The Animals Are Stirring!

Welcome back to my blog! Since my last email, we've experienced a bit of melting in Baker, but not to the extent that I expected. The streets are just now starting to replace the well-worn snow tracks with squishy red mud. However, with the sun now rising at 3am and setting after 11pm,it will only be a matter of time before the snow is gone off the land. The massive lake that borders the town and its namesake, Baker Lake, will not be clear of ice until well into July or August.

With the change in weather and the long days of daylight, the locals are getting ansy to get out on the land. I sat with a local at a recent farewell feast for a local southerner who was returning home to Newfoundland after many successful years in the North. The local was very excitedly telling me about catching his first grizzly bear during the previous week. I asked him what he planned to do with it and he said he wasn't sure but hoped to get a good pelt out of it. If the quality wouldn't allow him to keep the head, he hoped to harvest some teeth. I asked about the grizzly's claws. He said if he couldn't keep them with the pelt, he'd give them away. I'm hoping he remembers our conversation and offers one to me!


I was surprised to learn that grizzlies are so abundant in this part of Nunavut. This past week, someone past on a warning to us to not venture outside of town without protection, because a grizzly was on the prowl just outside of town. I have definitely listened to that advice!

On a trip around town this past week, there were at least 3 homes that had grizzlies (not alive!)outside in their yards. I took a picture of one of them and it is included with this blog. Unfortunately, you can't see his head very well as it is tucked under.

The other pictures I took while walking around town were of a muskox, two arctic wolves, an arctic hare (a live one)and a herd of caribou. It was the closest I'd even been to a muskox, and I can tell you it looks scary, even when it's only the head! I didn't want to touch it... I guess the spooky stories told by the locals of animal spirits was front and centre in my mind! The arctic wolves look majestic, even if only from a distance. I've included that picture in my blog as well.

The other picture is of an Arctic Hare that seemed quite curious about what I was doing. According to the locals, he was not a large hare, however, I think he could take down a small child! Unfortunately, my picture of the caribou herd didn't turn out very well. The herd, about 15 or so, was grazing in the field close to my house, just behind the sled dogs. Two other herds have been spotted close to town and creating excitement for the locals.

I asked a local about what parts of the caribou they would harvest and they went into great detail about the stomach, tongue and other parts that surprised me. Probably the most surprising were the delicacies: the brains (supposedly they taste better than yogurt (!)), and the eye balls. If offered, I have already decided to pass. Sorry, I just don't have it in me to try either of those!

I am off for a month, one week in Iqaluit, two weeks in the south visiting family, and one week in Kugluktuk (in the western Arctic, formerly called Coppermine). By the time I return to Baker, I'm hoping the snow is all gone, the roads have dried up, and I can try my hand at fishing for Arctic Char or the massive lake trout that lurks in the many lakes around Baker. Until then, have a great spring!!

A Whale of a Story!

Happy May! I've just returned to Baker after being on duty travel for 11 days. It was nice to get back home. I spent the first four days in Toronto at a provincial-territorial meeting. It was a great opportunity to meet counterparts from other provinces. And, unbelievably, I met someone at the meetings that I went to university with and hadn't seen for 30 years! How special that was!

While in Toronto, I stayed right on the waterfront and spent every free moment walking the boardwalk and taking in the sites and sounds of the waterfront, boats, birds and spring. I wanted to roll in the green grass, like my dog used to do, but thought that might attract too much attention! I guess my long days of winter are finally getting to me!

I left Toronto and flew to Iqaluit for 7 days of meetings. Needless to say, the green grass wasn't anywhere to be seen in Iqaluit. Spring is definitely on the way, but it is a few weeks away yet. Likewise for Baker. We still have snow everywhere, however, the long days of sunlight (the sun is rising at 4am now, and getting about 6 minutes a day earlier each day) will start the melting soon. I'm told that if the snow melts rapidly, it will be quite a mess. Baker Lake is built on a hill, with the main roads at the bottom of the hill, beside the lake. The runoff can be dramatic. I've got a pair of new rubber boots and expect I'll get great use of them soon. Red mud, water, it's all coming soon!

I am starting to see notices posted regarding wildlife and fishing tags that are available for locals. Muskox, for example, are a controlled species in most ares of Nunavut, with a lottery among locals for the right to get a tag. This reminded me of my visit to Repulse Bay earlier in the year and the story I was told about their recent whale hunt. My blog pictures are of the Repulse whale hunt this past fall.

Modern whale hunting goes back to the 1800s, mainly by Americans and Scottish whaling ships. The Inuit helped the foreigners hunt and render the whales, getting guns and ammunition and other technologies in return. The foreigners introduced round dancing (for runner of square dancing?) which is still popular today and what I witnessed first hand a couple of months ago in Iqaluit! Unfortunately, the foreigners also introduced diseases that the Inuit had no protection for, causing a lot of death and hardship.

Interestly, it is thought that the orignal inhabitants of Nunavut, the Thule, arrived in the 1200s, chasing whales and finally settling on Nunavut as their home. Today, whale hunting continues to be important, with the Inuit hunting beluga, narwhal and bowhead whales.

Bowhead whales are a protected (endangered) species in Canada and most places in the world. They are immense, the size of a school bus! Communities are allowed to hunt the bowhead if they have received special permission from the federal fisheries office. Because of this, the year that a community receives a license to catch and harvest a bowhead whale accompanies a great celebration. To underscore how special the event was in Repulse, only five bowhead whales have been harvested in Nunavut since 1991 when the Canadian government established strict limits.

In Repulse, the harvest began with a gathering of people at the shore and a spiritual send-off to Inuit locals who would hunt the whale. The Inuit believe that there is an entity greater than themselves who provides for all living things. This send-off was a blessing not only to the hunters, but also to the whale whose life would be sacrificed for the betterment of the community.

Some communities use traditional means like the harpoon on these spiritual quests. Others use more modern means like rifles. I'm not sure which method was used in Repulse. The Inuit used an open boat called a umiaq. At one time, they would use sealskin kayaks, but that isn't the case today.

The whale hunt is a very important source of protein for the locals. Without it, they would need to rely on southern food at their local stores (very expensive) or other country food like the caribou. Based solely on the size of the whale versus the caribou, the Inuit believe they would deplete the caribou herds if they didn't have access to whale meat on a regular basis. The Inuit often say they hunt the whale, not for sport, but for food.

Once the Repulse hunters killed the whale, they towed it into shore where the spiritual blessing was repeated. The locals then went about harvesting the whale. Every part of the whale was used, with the blubber, skin and whale meat being very prized. Once distributed among local residents, extras are shared with other communities.

I've included pictures of the hunt with this blog. And, while much controversy surrounds the right of Inuit to hunt a rapidly depleting species like the bowhead whale, I understand the context of the Inuit and their beliefs. I hope you enjoyed this blog and its insight into Inuit culture.

Until next time, enjoy!