Students on Ice: Kicking it in Qikiqtarjuaq

We are among a handful of Canadians and people around the world who have visited the hamlet of Qikiqtarjuaq. As we approached the dock in our zodiacs we were greeted by cheers of excitement from the crowd that gathered for our arrival.

(C) Carolyn Dawe, WWF-Canada

This hamlet off the coast of Baffin Island has a very distinct history. It exists because of a policy of centralization by the Canadian government in the 1960s to facilitate the ease of government administration for the people of the North. For years the Inuit were enticed and coerced to move to communities such as Qikiqtarjuaq with the promise of homes, health care, schooling, and family allowance. In the end the government forced their relocation between 1963 and 1967. It is hard to comprehend the impact that this had on the North and these people who just 50 years ago were living off the land in areas their ancestors lived on for time immemorial.

(C) Samia Madwar

In the hours we spent tin Qikiqtarjuaq we sampled local delicacies such as mattaq, ammuumajuit, and iqaluminiq. We saw the scraping of a seal hide, watched the intricate carving of a walrus skull, were treated to an impressive throat singing demonstration and danced together in the square. The children who lined the dock waiting to meet us became fast friends with the SOI students and staff and when it was time to go, the same community that greeted us so warmly walked us to the dock and gave us the most spectacular send-off.
In speaking about the visit with the students later, they all spoke to our incredible welcome to this tiny community of just 500 people. It felt like the entire town came out to meet us, share with us, and put out a spectacular feast for everyone to enjoy. The delay in our departure from Iqaluit meant that we were a day later than had been planned, yet they waited for us and welcomed us in spite of our late arrival.
Before we left, the locals gave us one more gift. They alerted us to a large population of bowhead whales less than 40km away and it was this knowledge that meant that early this morning we started our day observing a bowhead whale and her calf traversing the waters close to our ship.
This whole experience was so special and helps add to our group’s understanding of the human element of climate change that is having a profound effect on northern communities such as Qikiqtarjuaq.