Another busy day…there must be health centre “staff discount days” on Fridays. I didn’t get the memo. I’m not surprised. My contract is still in Iqaluit, as well. That’s the north!
For lunch activites we went outside and built an igloo. We would have finished it, too, in our ALOTTED HOUR but the building inpsector condemned it before we could get the permits. YOU REALLY THINK THIS HAPPENED? (No I borrowed this shot from the Arctic College brochure but it looks good don't it?)
I met Sam’s father in law and then Marlee’s dad was also in to see me. All the elders in the community and are respected for their age and wisdom. One’s boots were seal skin with a flannel lining that was intricately sewn and hand stitched. The seal flippers are very tough and are used as the “soles” of the boots. A shoemaker here is out of work with the skills that these folk possess. He’s about 80. Until last year, he went yearly for the hunts to the tundra.
His walking stick is also finely carved and well assembled using caribou skull, baleen and elk antler. When he was born, his nomadic family would have been following the elk and caribou across the region, hunting and fishing as required. He also fished and tended the nets for the char and trout ‘til last year with the family. His son had driven him to the clinic on the back of a skidoo. Then he was off to do some errands before returning to give him a lift back home on the back of the snow machine.
I’m learning the Inuktitut language one word at a time. Every time you sign in to the health centre computer system you get the Inuktitut “Word of the Day”. Today’s was “Qaqqujaq” which means biscuit or cookie. The dialect is Nunavik (one of at least 6 in Nunavut). In english, it can be pronounced OREO. Which also reminds me that I didn’t bring any with me…so they can be mailed to the Kivalliq Health Centre, Rankin Inlet, Nunavut. The postal code was listed earlier on this blog for those that were paying attention. The Inuktitut version, Wheel of Fortune, home game will be a hoot when its released next year. Vanna are there any q’s? Should solve half the words I’m thinking.
In this town you can get away with the line “look at the boots on her”. Up here people wear fur because it keeps them warm. The newbies and first timers working at the centre are easily recognized by their parkas. It seems this year’s colours were either red or grey. (mine’s brown so they think I’ve come back!). I also found out that the only open bars are located at the RCMP detachment office, just down the street and around the corner from the Royal Bank. I haven’t met Sgt. Preston yet and the sleds that have gone by, so far, are all motorized.
There are four official languages here in this territory. French and English but also Inuktitut and Inuinaqtin. The name of this territory is quite significant and very historic. In the Inuktitut language it means “OUR LAND” and covers nearly 2 million square kilometers. It officially became at territory on April 1, 1999. Queen Elizabeth II was in Iqualuit to honour the proclamation. This new territory settled land claims and was based upon Inuit land usage and occupancy from a process that had started in 1973.
With a median age of 22.1 years, it has Canada’s youngest population. It is also one of the fastest growing with an 8% increase over the past 5 years from figures currently available. It hyas the highest cost of living as well. Growth is everywhere they tell me…but until the sunrise this morning I couldn’t tell which way was north.
I just got back home from the centre having got my first call back into work. A sixteen year old wrapped his snow machine around something and his leg zigged when it should have zagged. He’s being shipped to Winnipeg tonight for Ortho consult. Was a cold walk home but not as bad as I thought until I realized I was heading back up the hill. Got to get some rest before the weekend gets here. Too late……
I met Sam’s father in law and then Marlee’s dad was also in to see me. All the elders in the community and are respected for their age and wisdom. One’s boots were seal skin with a flannel lining that was intricately sewn and hand stitched. The seal flippers are very tough and are used as the “soles” of the boots. A shoemaker here is out of work with the skills that these folk possess. He’s about 80. Until last year, he went yearly for the hunts to the tundra.
His walking stick is also finely carved and well assembled using caribou skull, baleen and elk antler. When he was born, his nomadic family would have been following the elk and caribou across the region, hunting and fishing as required. He also fished and tended the nets for the char and trout ‘til last year with the family. His son had driven him to the clinic on the back of a skidoo. Then he was off to do some errands before returning to give him a lift back home on the back of the snow machine.
I’m learning the Inuktitut language one word at a time. Every time you sign in to the health centre computer system you get the Inuktitut “Word of the Day”. Today’s was “Qaqqujaq” which means biscuit or cookie. The dialect is Nunavik (one of at least 6 in Nunavut). In english, it can be pronounced OREO. Which also reminds me that I didn’t bring any with me…so they can be mailed to the Kivalliq Health Centre, Rankin Inlet, Nunavut. The postal code was listed earlier on this blog for those that were paying attention. The Inuktitut version, Wheel of Fortune, home game will be a hoot when its released next year. Vanna are there any q’s? Should solve half the words I’m thinking.
In this town you can get away with the line “look at the boots on her”. Up here people wear fur because it keeps them warm. The newbies and first timers working at the centre are easily recognized by their parkas. It seems this year’s colours were either red or grey. (mine’s brown so they think I’ve come back!). I also found out that the only open bars are located at the RCMP detachment office, just down the street and around the corner from the Royal Bank. I haven’t met Sgt. Preston yet and the sleds that have gone by, so far, are all motorized.
There are four official languages here in this territory. French and English but also Inuktitut and Inuinaqtin. The name of this territory is quite significant and very historic. In the Inuktitut language it means “OUR LAND” and covers nearly 2 million square kilometers. It officially became at territory on April 1, 1999. Queen Elizabeth II was in Iqualuit to honour the proclamation. This new territory settled land claims and was based upon Inuit land usage and occupancy from a process that had started in 1973.
With a median age of 22.1 years, it has Canada’s youngest population. It is also one of the fastest growing with an 8% increase over the past 5 years from figures currently available. It hyas the highest cost of living as well. Growth is everywhere they tell me…but until the sunrise this morning I couldn’t tell which way was north.
I just got back home from the centre having got my first call back into work. A sixteen year old wrapped his snow machine around something and his leg zigged when it should have zagged. He’s being shipped to Winnipeg tonight for Ortho consult. Was a cold walk home but not as bad as I thought until I realized I was heading back up the hill. Got to get some rest before the weekend gets here. Too late……
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