Warning: This blog post contains images that some readers may find graphic. Viewer discretion is advised.
Heavy
snow blanketed Arctic Bay in early October, signaling the start of
winter. The calendar may say winter
begins in mid-December, but up here, when falling snow no longer melts when it
immediately touches the ground, it’s winter.
The snowplows come out to make the roads passable and people begin
driving their snowmobiles. The waterways
are still open and won’t begin freezing until the end of October. The boaters still have time to hunt.
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The Northern Store began replacing their old fridges & freezers on October 6, removing them from the back of store, leaving behind large open spaces. They were close to 2 decades old. Staff cleaned the space before the contractors began installing the new fridges & freezers. The new large & heavy appliances were transported to the community by ship in several sea containers. It must have taken some time & several hands to move the appliances from the containers into the store. I wasn’t present when they were moved into place, but everyone was happy to see them installed and running. They give the store a newer modern look. The whole job took about a week & a half.
Inuujaq
School held its first Perfect Attendance Awards assembly on October 8. Classes were called down to the gym in the
afternoon to publicly recognize students who achieved perfect attendance for
the month of September. Students were
called from each class to receive a certificate, gift card, and have their
photo taken. I was the photographer. School absenteeism is an issue that occurs at
every school. It’s not unique to Nunavut. There are many factors that prevent students from
attending regularly. Recognizing
students with perfect attendance is but one initiative Inuujaq School uses to
encourage students to remain in school & complete their education. Truth be told, I never received a perfect
attendance award when I was school.
Stuff happens.
A
student support assistant (SSA) successfully caught a polar bear in early
October after being drawn for a tag. She
caught it not too far from the community.
She brought the hide to school to show students how its cleaned and skinned.
Each Nunavut community annually receives a set number of polar bear tags that Inuit can apply for. The tags are distributed by (free) lottery. A small number of tags are set aside for non-Inuit sports hunters who come up throughout the year. They’re usually the wealthy hunters because of the high costs attached to the hunt. The polar bear tag alone is around $20,000 CAD, and you’re required to hire at least 2 local Inuit guides. You also have to pay for gas, oil, food, equipment, & labour, and it’s possible to be out on the land for up to a week or more. Total expenses can reach as high as $50,000 CAD. The sports hunters usually give the polar bear to the community after the hunt, but if they want to take it with them, they’ll need to acquire a permit from the local Hunters & Trappers Organization office.
I should point out that polar bears are not endangered. They’re listed as a “vulnerable species”. They may look cute & majestic from afar, but up close, they’re super dangerous to humans. They see us as food. Nunavut communities have been asking for the set number of polar bear tags be increased because they’ve noticed more polar bears hanging around communities. If a polar bear is killed in self-defence, the nearest community loses a tag. That lowers the amount the community can hand out to Inuit who want to hunt polar bears for sustenance & clothing.
The polar bear hide was laid out on flattened cardboard boxes and was still a little bloody. Gloves, paper towels, ulus (knives), and flat boards were brought. Teachers were informed they could bring their classes at specific times to observe and even participate in cleaning the hide. I dropped in for a visit when the Grade 3 class were present. I took several photos, observed the lesson, and then return to the main office. The hide will be used to make clothing.
