting charities and socioeconomic initiatives in Nunavut, Nunavik, and Labrador/Nunatsiavut.

As the world looks to the Arctic for future resources, Inuit need to be respectfully included in decisions on how the public lands and resources will be used to improve the quality of life for Nuvummiut. Northerners want to make their own decisions on what legacy they want to leave the next generations.

Doris Ohlmann

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LIVING ABOVE&BEYOND

Senator Charlie Watt, 2011 © Senate of Canada

Former president returns

Founding president of Makivik in 1978, Charlie Watt Sr. has returned to the organization as its new president, following the election this January.

Originally the Northern Quebec Inuit Association (NQIA) — the organization that negotiated the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement (JBNQA) in the early 1970s on behalf of the Inuit of Nunavik — the NQIA formally became Makivik Corporation in June of 1978.

Charlie Watt was also Makivik President in the late 1980s and early 1990s — a time when Makivik purchased First Air as part of its portfolio of subsidiary companies, expanding its aviation expertise, which includes Air Inuit.

Makivik will continue to focus on the right to self-determination, education and working to expand its land base.

An all-weather gravel road now joins Tuktoyaktuk, affectionately known as Tuk, to the rest of North America. After decades of planning, the final 138-km stretch of the Dempster Highway now allows year-round travel to Tuk by motorcycle, car, RV, truck or bicycle.

Cemil Alyanak, a Maryland-based filmmaker, and long-time adventure motorcyclist and ham radio operator, is raising funds with a GoFundMe campaign

to print thousands of stickers he designed with the tagline ‘I made it to Tuk!’ that will then be donated to the Tuktoyaktuk Hamlet Council. Sales of the stickers to visitors will generate a net profit for the Hamlet and help fund responsible tourism in Tuktoyaktuk, as well as help fund much needed tourism-related facilities. http://gofundme.com/thankstuk

Road to Tuk looks for support

© Cemil Alyanak, art.excessnoise.com

Funding would support goods destined to the North

In mid-2017, Transport Canada announced available funding for infrastructure projects that support the flow of goods and passengers throughout the Canadian transportation system.

First Air, in collaboration with key stakeholders, submitted two proposals for possible funding under the new National Trade Corridors Fund (NTFC).

With a major upgrade of the Ottawa Cargo facilities, with a larger warehouse, more refrig-

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eration capacity and technological upgrades for increased quality control of perishable and non-perishable goods, the quality, quantity and expediency of northbound cargo Ottawa to Iqaluit would be significantly improved.

As the hub of First Air’s Eastern Arctic network, a new Iqaluit Cargo warehouse would significantly improve service and supply to remote communities and would include technology upgrades and an environmentally friendly

“green” design to maximize energy conservation.

First Air shipped 19.4 million kilos of freight cargo out of Ottawa to communities across the Arctic in 2017, including food, mail and medical supplies.

The complete project is estimated to cost $17.5 million. If the airline receives its funds, work could begin later this year and continue through until 2021.

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NUNAVUT

Monies up for grabs for prospectors

The Government of Nunavut’s Department of Economic Development and Transportation is accepting applications for its prospector’s program. If you’re a Nunavut prospector, you may be eligible for up to $8,000 to help pay for assistant wages, materials and supplies when you’re out looking for minerals.

Eligible applicants must:

NWT

Canada’s First Diamantaire inducted into Hall of Fame

The founder of the largest diamond production company in Canada, now known as Dominion Diamond, was inducted into the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame posthumously in January.

Bob Gannicott first came to the North in 1967 and worked his way up in the industry. He was a pioneer of Arctic mineral exploration and a visionary entrepreneur. He worked as an exploration geologist mostly in the High Arctic and played a pivotal role in the discovery and development of the Diavik mine in the Northwest Territories for Aber Diamond Corporation.

The company would evolve into Harry Winston Diamond Corporation in 2007 and became Dominion Diamond Corporation in 2013.

Gannicott then sold the retail division of Harry Winston to acquire an 80 per cent interest in the Ekati mine, which combined with 40 per cent of Diavik, transformed Dominion into Canada’s largest independent diamond producer.

Gannicott passed away in August 2016.

Higher grade gold sought

Seabridge Gold has been exploring its Courageous Lake Project in the Northwest Territories this winter, drilling 36 new shallow holes northwest beyond the Walsh Lake deposit. The company is looking for higher grade gold mineralization to improve the economics for a potential mine project.

The company may do a follow up drill program and start looking at revising the proposed mine design.

A 2012 preliminary feasibility study for the area projected reserves of 6.5 million ounces of gold along with a potential 15-year mine life.

The project is located 240 km northeast of Yellowknife.

• Be a Nunavut resident; • Be 18 years of age or older; • Have prospecting experience or have completed the Introduction to Prospecting course.

The deadline to apply is April 30.

For more information, call 1 888 975-5999, minerals@gov.nu.ca or visit gov.nu.ca/edt and click on the Programs/Funding tab. You can also visit your regional ED&T or hamlet office for help.

Gold mine receives go ahead

Sabina Gold and Silver’s Back River gold mine project recently received the final project certificate from the Nunavut Impact Review Board. The only regulatory permits remaining are two water licences for mine construction and operation, and other less significant permits.

The company will continue exploration projects near the main Back River property and focus on the Vault Zone, which is outside the current mine plan.

The Back River Gold mine project is located approximately 400 kilometres southwest of Cambridge Bay. Sabina estimates capital expenditures to build the mine will cost $415 million.

The company also announced it has secured a $66M investment from Chinese investor, Zhaojin International Mining, a subsidiary of Chinese mining company Zhaojin Mining Industry Co. Ltd.

How big is that kimberlite?

North Arrow Minerals Inc. has expanded its Mel diamond project claim on the Melville Peninsula from 7,500 hectares to 56,075 hectares, or 560 square kilometres.

The company plans to be back at Mel this summer to set up a six-week exploration camp to drill kimberlite found last summer, as well as a few other zones over a 15-square kilometre area of the property.

The Mel project is about 140 kilometres south of Hall Beach and 210 kilometres northeast of Naujaat.

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RESOURCES

Mines closer to production

The Nunavut Impact Review Board and the Nunavut Water Board have accepted the Final Environmental Impact Statement and Water Licence applications and are commencing the coordinated review of TMAC’s proposal for development and mining at the Madrid and Boston gold deposits. The review process is anticipated to provide TMAC with new Project Certificates and Water Licences in 2018 and 2019 respectively.

TMAC already has an exploration permit to conduct surface exploration over the entire Hope Bay gold belt as well as advanced exploration permits to go underground at Madrid to extract a bulk sample and reopen the portal at Boston to extract a bulk sample.

The total permits will allow TMAC to mine up to 5,600 tonnes per day at Madrid and Boston.

YUKON

Keno Hill mine can begin production

Alexco Resource Corp. has received an amendment to its Water Use Licence from the Yukon Water Board for the development and operation of the Flame & Moth mine. The Flame & Moth underground mine, located adjacent to the existing Keno Hill District, comprises a potentially mineable 683,000 tonnes of 666 grams per tonne silver and is anticipated to be the primary production source for mine operations in the Keno Hill Silver District.

The receipt of the Flame & Moth Water Use Licence amendment is the final permit and regulatory authorization required for production of the Flame & Moth mine.

Alexco has also submitted a further Project Proposal to the Yukon Environmental Socioeconomic Assessment Board for environmental assessment of the development, operations and eventual closure of the Bermingham mine.

Bermingham is anticipated to contribute approximately 220,000 tonnes of 1,276 g/t silver toward the approximately one million tonne and more than 27 million silver ounce mine production stream. Approximately 5,000 metres of underground exploration and in-fill drilling of the Bermingham deposit will begin in the latter part of the first quarter of 2018.

Results of the drilling will contribute to a pre-feasibility study anticipated to be completed in the third quarter of 2018.

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A Bird the Colour of Winter From delicacy to cultural icon

By Michael Engelhard Nunavut’s territorial bird confounds southerners and even some residents. English speakers routinely pronounce the p, which really is silent. And therein lies a tale.

Ptarmigan comes from the Gaelic, tàrmachan, for “grumbler” or “croaker,” a reminder of the ptarmigan’s grouchy voice. But in 1684, the Scottish naturalist Sir Robert Sibbald, added the unpronounced p, falsely suggesting a Greek word origin (as in ptero-, “feather” or “wing”). Perhaps this learned northern gent simply slipped or else tried to elevate the monkish, pedestrian bird.

Overwintering in the Arctic, as do redpolls, ravens, and snowy owls — only eleven tribes of Aves live there year-round — ptarmigans by the hundreds come together for the dark season. Three domestic kinds occupy different niches: willow ptarmigan (also “willow grouse,” or “red grouse,” in Britain) prefer boreal forest and wetlands; the most northerly of terrestrial birds, rock ptarmigan (formerly known as “snow chicken” or “white pheasant”) feel at home in drier foothills and uplands. The less well-known white-tailed

Rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta) mated pair.

The male still has much of its winter plumage. © Jan Frode Haugseth/ Wikimedia Commons

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ptarmigan, in contrast with its cousins, is not circumpolar. Its realms are spiny heights, alpine ridges and meadows of southern Alaska, the Pacific Northwest’s coastal ranges, and the Rockies.

Quick-change artists, all three species switch from solid umber, chestnut, and black-barred gold to mottled to all-cream plumage and back during a single year. The sun’s shifting arc — amounts of daylight or “photoperiod” — triggers these seasonal makeovers.

Unlike geese and ducks, ptarmigan never become flightless because they replace feathers sequentially.

A trick bag of physical and behavioural traits allows these hardy locals to gain weight on a winter diet when other creatures starve.

They can weather minus 40 degrees. The genus name Lagopus — “hare-footed” — to which they belong, points to their densely fringed legs. The birds grow more feathers in the fall, especially on their toes. This helps them keep warm but also contributes to the “snowshoe effect.” Their claws as well grow almost twice as long in time for that season, useful as “crampons” and digging tools.

Thus, they float atop the snow, probing for buried catkins and willow twigs and later, peck at buds.

Males stay white longer in the spring when the snow melts and their inflatable, lipstick-red “eyebrow” wattles accentuate their inconspicuous garb. The female on the nest will petrify, camouflaged; meanwhile, enthroned on a nearby hummock, her mate serves as

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Female aqiggiq or rock ptarmigan in Nunavut. © Fiona Hunt

Inuit carved-bone bola, for bringing down birds and small game.

Courtesy of The Cobbs Auctioneers

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Summer willow ptarmigan (male) on the North Canol Road, Yukon Territory. © Mark Olivier

Willow ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus) foot with “crampon” claws and “snowshoe” feathering. © Arnstein Rønning/Wikimedia Commons

Roasted-Broiled Ptarmigan with Cranberries

• 1-2 ptarmigan (brined overnight, then marinated in lemon and garlic overnight) • 1 cup red wine • Handful of minced red onion • Cupful of cranberries • 2 tbsp Olive oil • Sherry or balsamic vinegar • Salt and pepper to taste

1) Preheat the oven to 425F. 2) Separate the breast from the rest of the bird. Then cut the meat off the bone. Sprinkle salt and pepper onto the breasts. Set them aside for now.

3) Roast: Flatten the rest of the ptarmigan (back, legs and wings). Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Place it on a pan, skin side up. Put into the oven for 15 minutes.

4) Sear: Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat in a pan. Sear the breasts (skin side up) for 5 minutes. There should be a nice brown crust.

Remove the meat from pan and set aside on a plate.

5) Red wine-cranberry sauce: In the same pan, add another tbsp of oil and toss in minced red onion.

Sauté the onion until caramelized.

6) Deglaze the pan with red wine. Reduce heat to a low simmer.

7) Simmer away the red wine until it is reduced by half. The wine should be thick enough to coat the back of your spoon.

8) Toss in cranberries.

9) Add a splash of either sherry or balsamic vinegar.

10) Season to taste and set aside for plating.

11) Broil: When the bird is done roasting, turn on the broiler.

12) Place breasts (skin side up) in the pan with the rest of the bird.

13) Place pan a few inches from broiler and broil for 5 minutes.

14) Let meat rest for 10 minutes before cutting.

15) Serve: Slice breast meat into slices. The breast meat should be medium rare (still pink on the inside). Chop the bird lengthwise along the spine.

Jen Lam from Inuvik, Northwest Territories

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target, willing to sacrifice his life to a predator so that their brood may survive. Studies indeed have shown that Arctic foxes mostly kill ptarmigan cocks at that time of year.

They stalk them and pounce on molting or nesting adults, or fluff-ball chicks.

For millennia Native people hunted ptarmigan with blunt arrowheads, to roast, smoke and dry, eat raw, or make into soup. Men, women, and children downed the plump protein packages with ivory-weighted bolas, snared them with braided sinew or wire loops set in willow twig-fences. Decoys fooled amorous or territorial males. A hunter would clear a soil patch and sculpt a bird from snow, dressing it with russet grass around the neck to mimic spring plumage.

In the Arctic, ptarmigans were often the only defense against dreaded cycles of famine and scarcity. Permafrost pits served as emergency caches or summertime freezers.

Uncooked eggs made simple snacks out on the land. The leafy greens-stomach content yielded vitamins that up North are in short supply. Always travelling light, Gwich’in Athabaskans cooked ptarmigan by filling the chest cavity with water and dropping a hot rock where a hot heart formerly pulsed.

People traded the feathers or used them to scrub hands and dishes, or to diaper babies. They fletched arrows with the feathers — the blood was a vital part of the glue.

The skins made handy napkins or rags. Inuit sewed the brilliant eye “combs” of cock ptarmigan as fancy piping onto men’s clothes. With this broad sweep of consumption, ptarmigan was the Northerner’s bison, yet far easier prey.

Small wonder ptarmigans transcended mere sustenance. Cultures worldwide borrowed the jumps, struts, and plumage spreading of grouse-like suitors for their dances. A ptarmigan amulet foot made a boy a fast and tireless runner — however, he was not to eat the bird’s meat lest he’d grow timid or easily rattled. A carcass placed on an infant’s neck and then whisked away promised invisibility from enemies.

Birds structured time not just by wearing different seasonal coats. A boy’s first ptarmigan kill made him a man (and relatives gleefully ripped his trophy apart in A B OV E & B E YO N D — C A N A DA’ S A RC T I C J O U R N A L

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Perfectly camouflaged rock ptarmigan with chick near Baker Lake, Nunavut. © Sophia Granchinho

symbolic sharing). Names of the months referenced egg laying, hatching, and the molt.

An Inuit child’s birth season determined the material of its first bird skin-garment: waterfowl for the summer and ptarmigan for the dark season’s offspring.

Mocking drum-song duels took place between “Pintail Ducks,” Inuit born in a summer skin tent, and “Ptarmigans,” who first saw the light of a seal oil lamp in an iglu. (“His head is like a swollen thumb joint. His beak is like a thumbnail...” the insults fly in the Baffin Island version.) In physical contests, team Ducks punted a ball toward water with Ptarmigans surging landward, trying to keep it in their habitat. The outcome in a tug of war between the two foretold hunting fortune in the following season.

Non-natives valued the tender fowl just as much. In a sport-hunting manual from 1883, the zoologist Charles E. Whitehead similarly considered ptarmigan the “chief delicacy of the Arctic explorer,” also “plentifully in the larders of the posts of the Hudson’s Bay Fur Company.” In Nova Scotia, according to Audubon, when snow glazed the ground, the birds were “obliged to scratch through it, in order to get at the mosses and lichens” yet “so abundant that a hundred or more can be shot in a day” as they congregated in immense numbers.

Sir John Franklin’s ships carried ptarmigan taken from Scottish moors, salted and barrelled, and a paunchy Wyatt Earp served fresh ones for Thanksgiving 1898, ice-bound in Rampart, on the Yukon. One old-time trapper hung his birds in a spruce, retrieving the frozen treats as needed from this “Christmas tree.” Their flesh is said to taste sweeter in the fall when they gorge on berries. The meat is “dark coloured, and has somewhat the flavour of the hare,” one 18th-century naturalist wrote. Baked into pies, ptarmigan brightened the drab fare of ships’ crews. In a newspaper handwritten onboard HMS Assistance during the search for Franklin, her Captain, W. H. Austin in 1850 ranked them “foremost in the list [of birds] for flavour and delicacy of fibre.”

Thinking about camp and your own next meal, you may flush ptarmigans unknowingly from the willows while hiking in grizzly bear country — your heart will A B OV E & B E YO N D — C A N A DA’ S A RC T I C J O U R N A L

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Bird-dart from Canada’s Arctic (ca. 1910). Bird-darts were launched with a throwing board or atlatl — an extension that allowed greater reach. This one has two sets of points, increasing the likelihood of a hit. © The British Museum

promptly miss a beat. They won’t, sailing off with staccato, guttural kok-kok-koks like noisy windup toys running down.

Their flashing white wings and alarm can distract enemies from a nest.

Chance upon downy claws or severed white wings in the barrenlands and you know a raptor has struck. (True gourmets, gyrfalcons above all relish ptarmigan breast muscles and brains.)

Conversely, remnants like those from a pillow fight suggest not a fox meal but an angel fallen to earth.

Michael Engelhard is the author of Ice Bear: The Cultural History of an Arctic Icon and of American Wild: Explorations from the Grand Canyon to the Arctic Ocean, a Foreword INDIES gold medalist. He lives in Fairbanks, Alaska, and works as a wilderness guide.

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2017 Great Northern Canada Writing Contest Winners above&beyond, Canada’s Arctic Journal, is proud to bring our readers the stories chosen as winners of the 2017

NorthWords Great Northern Canada Writing Contest.

This year, Amélie Aubrey-Smith of Fort Smith, Northwest

Territories, receives First Prize for Water Flows North: a short story about a young man’s search for direction and home.

Libby Whittal Catling is runner-up for her story My Sweat

Lodge Prayers, about coming to terms with who she is in this world.

New sponsor for the writing contest is Down to Earth

Gallery, donating cash prizes of $500 to the winner and $250 to the runner-up.

Judge Barbara Miron is a retired college instructor who

has spent 30 years teaching, editing and encouraging writing in northern communities.

For more information on NorthWords, visit

northwordsnwt.ca.

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NORTHWORDS: WINNER

Water Flows North

By Amélie Aubrey-Smith

T

he sound of roaring water erupted in Brandon’s ears as he stepped

Clara, along with a few others, was now out of the car and staring

out of the car. Mandatory, they had said. It would be a part of

down the hill. “Are you guys seriously going to make us walk down

environmental science class. To his le, Brandon heard Clara emerge

and then up that hill?” complained Clara to one of the chaperones.

from the car. He saw her disgusted look as her feet hit the sandy

Clara didn’t receive an answer, just a warning look.

ground. Apparently, this town had been an ancient seabed millions of years ago.

e hill that led to the river was long and steep. Brandon tried to imagine his mother’s elderly, grumpy neighbour walking down this

For the past couple of months, Brandon had asked himself what he had done to end up here. Of course, he knew, but why did he have

hill and couldn’t help laughing. It wasn’t that he didn’t have any respect for older people. It was just that particular old man.

to be sent here? He could have been sent down south to one of those

People were walking up the hill with kayaks on their back. ere

rehabilitation centres. To his sorrow, he was sent here to Fort Smith.

were a lot of people out. Brandon thought that maybe there was an © Lars Johansson/fotolia.com

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NORTHWORDS: WINNER

event happening. He had reached the beach. He felt the cool water touch his toes. Two girls who looked younger than sixteen passed

“Home is wherever I’m with you.”

him. Both seemed to have a good understanding of where they were going. Brandon followed them. e girls might have seen him, but they didn’t seem to care.

Brandon heard the rapids before he saw them. David, the counsellor, had said something about those rapids being called the playground. e two girls were now heading towards the rocks near the rapids; Brandon didn’t want to get that close. Aer observing the girls, he concluded that they were the kind of people who did not get into trouble. Unlike Brandon, those two girls probably hadn’t experienced many hardships. e sun touched the water. Clara and the others had now caught

Brandon slipped into the water. It was chilling at first. However, it

up. All around, Brandon saw people. Lots and lots of people — the

soon became refreshing aer he took a couple of strokes. Looking up

fact came rushing to his head. A five- and six-year-old were making

through the water, Brandon swam to what he thought was the hole.

a clay castle. An older couple was sitting on a towel watching the

As soon as he entered the rapid, he regretted his decision.

kayakers, and the two girls were now jumping into boats. All the

Brandon was pulled under the water. e hole was a rapid that

people that Brandon saw had some sense of what they were doing,

recirculated the water that spun around it, making it somewhere to

and he stood there lost. at was Brandon’s reality; he didn’t know

easily get stuck in. Brandon was experiencing that effect right now.

where he would be or who he would be next year.

He felt as if two hands were holding him, keeping him under. He

His childhood had started in Inuvik. He le with his mother to

couldn’t see anything, just pitch black.

Dawson, and he lived in Whitehorse for a while. Brandon had also

Brandon was panicking. His mind jumped from thought to

lived in Yellowknife, Norman Wells, Aklavik, and now Fort Smith.

thought. He wondered if this is what his father experienced while

He got sent to the South Slave because of what happened. Brandon

drowning that terrible night four years ago. Brandon didn’t want to

constantly asked himself why he felt so lost; his mind concluded it

end up like his father. He decided then and there that aer he got

was because he had no place to call home.

out of the rapid, he would move back up North with his mother.

It was David who had brought up the idea of coming down to the rapids. David was currently setting boundary rules and expectations

Brandon’s mother needed him. He would be her home, and maybe he would find his.

for this excursion. Everybody would have to participate in one activity

e water circulated Brandon out of the wave train. He gasped

to get the credit for coming here, David explained as Brandon half

as soon as he hit the air. Brandon was only under the water for

listened.

10 seconds, but that was enough for his mind to become flooded with

Brandon chose the swim race. e goal was simple. All that he had

thoughts.

to do was start by the far-le end of the rocks, get in the water, swim

On the way back up the hill, Clara complained for five minutes

through a rapid they called the hole, get out of the wave train, and

straight. Brandon was too busy thinking to care. When everybody

touch the rocks opposite of where the race started. Brandon knew he

reached the car and got in, Brandon took a seat. As they were leaving,

could swim, so he decided that the swim race would be the ideal

David turned on the radio. Brandon le the rapids with the tune

activity.

“Home” stuck in his head: “Home is wherever I’m with you.”

Brandon adjusted his lifejacket. People, including the two girls from earlier, were getting into the water. Everybody was in the water now, and the race rules were read over again as a reminder.

“Okay, everybody! Are you ready for the 2017 Paddlefest annual swim race? Take your marks, get set, go!” yelled some guy holding a

Amélie Aubrey-Smith is a born and raised strong-minded northern girl, who can be often found reading books and writing stories and poems. She lives in Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, and spends her spare time writing for her school newspaper or enjoying activities such as cross-country skiing, paddling the Mighty Slave River, and cooking.

microphone.

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NORTHWORDS: RUNNER-UP

My Sweat Lodge Prayers M

By Libby Whittal Catling

y friend invites me to come and pray beside a strange altar of

My old Hudson’s Bay blanket, wrapped tight around my hips

buffalo skull and tobacco. is is her culture and ceremony

against the early winter cold, becomes my seat on the floor made of

not mine but she makes me feel welcome and tells me it will help me

fresh-cut spruce branches. I lay my good-luck charms in front of me.

reconnect with my ancestors and myself. Doing exactly as she says, I

I slip a cherished rock, a heart shaped chunk of abalone from a pouch

crawl into the dark sweat lodge clockwise, finding my place among

of beaded, tanned caribou hide. Each is so full of memories my heart

the other women.

breaks every time I hold them. © watcherfox/fotolia.com

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NORTHWORDS: RUNNER-UP

Outside large rocks glow red in the bonfire. With his pitchfork, the Fire Keeper pushes them through the door. Every new rock rolled into the small pit dug into the sand at the centre of the circle radiates more heat. So dangerously close it takes my breath away and I shrink back until I touch the walls of the small round hut. e Fire Keeper does this four times during the two-hour ceremony. e other women begin to sing songs I’ve never heard, and though

“I am all my Ancestors and they are me.”

I try to hum along, the fast, unfamiliar beat throws me off. My damp drum tells me it does not want to play. unk, thunk, thunk. I bow my head and just listen until the hypnotic chanting pauses and we begin to pray. Each woman praying in her own way, including me, as we go around the circle.

My friend sprinkles sage and sweet grass and pours water onto the

Feeling guilty for disturbing the others trance-like state, I crawl

red-hot rocks. In the dark, I feel the heavy fragrant steam billow

back to my space, humiliated but the fear is gone. e end of the

around me. e flesh inside my nostrils feels scorched with every

ceremony comes quickly, four rounds of the circle done. e tent door

breath I suck into my lungs. I taste salt as sweat drips from my nose

opens and the Fire Keeper welcomes us into the cold grey dusk.

onto my lip. I imagine spirits rising from the red rocks. A mirage? A hallucination?

In the days aer visiting my friend’s sweat lodge, the experience continues to haunt me. Even though it was not my culture or my

In the gloom, I mumble prayers to nameless Gods. e Ones I feel in the trees and rocks as I travel and the Ones who speak to me

ceremony it has brought me to an understanding of who I am on this land.

through the wild animals and this ancient land. I shout to my brother

I learned in the sweat lodge it is ok to pray to my own gods. It is

in the wind I hear blowing across the flaps of the sweat lodge. I appeal

ok to connect with my own Celtic Grandmothers and Grandfathers,

to my grandmothers and grandfathers. “Make me a strong woman!”

who live on forever in my genetic code, the Ones who, with great

Life is harder than I imagined and I need strength.

hope, looked to the future for me. ose who have gone to earth,

Hands held high, I speak and feel powerful with my two talismans clutched in my palm as if each is a gateway to the world of the spirits I want to connect to on this day. I do not beg in weakness but stand

whose water, dissipating upon death, quench my thirst now. Every day I drink from them.

I am all my Ancestors and they are me.

before my Own Ancestors as a daughter claiming her birthright. I am no longer unclear who I am or who I am praying to. I believe in them. ey have always believed in me.

More heat, more steam, more prayers; my dress is dripping wet with sweat and my eyes are blurry from the smoke and tears. My eyes dart to the light that peaks through the thick coverings of our rough tent. I feel claustrophobia rising. Too dark, too hot, I can’t breathe. I

Libby Whittall lives with her husband, wolf hunter Roger Catling, in Reliance, Northwest Territories, 270 km from the nearest road system.

As the only inhabitants for nine months of the year, they enjoy the quiet.

Christmas 2014, Libby released a northern children’s book, The Twelve Days of Christmas in Fort Reliance, illustrated by Alison McCreesh. In March 2017, she released The Mundane and the Holy, a compilation of her newspaper columns.

crawl to the door trying to control the panic. Struggling to pull up the thick covering, I li it just enough to stick my face out. e Fire Keeper stares at me. Cold air pours into my lungs. Breathe deep.

Be calm. Focus. Stretching out my tongue to catch a snowflake, I re-connect to reality.

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Climbing barriers

E D U C AT I O N

Community-based pre-employment training in Nunavut Woody Huizenga

Finding work is tough for anybody, anywhere. It’s tougher if you’re young or lack experience, or if you have a visible or invisible disability, or face other barriers to employment.

For many Inuit living in small communities with high unemployment and limited wage economies, finding work can be really tough.

There’s no simple answer. The obstacles facing Inuit range from low literacy and selfconfidence to a lack of education and jobspecific training. Supporting Nunavummiut in overcoming these obstacles can open the doors for their greater contribution to the growth and prosperity of the territory.

The Government of Nunavut’s Department of Family Services (DFS) has partnered with Performance Management Consultants (PMC)

on a community-based approach in Arviat, Baker Lake, Cambridge Bay, Coral Harbour, Iqaluit, Pangnirtung and Pond Inlet. The approach combines pre-employment training with life skills development and civic engagement, while integrating experiential learning and traditional Inuit knowledge in the program.

The 2016 Baker Lake 12-week pilot project combined five learning modules, employer engagement and work experience with traditional

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Working with Elders and guides, participants in Baker Lake set up a tent for ice fishing. © Performance Management Consultants

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E D U C AT I O N

Financial planning to reach life goals

Here’s the straightforward plan of a participant who wanted to hunt

caribou but lacked the equipment: • Quit smoking.

• Put aside the money saved.

• Get a job and save money.

• Buy a used ATV.

• Go hunting.

Baker Lake participant harvests her first caribou on the team hunt.

The five modules

• Employment readiness & resiliency training

• Life skills and workplace readiness

• Financial literacy

• Engaging prospective employers

• Developing a social enterprise

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activities — including a caribou hunt — and engaged participants in the development of a community-based non-profit business.

In communities like Baker Lake, goods and services are expensive. Anything that can be re-used rather than discarded has value and fits with the Inuit tradition of recycling all available materials. So why not build a social enterprise to meet that need? A thrift shop and food bank could supply food, recycled clothing and toys to the community, while training and employing people facing barriers to employment.

During and after the training program, PMC worked with a group of Baker Lake residents to form the Abluqta (“Step Forward Together”) Society. Two program graduates — the President of the Abluqta Society and the newly-hired store manager — are leading the development of a business plan and the search for additional funding for an early-2018 opening. As part of its support for community initiatives in the Kivalliq region, Agnico Eagle Mines will provide equipment and funding to help get Abluqta’s food bank up and running.

Financial literacy is a survival skill, so an early activity of the 2016 Baker Lake program was to visit the First Nations Bank. Several participants opened their first accounts. They learned about budgeting, debt and saving from the branch manager, and worked to apply that knowledge throughout the training program.

The result? A reported 62 per cent improvement in participants’ ability to understand their finances.

Some participants learned to talk about their challenges with their employers and to ask for workplace accommodations. All learned coping strategies to manage stress and strengthen their resiliency.

Participants are encouraged to treat the program not as training but as work. Classroom training is combined with activities to connect participants with employers and support services.

Participants identify local opportunities, apply for jobs and continue their growth through other programs.

A young participant harvested her first caribou during the 2016 Baker Lake program.

This was an important attainment, but the hunter never eats from her first harvest — she gave the meat to the Elders and to needy families.

Participants butchered the 17 caribou harvested and then organized a community feast

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E D U C AT I O N A participant tries on a dry suit during a class tour of an Arctic Research Foundation boat.

The Baker Lake class tours Agnico Eagle goldmine.

Above, bottom: Participants in Pond Inlet donate books to the daycare after a fundraising bake sale. © Performance Management Consultants (4)

in honour of greater inclusion for people with disabilities. They served the harvested meat along with other food and refreshments they had purchased with money they raised through fundraising. Afterwards, they donated the caribou skins as bedding for Baker Lake Search and Rescue.

The programs combine skills-building for the wage economy with traditional activities from storytelling to ice fishing to country-food dinners honouring Elders. Bake sales supported food banks or bought books for day care centres.

The youth programs in Arviat and Iqaluit filmed documentaries using equipment provided

by PMC. In Arviat, participants hosted a local call-in radio show in Inuktitut, engaging local Elders in a discussion about finding work.

Seven of the Baker Lake pilot participants found full or part-time jobs. Two were accepted into the Pathways to Adult Secondary School (PASS) program to complete Grade 12. One moved on to a pre-trades program, and two entered an entrepreneurship training program.

Early results from the programs that wrapped up in December 2017 are also encouraging.

Nine of 10 Cambridge Bay graduates are already employed in their community. Programs in Iqaluit,

Coral Harbour and Pangnirtung run until March 2018.

Programs are tailored to meet the needs of the host communities. The legacy of each program is a group of Inuit graduates with improved life and work skills to turn community needs into opportunities.

“I have learned how to respect others and to work as part of a team,” said a Pond Inlet participant.

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“Participating in this has really changed me personally. I am being told by others that I am a changed person in a good way,” said a Baker Lake participant. “I am also more open-minded to things I never considered before.”

For more information on the pre-employment programs, please contact:

Dan Hamilton, Vice President, PMC: 613-234-2020, ext. 22; dhamilton@pmcrenewal.com.

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YOUTH

Eric Ayalik Pelly, age 16, at the end of a day of white-water kayaking in the Slave River, Fort Smith, NWT. © Rita Antoniak

Ayalik Fund

Changing Lives, One Youth at a Time

When 13-year-old Eekeeluak Avalak, from Cambridge Bay, returned home after a 10-day backpacking adventure in the mountains, he

wrote: “This trip was a life-changing experience for me” and asked if he could go back again next year, for a longer trek. Feedback like

that is typical for the Nunavut youth who have an opportunity to experience a challenging adventure in the wilderness, thanks to the

Ayalik Fund and its legion of donors and supporters (including First Air).

The Ayalik Fund has been operating for less than three years. In the first summer, 2015, Shania Angohiatok and Ian Kavanna joined an Outward Bound expedition in the Rocky Mountains. Since that time, a total of 35 youths have experienced a variety of outdoor challenges.

They have climbed to the top of the Mackenzie Mountains, paddled on Great Slave Lake, hiked in the Rockies, explored Clayoquot Sound by sea-kayak and Algonquin Park by canoe, and sailed in a tall ship to the Atlantic Ocean. All made new friends with young Canadians from across the country, broadening their horizons and giving each one the feeling that they belong.

Three years ago, a young man from Cambridge Bay died in his sleep of sudden cardiac arrhythmia.

Eric Ayalik Pelly was 19½, a high school graduate working in his first full-time job as a surveyor’s assistant. Despite many challenges growing up, he achieved success, was proud of who he was and where he’d come from. According to his

friends and family, this was in part because of a self-confidence derived from challenging outdoor experiences — he was an experienced barrenlands canoeist, a seasoned wintercamper, a whitewater kayaker, a sailor, and much more. Hoping to share those same opportunities with other youth from Nunavut, Eric’s adoptive parents established a charitable foundation, the Ayalik Fund, in his memory.

More than 500 donors stepped up to make it happen, so Eric’s life could be an inspiration to other youths, his path to success an example.

Last March, Candace Hiqiniq and Sheridan Kamookak, both 14 from Gjoa Haven, travelled to Ottawa for an Encounters with Canada program focused on “Health and Medicine” because, as Sheridan explained: “My grandmother wants me to become a nurse.”

That same month, Chloe Kilaodluk (12) and Kyla Komatsuit (13), from Cambridge Bay joined Dene and Inuvialuit girls from the Northwest

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Kyla Komaksuit, 13, proudly holds the large fish she caught through the ice during winter camp outside Yellowknife. © Courtesy of Ayalik Fund

Territories at a traditional-skills winter camp outside Yellowknife. They fished through the ice (with great success!), hunted ptarmigan, made traditional medicines, prepared caribou skins, learned beading, cross-country skied (with

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YOUTH

If ever a picture was worth a thousand words, this is it. Two 13-year-old boys from Cambridge Bay, Carter Lear Ehaloak (in the orange t-shirt) and Roy Goose Nanogak (with the red ball-cap), have climbed to a new height during summer camp in the Mackenzie Mountains, a week full of new discoveries, and building self-confidence.

Erika MacPherson Otokiak (16), from Cambridge Bay says, “I found love and peace on this trip. On my solo night I learned that there are good days and bad days, and you just have to look up and be a prouder person than who you were yesterday.”

Dylan Evetalegak, 14, from Cambridge Bay, learning to make a traditional drum during the Northern Youth Leadership winter camp near Ft. Simpson, NWT.

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former Olympian Sharon Firth), and enjoyed traditional games, yoga, snowshoeing, and evenings of personal exploration through group discussion around the campfire. “I would love to come again,” said Chloe after the camp. Kyla added: “Another camp? Yes!” Last July, 13-year-old Eric Amagonalok, from Cambridge Bay, participated in a canoe trip organized by Yellowknife-based Northern Youth Leadership (NYL). Together with a dozen boys from across NWT, Eric paddled 130 kilometres down the North Arm of Great Slave Lake, terminating in Yellowknife at midnight of their eighth day on the water.

When Crystal Mitchell-Ochoktoonooak (14) arrived back home in Taloyoak from an NYL

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YOUTH

Ethan Kaiyogana (18), from Cambridge Bay says, “After this trip, I feel motivated. I realized, if you want something in life, you have to work for it. I couldn’t be more thankful to the Ayalik Fund.” © Courtesy of Ayalik Fund (5)

camp in October, she wrote on Facebook: Northern Youth Leadership was such a fun experience. I met new people [and] experienced a lot of new things. NYL taught us how to set snares, make dry fish, set up a teepee, sew mitts, make a fire with our surroundings, and work together. We also did chores, played hand games, told scary stories like oogalaboogala …

When it was Nunavut’s turn to do our presentation, I wanted to talk another hour. NYL was so much fun that I wanted to stay out in the woods for another month.

These young people would not have had such opportunities without the support of the Ayalik Fund. It is a powerful legacy for a fine young man. Eric is representative of many Inuit children in Canada who suffered as a result of what the dominant society historically inflicted upon First Nations and Inuit, and the collective failure even in the 21st century to understand, acknowledge, and accommodate. The Ayalik Fund strives to do something about that — one youth at a time.

The Ayalik Fund gives Inuit youth who would otherwise not have such opportunities a chance to build self-esteem and confidence, through challenging outdoor adventure, meeting other young Canadians and social-cultural exploration.

First Air is a proud sponsor of the Ayalik Fund.

A group of youth from across the North gathered at a winter camp outside Yellowknife, to learn from each other as they discuss shared northern issues. © Courtesy of Ayalik Fund

You too can help. For more info, please visit: www.AyalikFund.ca

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C U LT U R E

Fox Trapping

Trade goods for the fashion industry

Top: Capturing the past. In this scene from the movie set of Kabloona, shot near Iqaluit in 1993, igloos and a variety of drying fox pelts recapture the feeling of life in the 1920s in the Qikiqtaaluk region.

Below left: Trapper and catch. Tony Ittunga holds a white and a silver fox.

On a single trapping weekend, he and a companion caught 22 foxes about 50 km northeast of Taloyoak.

Nick Newbery

Foxes were not of prime interest to Inuit in pre-contact times due to their fur being too fragile for external use and were seen as thieves who hung around the residue of bear kills. Nonetheless, when caught, and although not usually eaten, they were used for certain domestic purposes such as bootee liners for babies. However, in the early 20th century, after the collapse of the whaling industry, Inuit were encouraged by the Hudson Bay Co. to trap for Arctic fox and thus had a product enabling them to purchase trade goods that they had become increasingly dependent upon, such as guns and metal goods, tobacco, tea, sugar and flour. The fur market fluctuated somewhat after World War Two but still provides some income for Inuit who go out on the land. Northern fox pelts come in more than one colour, from the common white fox to others such as the ‘blue,’ ‘cross’ and ‘silver’ and even the larger red fox which is now being seen North of Sixty.

Below: Hanging on the line. Eliyah Nauyaq was old school Inuk; there was probably nothing he did not know about survival on the land, hunting, trapping or fishing. Here, he hangs out fox skins in preparation for sale to the local store. © Nick Newbery/Government of Nunavut (3)

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C U LT U R E

The red fox. Like other foxes, the red fox is a carnivore, living off small animals and scavenging from the kills of larger animals, particularly bears. It is found both in northern and southern Canada but has been seen more often now in the North, even attacking and killing the smaller white fox. © Nick Newbery/Government of Nunavut (4)

Above: Drying fox pelts. Once skinned and cleaned, fox pelts are hung out to dry in the cold Arctic air as seen here in Kimmirut. When ready, they are then used to decorate clothing or sold to the local store.

Above right: The Inuit trapper. Eliyah Nauyaq maintained a trapline out of Iqaluit for many years. Here, he is seen with white fox pelts ready for trade, pelts which after cleaning, stretching and drying, can often retail these days anywhere from $100-$200 and up.

Right: The Arctic fox. The white fox does not have a sturdy fur like the wolf or wolverine so in traditional times it was not greatly used except for items such as socks or diapers for babies.

However, in response to demand from 20th century southern fashion the HBC encouraged Inuit to trap and thus white fox pelts provided a source of trade.

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

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Thor Simonsen (left) and Kelly Fraser (right) perform the opening concert in Arctic Bay. © Hitmakerz/Niore Iqalukjuak

ARTS

Nunavut Hitmakerz

Inspiring a new generation of artists

On a beautiful, crisp evening in March 2014, Thor Simonsen was sitting in his hotel room in Cape Dorset,

Nunavut. He was visiting the community as a government photographer, and after witnessing the

creativity that he experienced at Cape Dorset’s print-making workshops, Simonsen, a lifelong musician

and music producer, suddenly had an epiphany.

In less than an hour, Simonsen had written the first draft of the proposal for funding for what would become Nunavut Hitmakerz.

Simonsen knew he needed support with the songwriting aspect of the tour, especially since it would be in Inuktitut, so he contacted his friend and fellow musician, Kelly Fraser.

A few months later, the funding was secure from the Government of Nunavut’s Department of Culture & Heritage and Qikiqtani Inuit Association (QIA).

In 2016, Simonsen and Fraser (the “Hitmakerz team”) travelled to Clyde River, Pond Inlet, and Qikiqtarjuak.

The program was very well received and could boast 200+ workshop participants, as well as 1,250+ audience members in attendance at the community events. In 2017, the team travelled to Arctic Bay, Hall Beach, Igloolik, and Iqaluit. Cambridge Bay would have a workshop in 2018.

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ARTS

Kelly Fraser writes a song with help from workshop participants in Igloolik. © Hitmakerz

The goal of the initiative is always to give Nunavummiut youth new skills writing, recording, producing, marketing, and selling professional music in Inuktitut. The empowering threeday educational-and-entertainment program features workshops on songwriting, music production, and working in the arts. Participants usually range between 40 and 400 and ages vary from young children to elders (the median age is 14).

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During the songwriting workshops, Kelly Fraser asks for song theme suggestions from the crowd, and together, they write a song about their community. An assistant helps to write down the lyrics on a big sheet of paper in syllabics. The local dialect is used to write the song, which often leads to meaningful discussions about language, since many words differ from Kelly’s own Sanikiluaq dialect. The songs also help attendees express their feelings about

their lives, communities, and dreams. The songs are performed by the group at the closing ceremonies.

During the music production workshops, Thor Simonsen shows the crowd how to record and produce music. He begins by going through the process of recording, writing new songs on the spot, or using one of Kelly’s songs as a showcase. Thor then gets people from the crowd to come and record others, guiding them as they “learn-by-doing”. By the end of the workshop, four to six short songs have been recorded, and the students are ready to continue learning on their own.

The “Working in the Arts” workshops feature talks and motivational speeches by the instructors about their lives and careers. They highlight opportunities available to meaningful employment in the arts or otherwise. Talks are interactive and students are encouraged to ask questions. Brochures and other educational material are distributed, as well as helpful links to more information. The instructors emphasize the need for education, hard work, love and dedication, and accessible support. They also work with local community leaders to ensure students have access to further support.

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ARTS

The Nunavut Hitmakerz song-writing workshop participants perform their song at the closing ceremonies concert in Arctic Bay. © Hitmakerz

The project also features free community events such as concerts, movie nights, a talent show, and a community feast. A small, mobile, recording studio is also donated to every community on the tour.

Even though the training is focused on music creation, music production, and artistic expression, the underlying theme of the project is motivation to make life better, healing from trauma, cultural strengthening, career development, and general life skills.

To learn more, visit www.nuhitmakerz.ca.

You can learn more about Kelly at her website www.kellyfrasermusic.com. You can learn more about Thor at his website www.thorsimonsen.com.

Check out: www.youtube.com/ watch?time_continue=3&v=YQzk1b0lKAQ

Music Production workshop participants in Igloolik learn to use the Hitmakerz Mobile Music Studio. © Hitmakerz

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BOOKSHELF

North of Familiar

A Woman’s Story of Homesteading and Adventure in the Canadian Wilderness

Terry Milos Caitlin Press, July 2017

In 1974, Terry Milos moved to rural Northern Canada to pursue her dream of homesteading. She later accepted a job in the small town of Atlin where she learned to expect the unexpected, whether negotiating a desolate mountain trail, or mushing her dogs to school when the deep cold rendered her car useless.

Sometimes humorous and often insightful, North of Familiar is the story of a woman who learned to hunt, fish and live off the land. In Carcross, Carmacks, Dawson City and Old Crow, Milos navigated the cultural differences between her urban upbringing and the communities of Canada’s Indigenous North. Despite the harsh country, Terry survived and thrived, while raising a family and becoming a part of a strong and unique community. This story is not only entertaining and inspiring, it is also a story of joy, friendship and change.

Island of the Blue Foxes

Disaster and Triumph on Bering’s Great Voyage to Alaska

Renatus’ Kayak:

A Labrador Inuk, an American G.I. and a Secret World War II Weather Station

Rozanne Enerson Junker Polar Horizons November 2017

Woody Belsheim had one question when he gave his niece, Rozanne Enerson Junker, a miniature sealskin qajaq made for him in 1944

by Inuit hunter Renatus Tuglavina: Could you find out what happened to Renatus and his daughter, Harriot? Woody and six other GIs manned a secret American weather station in Hebron, Labrador, in the Second World War. Sixty-five years later near the end of his life, he hoped to discover what had become of the Inuit family who had transformed what could have been a year of painful isolation into a year of unimaginable adventures. Junker travelled thousands of miles across Canada, the United States and England uncovering a weather station lost to time, Renatus’ larger than life footprint on Labrador history, and his and Harriot’s tragic destinies. Renatus’ Kayak is a true detective story that delves into military history, Inuit culture, wartime politics and a star-crossed love.

Stephen R. Bown Douglas & McIntyre, October 2017

A beautifully written, well researched page-turner, Island of the Blue Foxes tells the fascinating story of The Great Northern Expedition: one of the most ambitious and well-financed scientific expeditions in history. It resulted in the mapping of the Arctic Coast of Siberia and large parts of the North American coastline, and the discovery of Alaska. Conceived by Peter the Great in the 1730s, and led by Danish mariner Vitus Bering, the Expedition transported a grand cavalcade of 3,000 scientists, secretaries, interpreters, artists, surveyors, officers, and labourers. They sailed across oceans and trekked across three continents for nearly 10 years.

Island of the Blue Foxes offers a definitive account of the perilous voyage: one of personal and cultural animosities, Gothic horrors, and ingenuity in the face of adversity.

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

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Our Inuit Democracy in Canada

INUIT FORUM

© Letia Obed

As Canadian citizens, Inuit take part in democratic elections and processes at the municipal, territorial, provincial, and federal levels of government.

While we may become frustrated or disagree from time to time with decisions or positions taken by public governments, we accept these institutions as legitimate and know we can affect change by voting or sharing our concerns with elected leaders.

We also respect the right of elected officials to govern – whether they are the Prime Minister or provincial or territorial premiers or ministers – because we recognize the legitimacy of the democratic process that underpins their leadership.

Yet we are also an Indigenous people whose right to self-determination includes the right to maintain and strengthen our distinct political, legal, economic, social and cultural institutions while retaining our right to participate fully in the political life of Canada. The right to self-determination is foundational to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

We exercise this right by maintaining and participating in our own Inuit democracy through Inuit representational organizations, whose functions are tailored to meet regional needs.

Our Inuit democracy exists alongside the Canadian democracy; it is the political apparatus through which we assert and exercise our distinct rights as an Indigenous people in areas such as language, education, and land management.

The Inuit democracy begins with each and every Inuk enrolled as a beneficiary of our land claim agreements, who democratically elect leaders of the four land claim jurisdictions in the Inuvialuit Settlement Area, Nunavut, Nunavik, and Nunatsiavut. These four leaders in turn elect the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami president and the Inuit Circumpolar Council—Canada president, and provide these national and international leaders with their respective mandates.

It is a clear and concise democratic structure and process that we have utilized for decades, yet significant work is needed to ensure that our Inuit democracy is better understood and respected by public governments.

ITK Board of Directors meet in September 2017 in Nain, Nunatsiavut. L-R: Ruth Kaviok, President of the National Inuit Youth Council; Becky Kudloo, President of Pauktuutit, Inuit Women of Canada; Jobie Tukkiapik, former President of Makivik Corporation (Nunavik); Johannes Lampe, President of the Nunatsiavut Government; Natan Obed, President of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami; Nancy Karetak-Lindell, President of Inuit Circumpolar Council – Canada; Aluki Kotierk, President of Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated; Duane Smith, President of the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation.© ITK

The right of Inuit to self-determination, most notably expressed through land claims agreements negotiated between Inuit and the Crown, are constitutionally protected frameworks that already recognize many Inuit rights. A significant challenge for Inuit is implementation of those recognized rights, consistent with the honour of the Crown. It is our legitimate expectation that federal, provincial and territorial governments will work with Inuit through our representational organizations and democratic structures to ensure our rights are upheld and our land claims agreements are fully implemented.

In addition to implementation of existing agreements, ongoing reconciliation and recognition of rights, work with the Government of Canada requires systematic recognition and redress for outstanding human rights violations.

The process of reconciling our past with our future means imagining a new relationship based on respect for Inuit as rights-holders – not as stakeholders – and respect for Inuit Nunangat as our homeland.

Many governments in this country still dictate to Inuit when and how – if at all – our Inuit representational organizations will be engaged on matters that impact our people

and communities. By doing so, they send the message that our society is of little to no consideration in the development and implementation of government law and policy, and that our own democratic processes – and consequently our right to self-determination – are not legitimate. The noted exception to this norm is the Government of Nunavut because it has, with each government mandate, sought to implement formal partnership and cooperation protocols with Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. Our Inuit democracy facilitates unity across Inuit Nunangat and enables us to speak with one voice on a variety of issues that impact our everyday lives. However, this unique ability to exercise our right to self-determination is only as meaningful as we make it.

My three-year term as Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami president concludes this summer, and as we prepare for an election, I hope Inuit will participate and make your voices heard. You can influence the voting of your region by expressing your views to your regional land claim leader. You can hold me and our Inuit democracy accountable for how we elect our leaders, and how our institutions function. In turn, we can take our combined strength and use it to improve our relationship with public governments across Inuit Nunangat and the prominence and respect accorded to our Inuit democracy in Canada.

Natan Obed

National Inuit Leader and President of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami 50

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