Review, Final Exams, and ACR

I was unable to attend the fishing derby award ceremony at the community centre on Tuesday, May 19th, because of my occupation.  There were only two weeks of May left and that meant review and final exams.  My apologies to anyone who wanted to know who the winners were.  I immediately went to work putting together review activities & handouts, and writing up the final exams for my English & Social Studies classes.  My guitarists would have a final performance test.  I had to work quickly because I would be camping with the army cadets the weekend before exams. 

            

Putting together a final exam is not a simple task.  Many hours must be put into research, writing, revising, and if desired, creating an answer key.  (Having an answer key makes marking exams, and tests, much easier).  There is a constant battle happening inside the teacher's mind.  They want to include everything, but can't, because the exam would be too big and take too long to complete.  Therefore, you need to be selective.  I only pluck and insert several questions from previous exams.  I view using exams from the year before in their entirety as being lazy & apathetic.  And doing so wouldn't have been possible anyway because I differentiate the content every semester.  But this is not enough.  You also have to review the required material with your students and that calls for handouts, activities, and games.  For teachers, administering a test is a project all on its own.

            

Final exams for high school students were scheduled for the last three (school) days of May.  There was still school for the first week of June but that week was devoted to spring camp and year end activities (more on those in a future post).

            

In Grade 10 English, we finished our film study of Lean on Me.  The students really liked the plot and the main character, principal Joe Louis Clark.  I included letter & essay writing in our film study because these skills are essential in the senior grades and beyond.  The final exam tested my students' knowledge in three areas: short stories, our study of the novel, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, and the film Lean On Me. 

            

My Grade 11 Social Studies students finished learning about the rise of ultranationalist political parties in Italy, Germany, and Japan - the Axis Powers.  We also studied the relationship between ultranationalism and genocide.  I explained the meaning of word, who coined the term (Raphael Lemkin), and briefly mentioned some examples in history.  When it came to explaining the 8 Stages of Genocide, I used the Canadian Residential School System as the example.  I stressed that the system was a form of "cultural genocide".  The final exam focused on: WW1, Women's Rights, The Russian Revolution, Ultranationalism, and Genocide.

               

The final performance test for my guitarists challenged them to play a selected piece in front of the class.  I made the list as diverse as I could so that there was something for everyone.  Right away, I assured everyone that they would do fine and that playing in front of the class would be a lot easier than when they played in front of the school in February.  I tested my guitarists several days before the official "exam week".  All of them performed well.  I even commended one of my students who sang a song in front the class.  It must have taken a lot of courage.

            

I received some bad news the week before exams, but in a way, it was a blessing in disguise.  The cadet Field Training eXercise (FTX) that was scheduled for the 2nd last weekend of May had to be postponed due to bad weather.  The local Canadian Rangers made the call and we had to obey.  In the north, Rangers provide polar bear protection on cadet FTX's; if they won't go (for any reason), we don't go.  The FTX was moved to the last weekend of May, and I used the extra days to do last minute additions & changes to my exams. 

           

3045 Army Cadet Corps held its Annual Ceremonial Review (ACR) Parade on May 27.  The parade normally takes place in early April but we had to move it to a later date because of local events and the European trip.  The parade would feature promotions, awards, and summaries of the European trip & other events throughout the past year.  I prepared the English programs and got them translated into Inuktitut by Kataisee.  She is the high school Inuit Culture teacher. 

            

The parade began at 6:30pm inside Inuujaq School's gym.  The 3-man flag party marched on parade and planted the Canadian & Cadet Movement flags on both sides of the Dias.  The flag carriers took their positions as left markers and the entire corps marched on.  The commanding officer of 3045 Army, Lt. May, marched in, escorting the guest reviewing officer to the Dias.  The reviewing officer this year was the mayor of Arctic Bay, Philip Kalluk.  He inspected the cadets on parade and was treated to a March Past.  The cadets were kept in step by the sound of a beating bass drum.  We borrowed one of the school’s bass drums for the night, and it was played by cadet Master Warrant Officer Reid.  He received excellent crash-course training from the school’s music teacher (me).       

            

Promotions to the rank of Lance Corporal.

Sergeant Akikulu

There were plenty of promotions to hand out.  All the junior cadets and several senior cadets were promoted by one rank.  The ranks were presented by a local Canadian Ranger, the mayor, and the commanding officer.  For Master Corporal Akikulu, his promotion to the senior rank of sergeant was extra special because he also received a red sash to wear with his green dress uniform.

            

Marksmanship Team.

Biathlon Team.

There were also plenty of awards to distribute.  Cadets received awards for marksmanship, best boots, best drill, and best athletes.  The marksmanship & biathlon teams were called out to be recognized for their hard work, dedication, and accomplishments at competitions. 

            

The families present at the parade received a debriefing on the success of the European Trip from Officer Cadet Swoboda.  Swoboda has resided in Arctic Bay for many years and is the community’s mental health nurse.  Everyone heard about how excited the six cadets were to visit a faraway country and learn about the Second World War.  I think this was first time the cadets had travelled overseas.  Some of them had never seen, nor touched real trees before.  The trip started in Amsterdam, progressed down into Normandy and ended in Paris.  The cadets learned a lot of history, culture, language, and developed better appreciation for the sacrifices Allied soldiers did during the war.

            

Three senior cadets that are aging out soon.

The commanding officer called upon the three most senior cadets to line up in front of the Dias.  He explained to the audience that this would be their last ACR because they would be aging out in fall.  In the Canadian cadet program, a cadet ages out when they turn 19.  The commanding officer gave them each a black backpack with the army emblem on it as a way of saying thank you for their service and dedication.

            

The last portion of the program called for the celebrating of two birthdays.  The two lucky/shy cadets were called up to the front where they were presented with a large cake baked by OCdt Swoboda.  When the candles were blown out, Swoboda left the gym to cut the cake into equal pieces.  The parade was dismissed after the closing remarks.  Everyone made their way to the reception area.  Another regular cadet training year had come to an end.  

Day Trip To Levasseur Inlet

I was handed a great responsibility at the end of April: command & administer 3045 Army Cadet Corps for four weeks.  The commanding officer, Lt. May, was travelling down south on a personal trip and then onto Europe for the 70th Anniversary of Victory in Europe.  He would be escorting and supervising the six best cadets of 3045 Army who were selected for this trip.  The selection process was based on attendance, attitude, and participation.  Officer Cadet Swoboda, who is also the town's mental health nurse, would also accompany the cadets on the trip.  Swoboda and the cadets would travel down to Ottawa, meet up and with the commanding officer, and then continue on to Europe.  That left me as the sole officer to "mind the store" in Arctic Bay.

            

In a previous post I wrote last year, I explained that the Royal Canadian Legion (Branch 168, Iqaluit) and the Order of St. George were organizing a big WW2 Remembrance trip to Europe through Educational Tours.  The organizers would take deserving cadets, selected from six units across Nunavut.  Arctic Bay was originally given 4 slots for 3 cadets & 1 adult staff.  However, thanks to local fundraising efforts, the corps had raised enough money to send an additional cadet on the trip.  Then by chance, the corps was awarded another two spots because of external issues.  One spot went to another lucky cadet and the other was taken by Officer Cadet Swoboda. 

            

Lt. May put me at ease by saying that running a corps in the north isn't difficult.  You just have to stay on top of everything and make sure no one gets hurt.  He also told me that I should feel honoured & excited because officer cadets rarely get a chance to be in charge of cadet corps down south.  Since I would only be in command for a month, Lt. May stressed that I focus on the important issues: getting the cadets ready for the spring Field Training eXercise (FTX) near at the end of May, keep the cadets entertained with some classes and weekend sports, and do some drill in preparation for the Annual Ceremonial Review.  (More on these in future posts).  The responsibilities of running the corps in Lt. May's absence appeared daunting, but I felt up to the task.  I was certain the experience would benefit me in the future.

            

With Lt. May, OCdt Swoboda, and six cadets gone for an adventure of a lifetime, I wasted no time in addressing the tasks that were assigned to me.  We got all the sleeping bags packed and assigned, and sorted through all the meal packages.  I taught the remaining cadets lessons on wilderness survival during the regular Wednesday training nights.  I had to greatly alter the content of the lessons because the content was written for environments below the 60th parallel.  I also taught the lessons as a review because the cadets frequently go camping & hunting with their parents & elders so they already know more about arctic survival than I do.

            

The upcoming FTX prompted many cadets to ask me where it would take place.  Last year's we camped at Qajuutinnguat, a small, isolated fishing area 33km to the southeast of Arctic Bay.  This year I wanted to go someplace else.  Someplace that was further out on the land.  Lt. May mentioned a possible location before he left: Levasseur Inlet.  The inlet is located 56km south of Arctic Bay and lies next to one of the major travel routes locals take to go fishing & hunting.  One popular fishing area (for arctic char) along this route is Ikpikituarjuk, some 4 hours away by skidoo.  It's on my list of places to visit because my students constantly talk about it.

            

A few years ago, Lt. May held an FTX at Levasseur Inlet and he & the participating cadets found the area quite nice.  The camp ground was in a place where the cadets wouldn't be distracted by visiting families, and if anything went wrong, Lt. May could alert someone passing by on the main skidoo trail.  Distance is the only major concern because it takes about 90 minutes to reach the inlet when pulling a fully loaded qamutik, and if there are any real emergencies, it'll take roughly the same time, or less, if you're going full throttle, to travel back to Arctic Bay.  Precious time may also be lost to having to travel back & forth to ferry needed camping supplies & equipment.

            

Intrigued by this faraway location, I informed my commanding officer that I wanted to conduct a reconnaissance mission of the area to see if it was suitable for this year's FTX.  He left me travelling instructions and the location of the former camp site before he left for Europe.  The mission was set for May 17th, during the Victoria Day weekend.  There would be plenty of traffic along the skidoo trail because the annual fishing derby was taking place that weekend.  Many families would be travelling to, or already fishing, at Ikpikituarjuk, competing to catch the largest arctic char for prize money.  I originally wanted to travel alone but I thought maybe someone else with a skidoo should experience this trip.  I had asked Lt. May if he wanted to tag along - (by this time, he, OCdt Swoboda, and the six cadets had returned from Europe) - but he declined, saying that he was still tired from the European trip.  I called Stephen and asked him if he wanted to tag along.  He agreed.  This would be his first time visiting the inlet as well.

            

I collected everything I would need for my excursion the day before.  (I know I've published this list several times already, but just in case you're new to my blog).  On my list of essentials were: extra gas & oil, spare drive belt, two spark plugs, tool kit, first aid kit, GPS & SPOT devices, walkie-talkies, toilet paper, duct tape, mirror, multi-tool, compass, sunscreen, camera, binoculars, and over-the-counter medicines to combat colds, headaches, & motion sickness.  For lethal protection against polar bears, I was bringing my 12-gauge shotgun and a machete.  I also packed snacks and a thermos full of hot chocolate for nourishment.

            

Stephen drove up to my residence on the morning of May 17th.  As luck would have it, the sky was blue and sun was shining brightly.  Even though it was the middle of the month, we were still wearing our heavy Canada Goose parkas and snow pants.  Our feet would be comfortable & warm thanks to our Baffin Impact boots.  You can't take any chances out on the land.  The weather can suddenly change, going from good to bad in a matter of minutes.  Up north, you treat spring as a lighter form of winter.  As a final precaution, I told my next door neighbours where we were going and to check their email periodically.  They were on my list of people who would receive good and/or bad messages from my SPOT device.

            

The cliffs.  Looking in the direction of Arctic Bay.

The first part of the trip was driving to the far point we reached in March.  I let Stephen lead the way, driving south towards Uluuksat Point.  We turned right at the point and then drove across the frozen ice with the cliffs to our backs.  We followed the large & wide skidoo trail that was formed by the many skidoos & qamutiks that travelled to Ikpikituarjuk just a few days earlier.  The drive was a little bumpy and somewhat monotonous - due to the continuous drones of our skidoos - but it felt great to get out of the house and explore the vast arctic landscape.  It took us around 18 minutes to reach the far point.  We had only driven 14 kilometres but had entered Admiralty Inlet.  We stopped to check our skidoos and to take some pictures. 

            

Main skidoo trail heading south.

I took the lead, driving into "foreign territory".  Even though I had the entire route - waypoints included - programmed into my GPS, I strictly followed the main skidoo trail.  If a situation called for a deviation, it would only be done slightly. The ice is still pretty thick in the middle of May but I didn't want to take any chances.  My knowledge & experience of the land is still limited.

            

We drove along the coastline, keeping the mountains to our left and the frozen ice to our right.  Even though the inlet was covered with thousands of small snow drifts, the ice still looked flat to me.  I kept my speed at around 40mph.  I was constantly looking: forward, in my rearview mirrors - to see if Stephen was still following - and looking everywhere for polar bears.  Thankfully, I didn't see any.  The rocky hills & mountains to our left we picturesque and majestic.  I was tempted to stop at each one to snap a photograph but I told myself to do that on the way back.

            

Letting all the polar bears know that I was
packing heat.

We did stop in front of a large piece of ice that gently rose above the snow drifts.  We checked our engines and snapped pictures of the piece of ice and surrounding landscape.  I got Stephen to take several pictures of me standing on top the ice while holding my shotgun.  If any polar bears were watching, I was showing them that we meant business and it would be best for them to stay away.  (My shotgun wasn't loaded but the bears didn't need to know that).  

            

The entrance to Levasseur Inlet.

Wooden cabin.

The time was nearly noon when Stephen & I arrived at the mouth of Levasseur Inlet.  We took a short break so that I could confirm our location on my GPS.  I also surveyed the land ahead with my binoculars.  Following Lt. May's instructions, we drove along the coast to our left while avoiding large patches of ice and snow drifts.  We had to drive really slow in some places.  We stopped in front of a small wooden cabin with a blue door.  The door was nailed shut.  The wood must have come from the large wooden sealift boxes that are delivered to the community every summer.  We continued until we reached the middle of the inlet.  We drove our skidoos off the ice and parked them in front of a small hill that contained several circular rock formations - the former camp site.  I pressed a button on my SPOT device.  It transmitted a short message to several email addresses: "We have safely arrived."

            

Former camp ground

Mountains running along the far right
side of Levasseur Inlet.

I surveyed the land before me, photographing the rock formations and the surrounding mountains.  When you pitch a tent, you tie down all the ropes to rocks, and when you take down the tent, all that's left are rocks in a circle.  I also filmed a 360-degree panoramic video of the area.  Satisfied with my work, I walked back to my skidoo and retrieved my backpack.  I retrieved my thermos and poured myself a warm cup of hot chocolate.  I then ate my snacks.  Stephen ate his own.  We talked for some time before deciding to head back.  We refueled our skidoos and slowly drove back the way we came.  Once we got onto the main skidoo trail/highway, we increased our speed.

            

Stand up and be noticed.

We stopped several more times so that I could take pictures of the mountains to my right.  I also used my GoPro camera to film stretches of the coastline.  Stephen & I arrived safely in Arctic Bay after 3pm.  Overall, it was a good day trip.  I had travelled further than before with my skidoo and got to see another part of Baffin Island.  I also had a better idea of what to expect should the commanding officer agree to my recommendation that the FTX take place at Levasseur Inlet the following weekend. 

            

And lastly, I survived my four-week stint as acting commanding officer of 3045 Army.  Lt. May was glad that nothing bad happened and happy to see the school was still standing.  

The First Two Weeks of May

Source: Isuma.tv

The Inuit language, known as Inuktitut, has experienced a period of revival since the creation of Nunavut in 1999.  Obviously, the language has been spoken extensively across the north before this time, but to me, it is more visible and promoted today.  (It is safe to assume that one of the main reasons behind this revival is to reclaim the language that was actively suppressed during the Residential Schools Era).  The Nunavut Government is perhaps the biggest promoter and enforcer of Inuktitut use in the territory.  One initiative they have is Inuit Language Week where schools and communities organize reading, writing, and speaking activities.  Elders are also included in these activities.

            

Inuit Language Week occurred during the last week of April (which also included the first day of May).  At Inuujaq School, K-9 teachers set aside more time towards Inuktitut language learning during regular classes.  On Friday, May 1st, the student body participated in an afternoon of Inuit language activities.  The activities were located all over the school and were managed by several teachers & elders.  The remaining teachers were tasked with supervising and leading groups of students to each activity while following a round robin schedule.  The groups were similar to last year's spirit teams.  I was in charge of Team Rabbit last year; however, this year, I was assigned team Killer Whales.  (I was carrying a lot of weight on my shoulders).

            

I wore my sealskin tie and kamiks for the occasion.  I also "brushed-up" on my Inuktitut by quickly reading over my "Little Orange Book of Inuktitut Phrases".  (I think I mentioned in a previous post that since coming to Nunavut, I have been collecting a variety of 'every day' Inuktitut phrases & their English translations in a small book for me to review.  The book is up to 34 pages so far, but many more will be added in the near future).

            

Killer Whales get ready to act out "A Promise is a Promise".

I escorted my killer whales to their first activity; listening and acting out the story A Promise is a Promise, written by Robert Munsch.  The activity was led by the new Grade 6 teacher, Greg, who has experience in drama and acting.  (He started a school drama club this year).  To prepare his classroom for the activity, he had his students push all the desks, tables, and chairs to the sides, creating one large open space in the centre.  While an audio recording of the story played over loud speakers, he instructed everyone to listen, visualize the story in their minds, and then act out the main plot points.  Greg led the interpretive acting session.  Many of the younger students participated while the older students stood off to the side, too shy to participate.  I used my camera as an excuse to not act and instead take pictures.

           

Our next activity was overseen by Kaitlynd, the school's student support teacher, and took place in the library.  The activity required the students to listen to a selection of short stories being read in Inuktitut.  They also followed along by reading the text from the books provided.  The students were divided into three small groups; each group had their own stereo, audio CD, and earphones for each person.  I noticed one group was listening/reading a funny story because they periodically chuckled out loud.  Kaitlynd & I walked amongst the groups, making sure the students were on task and the equipment was working properly. 

            

Kraft Dinner prepared by Grade 7 teacher Spencer.

The Killer Whales spent the next session in the computer lab, completing Inuktitut activities that required the use of the Internet.  The Internet was slow but we did the best we could.  We then had two story time sessions with two elders, followed by a snack break.  My students feasted on Kraft Dinner in the Home Ec room before going to the high school science room to learn how to make smoothies.  (Yes, both feel out-of-place, but having snacks in between activities is warranted).

            

Ikey

Tootalik

The last two sessions for the Killer Whales were again with elders, but the focus was more on Inuit culture.  The first session was led by Ikey, the school's shop teacher, and it took place in my classroom.  He did a comparison between the tools that Inuit hunters used to use out on the land and the more modern tools they use today.  The second session was with Tootalik, the sewing teacher, and she showed the students a large variety of traditional Inuit clothing made from animal skins.  The workshop took place in the high school Inuit culture room; one of the long tables was covered with parkas, amautis, kamiks, mitts, and pants.  I hovered around the table, snapping photographs of the lesson.  There was a moment when my kamiks were used as an example because they were of a darker colour.  When Tootalik completed her lecture, the school bell rang for dismissal.

            

The next big event was on Monday, May 11th.  The school organized an afternoon of "Fun In The Sun" sports & games activities out on the frozen bay.  The activities were originally scheduled for Friday, May 8th, but had to be postponed due to strong winds.  With the arrival of May, the arctic sun was now up in the sky for 24 hours a day.  The midnight sun was here.

            

High school students play football.

Everyone headed down to the frozen bay at around 1:30pm.  Several people assisted in bringing down all the necessary sports equipment.  Ironically, the sun was not out; the entire sky was covered with overcast clouds.  This was a strange turn of events because the sun was visible during lunch time.  Once again, the activities were organized as a round-robin, but this time, the students just stayed with their classes.  High school became one large group.

            

Parachute games.

As always, I had my digital camera at the ready.  However, I would also use my GoPro camera to shoot several action sequences.  I would then take the best shots, edit them together, add some awesome music, and create a short featurette of the entire afternoon.  I recruited two high school students to wear the camera while they played sports, thus making the project more inclusive.  The only shortcoming was that I had one GoPro.  Professionals usually have 2 - 4 cameras at their disposal to capture multiple angles at once.  I would just capture as much raw footage as possible and hope for the best.

            

Snack time.

The sports that had been organized were: soccer, football, baseball, soccer baseball, parachute games, and relay races.  A snack station offering granola bars & juice was also included.  Each class spent about 10 - 12 minutes at each station.

            

I did three jobs that afternoon: photographing, filming, and supervising.  Michel & I supervised the high school students.  Michel is the high school science teacher.  Everyone enjoyed playing the games and I was able to capture it all on camera and film.  The two students I recruited as cameramen enjoyed walking around with a GoPro and capturing video footage from their point of view.  The high school students even came up with their own game by vertically spinning hoola hoops and trying to pass through them without making them stop.

            

I spent many hours reviewing and editing all the GoPro footage.  I also spent some time deciding what kind of a soundtrack to include in the featurette.  I originally thought about using a song that talked about the sun but none of the ones I sampled worked.  In the end, I chose the one song that kept resurfacing in my head throughout post-production.  You can view the featurette here.  Be warned: there are some shaky camera effects.

            

The arrival of another month meant that it was time to move on to new teaching modules.  My Grade 10 English students were finished with poetry, so I decided to continue with a feature film study.  This semester I chose the inspirational film Lean On Me starring Morgan Freeman.  The film is based on the true story of Eastside High principal Joe Louis Clark who turned around the once drug & gang-ridden school by expelling all the troublemakers, being strict with teachers, students, and parents, and using a "tough-love" approach to education.

            

My Grade 11 Social Studies students spent the month of April learning about the Russian Revolution and wrote their final test during the last week of the month.  For May, we would study the term ultranationalism, its meaning, and examine several examples in history.  This was my first time teaching this module from the brand new textbooks.  The first examples my students would study are the rise of the Axis Powers in Europe: Fascist Italy, Nazi Germany, and Imperial Japan.

            

And finally, my guitarists were getting pretty good at strumming power chords, but they needed more practice with regular chords.  They also began looking at songs with more accidentals (sharps & flats).  I made this a little more challenging by forcing the students to figure out the notes by reading traditional notation.  It was frustrating at first, but after much perseverance, they eventually got it.  As a reward, I let them practice the songs they chose for the class fake book.                  

Nunavut Quest 2015 - Part 2

The dog mushers, support teams, and race officials had previously made arrangements to stay with family & friends in Arctic Bay.  There really was no other alternative because the local inn didn't have enough rooms to accommodate everyone.  That and it was cheaper.  The bay area resembled a large parking lot, filled with skidoos and qamutiks.     

            

The Nunavut Quest Awards Ceremony was scheduled for 6pm at the community hall.  I did my attendance and as much work as I could do before heading over.  I left my skidoo at my residence and walked down to the hall with my camera.

            

Teeman, a competitor from
Arctic Bay, holds his son.

The hall was already beginning to fill with people when I walked into the building.  Rows of grey metallic foldout chairs occupied the centre of the large room.  There were also chairs on stage and a podium.  A large banner of an Inuk dog musher was pasted on the wall behind the stage.  There were also posters of the Inuit organizations that sponsored the dog race: Baffinland, NTI,  QIA, and the Arctic Bay Hamlet Office, just to name a few.  There was also a local 5-piece band that would provide music for the ceremony.  They occupied the space just in front of the stage.  I took a seat at the back of the hall.

            

Noah Qaqqasiq on bass guitar.

Peter Shooyook on keyboard.

The band began the ceremony by playing & singing several songs in Inuktitut.  Some songs were gospel while others were folk.  However, all were lively and got the audience clapping & singing along.  I'm not exactly sure what the band was singing about but from what the people around me told me, the songs related to dog sledding and living out on the land.

            

Irene Willie addresses the audience.

Moses Oyukuluk

Irene Willie, the emcee of the ceremony, took over after the band played their last song.  She welcomed everyone and spoke briefly about the history of Nunavut Quest and dog sledding.  Moses Oyukuluk, longtime Arctic Bay resident and one of the competitors, followed suit with a speech of his own.  Unfortunately, I can't say what it was about because it was all in Inuktitut.  (I am doing my best to learn the language on my spare time.  My goal is to be able to carry out a basic conversation next year.)

            

Harry Iyerak

Harry Iyerak successfully hits a high note.

The program continued with Harry Iyerak, one of the managers of the Co-op, singing a humourous musical number with the band.  One of my students explained that the song was about an Inuk dog sledder finding himself in several funny situations.  Harry had the audience clapping and singing along for the whole song.  He received a standing ovation at the end.

            

Competitor John Qaunaq is called to the stage.

Each competitor was called up to the stage individually to take their seat.  The audience greeted each racer with an applause as they walked down the centre aisle of the hall.  There were twelve competitors this year.  Each racer wore a red bib with their assigned number.  All the competitors had "raccoon faces" - windburn all around except for the eyes because they were protected by sunglasses.

            

When all the competitors were seated, the emcee began reading out the final results, starting from last place.  She stressed that this was her first time seeing and reading the final results.  She first read out a final time, followed by the competitor's name.  The audience congratulated each racer with an applause.  Speculation as to who would be in top 3, as well as the winner, began to mount after each result was read.  By the time the emcee reached the top five, the audience was cheering louder & louder.  Naturally, the first place winner, Amosie Sivugat of Clyde River, received the loudest praise from everyone with a standing ovation.  He completed the race in 34 hours, 39 minutes, and 39 seconds.  He was awarded $15,000.  The second place winner received $10,000 and the third place winner received $5,000.

            

Philip Kalluk - Mayor of Arctic Bay

Isaac Shooyook - Nunavut MLA

Philip Kalluk, the mayor of Arctic Bay, took to the podium to congratulate all the dog mushers and to say a few words.  He was followed by Isaac Shooyook, Member of the (Nunavut) Legislative Assembly, who also congratulated the competitors and spoke about the importance of sled dogs in Inuit culture. 

            

Support Teams

The twelve dog mushers who competed this year wouldn't have been able to complete the 500km course if they didn't have their trusted support teams.  The teams were called up to the front to be recognized for their hard work and dedication to keeping the dog teams running.

            

Andrew Taqtu

The ceremony ended with two speeches from Andrew Taqtu and Rhoda Natanine.  Both reside in Arctic Bay.  They spoke in Inuktitut preventing me from exactly understanding what they were talking about.  I did pick up a few words here and there but not enough to get the whole picture.  The speeches most likely were about Nunavut Quest and the sponsors of the race.

            

Rhoda Natanine

Overall, Nunavut Quest 2015 was a success.  The races brought family & friends together from across the arctic and demonstrated how vital sled dogs were to the Inuit way of life before the introduction of modern skidoos, atvs, and vehicles.  Yes, there are still some who use sled dogs to hunt and camp but not as many as before.  It is difficult not to prefer a skidoo because the machine can cover more terrain than a dog team and you don't have to feed it seal meat.

            

Over the next few days, the out-of-town dog mushers and support teams left Arctic Bay and returned to their respective communities (ie. Pond Inlet, Igloolik, Clyde River).  As I watched some of them leave on their skidoos & qamutiks, I promised myself to make at least one of those cross country trips before I leave the arctic for good.    

Manasie Shooyook captured plenty of high quality images using his expensive Canon camera
and equally expensive 300mm lens. What's shocking is that there are lenses that are larger than 300mm.  

End of Nunavut Quest 2015 Mini-Series