As we entered phase 2 of the pandemic control, Inuvik’s community activities are gradually emerging safely. Today we went to a Covid-safe seal skin sewing workshop instructed by a craft master, Alice Kimiksama. Alice is from Ulukhaktok (high arctic) and has been living in Inuvik for a decade. She is currently an Inuvialuitun language teacher.Continue reading “Seal skin sewing workshop”
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Arctic Legend -Little People
On our way to Tuktoyatuk my colleague Phoebe told us about an arctic legend that has been circulating in the high arctic communities – the “Little People” (Ircinrraaqq). Locals living in the high arctic claim to see these ‘Little People’ out on the land. Everyone described their size differently. Some said they are so smallContinue reading “Arctic Legend -Little People”
Trip to the arctic ocean – Tuktoyatuk
On Saturday my colleague invited us to go for a short day trip to visit a town by the Arctic Ocean – Tuktoyatuk. Tuk is the furthest north one can drive to in Canada. It is a three hour drive from Inuvik to Tuk. Because Tuk is so far north, the trees could not growContinue reading “Trip to the arctic ocean – Tuktoyatuk”
Musk Ox meat
Today I got another arctic traditional food – Musk Ox ground meat from a lady traveling from Ulukhaktok, the high arctic region. Musk Ox is a kind of arctic mammal that is covered in long and thick fur. They can grow up to 410kg (yes they are huge and strong)! They are found to existContinue reading “Musk Ox meat”
Gilitak – Smoked whale meat
The arctic community relies heavily on facebook to communicate and trade. Sometimes you might find something interesting and rare too. I was fortunate enough to get a hold of a jar of whale Gilitak. Whale Gilitak is made of mipko (smoked whale meat) soaked in ooksook ( whale bubbler/fat). It is then frozen to preserveContinue reading “Gilitak – Smoked whale meat”
First arctic community visit – Colville Lake
A part of my job is to service communities in the arctic Beaufort-Delta region and the Sahtu region. To start with, my first trip was to fly in to a community southeast of Inuvik called Colville Lake for 3 days. Coville Lake has a population of 130 and it is situated in the Sahtu regionContinue reading “First arctic community visit – Colville Lake”
First sunrise in a month
It had been a month without sun since we arrived in Inuvik. The first sunrise finally happened a day after the festival at 2pm for 11 minutes. It felt so strange to see a bright red object on the sky. What a funny experience to appreciate the sun again. The sunlight then extends by 11Continue reading “First sunrise in a month”
Sunrise festival-3
The last day of the festival was pretty chill. We went to the ice village at around 3pm. There were ice sculptures, games and food tents. We had an iced maple syrup on a stick and it became very chewy. Also in the ice village, we finally got to pat the Siberian dog sledding huskies!Continue reading “Sunrise festival-3”
Sunrise festival-2
We started the second day of the festival by going to the free pancake breakfast provided by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). The breakfast was so filling and yummy. It’s always fun to eat with the community. Next we went to the arctic market. The market sold a variety of hand made products andContinue reading “Sunrise festival-2”
Sunrise festival – 1
In the arctic circle, the biggest festival is not the new year, but the celebration of sun rising again after a month of darkness. The Sunrise festival gathers people from all around the arctic communities and visitors in Inuvik to celebrate nonstop for three days till the sun rises. Today I finally got to tryContinue reading “Sunrise festival – 1”
From North Point To North Pole 