Road to Victor Bay |
The 15th annual Fishing Derby, an extension of
Nunavut Quest, took place over the Victoria Day weekend (May 17-19). Participants and their families travelled
great distances by skidoos to fish for Arctic char at the many approved lakes
that dot the northern landscape. One popular
fishing spot to the south of Arctic Bay, Ikipikttuarjuk, is 4 hours away by skidoo & qamutik (sled). Sean, my next door neighbour, travelled to
Ikipikttuarjuk for the long weekend to see the fishing area for the first time
and fish for fun.
The
objective of the derby is to catch the largest fish; for some lakes, it's to catch
a fish measuring exactly 12.5 inches. This
year, adults would compete for large cash prizes ($3K max) while children would compete for electronic
devices (ie. iPod Nanos) and gift certificates to the Northern & Co-op
stores. The event also gives people a
chance to go camping and unwind from all the "hustle and bustle" of
community life.
I decided
to stay in town for the long weekend, take a break, and observe people ice fishing
at Dead Dog Lake (DDL). The lake is
located just to the left of the road to Victor Bay and is called that because
someone found a frozen dog many years ago. Only small fish reside in the lake. It was a cloudy day on Sunday, May 18th, when
I stepped out of my residence and made the trek to DDL. I was expecting to see a lot of traffic on
the Victor Bay road, but surprisingly there wasn't any. This led me to assume that most participants
were out on the land.
When
the frozen lake came into view, I only saw two groups of people fishing. Each group had a tent, skidoo, ATV, and
qamutik. They had drilled small holes
into the ice and were trying to catch fish using fish lines attached to small
wooden sticks. The Inuit call it
jigging. I walked around the lake,
taking pictures of the people and surrounding landscape. A large white sign at the foot of the lake
informed me that the lake is an alternate water supply for the town.
Arctic Bay - May 18, 2014. |
When
no one expressed joy in catching a fish, I headed back the way I came, except I
took a scenic detour and hiked up the hills to the right of the road. Since the clouds were clearing up, I wanted
to get a few good pictures of the entire town.
Originally, I had wanted to hike up these hills last year but instead, I
walked past them and reached the cliffs.
This time, I kept close to the edges and took careful steps. The snow was still deep and there were plenty
of rocks to maneuver around. The sun
came out just as I found the right spot to take wide angle shots of the town
below. The people looked like ants or
small seals. I continued walking until I
found a snow covered slope safe enough to slide down. I slid halfway and then walked the rest of
the way.
Community Hall - May 20, 2014 |
The
winners of the fishing derby were announced at the Community Hall on Tuesday,
May 20. I arrived at the C-Hall just
after 6pm to see the place packed with people.
I hadn't expected to see four tarps lying on the floor covered with raw
Arctic char, caribou, and narwhal. There
was also a big cardboard box containing freshly caught seal. A community feast would follow the awards
ceremony, an element that was absent last year.
On opposite ends of the hall sat rows of tables with fruits and
vegetables. An additional row of tables
was set up at the front of the hall for the town's elders.
Philip Kalluk - Mayor |
I
stood off to the side as Philip Kalluk, the mayor, greeted everyone in
Inuktitut. As he spoke into the
microphone, volunteers continued dumping more char, caribou and narwhal onto
the tarps. Another volunteer began
cutting up the seal in the cardboard box.
Everyone stopped what they were doing when the mayor invited an elder to
say a prayer. Once the prayer was finished,
the organizers of the derby took over and began the awards ceremony.
Last
year, all the fish that were being judged were put on display for everyone to see
and photograph. Unfortunately, that did
not happen this year and all the "submitted" catches were judged
earlier. I think the change was implemented
to prevent cheating.
Fishing Derby organizers announce the winners. |
Fresh seal being cut. |
The
organizers announced the adult and child winners for each lake, calling them up
to the front one at a time to be acknowledged by the audience, receive their
prizes, and pose for photographs. The
adults who won the large cash prizes were especially happy; some even did a
small dance to celebrate. The kids who
won the iPod Nanos were shy and just nodded to the applauding crowd. As I documented the ceremony with my camera,
I noticed one common characteristic among the participants and those who
observed them out on the land: their tanned faces. When Inuit drive skidoos, they wear goggles
or sunglasses to protect their eyes, but not much else to protect the rest of
their faces. They like the feel of the
Arctic winds on their skin. This results
in getting a serious tan line around the eyes.
They call it "raccoon eyes" whereas the southerners call it windburn. I always put on sunscreen before heading out
on an extended walk outside; I don't like tan lines.
After
all the awards were handed out, the word was given that the feast could
begin. People immediately went after the
raw meats laid out on the tarps before lining up to get fruits and
vegetables. The elders were served raw
meat and freshly cut seal. If I had
known there was going to be a feast, I wouldn't have bought dinner. When the feast began, I took a few photos and
then quietly made my exit. My dinner was
waiting for me at home.
Observing
two fishing derby award ceremonies has convinced me to get closer to the action
next year in some way, be it travelling to one of the many distant fishing lakes,
to actually signing up as a participant.
I might even do both, but it will depend on getting a skidoo, qamutik,
and the necessary camping & fishing supplies. I'll also have to find someone to teach me
how to fish the good old fashioned way because I only know how to fish at the
grocery store.
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