Above & Beyond | Canada's Arctic Journal 2015 | 03

A B O V E & B E Y O N D – C A N A D A’ S A R C T I C J O U R N A L 2015 | 03 • $5.95

A Snowy Owl Year Breaking Records

The Stanley Cup® Comes North

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o www.arcticjournal.ca

Hubbard Point Excavating Ancient Thule Ruins

Independence I Tool Makers Quttinirpaaq National Park’s Oldest Artifacts

Jobie Tukkiapik / JW bexW4

Brock Friesen / XÇ4 K‰n8

Dear Guest, First Air is honoured to have carried the Stanley Cup® to the Arctic in late March.

The Cup travelled from Montreal to Kuujjuaq and then onto Iqaluit for fun-filled events. In partnership with Project North and Scotiabank, First Air shipped 25 hockey bags full of gear to 25 deserving youth in Nunavik. We had a fantastic time!

It was a rare treat to see you have your photos taken with hockey’s top trophy and meet special NHL Alumni® guests, Marty McSorely and John LeClair. The hockey game in Iqaluit was a real crowd pleaser. We rocked the house with the Jerry Cans and helped raise over $16,000 for two charities: the “Qayuqtuvik Society — Iqaluit Soup Kitchen” and the “YWCA Qimavik, Women’s shelter”.

Those who followed us on Twitter and Facebook joined in the happy celebration as well! Kathy Hanson won tickets to see the Ottawa Senators play in Ottawa, with return airfare and hotel included. Cindy Ningeongan will be on her way to Winnipeg to see the Jets play, with accommodations and game tickets included. Angwelik Malaiya Natsiq won tickets to Montreal to see the Canadiens play, again courtesy of First Air. Thank you for helping us celebrate hockey by tweeting and sending your photos!

The on-line social media activity and feedback received during the Stanley Cup® events have been overwhelming and heart-warming. We’re happy to have re-designed our Call Centre and implemented our new Customer Contact Centre, now serving customers via Twitter and Facebook as well, not just by phone.

As the Airline of the North, we are there when you need us. We share good and bad times. During the devastating fire and power cuts in Pangnirtung in early April, we were first to fly in generators. We evacuated several people to Iqaluit and operated an extra flight to bring in specially trained crews to help bring power back to the community.

Thank you for joining us in celebrating, combining our love of hockey with our commitment to giving back to the community. Your support makes us the Airline of the North.

Brock Friesen First Air President & CEO

ᑐᕌᖅᑐᑦ ᐃᑭᒪᔪᓄᑦ,

ᕘᔅᑎ ᐃᐊᒃᑯᑦ ᐅᐱᒍᓱᒻᒪᕆᒃᑐᑦ ᕼᐋᑭᖅᑎᒻᒪᕇᑦ Stanley Cup®-ᖑᓂᕋᖅᑕᒥᒃ (ᓯᑖᓐᓕ ᑲᑉ) ᐅᓯᒋᐊᓐᓂᒃ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥᐅᓄᑦ ᒫᔾᔨ ᐃᓱᐊᓂ.

ᑖᓐᓇ ᑲᑉ-ᖑᓂᕋᖅᑕᐅᔪᖅ ᐅᓯᔭᐅᓚᐅᕐᐳᖅ ᒪᓐᑐᕆᐋᓪᒥᑦ ᑰᔾᔪᐊᕐᒧᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑕᐃᑯᖓ ᐃᖃᓗᓐᓄᑦ ᖁᕕᐊᓇᒻᒪᕆᒃᑐᖁᑎᓂᒃ ᖃᓄᐃᓕᐅᖅᑎᑦᑎᔭᕐᑐᕐᓂᖃᖅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ. ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖃᖃᑎᒋᓪᓗᓂᒋᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖃᕐᓂᖅ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥᐅᓂ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓯᑰᓴᐸᐃᖕᒃᑯᓐᓂᒃ, ᕘᔅᑦ ᐃᐊᒃᑯᑦ ᐊᒃᔭᖅᓯᓚᐅᕐᐳᑦ ᐅᓯᓪᓗᑎᒃ 25-ᓂᒃ ᕼᐋᑭᖅᑎᑦ ᐱᖁᑎᖏᓂᒃ 25-ᖑᔪᓄᑦ ᐱᑎᑕᐅᓯᒪᒋᐊᓕᓐᓄᑦ ᒪᒃᑯᒃᑐᖏᓄᑦ ᓄᓇᕗᖕᒥ. ᐃᓛᒃ ᖁᕕᐊᓇᒻᒪᕆᓚᐅᕐᑐᖅ ᑖᓐᓇ!

ᐊᔾᔨᓕᐅᖅᑕᐅᖃᑎᒋᓐᓇᑦᑎᐊᖖᒋᒻᒪᑕ ᑭᒃᑯᑐᐃᓐᓇᐃᑦ ᕼᐋᑭᖅᑎᒻᒪᕆᓐᓄᑦ ᓵᓚᒃᓴᕈᑎᖃᕈᑎᐅᕙᒃᑐᓂ ᑎᒍᔭᐅᓯᒪᓕᖅᐸᒃᑐᒥᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑲᑎᖃᑎᖃᕋᔪᖖᒋᒻᒪᑕ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐊᖅᑯᓵᕈᔾᔭᐅᓯᒪᔪᓂᒃ ᑲᓇᑕᒥ ᕼᐋᑭᖅᑎᒻᒪᕆᐅᔪᓂᒃ ᐅᐸᒍᑎᖃᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᓂᒃ, ᒫᕐᑎ ᒪᒃᓱᐊᓕ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᔮᓐ ᓕᑭᓕᐊᕐ. ᕼᐋᑭᕐᓂᕆᓚᐅᖅᑕᖓᑦ ᐃᖃᓗᓐᓂ ᐊᒥᓱᑲᓪᓚᒻᒪᕆᖕᓂᑦ ᖁᕕᐊᒋᔭᐅᓚᐅᕐᒪᑦ. ᐃᒡᓗᕐᔪᐊᒥᒃ ᓲᕐᓗ ᐊᐅᓚᔾᔭᐃᓯᒪᒻᒪᕆᓕᓚᐅᖅᑐᒍᑦ ᑕᑯᓐᓈᖅᑎᑕᐅᓯᒪᑎᓪᓗᑕ ᔨᐊᕆᑳᓐᔅ ᑎᑕᒃᑎᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑮᓇᐅᔭᖁᑎᔅᓴᓕᐅᕈᓐᓇᖅᓯᓚᐅᖅᑐᑕ $16,000-ᓂᒃ ᒪᕐᕈᐃᓐᓄᑦ ᐃᑲᔪᕈᑎᔅᓴᓂᒃ ᐱᑖᖅᑎᑕᐅᓇᓱᐊᖅᓯᒪᔪᓄᑦ: "ᖃᔪᖅᑐᕐᕕᒃᑯᓐᓂᒃ — ᐃᖃᓗᖕᓂ ᓂᕆᔭᕐᑐᕐᕕᐅᔪᒥᒃ" ᐊᒻᒪᓗ "YMCA-ᑯᑦ ᕿᒫᕝᕕᖓᓂᒃ, ᐊᕐᓇᐃᑦ ᕿᒫᕝᕕᖓᓂᒃ".

ᑕᐃᒃᑯᐊ ᐅᕙᑦᑎᓐᓂᒃ ᑐᓴᐅᒪᐃᓐᓇᕆᐊᖃᑦᑕᓚᐅᖅᑐᑦ ᐅᖃᓘᑎᐊᓛᑎᒍᑦ ᑐᐃᑐᕐ-ᖑᓂᕋᖅᑕᐅᔪᒃᑯᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᖃᕆᑕᐅᔭᑎᒍᑦ ᕖᔅᐳᒃ-ᖑᓂᕋᖅᑕᐅᔪᑎᒍᑦ ᐃᓚᒋᔭᐅᖃᑕᐅᓚᐅᖅᑐᑦ ᖁᕕᐊᓱᒍᑎᖃᒻᒪᕆᒃᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ! ᑳᓯ ᕼᐋᓐᓇ ᖃᖓᑦᑕᐅᑎᓂᒃ ᓵᓚᒃᓴᐅᑎᑖᓚᐅᕐᑐᖅ ᐋᑐᕙ ᓯᓂᑐᕐᔅᓂᒃ ᕼᐋᑭᖅᑎᓂᒃ ᑕᑯᓐᓇᕆᐊᕈᑎᔅᓴᒥᓂᒃ ᐋᑐᕙᒥ, ᐅᑎᒧᑦ ᖃᖓᑦᑕᐅᑎᖃᖅᑎᑕᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓯᓂᒃᑕᕐᕕᖕᒦᔾᔪᑎᔅᓴᖃᖅᑎᑕᐅᓪᓗᓂ. ᓯᓐᑎ ᓂᖏᐅᖖᒐᓐ ᒍᐃᓂᐲᒡᓕᐊᖅᐸᓪᓕᐊᓕᕐᑐᖅ ᔨᐊᑦᔅ-ᓂᒃ ᕼᐋᑭᖅᑎᓂᒃ ᑕᑯᓐᓇᕆᐊᖅᓯᒪᓪᓗᓂ, ᓯᓂᒃᑕᕐᕕᖕᒦᔾᔪᑎᔅᓴᖃᖅᑎᑕᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᕼᐋᑭᖅᑐᓄᑦ ᐃᑎᕈᓐᓇᐅᑎᖃᖅᑎᑕᐅᒋᓪᓗᓂ. ᐊᖕᕕᓕᒃ ᒪᓚᐃᔭ ᓇᑦᓯᖅ ᐃᑎᕈᓐᓇᐅᑎᓂᒃ ᓵᓚᒃᓴᐅᑎᑖᓚᐅᕐᑐᖅ ᒪᓐᑐᕆᐋᓪᒧᑦ ᕼᐋᑭᖅᑎᓂᒃ ᑲᓃᑎᐊᓐᔅ-ᓂᒃ ᑕᑯᓐᓇᕆᐊᖅᓯᒪᔾᔪᑎᓂᒃ, ᑖᒃᑯᐊᑦᑕᐅᖅ ᐱᑎᑕᐅᓚᐅᕐᒥᔪᑦ ᕘᔅᑦ ᐃᐊᒃᑯᓐᓂᑦ. ᖁᔭᓐᓇᒦᖅᐸᔅᓯ ᐃᑲᔪᓚᐅᕋᑦᑎᒍᑦ ᖁᕕᐊᓱᒍᑎᖃᖅᑎᑦᑎᑎᓪᓗᑕ ᕼᐋᑭᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᐅᖃᒫᑎᐊᓛᑎᒍᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᐅᓪᓚᖅᑎᑦᑎᕙᓐᓂᑦᓯᒍᑦ ᐊᔾᔨᓕᐅᓚᐅᖅᑕᑦᓯᓐᓂᒃ! ᖃᕆᑕᐅᔭᑎᒍᑦ ᑐᓴᒐᔅᓴᓕᕆᓂᕐᒥ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖑᔪᓂᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᖃᐅᔨᒋᐊᓚᐅᕐᓂᕐᒥᑦ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᒃᓴᕆᔭᐅᔪᓂᒃ ᓯᑖᓐᓕ ᑲᑉ-ᑯᑦ ᖃᓄᐃᓕᐅᖅᑎᑦᑎᓂᖏᓄᑦ ᐱᔭᐅᓯᒪᓕᓚᐅᖅᑐᑦ ᐊᒥᓱᑲᓪᓚᒻᒪᕆᐅᓚᐅᖅᑐᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᓗᒃᑯᑦ ᐃᒃᐱᖕᓇᒻᒪᕆᒃᑑᓪᓗᑎᒃ. ᖁᕕᐊᓱᒃᑐᒍᑦ ᐋᖅᑮᒋᐊᓚᐅᕐᓂᑦᑎᓐᓂᒃ ᐅᖄᓚᕝᕕᒃᓴᒥᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᑐᓕᖅᑎᑦᑎᓚᐅᕐᓂᑦᑎᓐᓂᒃ ᓄᑖᖑᓪᓗᓂ ᐱᔨᑦᑎᕋᕐᕕᐅᔪᑦ ᐅᖄᓚᕝᕕᒋᔪᓐᓇᖅᑕᖓᓂᒃ, ᐱᔨᑦᑎᕋᕈᑎᐅᕙᒃᑐᒥᒃ ᐅᖃᓘᑎᐊᓛᑎᒍᑦ ᑐᐃᑐᕐ-ᑯᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᖃᕆᑕᐅᔭᑎᒍᑦ ᕖᔅᐳᒃ-ᑯᑦ, ᐅᖄᓚᐅᑎᒃᑰᖖᒋᑦᑐᖅ. ᐱᔾᔪᑎᖃᖅᑎᒋᔭᐅᒐᑦᑕ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥᐅᓄᑦ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᖅᑎᐅᓪᓗᑕ, ᐃᓕᑦᓯᓐᓄᑦ ᐊᑐᐃᓐᓇᐅᕗᒍᑦ. ᖁᕕᐊᓇᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᓚᖏᓂᒃ ᖁᕕᐊᓇᖖᒋᑉᐸᒃᑑᒐᓗᐊᓂᒃ ᐊᑐᖃᑎᒋᕙᒃᑲᑦᑎᒋᑦ. ᐸᓐᓂᖅᑑᕐᒥ ᐃᑯᐊᓪᓚᒃᑐᐊᓘᓚᐅᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᐊᐅᓚᔪᓐᓇᐅᑎᓕᕆᕝᕕᖓᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᖃᒥᓯᒪᓕᖅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᐅᐊᔭᒨᖅᑐᕈᑎᖏᑦ ᐊᐃᐱᕆ ᐊᑐᓕᓵᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ, ᓯᕗᓪᓕᖅᐸᐅᓪᓗᑕ ᐅᓯᔨᐅᖃᑦᑕᓚᐅᖅᐳᒍᑦ ᐃᑯᒪᓂᒃ. ᐊᒥᓱᕐᓚᐅᔪᓂᒃ ᐃᓄᓐᓂᒃ ᐃᖃᓗᓐᓄᑦ ᐊᒃᔭᖅᑐᐃᔨᐅᓚᐅᖅᐳᒍᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᕗᑦ ᖃᖓᑕᒃᑲᓐᓂᖅᑎᑕᐅᓚᐅᖅᑐᓂ ᐊᒃᔭᖅᓯᔾᔪᑎᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᐱᓕᒻᒪᓴᔭᐅᓯᒪᔪᓂᒃ ᓴᓇᔨᔅᓴᓂᒃ ᓄᓇᖅᑲᑎᒌᒃᑐᑦ ᖃᐅᒻᒪᖁᑎᖏᑦ ᐋᖅᑭᒃᑕᐅᓯᒪᓕᖁᓪᓗᒋᑦ.

ᖁᔭᓐᓇᒦᖅᐸᔅᓯ ᐃᓚᒋᔭᐅᖃᑕᐅᔪᓐᓇᓚᐅᕋᑦᓯ ᖁᕕᐊᓱᒍᑎᖃᖅᑎᑦᑎᑎᓪᓗᑕ, ᑲᑎᑕᐅᓯᒪᓂᖃᖅᑎᑦᑎᓪᓗᑕ ᕼᐋᑭᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᖁᕕᐊᒋᔭᖃᒻᒪᕆᓐᓂᑦᑎᓐᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᑲᔪᓕᕆᐊᕐᓂᑦᑎᓐᓂᒃ ᓄᓇᓕᐅᔪᒧᑦ. ᐅᕙᑦᑎᓐᓂᒃ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᓯᓂᖃᕐᐸᓐᓂᑦᓯᑎᒍᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥᐅᓄᑦ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᕆᔭᐅᒐᑦᑕ.

ᐸᕌᒃ ᕗᕇᓴᓐ ᕘᔅᑎᐊᒃᑯᓐᓄᑦ ᐊᖓᔪᖅᑳᖅ & ᐊᐅᓚᑦᑎᔨᒻᒪᕆᒃ

President, Makivik Corporation & Chairman, First Air xzJ6√6, mr=F4 fxS‰nzk5 x7m w4y?sb6, {5 wsf8k5 Président, Société Makivik et président du conseil, First Air

Chers invités, First Air est fier d’avoir transporté la Coupe Stanley® vers l’Arctique à la fin de mars.

La Coupe a été transportée de Montréal à Kuujjuaq et ensuite à Iqaluit pour des événements divertissants.

En partenariat avec Project North et la Banque Scotia, First Air a expédié 25 sacs de hockey pleins de matériel pour 25 jeunes prometteurs du Nunavik. Nous avons eu énormément de plaisir!

Nous avons eu le rare bonheur de vous voir être photographiés avec le plus célèbre trophée de hockey et de rencontrer d’anciens joueurs invités de la LNH, Marty McSorely et John LeClair. La partie de hockey à Iqaluit a réjoui la foule. Nous avons fait vibrer la salle avec les Jerry Cans et aidé à recueillir plus de 16 000 $ pour deux organismes caritatifs : la « Qayuqtuvik Society — Iqaluit Soup Kitchen » et le « YWCA Qimavik, Women’s Shelter ».

Les personnes qui nous ont suivis sur Twitter et Facebook se sont jointes aussi aux célébrations! Kathy Hanson a gagné des billets pour aller voir les Sénateurs jouer à Ottawa, y compris le billet d’avion aller-retour et l’hôtel.

Cindy Ningeongan se rendra à Winnipeg pour voir les Jets jouer, hébergement et billets inclus. Angwelik Malaiya Natsiq a gagné des billets offerts encore par First Air pour aller voir les Canadiens jouer à Montréal. Merci de nous avoir aidés à célébrer le hockey en utilisant Twitter et en envoyant vos photos!

L’activité en ligne sur les médias sociaux et les rétroactions reçues pendant les événements relatifs à la Coupe Stanley® ont été impressionnantes et émouvantes. Nous sommes heureux d’avoir restructuré notre Centre d'appels et mis en œuvre notre nouveau Centre de contact avec la clientèle, qui répond maintenant aux besoins des clients au moyen de Twitter et Facebook et non seulement par téléphone. À titre de Ligne aérienne du Nord, nous sommes prêts à répondre à chacun de vos besoins. Nous partageons les bons et les mauvais moments. Pendant l’incendie dévastateur et les coupures électriques à Pangnirtung au début d’avril, nous étions les premiers à y transporter des génératrices. Nous avons évacué plusieurs personnes vers Iqaluit et utilisé un vol additionnel afin de transporter des équipes spécialement formées pour aider à rétablir l’électricité dans la collectivité.

Merci de vous être joints à nous pour célébrer et partager notre passion pour le hockey ainsi que notre engagement à donner en retour à la communauté. C’est grâce à votre appui que nous sommes la Ligne aérienne du Nord.

Brock Friesen Président-directeur général de First Air

W7mEst5bK5 wvJ6gw•5 x7ml d/8N¨4 {tx srs6b6g3u4 czb˙oEp7mEst4vFs4.

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.

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Book online at firstair.ca or call 1 800 267 1247

In the News A great day all around

© John Major/ITK

© Lindsey Gibeau/Valberg Imaging

F Air, in conjunction with Project North and Scotiabank, created a day First lilike no other in the minds and hearts of youngsters and the residents of K Kuujjuaq and Iqaluit. 25 bags of new hockey equipment were distributed to excited youth in Nunavik and funds were raised to support two local ccharities in Iqaluit — all to be topped by the once-in-a-lifetime chance to personally experience the magic of hockey’s ultimate prize — the Stanleyy Cup®. p

Ottawa Inuit and friends celebrate the Spring Equinox On March 20, First Air joined with Ottawa’s Tungasuvvingat Inuit Family Resource Centre to host and share an evening of entertainment celebrating the change of season with a star-studded line-up of northern performers that included Lucie Idlout and the Jerry Cans to name but two. All who attended heartily agreed that there’s nothing quite like a party to raise awareness, celebrate Inuit culture and g welcome the long-awaited coming of Spring.

FFirst Air the Official Airline for A Taste of the Arctic Ottawa “foodies,” fans of the exotic, the culturally curious and the influential came out in droves to attend the 5th Annual “A Taste of the Arctic” hosted by Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami. A taste-bud dazzling array of dishes using northern delights such as caribou, Arctic char, shrimp, seal, and muskox created by renowned National Arts Centre Executive Chef John Morris were capped off by an equally delicious evening of entertainment and fun featuring modern and traditional cultural performances. Congratulations to Tina DeCoutu: The lucky northern winner of a First Air ticket and entrance package to the event.

Onboard and Online: What’s In Store?

Did you know passengers onboard select jet flights can now purchase First Air gear? Absolutely! Perfect to keep you looking good, or to bring back as gifts or a memory from your trip North.

It’s never been easier.

All you need to do is ask your helpful First Air flight attendant about what items are onboard and available for purchase that day. And just in case you might have missed your chance, not to worry — you can always Gear Up with First Air by visiting our online e-store to check out the newest still to be expanded offerings at: www.firstair.ca

From the Flight Deck How do we land an aircraft in heavy rain?

Despite the fact that it’s snowing as I write, I’ve been assured that spring (and summer) and its associated heavy rain is right around the corner.

While it is perfectly safe to land an aircraft in heavy rain, a crew has to overcome a series of obstacles to make it all possible. The first challenge is actually finding the airport. The airports where we fly aren’t equipped for “auto-landings” so the crew flies an approach until they are able to see the airport and land visually.

Each approach is different and how low we can fly before seeing the runway varies, depending on the terrain and the equipment at the airport. In Qikiqtarjuaq we can only descend to 2000’ but in Edmonton we can get as low as 200’.

Once we have the runway in sight, landing in heavy rain is really no different than landing on a “normal” day. Once we’ve touched down, just like a car we have to slow down on a wet surface. One of the benefits of our route network is that we often land on gravel runways. In those cases, there is natural drainage and very little water remains on the runway surface (but the mud that we splash up sure makes a mess of the outside of the aircraft).

On paved runways, to prevent water from pooling, the runway is designed with a bit of a crown to keep the water flowing.

Some runways also have grooves cut in the pavement to keep water from building up on top. Just like in a car, hydroplaning can occur while we try to stop on a wet runway. All aircraft manufacturers factor the water into our performance. All of our landing distance calculations are adjusted to reflect reduced braking power as a result of a wet surface. However, we do have a couple of tricks up our sleeve to help here

too. If there is lots of water on the runway, a slightly firmer than normal touchdown can help break through the layer of water.

All of our aircraft are also equipped with an anti-skid system, which is very similar to the ABS system in your car. We also have the benefit of reverse thrust which doesn’t rely on the wheel brakes so it works just as well in the rain as it does on a clear day.

Our aircraft all have windshield wipers. Other than the ability to use them at speeds over 300 km/h they are no different than the ones on your car. Normally though, we create enough wind in flight that the rain simply streams off the windows. The wipers normally only get used in really heavy rain or when we’re taxiing on the ground.

Thanks to the approach design, airport lighting and aircraft equipment, we are able to land just as safely in heavy rain as we are on a sunny day. Despite all that technology though, I invariably manage to park so that you walk down the stairs right into the middle of a puddle. I have no secrets on how to walk across the ramp without getting wet...

Captain Aaron Speer Director Flight Operations and Captain ATR First Air

© BAFFIN PHOTOGRAPHY/JASON MILLER

Once we’re as low as we can get, the next step is spotting the runway. While this can be a challenge, we do have the help of lights on the ground. If you’ve ever landed at night, you’ve likely noticed all the lights around the runway. The brightness of those lights can be varied and can actually be turned up to a setting that’s similar to the high beams on your car. (During a regular night landing, they are left much lower

otherwise they are much too bright and actually become a distraction.) Many airports also have a series of approach lights before the runway that help us get lined up, even if we haven’t gotten close enough to get a clear view of the runway.

Dedicated to being first in service — and our commitment to the communities and people we serve!

ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖅᑎᐅᑉ ᐅᔾᔨᕆᔭᐅᑎᑕᐅᓂᖓ

Employee Spotlight | Iqqanaijaqtiup Ujjirijautitauninga

ᐳᕋᐃᐊᓐ ᑕᑦᑐᐃᓂᖅ | Brian Tattuinee

Brian Tattuinee joined First Air in January 2014 and is Manager of Sales for First Air, based in Iqaluit, Nunavut. He is responsible for cargo and passenger contracts, customer relations, and group rates for our eastern region, which includes the Baffin and Kivalliq regions of Nunavut.

Like many of us working in the aviation sector, Brian had an interest in aviation at a very young age. It was an attraction he never out grew. When the opportunity came along to work in the industry, he knew it was something he just couldn’t pass up.

© LINDSEY GIBEAU/VALBERG IMAGING

As part of his job, Brian particularly enjoys helping with the many events that First Air is involved with, such as fundraisers, sporting events, community involvement, etc.

Brian Tattuinee First Air-kunnut iqqanaijaqtitaarijaulaurpuq January 2014-mi ammalu Aulattijigijaulluni Niuviaksalirinirnut First Air-kunni, Iqaluit, Nunavutmi. Kamajiuvuq usijauvaktunut ammalu ikimavaktunut pilirijunnautiqarutinik, pijittirarviujulirinirnmi ikajuqtiuvaktuni, ammalu amisuullutik ikimaniaqtunut Qikiqtaaluup aviktuqsimaningani akigijautitauvaktunut, ilaqaqtillugit Qikiqtaaluup ammalu Kivalliup aviktuqsimaningini Nunavutmi.

Suurlu qangatasuulirijini iqqanaijaqtiujulimaatigut ajjigilluniuk, Brian qangatasuunut pijjutiqaqtunik mikijuunirminit piuksaliqsimajuviniummat. Piugijaqarningalu qangatasuunik nuqqautigilauqsimanngittunik. Asuilaalu pijunnaqsituarami iqqanaijaaqalirunnaqtuni qangatasuulirijit piliriarivaktanginut, qaujimalilauqsimamma pinasuariarunnaqsigamiuk.

Ilagilluniuk piliriarivaktaminut, Brian piluaqtumik quviasukpaktuq ikajuqtiuvagiaminik amisunut First Air-kut ilauqatauvvigijaminnut piliriniqaliraangata, suurlu kiinaujaqutissaminnik katiqsuisimalirasuaqtillugit, pinnguaqtittiniqarniarnirnut qanuiliuqtittiniuvaktunut, nunaliujumi ilagijauqatauvaktuni, asinginnullu.

ᐳᕋᐃᐊᓐ ᑕᑦᑐᐃᓐᓂᖅ ᕘᔅᑦ ᑎᐊᒃᑯᓐᓄᑦ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖅᑎᑖᕆᔭᐅᓚᐅᕐᐳᖅ ᔮᓄᐊᕆ 2014-ᒥ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᐅᓚᑦᑎᔨᒋᔭᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᓂᐅᕕᐊᒃᓴᓕᕆᓂᕐᓄᑦ ᕘᔅᑦ ᐃᐊᒃᑯᓐᓂ, ᐃᖃᓗᐃᑦ, ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ. ᑲᒪᔨᐅᕗᖅ ᐅᓯᔭᐅᕙᒃᑐᓄᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᑭᒪᕙᒃᑐᓄᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᔪᓐᓇᐅᑎᖃᕈᑎᓂᒃ, ᐱᔨᑦᑎᕋᕐᕕᐅᔪᓕᕆᓂᕐᒥ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᑎᐅᕙᒃᑐᓂ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᒥᓲᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᐃᑭᒪᓂᐊᖅᑐᓄᑦ ᕿᑭᖅᑖᓘᑉ ᐊᕕᒃᑐᖅᓯᒪᓂᖓᓂ ᐊᑭᒋᔭᐅᑎᑕᐅᕙᒃᑐᓄᑦ, ᐃᓚᖃᖅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᕿᑭᖅᑖᓘᑉ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑭᕙᓪᓕᐅᑉ ᐊᕕᒃᑐᖅᓯᒪᓂᖏᓂ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ. ᓲᕐᓗ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᓕᕆᔨᓂ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖅᑎᐅᔪᓕᒫᑎᒍᑦ ᐊᔾᔨᒋᓪᓗᓂᐅᒃ, ᐳᕋᐃᐊᓐ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᓄᑦ ᐱᔾᔪᑎᖃᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᒥᑭᔫᓂᕐᒥᓂᑦ ᐱᐅᒃᓴᓕᖅᓯᒪᔪᕕᓂᐅᒻᒪᑦ. ᐱᐅᒋᔭᖃᕐᓂᖓᓗ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᓂᒃ ᓄᖅᑲᐅᑎᒋᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᖖᒋᑦᑐᓂᒃ. ᐊᓱᐃᓛᓗ ᐱᔪᓐᓇᖅᓯᑐᐊᕋᒥ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔮᖃᓕᕈᓐᓇᖅᑐᓂ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᓕᕆᔨᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᕆᕙᒃᑕᖏᓄᑦ, ᖃᐅᔨᒪᓕᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᒻᒪ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕆᐊᕈᓐᓇᖅᓯᒐᒥᐅᒃ.

ᐃᓚᒋᓪᓗᓂᐅᒃ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᕆᕙᒃᑕᒥᓄᑦ, ᐳᕋᐃᐊᓐ ᐱᓗᐊᖅᑐᒥᒃ ᖁᕕᐊᓱᒃᐸᒃᑐᖅ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᑎᐅᕙᒋᐊᒥᓂᒃ ᐊᒥᓱᓄᑦ ᕘᔅᑦ ᐃᐊᒃᑯᑦ ᐃᓚᐅᖃᑕᐅᕝᕕᒋᔭᒥᓐᓄᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᓂᖃᓕᕌᖓᑕ, ᓲᕐᓗ ᑮᓇᐅᔭᖁᑎᔅᓴᒥᓐᓂᒃ ᑲᑎᖅᓱᐃᓯᒪᓕᕋᓱᐊᖅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ, ᐱᖖᒍᐊᖅᑎᑦᑎᓂᖃᕐᓂᐊᕐᓂᕐᓄᑦ ᖃᓄᐃᓕᐅᖅᑎᑦᑎᓂᐅᕙᒃᑐᓄᑦ, ᓄᓇᓕᐅᔪᒥ ᐃᓚᒋᔭᐅᖃᑕᐅᕙᒃᑐᓂ, ᐊᓯᖏᓐᓄᓪᓗ.

Dedicated to being first in service — and our commitment to the communities and people we serve!

www.firstair.ca

A B O V E & B E Y O N D – C A N A D A’ S A R C T I C J O U R N A L 2015 | 03 • $5.95

A Snowy Owl Year Breaking Records

Hubbard Point Excava!ng Ancient Thule Ruins

Independence I Tool Makers Qu"nirpaaq Na!onal Park’s Oldest Ar!facts

The Stanley Cup Comes North

®

Contents 9

28

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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.

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33

Features

09

breath of the land Portraits of bathurst inlet

Within minutes of stepping off the plane, i spotted the very flower that brought me so far north. — Brandy Wilson

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a Snowy Owl Year breaking records

Snowy owls have been part of the cultural identity of inuit and northern communities for centuries.

— Dr. J.F. Therrien

33

hubbard Point excavating ancient Thule ruins

a once thriving seasonal settlement — home to the Thule almost 1,000 years ago.

— Dr. Virginia Petch

38

independence i Tool Makers Quttinirpaaq national Park’s Oldest artifacts

as a flintknapper, i chip stone tools just like the independence i tool makers did thousands of years ago. — Tim Rast 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

38 15 Living Above&Beyond 21 Resources

23 The Stanley Cup® Comes North 42 Arts, Culture & Education art Therapy Workshop 44 Sport Judo in the great north — nicolas Messner

46 Community long John Jamboree — Kevin MacDonald

49 Bookshelf

50 Environment arctic bird Studies

53 Inuit Forum Passing the Torch #2reconcile — Terry audla 54 Guest Editorial — Justin P.J. Trudeau

7

News, views, science, culture and more…

west to east

www.arcticjournal.ca

above&beyond, canada’s arctic Journal — First air’s popular inflight magazine.

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2015 | 03

BrEATH OF THE LAND Po r t r a its of B athurst I nlet Text and photos by brandy Wilson Seaside Potentilla rest upon the sandy shore of bathurst inlet.

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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Top left: The author, checking out the view from bathurst inlet.

Top right: Quadjuk island rock covered with delicate rock Tripe and Map lichen.

bottom: ayuk island reveals salt loving plants like Seaside bluebells, Dwarf Fireweed, beach Pea and Sea-beach Sandwort.

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2015 | 03

Top: The dramatic transformation of Mountain aven from bloom to seed.

bottom: bird island — Prickly Saxifrage, Snow cinquefoil, Pallas’ Wallflower, Mouse ear chickweed and sandstone rocks covered with Jewel lichen.

in the summer of 2013, i received an nWT

arts council grant, and on July 1 i flew north

from Yellowknife to bathurst inlet. i booked

myself into the bathurst inlet lodge, one

of canada’s first eco-lodges, for a weeklong

quest to learn about high arctic plants.

Within minutes of stepping off the plane, i spotted the very flower that brought

me so far north — the arctic lupin.

Daily excursions were planned around the weather, and most days we le Bathurst Inlet at 9 am on a big barge called the “Blue Loo,” humorously named for the outhouse secured to its rear deck. Each trip highlighted unique characteristics of the landscape, geology, wildlife, and wildflowers. We also learned about the history of the community and read excerpts from Franklin’s diary. On one occasion, Sir John Franklin described the very hillside we were able to view from the barge.

Over our week’s visit, we saw caribou and grizzly bear from a distance. We investigated glacial striations and bedrock polished smooth by those same glaciers. Sunburst, Jewel and Map Lichen were examined in hand, up-close.

From a distance we saw only dark green or rocky landscapes, but up close we found delicate flowers like Wooly Lousewort or Moss Campion and Capitate Lousewort. Even though this area is called the Barrenlands, I found the land was anything but barren. Because the growing season is so short and intense, flowers forego height and get to blooming for survival. I had to remind myself oen to look up from the colourful flowers and enjoy the view.

I brought my studio equipment with me and was assigned a 12x12’ cabin with a huge table that was perfect for my set up. In my art, I collect and arrange native flowers and foliage in various seasons in order to create a portrait of that place in a moment of time. I want to reveal the small details in nature that are easily missed in passing. 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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Opposite: Portrait of the lodge surroundings with capitate lousewort, Painted cup, Mountain aven, lapland rosebay, White arctic heather, Snow cinquefoil, and Fireworks Flower. below: Portrait of amethyst Point marsh with richardson’s anemone, a small yellow flower named after John richardson who was the naturalist on Franklin’s expedition.

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2015 | 03

I carried with me a small, insulated sample bag that held cups with water. At each place we stopped, respecting the fragile local ecology, I collected only a few flowers that would later become part of my portrait of the area. What began as a Google search for Arctic Lupin two years earlier had turned into a full-blown exploration of the Barrenlands. Here I was, crawling on all fours, collecting plant samples and eagerly listening to resident Botanist Page Burt as she introduced each flower to our small group of nine High Arctic visitors.

Aer dinner and an evening lecture or hike, our days were usually completed by 9 pm. From that time until the wee hours of the night, I worked in my makeshi studio. It was not hard staying up late as the midnight sun warmed my window as I worked. I knew sleep could come later and I wanted to make the most of each moment I was there.

When I think about my exploration of Bathurst Inlet, I always smile. I close my eyes and remember cruising on the Blue Loo. It was cold, windy, and wet, but I could not have been happier.

Every now and then I felt a gentle, warm puff of air across my face, and when I mentioned it to Page Burt, she told me, “they call that the breath of the land.”

Breath of the Land was exhibited at the Northern Life Museum and Cultural Centre in Fort Smith in 2014. e 13 oversized Giclée prints are my portraits of the landscape of Bathurst Inlet. e images for the exhibit are limited editions of three and the size is 28x28”. brandy Wilson was born and raised in inuvik, nWT, and received a bachelor of Fine arts degree from alberta college of art + Design in calgary, alberta. her work has been exhibited in many northern communities, including Fort Smith, Fort Simpson, inuvik, and Yellowknife.

brandy was selected to be part of the northwest Territories ‘artist Delegation’ at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, british columbia. Most recently, her work was selected as the base design for the newly milled carpet in the northwest Territories meeting room at canada house in london, england, opened by Queen elizabeth ii on February 19, 2015. The northern arts and cultural centre in Yellowknife presented brandy’s work in april 2015. brandy currently lives in Fort Smith with her husband and their two dogs, Molly and blue.

To see more of brandy’s work, please visit www.brandywilson.ca.

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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2015 | 03

liVing abOVe & beYOnD A yellow morel. © Joachim Obst

nunavut sealskin program helps hunters and trappers

Mushrooms making history in the nWT

The government of nunavut has announced a

come late May and into mid July, nWT residents

pickers to make twice as much selling their

hunters and trappers for cleaned and dried

that during this season’s mushroom pick. in the

able to make side money by providing services,

25 per cent increase in the price it pays nunavut sealskins. it will also pay the cost of auction

who want to gain some fast cash may do just wake of the worst fire season on record last

like roadside gas, food and water to pickers and

from the devastation during this year’s morel

besides orientation seminars, the gnWT

commissions for other types of fur.

year, nWT pickers and buyers stand to benefit

nunavut is helping to ensure the continuation

mushroom harvest, expected to be one of the

by increasing the price, the government of

harvest online. certain communities will also be

of this vital and sustainable part of nunavut’s

largest crops in history.

nunavut land claim beneficiaries. The sealskin

$10 a pound. however, there are opportunities

buyers.

will distribute free morel picker’s handbooks

and set up camps in the burn areas during

Pickers generally sell mushrooms on site at

picking season to offer training and assistance

program helps meet the local market demand

to make more money because the territorial

it is expected that as much as $100 million

rebuild markets abroad.

set up independent drying operations, allowing

traditional economy and the livelihoods of

for dressed seal skins as well as helping to

government is offering instruction on how to

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

to local harvesters.

could be made off this summer’s mushroom

pick in the nWT.

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2015 | 03

A family of whooping cranes. © K. nigge/Parks canada

The 2015 Great Northern Canada Writing Contest

DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES AUGUST 31, 2015 To enter, submit a piece of prose, either fiction or non-fiction, of up to 1,000 words about life in the Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut or Nunavik.

Previously published items are not eligible.

Entries should be typed and double-spaced with the title, but not your name, on each numbered page. Please submit a separate cover sheet with your name, address, phone number, email address, word count and whether your piece is fiction or non-fiction.

Whooping cranes up close

birdwatchers can now see the nesting grounds

salt-encrusted red clay at grosbeak lake and

of the endangered whooping crane up close.

the caribbean-clear water and sandy white

tour about 1,000 ft above the nesting grounds,

local cultural experiences in Fort Smith.

and the powerful Slave river rapids, or a

august. To avoid any undue stress on the birds,

choose from either a Fixed-Wing Flyover

including aerial views of the famous Salt Plains

heli-Flight tour and check out the habitat on foot and hike to a huge, naturally occurring salt

mound on the Salt Plains. all packages include

three days of activities around the region, from

park excursions to local highlights such as the

beaches at Pine lake. Tourists can also take in Tours will be offered in May, June and

no tours will be booked in July when offspring

begin to hatch. For more information or to

book, call Wood buffalo national Park at 867-872-7960 or email wbnp.info@pc.gc.ca.

northern leaders discuss the arctic’s development

in March, indigenous and northern leaders

resources, what partnerships can help build

ment leaders in the nation’s capital to discuss

ment, reliable methods to survey and monitor

gathered together with business and govern-

the arctic and how monitoring is essential to

Topics covered included: investing in the

sustainability, and the potential for an arctic

arctic, how to manage and develop the north’s

Great Northern Canada Writing Contest Box 1256, Yellowknife NT X1A 2N9

Or emailed as a WORD attachment to: info@northwordsnwt.ca with CONTEST ENTRY in the subject line. Please do not put your story in the body of the email.

Deadline is August 31, 2015.

That means they must be postmarked by that date.

First Prize is $500 and publication in above&beyond, Canada’s Arctic Journal Special Emerging Writer Prize of $250 and publication in above&beyond, Canada’s Arctic Journal, for writers who have never been published for payment.

To qualify, identify yourself “emerging writer” on the cover sheet you submit with your entry.

Winners will be announced in Fall 2015.

For more information go to:

www.northwordsnwt.ca

infrastructure for social and economic develop-

new models of private and public investment in the arctic at arcticage: Our northern Future.

Entries must be mailed to:

sovereignty and economic development and

University.

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

The following are not eligible: Staff and contractors of above&beyond magazine and their families, and writers who have been published in above&beyond, Canada’s Arctic Journal in the last five years.

17

Top: The muskox photo booth at the A Taste of the Arctic event was a real crowd pleaser.

Bottom: Salluit singer-songwriter Elisapie Isaac of Nunavik wows the crowd at ATOTA. © John Major/iTK (2)

aTOTa celebrates the north

For a celebration of northern food, culture and entertainment, inuit Tapiriit Kanatami’s fifth

annual a Taste of the arctic was the place to be in Ottawa in March.

about 350 guests enjoyed chef-inspired

country food cuisine which included muskox burgers, maktaaq chicharrón, caribou hip with

Saskatoon berry sauce; seal jambalaya, shrimp,

mussels, arctic clam chowder, bannock, nikku

(dried caribou), pipsi (dried arctic char) and

crêpes with chokecherry chutney, labrador tea chantilly cream and salted caramel sauce.

entertainment included a sealskin fashion

show, elisapie isaac of nunavik, and music

from DJ Madeskimo.

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2015 | 03

liVing abOVe & beYOnD

honouring the dog sledding tradition

The winners of Ivakkak 2015 are Novalinga Novalinga and partner Juani Uqaituk. © Pierre Dunnigan/Makivik-ivakkak

Puvirnituq musher novalinga novalinga and partner Juani Uqaituq finished first place in the 14th edition of nunavik’s ivakkak dog sled race. The team also

won ivakkak in 2009.

Peter ittukallak and Juai nutaraaluk, also of

Puvirnituq, finished second, while local mushers aisa

Surusilak and richard Surusilak finished third.

Veteran musher harry Okpik and gary-Joe

angnatuk finished fourth, although they were the

first to cross the finish line.

The annual race kicked off in Kuujjuaraapik March

16 and wound its way up the hudson bay coast to Puvirnituq. Feasts were held at stops in Umiujaq,

inukjuak and at the finish line on March 26.

Makivik corp. coordinated the race that was

sponsored by the Kativik regional government,

air inuit, First air, hydro-Quebec, the Fédération des coopératives du nouveau-Québec and other

regional organizations.

Wanted: aboriginal registered nurses

aboriginal nurses play a critical role in improving health and wellness in aboriginal communities. however there is still a shortage of aboriginal registered nurses.

a new conference board of canada report outlines the benefits of increasing

the number of aboriginal nurses and highlights new technologies that make the delivery of high-quality nursing programs in northern locations more feasible.

University of Saskatchewan nursing students train in La Ronge, Saskatchewan. © northlands college

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

For example, the University of Saskatchewan uses a variety of technologies,

including remote presence robotics, to offer a full baccalaureate-nursing program

to northern communities.

19

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#56 Kugluktuk Dr., Kugluktuk, NU Ph: 867-982-4713 F : 867-982-4718 Email: kikiak_gn@netkaster.ca

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2015 | 03

reSOUrceS

nUnaVUT

Uranium project opposed

inuit and Dene from the Kivalliq, as well as from Saskatchewan have joined forces to oppose areva resources canada’s proposed Kiggavik uranium project outside baker lake, nunavut. The two main issues of concern are the project’s lack of a timeline and start date, and the absence of designated protected areas for caribou calving and post-calving grounds.

Those opposing the project have indicated that areva has not succeeded in convincing them that the project does not pose a risk to the caribou herds on which their communities depend on for their traditional cultural and economic well-being. if the Kiggavik project is allowed to proceed, the nirb would recommend terms and conditions be included in a project certificate that would mitigate the potential socio-economic and environmental effects.

Gold mine in the works

The nunavut impact review board has issued agnico eagle a project certificate for its Meliadine gold mine. aanD Minister bernard Valcourt accepted the terms and conditions that included agnico eagle having to monitor the mine’s socio-economic and environmental impacts. located 24 kilometres north of rankin inlet, the gold project would consist of one underground operation, four open pits and a mill.

The mine could produce 400,000 ounces of gold per year over three years with a lifespan from about 2018 to 2030 or longer. Meliadine could employ about 700 people.

The project is awaiting land use permits and a water license from the nunavut Water board as well as an inuit impact and benefit agreement with the Kivalliq inuit association. agnico eagle has also not made a final decision to build the mine there.

(collectively the hope bay belt agreements), that cover the inuit Owned land surface and sub-surface titles for the hope bay belt. These agreements will provide inuit beneficiaries with financial and socio-economic benefit certainty from mining development and production on inuit Owned land in the Kitikmeot region of nunavut by providing significant employment, contracting, training and other benefits.

Presently, TMac plans to operate the Doris north gold Project camp with a small crew until exploration activity ramps up for the season. care and maintenance activities will change with the start of underground mine development in September 2015 and the delivery of fuel and mining equipment on the 2015 sealift.

nWT

NWT government creates advisory panel

David ramsay, the minister of industry, Tourism and investment, has announced plans to form the nWT’s first-ever minerals advisory board.

The board will create a regular forum for members of the mining and exploration industry to make recommendations to the minister on issues such as the regulatory process and promoting the nWT to investors.

The board will consist of five to seven members handpicked by ramsay, with advice from his department. it will include a crosssection of the mining industry: people involved in the service side, producers, and explorers.

The board is the latest measure to be adopted from the territorial government’s

Mineral Development Strategy, first introduced in 2013. ramsay hopes to have his first meeting with the nWT advisory board in May.

Watershed shows promise for mineral deposits

new research conducted by the nWT geoscience Office has indicated strong potential for the existence of high mineral content in the Flat river valley adjacent to the nahanni national Park reserve.

Preliminary samples show a significant possibility for gold, tungsten, tin, lead and zinc deposits in the watershed located just southwest of the park’s boundary, close to the Yukon border.

Further sampling is expected sometime this summer, depending on funding.

YUKOn

Deposit could become global producer

Wellgreen Platinum ltd., a Vancouver-based mining company, has raised $40 million for a nickel project in the Yukon Territory. The money will help develop a large deposit near burwash landing.

The nickel, copper and platinum group deposit in southwest Yukon is one of the biggest of its kind in the world and has the potential to become a globally significant producer.

The company is continuing to gather information at the site over the next couple of years in preparation for feasibility studies and the environmental assessment process.

Kitikmeot Inuit to benefit from tenure agreements

TMac resources inc., the Kitikmeot inuit association, and nunavut Tunngavik inc. are pleased to announce that they have entered into 20 year benefit and land tenure agreements

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“Dream Team” Comes North Improving the lives of youth through hockey Photos by Lindsey Gibeau/Valberg Imaging There is no denying it. We Canadians do love our sports — sports that are fun, casually played or competitive, on an individual level, or practiced in front of large crowds cheering exciting plays or the other side’s faux pas.

We love sports of all kinds in fact.

B

ut if one were forced to choose, to identify the one sport that connects, that speaks loudest to all

age groups and has perhaps the biggest reach across the vast geographic spectrum of our land, it is

fair to say that it is the game of hockey that holds that highest of honours with fans and players. It is hockey that has captured and so tenaciously held on to the hearts and minds of young and old, to the point of being our national sports obsession. Everyone knows, “Hockey is Canada’s game!”

Yes, hockey is Canada’s game and nowhere is that love and passion for the game more evident than in the North where youngsters take to playground or street games of shinny faster than seals are known to take to water. And as far as acceptable dress and fashion might go amongst young and old alike —

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Left: Being shoulder to shoulder with NHL Alumni John LeClair is a dream come true!

Scotiabank’s Chief Marketing Officer John Doig presents hockey gear to an eager Kuujjuaq recipient.

urban centres, lack easy access to hockey gear and because of that many might never have the opportunity to lace up the blades, don the helmet to develop new confidence and skills, or feel the thrill of what it is like take to the ice fully dressed to re-imagine and emulate the skills of their hockey heroes.

Recognizing the imbalance of opportunity, by virtue of geography and socio-economic challenges, Ottawa photographer Michelle Valberg and friend, Joan Weinman, co-created Project North aer her first trip North. It was hockey jerseys, toques and caps fearlessly and proudly declaring their favourite players

thought at first that their project would be a one-time used

or NHL teams abound in northern communities large and small. For them, hockey is

hockey equipment drive to outfit some northern youngsters

more than just a game — it’s a passion.

with the gear to help get them started in the game.

Unfortunately, the reality is that some youngsters who might want to engage in their

at initial equipment drive proved so successful that

passion, especially those living in the small northern communities far away from large

Project North applied to the National Hockey League Players

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2015 | 03

Left to right: NHL Alumni John LeClair and Marty McSorley, Scotiabank CMO John Doig, First Air CEO Brock Friesen, Makivik President and First Air Chairman Jobie Tukkiapik and far right, Project North’s Executive Director Jeff Turner join a young local hockey fan (foreground) to applaud the morning’s event.

Brian Bolt, the keeper of the cup (centre), reveals hockey’s greatest prize, the Stanley Cup, to an enthusiastic crowd at Kuujjuaq airport.

Association (NHLPA) “Goals and Dreams Fund” for assistance

have turned out at the airport and community centre in anticipation of a very special

and immediately won their support. Recognizing the un-

arrival. e buzz is electric and it is soon evident that this morning will be anything but

questionable benefits and value to youngsters and communities

normal. e day is to begin with an event billed as a “Celebration of Hockey in Kuujjuaq.”

that the Project North concept brought, Scotiabank and First

e disembarking Project North “dream team” that arrived from Montreal that very

Air (as the official airline of Project North) also joined in

special morning via First Air jet was all smiles and good cheer. And why not? ey

providing key sponsorship support right at the very beginning.

were the happiest of hockey ambassadors, bringing a combined donation of 25 bags of

at was five years ago. And, in a sense, a dedicated “dream

new hockey equipment filled with all the necessities from skates to helmets, to pads

team” of partners, working together under the Project North

and sticks and more. All of it is intended to go to some of Kuujjuaq’s blossoming and

banner to improve the lives of northern youth through

eager young hockey players.

hockey, was born.

On this visit North to Kuujjuaq —Project North’s first — the “dream team” had

Fast-forward to Friday, March 27, 2015. Normally it

pulled out all the stops, had outdone itself. Its Scotiabank partner, represented by John

would be a school day in Nunavik, but on this morning, the

Doig, Chief Marketing Officer, had thought to bring along a few team ringers, a few

schools are closed. Something is in the air. Estimates are that

crowd pleasers — NHL Alumni Marty McSorley and John LeClair, along with none

close to half the residents of Kuujjuaq, (population 2,300)

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Sharing the thrill of the Stanley Cup (left to right) Project North founder Michelle Valberg; Project North Executive Director Jeff Turner; First Air's Bert van der Stege, Vice-President Commercial; NHL Alumni Marty McSorley and John LeClair; Brock Friesen, First Air CEO; Makivik Corporation President and First Air Chairman Jobie Tukkiapik; Kuujjuaq's Mayor, Tunu Napartuk; and Scotiabank's John Doig, Chief Marketing Officer.

other than Lord Stanley’s grand gi to hockey, the game’s holy grail, the ultimate prize in hockey — the Stanley Cup.

Iqalummiut turned out in the hundreds to see the Stanley Cup and attend the game. On hand at the Arctic Winter

Present to assist the Project North team with the distribution of the gear and share

Games Arena for the ceremonial puck-drop were: the

in the Stanley Cup festivities being held at the aptly named Kuujjuaq Forum was Jobie

Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of the Environment,

Tukkiapik, President of Makivik Corporation and First Air Chairman, and Brock

Minister of the Canadian Northern Economic Development

Friesen, First Air CEO. e surprise, the delight, the joy and words and gestures of

Agency and Minister for the Arctic Council; the Honourable

appreciation by the youngsters receiving the gear and from those getting up close and

Peter Taptuna, Premier of Nunavut; Iqaluit Mayor, Mary

personal with the Stanley Cup, or having their pictures or selfies with it, spoke volumes

Ekho Wilman; Scotiabank’s John Doig and First Air’s Vice-

to the power and aura of the prize and of hockey itself.

President Commercial, Bert van der Stege.

e festivities for the day were far from over however for Project North’s team.

e very successful evening of hockey fun boosted the

ey would board First Air again to fly on to Iqaluit that same aernoon to set up a

substantive donations from Scotiabank and First Air, to

community viewing and photo opportunity session with the Stanley Cup at the Arctic

raise a total of $16,200 that was shared by local charities:

Winter Games Arena and prepare for an early evening VIP Hockey Game for local

Qayuqtuvik Society — Iqaluit Soup Kitchen and the

charities in Iqaluit, featuring NHL Alumni Marty McSorley and John LeClair as coaches

YWCA-Qimavik Women’s Shelter.

of the competing teams.

Hockey’s prominence and the generosity of Project North and its “dream team” partners made for a day likely forever cemented in the collective memories of Kuujjuaq and Iqaluit youth and residents. It was the Friday like none other. e Friday that the Stanley Cup came to town — a Friday where the love of hockey was on display and the dreams of young and old alike came true.

“We are honoured to have been able to work with our partners, Scotiabank and Project North, to bring much needed hockey equipment to 25 deserving youths,” said Bert van der Stege, First Air’s Vice President Commercial.

“Bringing the equipment and the Stanley Cup to the North was a great way for us to show appreciation for our clients and communities whose support has made us the Airline of the North.”

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above&beyond

2015 | 03

A male snowy owl looks over his territory. Š A. Robillard

A Snowy owl year Breaking records

By Dr. J.F. Therrien

A genuine Arctic species, snowy owls have been part of the cultural identity of Inuit and northern communities for

centuries, and are featured in many tales and legends. From

both traditional knowledge and a few punctual studies

from various regions of the Arctic, we know that the snowy owl is a highly irruptive species, showing up in large numbers

A female snowy owl incubates her chicks on Bylot Island. Š A. Beardsell

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in a given region in a given year while being seldom seen in following years at the same site.

2015 | 03

Campsite from which we conduct the snowy owl work on Bylot Island. © A. Beardsell

T

he main reason for such extraordinary and erratic behaviour lies in its food base.

variations in numbers of other species. Indeed, more than

Indeed, the owl’s main prey during summer time, the lemming, also shows remarkable

95 percent of their diet during the breeding season is made

variations in abundance from one year to the next. e changes in lemming numbers

of lemmings, and when those small mammals reach high

are still under debate, but seem to be caused by a combination of snow cover and depth,

densities, snowy owls show up in big numbers.

as well as primary production and predators, such as the owls themselves. e snowy

Every spring since the early 1990s, following a schedule

owl thus mirrors lemming peaks and lows by invading and deserting sites according

similar to migratory birds, our research team heads North

to the abundance of its small mammal feast.

to settle on the south plain of Bylot Island in Sirmilik

While those extraordinary peregrinations capture the imagination of many, the

National Park. Facing Pond Inlet, Bylot Island is a truly spe-

nomadic nature of the species poses a challenge to biologists trying to study its basic

cial place, with spectacular mountain views and valley land-

ecology and population trends. Because breeding numbers are highly variable from one

scapes. e luxurious summer vegetation and typical tundra

year to another, conventional research methods such as banding birds with aluminum

habitat serves up a perfect breeding ground for several

leg tags have provided very little information. Indeed, since the birds show almost no

iconic terrestrial Arctic species such as Arctic foxes and, of

fidelity to breeding sites (they don’t return to the same nest site in consecutive years)

course, snowy owls.

individuals cannot be re-sighted or followed through time.

Since the beginnings of this project, we have been

To remedy the lack of knowledge regarding this species’ basic ecology, a research

monitoring nesting density and nesting success of

group I feel lucky to be part of has been monitoring reproductive activity of snowy

snowy owls. is information is crucial in order to assess

owls for over 20 years on one of its breeding grounds in Canada’s Arctic. Over the years,

population trends, conservation status, and ecological

the Ecological Studies and Environmental Monitoring at Bylot Island project, led by

relations between ecosystem members. For snowy owls, the

Gilles Gauthier from Université Laval, has provided invaluable data through long-term

breeding season starts as early as late-March. Because they

monitoring of the sensitive Arctic ecosystem. is unique long-term Arctic-monitoring

rely almost exclusively on lemmings for food during the

hub has scrutinized almost all species inhabiting the fragile tundra ecosystem as well

breeding season, and because lemming numbers fluctuate

as the interactions between them.

enormously from one year to another at a given site, going

Among its most significant discoveries, the team has uncovered how tundra ecosystem

back where they bred the year before is not a good option.

organisms are tightly connected. Snowy owls are no exception and strongly react to

Instead, owls engage in continental-wide prospecting as

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Below: A female snowy owl feeds young chicks in the nest. © P.Y. L'Hérault

Bottom: An adult male fitted with an ultra-light backpack satellite transmitter. Such devices allow researchers to track the daily movements of individual birds over several years. © H. Johanssen

Young snowy owls and egg. © A. Beardsell

So far, our team has tracked more than 30 breeding adults over several consecutive years from various regions of Canada’s Arctic and the results have been phenomenal.

Aer successfully breeding on Bylot Island, individual birds have covered up to 4,000 km over more than 50 days in spring annually, scattering across Baffin Island but also as far as Prince Patrick and Borden Islands, and even Greenland and northern Quebec to breed in following years. Annual breeding dispersal distance averages 725 km, one of the largest distances ever reported, at least in terrestrial vertebrates. is predator fears few species in the Arctic and moving from one site to another doesn’t seem to discourage them. Even more, it seems to be paying off since they can lay large clutches of eggs when settling in a spot where lemmings are plentiful.

Indeed, once a pair settles for breeding, usually in May, the female will lay an average clutch of seven eggs, but we’ve seen as many as 11. e female will then exclusively insure they search for a place to settle and breed — a place with

that the precious eggs stay warm throughout the 32-day period, getting up to stretch

lots of lemmings.

only a few minutes a day. e male will usually be around, providing food both for

Contrasting with most other organisms exhibiting some degree of breeding site fidelity, mobility allows snowy owls

himself and his incubating partner.

Since the female lays one egg every other day and incubation starts as soon as the

to move from one place to another annually in one of the

first egg is laid, a large hatching asynchrony results, creating a large difference in size

most spectacular breeding dispersal movements on the

among siblings with the first being 14 days old or more when the last hatches. is, of

planet. However, studying detailed patterns of zigzagging

course, translates into a disproportioned advantage of size when competing for limited

owls over huge distances and far from most northern

food supplies. Indeed, growing owlets fight for food and an average clutch of seven

communities is an almost impossible challenge. Luckily,

eggs will usually produce around three or four fledglings.

recent technology has now evolved to allow us to track

Snowy owl chicks are vulnerable when they hatch and will stay in the nest under the

individual birds remotely, using satellite telemetry trans-

comforting surveillance of their parents for about three weeks before they slowly start to

mitters. e small backpack harnessed to the owl sends

walk around, usually in late June through July. In early August, when the chicks are about

signals to orbiting satellites, which then locate the origin of

30 to 40 days old, they are oen seen hiding beside rocks in a 100-metre radius from

the signals and send its location to researchers. is exciting

the nest. At that time, both adults will hunt and provide food for the fast growing chicks.

technology allows us to track birds wherever they are around the globe in almost real-time.

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When the chicks finally reach flying capacity in mid- to late August, they begin hunting on their own, though they still rely upon their parents for food for up to two

2015 | 03

Snowy owl chicks beg for food. Fast growing owlets need large quantities of meat to cope with their high metabolic needs. © M. Desnoyers

Young snowy owl in August, just about able to sustain flight. © A. Robillard

to three months. As summer wanes and cold temperatures return, young owls become

Our long-term study site of Bylot Island has seen several

more independent and start to disperse. Aer a good reproductive year, many young

lemming and owl outbreaks over the last decades, but

owls, dispersing in various directions, will reach lower latitudes, creating winter

because lemming and owl numbers fluctuate enormously

irruptions — a phenomenon that attracts lots of attention from birders and the general

annually, predicting the coming year's numbers is a tricky

public in southern regions of Canada and the northern U.S.

task. Aer the peak year of 2014, odds are low for snowy

From a researcher’s point of view, a “snowy owl year” is always an exciting one. e

owls to breed on Bylot Island in 2015, but the Arctic is wide

last such event on Bylot Island happened in the summer of 2014. Aer three years without

and lemmings and owls are likely to breed elsewhere in this

owls on our study site, we had high hopes for the magic to happen and the first sightings

vast region. Will you get lucky?

were reported by colleagues reaching Bylot Island in mid-May. is was a good sign.

Even though the actual mechanism used by snowy owls to assess lemming abundance under the snow in spring remains to be studied, we have learned over the years that owls are efficient in finding where lemmings are plentiful enough to sustain a hungry nest of young owlets. is means that when one nest has been found, other pairs should be seen as well, and right we were. Aer a few days of exploration, the number of nests quickly reached double digits.

What we didn’t know was that 2014 was to be a year for the record books. Indeed, in a core study plot of 100 km2 that has been systematically searched every year since the early 1990s, the highest number of nests ever found in a single year was 13, which occurred in 2004. During the summer of 2014, we sent that record to the archives when we found 20 active nesting pairs in the same study plot. Such density had never been recorded on Bylot Island before! Overall, including a larger portion of the Island, the total number of nests we found and monitored was 116, surpassing the previous total of 33 nests found in 2010.

Such results confirm that snowy owls react quickly and in large numbers to take advantage of a lemming outbreak. e findings also suggest that an apparently viable population of snowy owl inhabits Canada’s Arctic. However, given the fast happening changes facing the Arctic ecosystem, the importance of such long-term monitoring has never been so true and we are thankful for the support we have received over the years to conduct the project.

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

Dr. J.F. Therrien is Senior Research Biologist at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, a centre devoted to the study and conservation of birds of prey, located in Pennsylvania (USA). For almost a decade, he has been studying snowy owls in the Arctic with colleagues from Université Laval and Université du Québec a Rimouski as well as the Centre d'Études Nordiques among others.

Dr. Therrien would like to thank the many colleagues and field assistants who have participated in field work over the years.

This project could not have been done without the support of the community of Pond Inlet, the Hunters and Trappers Organization of Pond Inlet, the Joint Park Management Committee of Sirmilik National Park, Parks Canada’s staff in Pond Inlet and the Union Québécoise de Réhabilitation des Oiseaux de Proie. Financial partners include the International Polar Year program from the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board, Fond Québécois de Recherche sur la Nature et les Technologies, the Garfield-Weston award of the Association of Canadian Universities for Northern Studies, Baffinland Iron Mines Corporation, Glencore Xstrata, Centre d'Études Nordiques, Université Laval, Université du Québec à Rimouski, University of Saskatchewan and the network of Centre of Excellence ArcticNet. Finally, this study could not have been conducted without the financial assistance and support of the Polar Continental Shelf Program.

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Hubbard Point Excavating Ancient Thule Ruins

By Dr. Virginia Petch In 1997 while conducting a helicopter survey of archaeological sites along Manitoba’s coast north of Churchill, Dr. Virginia Petch discovered a most significant site at Hubbard Point on Hudson Bay. Her findings suggest a once thriving seasonal settlement that was home to a small Thule settlement almost 1,000 years ago. In 2014, with support from The Pew Charitable Trusts’ Oceans North Canada, Ducks Unlimited, Winnipeg Branch and the Inuit Heritage Trust, a small research team, including Elders and resource users from nearby Arviat and Rankin Inlet, and led by Dr. Petch, returned to Hubbard Point to begin recording the ancient ruins. Radiocarbon dating at the site indicated a date at 960 ±30 years.

One of over 100 tent rings that line the ridge at Hubbard Point. Over 100 boulders went into the construction of this large dwelling.

The linear feature of rocks in the background may have been a natural sea wall that the Thule added to for extra shelter. © The Pew Charitable Trusts (2014)

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Below: Archaeologist Dr. Virginia Petch sets up a control line. © Build Film (2014)

Imagine this, you have an insatiable curiosity and passion for discovery and you have

gravel terraces. e lee side gently slopes to a chaotic

been handed the uncommon opportunity to follow that passion into an area where little

array of deltaic wetlands and ribbons of the Caribou

or no research has been conducted. is is my life!

River. e stark beauty is punctuated by well-placed

My good fortune began in the late 1980s when I conducted a number of archaeological surveys on the Churchill West Peninsula and along the Manitoba coast. In 1997 I had the

ancient stone structures that remind us of a once vibrant settlement.

rare opportunity to conduct an archaeological survey along the Hudson Bay coast between

e effects of isostatic rebound are abundantly

the Seal and Caribou rivers. e ancient ule settlement at Hubbard Point was the crowning

evident. Proceeding inland one can’t help but notice the

glory of that fieldwork. Sixteen years later in 2013, Kristin Westdal of e Pew Charitable

erratic display of boulders, gravel bars and beach ridges.

Trusts’ Oceans North Canada, Winnipeg Branch, asked me to return to Hubbard Point.

is is an area of danger: wetlands, thickets of tangled

No arm-twisting was needed. A new adventure was about to begin.

It is believed that explorer omas Button first named Hubbard Point as Hubberts Hope, aer Josias Hubart (sp.), the pilot of one of his ships, in 1612. e Inuit have always referred to it as Qikiqtaarjuit, or place of small islands (L. Suluk and P. Alareak pers.com.

2014). It is an area of outstanding wild beauty.

The Land e northern coast of Manitoba, one of our best-kept secrets, abounds in beauty and ecological diversity. It is easy to fall in love with the ancient rocks, the signs of those who went before, the incredible wildlife and the rich oral and written history that work in unison to make this a researcher’s paradise. is unique gravel bar, Hubbard Point, a remnant of the former Tyrrell Sea, quickly rises about 30 metres above the frigid waters of Hudson Bay in a tumble of boulder and

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Hubbard Point Crew checks a shovel test pit. © Build Film (2014)

2015 | 03

Below: Elders and youth investigate the remains of a Thule structure. © The Pew Charitable Trusts (2014)

willow and polar bears. e nearest beach ridge is about

is part of the world is known for its unpredictable and unforgiving weather. e

11 km inland from Hubbard Point. is is the ridge that

Hubbard Point Ecodistrict, as part of the Maguse River Upland Ecoregion, is uniquely

Samuel Hearne and his Dene guides would have

situated along a narrow strip of coastal land that extends north into Nunavut. Long,

followed from Churchill to the Barrenlands in the

cold Arctic winters are followed by short, cool summers. A narrow window of opportunity

mid-1700s. e local Inuit are also very familiar with

exists in July, when a temporary calm means that fieldwork can be hurriedly completed.

this area; remnants of giant “board” games such as Nalluujarviit (caribou crossing) and Qillalugaujarviit

The People

(beluga) constructed of boulders can be found on these

e ule people, the immediate ancestors of the Inuit, are believed to have rapidly

upper beach ridges.

expanded eastward across the High Arctic from their ancestral home in Alaska some 1,000 years ago. ey made it as far as Greenland. With all the archaeological research that has taken place since Matthiassen’s initial descriptions in 1927, the record of this movement is still not completely understood. We do know that the ule may have been affected by a climatic warming, which, in turn, may have presented opportunities for movement through the Northwest Passage. We do know that marine mammals such as whale, seal, and walrus formed the main part of their diet and that they built large house structures out of stone, bone or sod depending on availability of resources and season, and, finally, that they stored food and oil for future use. e archaeological remains scattered across the coastal north suggest that a well-organized mode of production was in place. is would be critical to survival. e archaeological site at Hubbard Point presents supportive evidence of ule

Bleached bones of long forgotten hunts. © Build Film (2014)

expansion that not only went east, but also south along the western coast of Hudson Bay.

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Below: Heading home after a hard day of investigating. © Build Film (2014)

The Findings e adventure began at 3 a.m. on July 6. Why so early you ask? We had a high tide to catch; any delays and we would be stranded for 12 hours on one of the offshore tidal flats, a popular dining area for polar bears. Still sleepy and dying for a cup of coffee, we piled our gear into the zodiacs, piloted by Terry and Andy of the Seal River Heritage Lodge; they were also our bear guards. e sky was a so gold and the water mimicked the sky. An hour later the rise of Hubbard Point could be seen and as we pulled into the Caribou River delta we were greeted by hundreds of belugas, seals, sea birds and, of course, polar bears. Eleven of them, fat, healthy and shiny white, reclined on the craggy rocks that lined the point. e emotions of returning were overwhelming and humbling. As we climbed the gentle back slope of Hubbard Point, the stone features began to reveal themselves: kayak rests,

Hubbard Point Archaeological Crew. © Build Film (2014)

magnificent stone circles, burials and dozens of food caches. A reconnaissance across the

means societal organization and it appears that the ule

site revealed that there were more features than the original 68 I had quickly noted in 1997.

who called Hubbard Point home were well organized

A datum was set up at the highest point of land. is would act as our anchor for all future

and well-stocked.

inquiry. Two crewmembers began the task of recording the coordinates of each feature, numbering and photographing them as they moved along the top of the ridge. Other crew were set to shovel testing so that we could get some idea as to the depth and composition of soils. Others helped me excavate test units as we hoped to get an idea of what the ule may have been eating and also recover sufficient organic material for radiocarbon dating.

A film crew followed us around recording the findings and interviewing the Elders and crewmembers. As well as the regular photography, geographer Jeremy Davies of the Pew Charitable Trusts operated a drone that gave us a bird’s eye view of the site and its many features. is new technology provided incredibly detailed views of features and the patterning of activity areas that became evident amazed us. Organization of structures

36

Dr. Petch and a field crew will return to Hubbard Point in 2015 to continue investigations.

Dr. Virginia Petch is an archaeologist and applied anthropologist based in Winnipeg with a focus on aboriginal culture, heritage and land use and occupancy. She has worked in northern Manitoba and Nunavut since 1986.

Dr. Petch gratefully acknowledges the support of the Pew Charitable Trusts’ Oceans North Canada, Ducks Unlimited, and the Inuit Heritage Trust; the Elders and community members from Arviat and Rankin Inlet, Build Films, Winnipeg and the Seal River Lodge for superb services.

2015 | 03

A Quttinirpaaq tent ring with an archaeologist in the photo for scale. © Parks Canada

Emulating Independence I Tool Makers Quttinirpaaq National Park’s Oldest Artifacts

By Tim Rast

Four thousand five hundred years ago, small groups of muskox

hunters lived with their families on Northern Ellesmere Island, in what is now Quttinirpaaq National Park. is was not a scientific outpost or military expedition,

but family camps, including children and elders who lived, laughed, and told stories at the highest latitude than anyone has ever lived. ey were the first pioneers into the High Arctic at a time when there was no one there to ask for directions. What’s more, they were doing it using tools with stone tips as small as your fingernail. In 2010, I was asked by the Parks Canada Agency to make reproductions of some of these tiny tools and in 2013 they sponsored a pair of weeklong workshops in Resolute Bay and Grise Fiord to teach people how to make their own stone tools and hear their thoughts on the artifacts.

38

2015 | 03

The completed Independence I arrow reproduction has a chert arrowhead, driftwood shaft, raven feather fletching, and twisted sinew lashing to hold it all together. © Tim Rast

Archaeologists began uncovering traces of the very first people on northern Ellesmere

tents year-round that were most likely covered in

Island in the 1960s. ese early artifacts and tent rings belong to a culture called

muskox hide, rather than moving into semi-subter-

Independence I, named for Independence Fiord in northern Greenland where the first

ranean sod or snow houses for the long winters.

traces of these people were identified by the Danish archaeologist Count Eigel Knuth.

I’m an archaeologist who specializes in reproducing

Knuth conducted the initial and most comprehensive archaeological fieldwork during the

the artifacts of Canada’s Arctic and sub arctic. I don’t make

1960s on the archaeology sites around Kettle Lake in what would become Quttinirpaaq

casts or 3D printed models; instead the reproductions

National Park. Subsequent research by archaeologists, including Patricia Sutherland,

that I make are constructed using the same tools and

Margaret Bertulli, and Douglas Stenton, have helped flesh out the story of the very early

techniques as people in the past. ese artifacts look,

Independence I settlers in the area as they flourished and vanished cyclically over

feel, and age the same as the original tools that they are

thousands of years. e Independence I occupation of the park dates from approximately

based on. ey are meant to be handled.

4,500 to 3,200 years ago and over that time there would be periods of intense activity

As a flintknapper, I chip stone tools just like the

lasting for a few generations and then the area would be abandoned. Aer a couple

Independence I tool makers did thousands of years ago.

hundred years people would return, hunt muskox, raise families, and eventually vanish

e reproductions that Parks Canada contracted me to

again. e pattern repeats itself over several thousand years and suggests that the muskox

make are exact copies of artifacts recovered at Kettle

herds on which people relied would similarly rise and fall in numbers as the area was

Lake in Quttinirpaaq and can safely travel to local

hunted out and then naturally replenished over time.

communities without risking damage or loss to the

e people who le behind the Independence I artifacts took some time to adapt to

actual artifacts. In November of 2013, along with Patrick

life at the top of the world. ere are aspects of their culture that would seem quite foreign

Carroll, a Cultural Resource Management Advisor with

to many people familiar with life in the High Arctic. For example, they relied more heavily

the Nunavut Field Unit of Parks Canada, I travelled to

on muskox and the fish and animals on the interior of Ellesmere Island, than on seals and

Resolute Bay and Grise Fiord. ese two communities

the resources of the sea. ey burned willow, grasses, driwood, and muskox bones in

are the nearest settlements to Quttinirpaaq, and Patrick

open fireboxes rather than burning seal oil in soapstone lamps. ey lived in above ground

and I went to share the story of the archaeology of the

Below: A series of burin spalls would have chipped off the working edge, one after the other, as the tool was used and re-sharpened. © Tim Rast

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

Below: These scrapers were used to clean a sealskin. © Tim Rast

39

Arrows with tiny chipped stone arrowheads like this one were once used to hunt muskox on northern Ellesmere Island. © Tim Rast

e tiny stone tools le behind by the pioneering Independence I people were chipped out of a silica-rich type of rock called chert. Chert fractures like glass and despite the very small size of the tools, the artifacts created by the Independence I people were sharp, functional, and masterfully craed. e tools include steep edged scrapers that would have been lashed onto driwood handles with sinew. ese scrapers were used for working so organic materials like animal skins, wood, horn, or antler. Burins are another very common tool on Independence I sites. A burin is a specialized engraving or carving tool made by removing long, thin flakes from the edge of a worked piece of chert. Like the scrapers, they would have been secured onto handles. On the rare occasions when bone or antler artifacts are preserved, the incised marks and grooves on their surface oen match the working edge of a burin. Small chert knives and arrowheads are also found at Independence I sites. e reproductions I made of the Kettle Lake artifacts include all of these tool types. ey are exact copies of the tools in the condition that they were found, including all of the small breaks, blemishes, and even the patches of lichen that grew on their surface. Soil formation in the High Arctic is extremely slow, so even tools and tent rings dating back thousands of years are still lying directly on the ground surface. Because the artifacts were lying exposed on the ground, Parks Canada archaeologists decided to collect the Kettle Lake artifacts. On a reconnaissance visit to the park in 2007, keen-eyed archaeologists Independence I muskox hunters and teach school kids,

spotted the tiny Independence I artifacts on the ground within and around a tent ring.

and anyone else interested in learning, how to flintknap

e area was criss-crossed with muskox tracks and there was concern that if the artifacts

and use their own stone tools. I took several of my own

were le in place, they might be damaged by trampling, so on a return trip in 2010 the

replicas along, Parks Canada supplied the reproductions

artifacts were carefully documented and collected.

that I completed in 2010, and we borrowed a set of artifact

During the trip to Resolute Bay and Grise Fiord, we focused on the tiny stone

casts, representing other time periods and cultures, from

arrowheads found in Quttinirpaaq. e Independence I sites at Kettle Lake were littered with

the Canadian Museum of History.

tiny stone arrowheads and hearths filled with muskox bones. Archaeologists concluded that

“Land at the top of the world”

Ellesmere Island National Park Preserve was established in 1988, and was later renamed

Quttinirpaaq National Park. Quttinirpaaq means “Land at the top of the world” and it is the

second largest National Park in Canada covering 37,775 km2. The nearest community is Grise

Fiord, lying more than 500 km to the south on the opposite end of Ellesmere Island. Despite the land’s remoteness, it has been attracting settlers and visitors for thousands of years. In

addition to the Independence I muskox hunters, archaeologists have found traces of the later

Independence II culture, Dorset Palaeoeskimo, Thule, Inuit and Greenland Inughuit peoples.

More recently, European, American and Canadian explorers, military, and researchers visited the area, establishing Fort Conger in the late 19th Century.

To learn more about the archaeology of Quttinirpaaq National Park, you can contact:

• The Parks Canada Agency at www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/nu/quttinirpaaq/index.aspx • Inuit Heritage Trust at www.ihti.ca

• The Nunavut Archaeology Program, Department of Culture and Heritage, Government of Nunavut at www.ch.gov.nu.ca/en/Archaeology.aspx

40

Location of Quttinirpaaq National Park and Kettle Lake.

Map courtesy of Parks Canada Agency, Nunavut Field Unit

2015 | 03

Some artifact reproductions. © Tim Rast

Quttinirpaaq artifacts on the right and the flintknapped and antiqued reproductions on the left. © Tim Rast

the arrowheads were used to hunt the muskox. In his book, Ancient People of the Arctic,

with all of the students enrolled at each school. With the

Robert McGhee suggests that muskox would react to dogs accompanying Independence I

addition of evening demonstrations I met dozens of par-

hunters in the same way that they would react to wolves, by forming a defensive circle.

ents, elders, and other members of the communities and

is strategy may be effective against wolves, but it made the muskox easy targets for

while I shared what I knew about flintknapping, they

Independence I archers. e hunters were most likely armed with bows and arrows built

shared with me stories and insight into how the different

from driwood, and reinforced with horn, antler, or bone and held together with sinew.

tools were used and made. I learned a great deal from this

Over the course of the workshops I made a complete Independence I arrow with a knapped

trip and given the success of this trial project, my hope is

chert point and lashed together sections of driwood. It was built using locally available

that we can bring the program to other communities,

materials and without the use of any glue, just twisted sinew held in place with friction.

focusing on the incredible archaeology of the National

To the best of my knowledge, there has never been a complete Independence I arrow

Parks nearest to them.

found, so I used some uncannily well-preserved sites in Greenland as references for the organic pieces. e reference arrows that I used come from a related culture called Saqqaq.

You can see the reference arrow parts in Bjarne Grønnow’s 2012 article in Études/Inuit/Studies called, “An archaeological reconstruction of Saqqaq bows, darts, harpoons, and lances”. e Saqqaq arrows were made from driwood logs that had been split, whereas I used small diameter driwood twigs and branches to form the arrow sha. Otherwise I followed the Saqqaq model as closely as possible for arrow sha dimensions and design details. e main design elements that I incorporated from the Saqqaq arrows into the Independence I reconstruction were the open bedded style of ha for the arrowhead, the 14 cm long fore sha, the use of wedge shaped “scarf ” joins to build the sha out of multiple short sections of wood, the diameter and cross-section of the main sha and the shallow nock style. e reproduction arrow is spliced together from three pieces of driwood and measures about 70 cm in length. For the point, I used Independence I artifacts from Quttinirpaaq National Park as my reference. e two feather fletching style is based on more recent Inuit arrows while the twisted sinew lashing and glueless design is representative of both Inuit and Palaeoeskimo haing techniques. e Saqqaq arrows are missing feathers, although they are presumed to have had them.

I completed the reproduction arrow using a raven feather supplied by a teacher in Grise Fiord.

I split the feather down the middle and used each half for the fletching. I don’t think it will spin quite right, but it looks fine for a display piece and I like that it’s finished with local materials. For the use of the feather, I le the arrow with the Umimmak School in Grise Fiord. e program delivered in Resolute Bay and Grise Fiord was a pilot project and thanks to the support of the teachers at Qarmartalik and Ummimak schools I was able to work 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

Tim Rast demonstrates stone tool making in Resolute Bay. © Patrick Carroll Tim Rast is a Canadian archaeologist and Flintknapper who specializes in artifact reproductions from the Arctic and sub arctic. You can see more of his work on his blog: www.elfshotgallery.blogspot.com

41

A R T S , C U LT U R E & E D U C AT I O N

Art Therapy Workshop Learning from each other

Left: Wayne Rob Kotokra from Repulse Bay tries out different painting techniques on his art project.

Right: Tobi Tookoome of Baker Lake works on a drawing. Š Daisy Panika (2)

To work with and receive direction from Inuit

department held a Kivalliq Art Therapy

Development and Transportation funded the

Inuit heritage, culture and language is the

Rankin Inlet. Bernadette Dean, Social Develop-

A total of 15 participants from Kivalliq

elders and youth of the Kivalliq in preserving mandate of the Kivalliq Inuit Association’s

Social Development Department. In an effort to encourage youth to develop their artistic

talents while working with other youth, the

Workshop at the Kivalliq Trades School in

ment Coordinator, and Daisy Panika, Program Coordinator, organized the workshop. Arts

contributions from Canadian Heritage, the

Government of Nunavut and Economic

program.

Communities travelled to Rankin Inlet to

attend the five-day workshop. The workshop

began with introductions and presentations and then participants were tasked with the art

part of the program. Choosing an image of

their choice, they were asked to draw what

they feel and what they see. Participants

learned new paintbrush techniques and ways

to paint, which paint to use for different

landscapes and faces, and other related artistic

techniques that the instructors introduced

during the workshop.

Epiksaut Friesen, originally from Rankin

Inlet, who now lives in Inuvik, flew to Rankin

Inlet to help instruct the workshop. She was also involved with the Art workshops the

42

2015 | 03

A R T S , C U LT U R E & E D U C AT I O N Since sewing is also an art form, it was included in the Art Therapy Workshop. Here, Ippiksaut Dion and Dorianna Malliki cut out patterns to make garments during one of the sewing nights. © Daisy Panika

Kivalliq Inuit Association delivered in 2006-

Centre for allowing the participants to use

2007. Her participation was a great way to help

their sewing machines during the workshop.

dialogue. Friesen was able to share her artistic

another and a chance for sharing thoughts and

can further develop. Learning from a youth

all participants to complete two to three art

the Inuit youth involved have a youth-to-youth talent to teach new skills to the youth that they

who has been able to earn an income with her

Besides learning artistic skills from one

feelings, another goal of the workshop was for

pieces to show at the art gallery that was held

artistic skills also helped motivate the youth to

at Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated. A total of

field as well.

workshop.

set goals and realize their own potential in the During the evenings, the women were

invited to attend a sewing class. Since sewing

48 pieces of artwork were made during the The Art Therapy Workshop helped participants

realize their artistic potential and developed

is a part of art, learning new patterns and ways

their patience and concentration in creating

fulfilling for the ladies. Many of them had never

therapeutic, positive and memorable, while

to sew a pocket, cuffs and zippers, was very been taught how to sew with an industrial

their artworks. Participants found the program

also giving them the opportunity to meet new

sewing machine so this was an opportunity for

friends as well.

were also mothers. This was a chance for them

ment Department is hoping to organize another

them to learn these new skills. Many of them to learn how to sew a jacket, learn new designs

and ways to cut patterns and where to sew them

on so they can make garments for their families.

Thank you to the Pulaarvik Kablu Friendship

The Kivalliq Inuit Association’s Social Develop-

Art Therapy Workshop with elders, possibly

sometime in the summer so participants can spend a day or two out on the land as well.

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

43

SPORT

Judo in the Great North

Teaching values in the Gentle Way

Judo is present in more than 200 countries

around the world and is practiced by over 20 million people. Created in 1882 by Master Jigoro

Kano, judo crossed the borders of Japan, its birthplace, taking with it its anthology of

educational values and contributing to building

“Mario is a pioneer and a builder,” says

Daniel De Angelis. “He is full of energy. Founder

Great North of Canada to discover and demon-

President of Judo in the Northwest Territories

strate how the “Gentle Way” has started to

explore uncharted and often unexplored lands.

Organizers included the International Judo

of Judo Nunavut, in the heart of the Inuit land,

and Director of the Aboriginal and Territorial Affairs Committee of Judo Canada, Mario none-

theless is a field man, dedicating his time to

the development of judo in often-difficult

Affairs of Judo Committee (Northwest Territories,

conditions.

Des Forges, with the strong support of Judo

says, “Here everything needs to be done, every-

Yukon and Nunavut), represented by Mario

Canada and its President, Mike Tamura.

Daniel De Angelis, Secretary General of Judo

Canada and President of Judo Quebec, told IJF

about a judoka from Yellowknife, Mario Des

Forges, and his book about two young teen-

Referring to his work in the North, Mario

thing needs to be built. It is virgin territory but

we can help communities whose lives are some-

times full of struggles. Judo is a great tool to reinforce values.”

Mario constantly travels the territories, goes

agers from the Northwest Territories and the

to meet principals and headmasters of schools,

later, with the support of the IJF President,

funding, and does prevention. He participates

influence judo had on them. A few months

Marius Vizer, an educational tour to remote

44

Below right: J.H. Sissons school participants in Yellowknife in action. © Nicolas Messner (2)

a better society. As International Judo Federation

(IJF) Judo for Peace Head Director, I visited the

Federation and the Aboriginal and Territorial

Alex Ciupe (Judo Quebec) Mario Des Forges (NWT Judo Association) and Nicolas Messner (IJF) in Iqaluit on the last day of the tour. © Nicolas Messner

Below left: Group picture in Iqaluit, Nunavut.

transports equipment, conducts research to find in his own way in the education of thousands

northern areas was developed.

of children. A few years ago when he was still

the promotion of judo and its values within the

membership to 1,200 members. Today, he

Mario Des Forges has dedicated his life to

Great North and Aboriginal communities.

living in Iqaluit, he managed to raise the judo

continues his work in the Northwest Territories.

2015 | 03

SPORT

“It is not easy. There are many obstacles,”

smiles have illuminated faces tanned by the

he says, “but we find solutions and give new

sun and cold. During the last session in Iqaluit,

wouldn’t have much to dream of.”

in a session of judo adapted to the local condi-

hope to young people who without judo Today, the difficulty lies in the ability of

250 children from the same school participated tions. Through games, all in a relaxed and

huge territories to get organized to enable a

cheerful atmosphere, in front of an audience

of society. For two weeks, Mario Des Forges

bring was offered to children.

coherent development of judo at the service

and Nicolas Messner travelled throughout the

three territories, to meet the children in schools and clubs, but also to meet with local officials

of professors, a small glimpse of what judo can Everyone went home having had a lot

of fun at school. Some will start judo in the

local club and others will become champions,

and potential sponsors to build programs on a

referees or teachers. This tour is not insignifi-

River, Fort Providence, Whitehorse and Iqaluit

the foundations of national and international

larger scale. They went to Yellowknife, Hay

cant. It will leave a legacy and help to build

Mario Des Forges demonstrates stretching techniques to a group at Chief Sunrise School on Katlodeeche Reserve, NWT, during the Judo for Peace tour. © Nicolas Messner

and to Aboriginal reserves where sometimes

projects with the support of the IJF and Judo

duced there. Everywhere the reception was

Alex Ciupe, Director for Quebec and

possible. This was proven in the past. But we

Altogether, 20 judo activities were held for

advisor to the IJF President, Marius Vizer, was

is still a lot of work left to do. The challenge is

have been swallowed up and hundreds of

the reality in the field and provide effective

this was the first time judo had been intro-

warm and respectful of the values of judo.

nearly 650 children. Thousands of kilometres

Canada.

Nunavut within the Judo Canada board and

also present in Iqaluit: “We have to adapt to

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

support so that judo can continue to grow. It’s

will have to roll up our sleeves because there worth it.”

Nicolas Messner

45

COMMUNITY

Left: 1st-place winner of the De Beers Inspired Ice Carving Championship entitled, “Zzzzz (Mosquito)”.

Right: The 60th Canadian Championship Dog Derby was featured at the Long John Jamboree. © Angela Gzowski (2)

Long John Jamboree sets record attendance

Due to the warmer-than-normal temperatures,

included something for the young and the

The board of the Long John Jamboree thanks

we set attendance records as people came out

young-at-heart.

all those who visited, the volunteers who devoted

Jamboree March 27-29 on the ice of Yellowknife

Inspired Ice Carving Championship welcomed its

and welcome in Spring, and especially our

Jamboree yet, and we’re already getting the

Junichi Nakamura and teammate Shinichi

we could not have put this together.

a giant mosquito sculpture entitled, “Zzzzz”. The

patience, our strength and our tolerances. An

in droves to visit the 4th Annual Long John

Bay. This was the most successful Long John

For the first time this year, the De Beers

first overseas carving team. Japanese carver

wheels in motion to make the 5th one even

Sawamura created the first-place winning carving,

The super-dedicated volunteers worked their

event featured teams from across the Northwest

better.

so much time and energy to escort Winter out

sponsors who without their generous support,

Winter can be a trying time. It tests our

event like the Long John Jamboree is a great

long johns off, and all of the event organizers

Territories, Canada and the United States.

to ultimate Frisbee in the snow, from brain-

featured racers from across Canada and the

you next year when we do it all over again at

from the masterful ice carvings to an incredible

to Richard Beck who won the race for the

Kevin MacDonald

amazed us too! From a military obstacle course

teasing trivia to physically challenging relays, fireworks display, the Long John Jamboree

The 60th Canadian Championship Dog Derby

United States, as well. Congratulations go out eighth time.

Traditional Inuit art captures the beauty, truth and spirit of Canada’s Arctic

way to put an end to those tests and just have

fun. Thanks for coming out and hope to see

#LJJ2016!

“Bear Mother and Child”

by Norman Quamautuq, Pangnirtung Nunavut.

northern images A Division of Arctic Co-operatives Ltd.

Yellowknife 867-873-5944

Visit Our Website www.northernimages.ca 46

Supporters and Promoters of Inuit and Dene artists and their art

2015 | 03

The Long John Jamboree board at the main entrance to the site on Yellowknife Bay. © Angela Gzowski

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

COMMUNITY

47

48

2015 | 03

BOOKSHELF

Voyage with the Labrador Eskimos, 1880-1881 Johan Adrian Jacobsen (Author), Hartmut Lutz (Translator) Polar Horizons August 2014

The story of Abraham Ulrikab is one of the saddest stories

in Nunatsiavut (Labrador), Inuit and Canadian history.

Abraham and his family; a young single man Tobias; and the pagan family of Terrianiak, Paingo, and Noggasak showed

their way of life and culture to the European crowds in the

ethnographic show organized by Carl Hagenbeck. Johan

Sweetest Kulu

Celina Kulluk Alexandria Neonakis, Illustrator Inhabit Media October 2014

This beautiful bedtime picture book, written

by acclaimed Inuit throat singer Celina Kalluk,

describes the gifts given to a newborn baby by all the animals of the Arctic. Lyrically and tenderly told by a mother speaking to her own

little “Kulu,” an Inuktitut term of endearment

Adrian Jacobsen, who had recruited and accompanied them

during their tour, kept a diary about the experience. This

book presents Professor Hartmut Lutz’s English translation

of Jacobsen’s diary. Read about how Terrianiak and Paingo used their shamanic powers to calm a

storm during the Atlantic crossing, the heartbreak of Abraham giving his three-year-old daughter to a hospital in Germany and the horror of being admitted to the smallpox unit of a Paris hospital

where the ‘Eskimos’ as well as Europeans suffered and died around him. Voyage with the Labrador

Eskimos, 1880-1881 is a complement to the book, In the Footsteps of Abraham Ulrikab.

often bestowed upon babies and young children,

this visually stunning book is infused with the

traditional Inuit values of love and respect for

The Man with the Wolf in his Belly

the land and its animal inhabitants.

German Saravanja Nick MacIntosh, Illustrator Friesen Press November 2014

The Man With The Wolf In His Belly is a children’s story of adventure and self-acceptance. It’s a tale of a

traveler who ventures to the Northwest Territories and finds peace amid the nature of the North. Stunning images of the North are a backdrop to the wanderer’s happy life of solitude and becoming one with the

land. As he allows himself to hear the silence of the wilderness, the man transforms outwardly and

inwardly. This story teaches an important lesson about our connection to the natural world and the role silence plays in helping us hear our own inner wolves.

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

49

ENVIRONMENT

Arctic bird studies uncover dangerous levels of environmental mercury The marine birds that

from Carleton University, as well as M.L. Mallory

be converted by bacteria into highly toxic

mercury on nine different species of marine

mercury.

inhabit Canada’s expan-

from Acadia University studied the effects of

Arctic tern, common eider,

birds from Canada’s Arctic, including the ivory

sive North, such as the and long-tailed duck,

gull, the black-legged kittiwake, the common

for northern communi-

murre. Birds are generally excellent indicators

are important resources

eider, the long-tailed duck, and the thick-billed

organomercury compounds, such as methyl

In 2013, the United Nations placed mercury

on its list of major concerns to human and

ecosystem health. Industrialization and the

burning of fossil fuels have increased the rate

ties. These resilient and often stunning birds

of ecosystem mercury contamination. This is

at which mercury is released to the environ-

and are essential sources of food and feathers

and development pathways, resulting in poor

removal from the environment.

are pivotal to the region’s diverse ecosystems

(e.g., eiderdown) for northern peoples. A number

because mercury affects their nervous system

egg quality and reduced brood size — traits that

of studies, however, suggest that Arctic bird

are easy for scientists to record and measure.

of mercury poisoning.

as a whole because in aquatic environments,

M.R. Forbes, B.M. Braune, and H.G Gilchrest

readily taken up by plants or animals, can

species, as well as other animals, are in danger Recently, Canadian researchers J.F. Provencher,

© Jerry Hiam

50

Mercury is also harmful to the ecosystem

insoluble mercury compounds, which are not

ment, outpacing the natural rate of mercury Overall, the Canadian research team found

that the Ivory gull had the highest reported egg mercury levels, whereas the blacklegged kitti-

wake had the lowest. The scientists believe that

the high levels of mercury observed in the birds are

related to their diet and position in the food chain.

2015 | 03

ENVIRONMENT

Mercury moves up the food chain through

were previously out competed may have addi-

bottom of the food chain, such as crustaceans

This research has a wide range of significance

bioaccumulation. Plants and animals at the

tional opportunities to obtain resources.

these large bodies of ice are melting and

releasing mercury into the environment.

Further studies of mercury release in Canada

are important for all of us because mercury

and rodents, are the first to ingest mercury.

as increasing mercury levels affect not only

level animals and are then eaten by animals

organisms on the planet. Although there is a

amount of mercury consumed increases and,

mercury emissions, there is less awareness and

Canada’s birds had higher overall levels of mercury

is rampant. Other research has shown that

parts of the world. Although Canada has a long

Animals higher up on the food chain eat bottom-

above them on the chain. At each level, the

marine birds in Canada’s Arctic but many other

levels in Canada’s Arctic are among the highest

concerted effort in North America to decrease

earlier studies, the researchers found that Arctic

in the world. When comparing their results to

incorporated in their eggs than birds from other

thus, the amount of poisoning increases as

motivation to do so in Asia where industrialization

more mercury incorporated into its eggs on

mercury emissions from Asia spend between

history of monitoring mercury in the Arctic, it

gull is higher on the food chain than the kittiwake.

where air currents can carry it across the

birds and support our northern ecosystems.

increased environmental mercury levels have

Unfortunately, while human influences are

well. This likely explains why the Ivory gull has

average than the blacklegged kittiwake — the

six months to two years in the atmosphere,

is imperative that we continue to research marine

Pacific Ocean and into Canada’s Arctic.

Investing more effort in protecting these birds

altered ecosystem food webs as a whole. The

the main cause of increasing mercury levels,

that should “fly” with many Canadians.

trends that animals at the top of the food chain

only cause of mercury increase. In the Arctic,

mercury poisoning. Their absence leaves a void

that store mercury from past emissions. How-

This and other studies also suggest that

researchers inferred from reported population

are dying off at unexpected rates because of at the top of the food chain; thus, animals that

the research team warns that it is far from the

glaciers and ice caps have served as reserves ever, as Earth’s climate gets increasingly warmer,

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

and the resources that they provide is a goal

Max Stone and David Smith

Max Stone is a fourth-year undergraduate student studying Biology at Western University, and is a volunteer science writer in David Smith’s Lab, Biology Department. David Smith is an assistant professor in the Biology Department at Western University. You can find him online at www.arrogantgenome.com.

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2015 | 03

Passing the Torch #2Reconcile

The implementation of the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement began in 2007, from which the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was formed.

Then in 2008, Prime Minister Stephen Harper delivered a formal apology in the House of Commons to former students, their families, and communities for Canada's role in the operation of the residential schools. These pivotal moments have encouraged our country to strike a match and shine a light into some of the darkest corners of our not-so-distant history.

This process has been led, in part, by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and parties to the Settlement Agreement with courage and compassion. I want to commend those involved in the TRC process, most notably the three Commissioners: the Honourable Justice Murray Sinclair, Dr. Marie Wilson and Chief Wilton Littlechild, for the integrity and care with which they conducted their work.

As part of the mandated activities of the TRC, in 2015, the Commissioners will submit their final report to the Parties of the Agreement, chronicling their work, their findings and setting out recommendations for the future. Following the release of this report, the TRC will no longer exist.

If Canada is to experience true healing in the wake of the legacy of the Residential Schools, the end of the TRC cannot mean the end of the process of reconciliation in our country.

It will become the full responsibility of all Canadians to continue the ongoing work of reconciliation and healing and, in just a few months’ time, the TRC will pass the torch of

INUIT FORUM

ITK President Terry Audla with Abigail Carleton, Charlotte Carleton and Aneeka Anderson at the unveiling of a commemorative stained glass window on Parliament Hill as a gesture of reconciliation by the Government of Canada. The window, a permanent commemoration of the legacy of Indian Residential Schools and of the historic Apology, will encourage Parliamentarians, as well as visitors to Parliament for generations to learn about the history of Indian Residential Schools and Canada's reconciliation efforts. It was designed by Métis artist Christi Belcourt. © ITK (2)

their work to us collectively to keep the flame alive. We must all be ready to receive it, including the Parties to the Settlement agreement: National Aboriginal Organizations, Churches and the Government of Canada.

Our work is not done — not by a long shot.

The transgenerational impact of reproachful policies and attitudes towards First Nations, Inuit and Metis continues to live among my generation and the generation of my children.

As a nation, we cannot turn a blind-eye to the multitude of difficult and complex challenges left in the wake of policies such as the Residential School Program. We must acknowledge the deep hurt of the loss of identity and support the great struggle of regaining our language, culture and communities in the context of today’s modern realities. We must recognize systemic racism against Aboriginal people in our neighbourhoods and actively fight it until our people are afforded the same rights and opportunities as non-Aboriginal people in Canada. We have to hold each other up, not bring each other down.

Our Inuit values instruct us that it is not just “survival of the fittest” but more so “survival among the weakest.” Inuit do not toss aside the broken, beaten or belittled; we work together to lift up each and every member of our community. Our country has to do the same when accepting the task of ongoing healing and reconciliation.

As part of honouring the winding-up of the TRC and the passing of the torch, Parties to the Settlement Agreement have been working with the Commission on a series of events to take place in Ottawa from May 31-June 3, including a Walk for Reconciliation, learning opportunities, art and cultural exhibitions and, most importantly, a chance for us all – Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians – to come together and affirm our commitment to ongoing healing and reconciliation. I invite you to participate and look forward to seeing you there.

Please visit www.trc.ca for more details.

Terry Audla

President, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami

Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami 75 Albert Street, Suite 1101 Ottawa, ON K1P 5E7 t. (613) 238.8181

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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GueST eDITORIAL

Canada’s North: An extraordinary place to visit, live and invest Member of Parliament and Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, Justin Trudeau, in conversation with Inuvik elder Sarah Tingmiak, during her community’s popular Sunrise Festival. © Adam Scotti

In January, with my eldest son Xavier by my side, I had the pleasure and privilege of connecting

with Canadians on a five-day working tour of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. This trip was

about meeting with Northerners, experiencing

the challenges they face on a day-to-day basis,

and recognizing opportunities for sustainable

economic growth. It also underscored to me

what an incredible place the North is to visit during the winter!

We began our trip in Inuvik. I had many

meaningful conversations about the serious

issues facing the community. I discussed land

with chiefs of the Dene Nation about the need

the Gwich’in Tribal Council and the Inuvialuit

the federal government. Here, Xav experienced

claims, self-government and devolution with

Regional Corporation, and had conversations with health care providers about the difficulty

they face creating relationships of trust with

who are unable to access basic necessities like

for a respectful and collaborative partnership with

affordable food and housing.

several moments I know he will always remember,

me two things: first, that the people of the North

including waking up to the magic of the northern

lights for the first time, and capping off our

This incredible experience reaffirmed for

and the strength of their communities are our

country's best guarantee of Canadian sover-

residents due to the former’s near constant turn-

time in the city with some dogsledding.

eignty; and second, that this region has huge

and learned about the cutting-edge research

There, I heard from local business leaders about

of a partner who will invest in its people, infra-

North’s unique expertise and environment. And

and resource development, and held productive

this growth is realized.

community to celebrate the return of the sun

specific land claim agreement. A major personal

visit, live, and invest. I look forward to continuing

to drummers, danced and tasted local and

Nakasuk School, complete with traditional dishes

more hopeful than ever for the future of the

In Yellowknife, I met with locals, discussed

Finally, I visited the Qayuqtuvik Society soup

North with local business leaders, and dialogued

about the harsh reality facing many Northerners

Justin P. J. Trudeau, M.P. for Papineau

over. I explored the Aurora Research Institute, being conducted there which capitalizes on the

after 30 days of darkness, Xav and I joined the

at the Inuvik Sunrise Festival, where we listened

international foods.

economic development opportunities in the

54

Our final stretch of the tour took us to Iqaluit.

the need for investment in training, infrastructure

discussions with Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. on their

highlight was hosting a community feast at

of caribou meat and Arctic char for all to enjoy.

kitchen, where volunteers and staff spoke with me

potential for growth, but is in desperate need

structure and research in order to ensure that Canada’s North is an extraordinary place to

my relationship with Northerners, and I am

North.

Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada

2015 | 03

ᓄᓇᓕᓐᓅᖓᔪᖅ, ᐊᑲᕐᕆᓇᖅᑐᖅ, ᐊᑐᐃᓐᓇᖃᑦᓯᐊᖅᑐᖅ

Nunallaat, Ihuarniq, Atuttiarniq Community, Comfort, Convenience

ᑲᓲᑎᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᓄᓇᕐᔪᐊᑉ ᖄᖓᒍᑦ

Haniliriikhutik Hilarjuap Qulaani Spanning the Top of the World

cshw5g6 w8{ kx3P, cshw5g6, kNK5 Qausuittuq Inns North, Resolute Bay, Nunavut

1.867.252.3900 Qausuittuq@InnsNorth.coop

EW N R E UND GEMENT MANA

www.InnsNorth.com ☎ 1-888-To-North ᓄᓇᓕᓐᓂ-ᓇᒻᒥᓂᕆᔭᐅᔪᑦ ᑐᔪᕐᒥᕖᑦ, ᑲᑐᔾᔨᖃᑎᒌᑦᑐᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᓕᒫᒥ.

Nunalinni-namminirijaujut tujurmiviit, kajjiqatigiittut upiuqtaqtulimaami.

Locally-owned hotels, working together across the Arctic.