#inukjuak

[pwlanier]

UNIDENTIFIED ARTIST, INUKJUAK (PORT HARRISON)

MOTHER AND CHILD, WITH FISH AND ULU, C. 1953

stone, bone, ivory, black inlay, soap inlay, and thread

unsigned

FirstArts

[mammalianmammals]

Arctic Fox (Vulpes lagopus), family Canidae, outside Inukjuak, Quebec, Canada

photograph by Matthew Regan

[onenicebugperday]

K (S*********s@aol.com) submitted: Inukjuak (Husson Bay) Quebec, Canada. Wondering if your followers might know this little fella! They’re really far up North, and very pretty. I dare not guess if they’re a type of locust, or grasshopper.

I dunno about my followers, but I can tell you it’s a grasshopper with erythrism, which means it has either a lack of other pigments or an excess of red/pink pigments. This fella looks like probably a spur-throated grasshopper in the genus Melanoplus.

Locusts are grasshoppers, they’re just species that have a swarming phase. So all locusts are grasshoppers but not all grasshoppers are locusts. Some species in the genus Melanoplus will swarm, but I’m not sure if all of them do!

The now -extinct Rocky Mountain locust (Melanoplus spretus) was responsible for possibly the largest swarm ever recorded in 1875 with an area of 200,000 square miles, approximately the size of California. Yikes :)

[laresearchette]

Tuesday, April 04, 2023 Canadian TV Listings (Times Eastern)

NEW TO AMAZON PRIME CANADA/CBC GEM/CRAVE TV/DISNEY + STAR/NETFLIX CANADA:

NETFLIX CANADA MY NAME IS MO’NIQUE (Season 1) THE SIGNING

BKT TIRES & OK TIRE WORLD MEN’S CURLING CHAMPIONSHIP (TSN/TSN5) 2:00pm: Czech Republic vs. Canada

MLB BASEBALL (SN Now) 7:00pm: Phillies vs. Yankees (SN1/SNEast/SNOntario) 7:30pm: Jays vs. Royals

NHL HOCKEY   (SNWest/SNPacific) 7:00pm: Penguins vs. Devils (TSN2) 7:00pm: Red Wings vs. Habs (TSN4) 7:00pm: Blue Jackets vs. Leafs (TSN5) 7:00pm: Sens vs. Hurricanes (SN360) 9:00pm: Chicago vs. Flames (SNPacific) 10:00pm: Kraken vs. Canucks (SNWest) 10:30pm: Oilers vs. Kings

NBA BASKETBALL (TSN/TSN3) 7:00pm: Raptors vs. Hornets (SN Now) 8:00pm: Hawks vs. Bulls (TSN3/TSN4) 10:00pm: Thunder vs. Warriors

BIG BROTHER CANADA (Global) 7:00pm

CHUCK AND THE FIRST PEOPLES' KITCHEN (APTN) 7:30pm: Inukjuak, North-of-Québec: Muskox Hunting: Chuck visits Nunavik, where he hunts muskox during the summer alongside a community Elder; together, they follow a herd next to the water and cook their prey the traditional way.

CANADA'S GOT TALENT (City TV) 8:00pm: Howie Mandel, Lilly Singh, Trish Stratus and Kardinal Offishall continue a round of auditions; the judges and host Lindsay Ell are moved by surprising and soulful performances.

MARY MAKES IT EASY (CTV Life) 8:00pm: Put away that Old El Paso kit, cause Mary’s here for Taco Tuesday!

OUTBACK OPAL HUNTERS (Discovery Canada) 8:00pm: The Blacklighters achieve a long-held dream with the purchase of an excavator, and the Bishop resorts to explosives to break an opal drought.

WILD ROSE VET (Cottage Life) 8:00pm/8:30pm: A guinea pig named JT has a life-threatening tooth issue, a duck named Dick has a septic joint that needs cleaning, and Savannah and Dayle head to La Ronge, SK. to speak to a class of high schoolers and mentor the next generation of veterinarians.  In Episode Two, an elderly dog named Layne needs tests to see if she's stable enough for surgery, a cow suffers from a prolapsed uterus, and Lil shows up with a couple of creatures that need the team's help before they can be released back into the wild.

JUST FOR LAUGHS: GAGS (CBC) 8:30pm

HALIFAX COMEDY FESTIVAL (CBC) 9:00pm: Shaun Majumder, Cathy Jones and Bette MacDonald perform; from the archives Irwin Barker, Steve Patterson, Mike MacDonald, Michelle Shaughnessy and more.

HUDSON & REX (City TV) 9:00pm: Charlie gets a break in a long-unsolved kidnapping case that has haunted him, but runs into trouble when the abductee refuses his help.

[hellocanticle]

Alexina Louie's "Take the Dog Sled", A Musical Iditarod for Inuit Throat Singers and Ensemble

Alexina Louie’s “Take the Dog Sled”, A Musical Iditarod for Inuit Throat Singers and Ensemble

Centrediscs CDCCD 28320 Ah, those sneaky Canadians. This disc was surreptitiously slipped in with another mailing of a disc sent for review. The sender, aware of my interest and admiration for Canadian art music sent me this little gem of a recording. It is a fine example of cultural incorporation (as opposed to the pejorative, “cultural appropriation”). It is about the celebration of “first…

[mehm-inukj]

Igloo building activity

M. Yayla, February 2020

The “igloo building activity” is performed as a part of the “Culture and “Land Skills” classes. It provides the Inuit students the basic information to stay connected to their culture and lifestyle that they have kept for thousands of years.

Information on igloos...

Drawing from https://www.quora.com/How-does-an-igloo-work  / Ashish Choudhary .

Drawing from https://www.quora.com/How-does-an-igloo-work  / Krishna Jyothi Yadav .

“The principle behind an igloo is hidden in the material it's constructed out of. Igloos are normally built from compressed snow, which is sawn into blocks, and then these blocks are stacked around a hole, which is dug out after the blocks have been set. Solid ice is a poor insulator, when compared to compressed snow. The snow has many many more air pockets per cubic foot, and is also lighter. Also, igloos do not have flat bottoms. The inside of the igloo is tiered, or terraced, the uppermost level being where the people sleep, the middle is where the fire is and the work takes place, and the bottom level actually is a "cold sump". The principle is that all the coldest air from inside the igloo runs downward off the terraces and collects in the bottom, thus allowing the upper portions to stay warmer. The entrance for the igloo is usually at the bottom, and includes at least one right angle, which keeps the high winds from blowing straight into the igloo and chilling the residents or blowing out the fire. They also all have a small hole on the top that keeps the smoke from building up inside the igloo. All of these factors take advantage of underlying physics, and the temperature inside an igloo is likely to be 20 degrees or so, while the outside temperature in northern regions can drop down to -50 degree Fahrenheit during the daytime. 20 degrees may not be what some consider to be comfortable, but a 70 degree difference is certainly welcome somewhere so cold. “

“ Igloos are warm because snow insulates. Also, the dome shape offers  resistance to collapse by the wind. Inside an igloo, the temperature is usually around 32 degrees Celsius, rarely getting much colder with people inside. Temperatures can easily be raised by using candles or by having more people around. Cooking is easy and safe in an igloo as long as the structure is ventilated with a hole at the top. Doesn't Collapse : When they are done with building an igloo they lit fire inside and as the water melts and freezes again after the fire is out it works as a inline of binder as a single piece of ice. “

The activity was organized by Epoo Kasudluak, the Inuit culture and landskills teacher in Innalik School, with the assistance of other teachers and participation of students.

Pics and videos

[gilles-barjon]

#inukjuak #overshoot #wrongdestination #nunavik #gillesbarjon #t7i #canon #quebec #canada #québec #quebecoriginal #pickup #truck #f150 #ford150 #neige #snow #lostintranslation #inuit #inuk (à Inukjuak) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bwdr-2sgrob/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=2ms6y9nrm3e6

[mishalan]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Mishal Naseer (@mishaln)

#Repost @markbasterfield with @repostapp ・・・ #Ivakkak took off from #Inukjuak this morning! After giving the #dogs (and #mushers) the weekend to rest, everybody was excited to get moving. The teams have hundreds more kilometres to go on the way to #Ivujivik, with their next stop in #Puvirnituq #dogsledding #nunavik #ivakkak2017 #husky #explorecanada #ptboexplores #nunagram

[rebgarof]

This! Via E.W.: “As Canada tries to make amends for its brutal history of relations with its Indigenous population, midwives and other members of the community in Inukjuak, a town of around 1,800 people in a remote region of Quebec, point to the clinic as an example of a way forward. Today around three out of four pregnant women in the town give birth in its clinic, attended to by Inuit midwives.”

(...)

“Susie Mina, the new mother, gave birth to her first son in Montreal because her pregnancy was deemed high risk. Her later pregnancies, attended by the midwives in Inukjuak, were very different.

“I felt more comfortable giving birth here because I didn’t have to speak English,” she said.Her midwives, she said, also understood how she felt without her having to utter a word because of their shared cultural touchstones. The simple raise of an eyebrow or the wrinkle of a nose could take the place of words.

After she gave birth, Ms. Mina handed the baby to her mother, Lilly, who delivered all of her own children, including Susie, in the south. “I am so grateful that they can be born here,” said Lilly Mina. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she clutched her new grandson to her chest.”

[pwlanier]

JOHNNY INUKPUK, R.C.A. (1911-2007) INUKJUAK (PORT HARRISON)

Mother Holding a Swaddled Infant, c. 1953-54

stone, ivory, and black inlay, 9 x 9 x 12 in (22.9 x 22.9 x 30.5 cm)

unsigned.

FirstArts

[allthecanadianpolitics]

The main floor of Tauni Sheldon’s home has transformed in recent weeks from a living space to a storage warehouse.

But Sheldon doesn’t mind; she sees the growing numbers of boxes and bags as a sign of her community’s generosity.

Sheldon was born to an Inuk mother from Inukjuak but grew up in southern Ontario, where she lives now. She’s well connected to her birth family in Inukjuak, and decided that for Christmas this year, she wanted to do something for her home community in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I was hearing from family and friends in Inukjuak, and masks there cost anywhere from $1 to $10 each,” Sheldon said.

“I hear about some cases where some families were buying one mask for the whole household,” she said.

Continue Reading.

Tagging: @politicsofcanada @onpoli

[mybeingthere]

Joe Talirunili was a fisherman, hunter, guide, printmaker and sculptor from Puvirnituq, Nunavik, QC. Despite competing birthdate claims of 1883 and 1889 by different agencies, the artist himself has attributed the year of his birth in 1906. Talirunili’s storytelling abilities are undoubtedly his highest esteemed. When he “learned the power of paper,” he began using the material as a vehicle through which memories and information could be chronicled. He conveys these stories primarily through sculpture and print, by intricately weaving multi-layered narratives, and presenting many perspectives in the same frame.

Born just north of Kuujjuaraapik, Nunavik, QC, at the Neahungnik camp, Talirunili was immersed in the traditional way of life. He had the knowledge and skill suitable for facing the harsh reality of life on the land and relished the joy of catching seals with his bare hands and travelling by dog sleigh. His memories of camp life in the summer and winter seasons are recurring themes in Talirunili’s drawings and prints,  which often make use of inscribed syllabics. Recording life in the Arctic as it was at the turn of the twentieth century was a primary artistic focus for Talirunili, who was compelled to chronicle stories of the past as a testimony to the old ways. He travelled across Nunavik, spending significant periods of his life in Inukjuak and Puvirnituq.

Talirunili's most famous pieces, a series of carved boats known as Joe's Boats or the Migration series, recall his childhood memory of a sea voyage across the Hudson Bay when returning home from his baptism. In their attempt to reach the mainland, the party was stymied by ice floes that seemed to be “fighting with each other” and were menaced by the threat of hunger and critical weather conditions while stranded on a glacial mass. They fashioned an umiak out of sealskin, string and wood from their sleighs to find their path to safety as the weather subsided. The artist’s use of found materials in this series includes hide, plastic, string and wood, which convey the ingenuity and instinct for creative improvisation necessary for survival.

The rugged aesthetic Talirunili favoured for his sculptures set them apart from the majority of those being produced from Puvirnituq at the time, which were increasingly being recognized for their “idealized, dreamlike quality,” smooth surfaces and fine details. Recurring images of owls and human figures are intermingled into complex compositions, often crudely executed, as though emphasizing the artist’s urgency and conviction for documenting his thoughts. Talirunili would often mend broken pieces of his sculpture by simply gluing them back on.  This sense of immediacy in both material selection and execution are intuitive to the scenarios they depict, highlighting themes of resilience and endurance.

At a young age, Talirunili accidentally received a bullet in the arm. Although this injury affected his arm's mobility in later life, Talirunili was the most productive in the last 15 years of his career, when he reinterpreted the narrative of the Migration story through the creation of approximately 25 to 30 carvings. On June 10, 1971, Joe recorded the Migration story in writing and composed a list of 32 of the 40 occupants that he could remember being on the boat that day.

Talirunili was a co-founder of the Puvirnituq Co-operative with his cousin Davidialuk Alasua Amittu in 1960. He produced approximately 70 stonecut prints, many of which were included in the Puvirnituq annual print collection. Creating stonecuts by directly carving into the stone became a signature technique for Talirunili, who was typically uninterested in creating preliminary drawings.

https://www.inuitartfoundation.org/.../Joe.../bio-citations

[sciencespies]

These Conservation Stories Prove 2020 Was Not All Bad News

https://sciencespies.com/nature/these-conservation-stories-prove-2020-was-not-all-bad-news/

These Conservation Stories Prove 2020 Was Not All Bad News

SMITHSONIANMAG.COM | Dec. 14, 2020, 10:44 a.m.

Without a doubt 2020 will go down in the history books marred with loss in the face of a global pandemic attributed to zoonotic disease spillover from the illegal wildlife trade and a renewed public skepticism of scientific research and data. But quietly dotted throughout the 366 days of this chaotic leap year were a number of important findings and successes that showed that there are reasons to be optimistic for our planet. From new discoveries to indigenous-led protected areas, this year was not without its conservation wins. Here are just a few of the most unique and impactful conservation stories of 2020.

New Lemur and Langur Species Described

The newly described species Microcebus jonahi, a mouse lemur—the smallest primate genus.

(Dominik Schüßler)

Lemurs are considered one of the most endangered animals, with roughly 98 percent of classified species threatened with extinction. Despite their gloomy outlook, lemurs sparked a little bit of hopeful news this year when scientists officially described a new tiny and adorable species—Jonah’s mouse lemur or Microcebus jonahi, named after the respected Malagasy primatologist Professor Jonah Ratsimbazafy.

Researchers first captured this pocket-sized primate during a survey of northeast Madagascar in 2006. Researcher Marina Blanco explained the process of using lights at night to find the nocturnal creatures. “To study mouse lemurs in the wild, our team patiently searched for “eyeshine” through the thick and dense vegetation of the eastern rainforest at night. Occasionally, we could get a quick glimpse of an elusive lemur jumping out of sight. Determined to find out more about their biology, we briefly captured a few mouse lemurs at Mananara National Park. Even after a closer look, we could not put a name on it!”

Describing a new species that doesn’t look all that different from its relatives is no easy task. Scientists have recently improved the way they use genetic analyses along with morphology and other characteristics of closely related species to help decipher taxonomically-relevant differences. “It took years of sample analysis and teamwork to identify these mouse lemurs as a new scientific species. Mouse lemurs are evolutionary and ecologically amazing,” says Blanco. They are one of the most diverse groups of lemurs, with more than 24 species currently described. They occupy every available forest type and habitat in Madagascar. Morphologically, mouse lemurs display incredible genetic variation, indicative of unique evolutionary trajectories. “Thus, mouse lemurs, as species, are generally “microendemics,” restricted to specific forests and specialized in resources that may not be available anywhere else,” says Blanco.

As a result, the team was able to determine that this particular lemur is a separate species based on its distinct genetic makeup and some outward characteristics such as coloration and ear size.

The Popa Langur (Trachypithecus popa), was also described by scientists this year using a similar method. The research team conducted DNA analyses on collected droppings and used the findings in concert with morphological characteristics such as tail length to support a new taxa. Found only in a small region near Mount Popa in Myanmar, conservationists estimate that only about 200 individuals of this species exist.

World Leaders Sign 30 by 2030 Agreement

This habitat protection helps polar bears and the people who rely on the same ecosystem.

(Jason Hillier)

A new protected area in Northern Quebec was announced this November as a next-step in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s promise to the United Nations to safeguard 30 percent of Canada’s land and water by 2030 and as part of the Canada Nature Fund’s Target 1 Challenge. The $1.4 million project created the Arqvilliit Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area (IPCA) on the Canadian Arctic archipelago, commonly known as the Ottawa Islands in the Hudson Bay. The Inuktitut name for these islands, Arqvilliit, translates to: “a place where you will see bowhead whales.” This is not just a conservation win for arctic fauna such as whales and polar bears.

The permanent protection of IPCA is also a modest climate gain and a prime example of Indigenous engagement in conservation.

“We are in a way blessed to get this project” says Shaomik Inukpuk, the chairman of the steering committee for IPCA, and the town manager for the nearby Northern Village of Inukjuak in Nunavit. “It’s good for the people, it’s good for the polar bears, it’s good for the environment. It’s good for everybody,” he says.

“Now more than ever, Canadians know the value of nature and wild spaces. Our government is committed to conserving 25 percent of Canada’s land and inland waters and 25 percent of Canada’s oceans by 2025, and the Arqvilliit Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area is helping achieve that goal, as well as fighting climate change and halting biodiversity loss. It’s also an important step towards reconciliation with Nunavik Inuit by conserving the polar bear habitat, a species that is significant to Inuit culture and livelihood,” says Jonathan Wilkinson, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change. IPCA will continue to be managed and assessed by Inuit peoples as outlined in the Canadian government’s Indigenous Guardians program.

Indigenous-Led Protection Advances in the Arctic

Pakistan, home of Deosai National Park, is one of the countries whose leaders signed the pledge to protect 30 percent of land and water.

(Waqas Akhtar)

At the onset of 2020, the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity drafted a framework calling on its international constituents to protect 30 percent of their land and seas by 2030. Many conservation organizations and scientists had proposed this protected area blueprint in previous years. Ahead of September’s United Nations Summit on Biodiversity, 71 world leaders signed the Leaders’ Pledge for Nature—a commitment to adopt the post-2020 global biodiversity framework. Then in October, the Environment Council of the European Union also committed to the target.

The multilateral environmental agreement was met with some skepticism, after all, none of the 2020 Aichi targets agreed upon in 2010 were met. “Every few years, governments gather to make solemn promises about the action they will take to defend the living world, then break them before the ink is dry,” noted the environmental writer George Monbiot. There are also a few considerations, particularly in the area of human rights violations, that this “30 by 30” agreement needs to reconcile. The hope is that the Covid-19 pandemic and its origins in biodiversity loss has finally lit a fire under these leaders to actually follow through on this most recent critical promise for protecting the planet.

Conservation Diversity Goes Viral

One of the Black Birders Week co-founders, Chelsea Connor, uses social media to showcase the valuable work that BIPOC contribute to conservation and encourage others to join STEM fields.

(Chelsea Connor)

The global pandemic and subsequent lockdowns forced many events and campaigns to migrate to digital platforms. One virtual event stood out most of all due to its thoughtful timing and ongoing impact. Amid racial justice movements calling for action following the death of George Floyd and many subsequent atrocities, black and BIPOC conservationists found an opportunity to highlight equality and equity issues in their field while inspiring others.

From their collaborative efforts, the inaugural Black Birders Week took flight on social media. One of the co-founders, Sheriden Alford, explained the idea to Smithsonian’s Earth Optimism: “After the incident involving Christian Cooper surfaced on the internet, a lot of the members in the group [BlackAFinSTEM] identified with the pressures of being black and carrying out our field tasks in a world that marginalizes minorities. We wanted to create a positive initiative…” And they succeeded. The reaction to Black Birders Week was so overwhelmingly positive that it launched additional spotlights on scientists of color across disciplines, including mammalogy, botany, and herpetology.

After the campaign, National Wildlife Federation announced, “#BecauseOfBlackBirdersWeek, the National Wildlife Federation is expanding its Conservation Fellowship & Intern Programs to create opportunities dedicated specifically for young biologists of color (students & recent grads) to help more #BlackBirders launch careers in conservation.”

Black Birders Week sparked many of these long-overdue conversations about the shortcomings of diversity initiatives and how we can all do our part to truly manifest a more equitable future for conservation.

Tasmanian Devils Make a Mainland Comeback

For nearly a decade, the Australian organization Aussie Ark has been working to save the iconic Tasmanian Devil from extinction.

(Aussie Ark)

Tasmanian Devils were eradicated from the Australian mainland some 400 to 3,000 years ago, depending on which paleontologist or natural historian you ask. But this year, the carnivorous marsupial with its devilish scream made a small comeback in the state of New South Wales on the country’s east coast.

For nearly a decade, the Australian organization Aussie Ark has been working to save this iconic creature from extinction. The species suffers rapid population declines in the face of habitat loss and a transmissible type of cancer known as Devil Facial Tumor Disease. Despite new findings that suggest evolution might help the species overcome this disease in the long run, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species lists Tasmanian Devils as endangered and decreasing. This status hasn’t discouraged Aussie Ark’s efforts to breed in captivity and reintroduce the species. The goal is to reverse the species’ decline permanently. “In 100 years, we are going to be looking back at this day as the day that set in motion the ecological restoration of an entire country,” says Tim Faulkner, President of Aussie Ark.

The first trial release earlier this year reintroduced 15 captive-bred Tasmanian Devils. This September, eleven additional Devils received a red carpet-level release with a little help from the award-winning Australian actor Chris Hemsworth and his wife, Elsa Pataky.

Faulkner adds: “Not only is this the reintroduction of one of Australia’s beloved animals, but of an animal that will engineer the entire environment around it, restoring and rebalancing our forest ecology after centuries of devastation from introduced foxes and cats and other invasive predators. Because of this reintroduction and all of the hard work leading up to it, someday we will see Tasmanian devils living throughout the great eastern forests as they did 3,000 years ago.” More releases are planned to ensure the species’ chances of success.

Honorable Mentions

Here are a few honorable mentions to read more about when you need a healthy dose of optimism in your day.

Scientists rediscovered a chameleon in Madagascar that was last seen 100 years ago.

The swift fox was reintroduced to Northern Montana’s Fort Belknap Reservation.

The Great American Outdoors Act was signed by the president and enacted into law.

A critically endangered smoky mouse that feared lost during bushfires was found alive in a New South Wales national park.

China’s Wildlife Trade Ban was expanded to the consumption of wild animals due to the ongoing Covid-19 crisis

A wild population of New Guinea’s singing dogs, believed to be extinct, were found.

Colorado voted to reintroduce wolves into the Southern Rocky Mountains.

#Nature

[manoelt-finisterrae]

finisterrae P

Terra de Inukjuak (Québec)

© Toel Moum, 2019

[laresearchette]

Tuesday, March 14, 2023 Canadian TV Listings (Times Eastern)

WHERE CAN I FIND THOSE PREMIERES? SUPERMAN & LOIS (CTV Sci-Fi) 8:00pm GOTHAM KNIGHTS (Showcase) 9:00pm RETURN TO AMISH (TLC Canada) 10:00pm

NEW TO AMAZON PRIME CANADA/CBC GEM/CRAVE TV/DISNEY + STAR/NETFLIX CANADA:

NETFLIX CANADA 17 AGAIN ARIYOSHI ASSISTS BERT KREISCHER: RAZZLE DAZZLE

WBC BASEBALL (SN Now) 12:00pm: Nicaragua vs. Venezuela (SN) 3:00pm: Canada vs. Colombia (SN Now) 7:00pm: Israel vs. Dominican Republic (SN Now) 10:00pm: Great Britain vs. Mexico

TENNIS (TSN/TSN4) 2:00pm: WTA 1000 Tennis: Indian Wells - Round of 16

NHL HOCKEY   (SN Now+) 7:00pm: Habs vs. Penguins (SN) 7:00pm: Capitals vs. Rangers (TSN2) 7:00pm: Habs vs. Penguins (TSN3) 7:00pm: Jets vs. Hurricanes (SNWest/TSN5) 9:00pm: Sens vs. Oilers (SNPacific) 10:00pm: Stars vs. Canucks (SN1/SNEast/SNOntario) 10:00pm: Flames vs. Coyotes

NBA BASKETBALL (SN1) 7:30pm: Nuggets vs. Raptors (TSN4/TSN5) 10:00pm: Grizzlies vs. Lakers

CHUCK AND THE FIRST PEOPLES' KITCHEN (APTN) 7:30pm: Inukjuak, North-of-Québec: In Inukjuak, one of the largest communities in Nunavik, Chuck learns all about seal hunting; for local residents, seal and caribou are the two main sources of food.

22 MINUTES (CBC) 8:00pm: Spring Forward

MARY MAKES IT EASY (CTV Life) 8:00pm: Mary keeps it slow and low.

KARENA AND KASEY'S FOREIGN FLAVOURS (APTN) 8:00pm: Fiji

SON OF A CRITCH (CBC) 8:30pm: Mark tries to ‘fake healthy’ after falling ill the day he is supposed to meet the Pope. Meanwhile, a rival radio station tries to tempt Mike Jr. away from VOCM, breaking Mike Sr.’s heart.

SMART HOME NATION (CTV Life) 8:30pm: Tanya tours a seaside mansion where air, water, light and sound are all monitored by a high-tech system that aims to maximize human health; Tanya explores the latest in smart technology that happens to reside in a house built nearly 200 years ago.

WORKIN' MOMS (CBC) 9:00pm:  Kate puts the business first as things get personal at a high stakes conference. Anne's trust issues take over when Alice wants to go abroad. Sloane finally unbottles her emotions.

CASUAL (CBC) 9:30pm: Valerie and Alex’s mother shows up unannounced. Valerie gets good advice from an unlikely source. Laura and Michael share a moment after she sees her father with his new girlfriend.

MEAN MUMS (APTN) 9:30pm: Jess is in disbelief when her son is not invited to a birthday party, and she thinks he may not be as popular as she thinks he is.

[mehm-inukj]

Travel to Inukjuak

Mehmet Yayla, November 2019

Travelling to Nunavik, just like travelling to Nunavut, is not easy for us mortals... Unless you are among the lucky 0.1 % of the population that can afford a 3000+ $ round-trip personally without ruining your annual budget. Locals can have an important discount (but it is still expensive) for a limited number of travels by air transport. Otherwise, like in my case, the travel can be paid by the organization you work for. In any case, travelling to the “Grand Nord” is almost a privilege.

There is no land road (neither highway nor railroad) to any one of the Inuit towns, and the sea transport is practically restricted to products and to some 4-5 months in the year. There is no sea transport when the Hudson Bay freezes (Mid-November to mid-June). So the airway is the only option.

My first travel to Nunavik region was at the beginning of November and with Air Inuit. I enjoyed seeing the company name logotyped in Inuktitut syllabics on the plane.

Even though I will give a picture of the Inuktitut alphabet (or rather, syllabic) on a different post, let me say that the first symbol stands for “i”, and the following ones are “nu”; “i” again and the syllable “ta” as a superscript adds the consonant “t” at the end: “Inuit”

The plane stops at almost all of the villages on its way. So, a flight to Salluit for example, the northernmost Nunavik village, should be done in at least 6 steps and takes more than 7-8 hours. Also the engine needs to take fuel several times during its journey.

My flight had two stops, first in Kuujjuarapik ( “Little great river” in Inuttitut), the southernmost Nunavik town and the only one located south of the tree line. There are around 1200 inhabitants nowadays. The ancestors of the Inuit, as well as Cree, have occupied the area for roughly 2800 years. To my surprise, there was no snow yet at this town at the beginning of November. The sun was at a good angle to catch the shadow of the airplane while landing:

It is hardly visible from the video: the runway is covered with gravel and not by asphalt, typical to the North.

The next stop was Umiujaq (meaning ”which looks like a boat” in Inuttitut). It’s a village of around 400 inhabitants, established in 1986. 

After another 1 hour and a total of around 5 hours trip since Montreal, we land in Inukjuak ( Inuttitut word for ”The Giant”, around 1800 inhabitants):

After a long journey from Montreal to Inukjuak, I am happy to reach my destination. A colleague from the Kativik School Board welcomes me at the Inukjuak airport, and kindly gives me a lift to the house I will stay:

After hesitating between settling and resting, and going out to discover the town, I decide to go, explore and take some pictures right away before the sun sets around 3:30 pm. Yes, the days are already short in November. Welcome to the North !