Travel MEETING THE PEOPLE We met more artists when we visited Clyde River (Kanngiqtugaapik), a community of 850 on the northeast coast of Baffin Island. A big advantage to visiting these hamlets is that you can watch artists work, and then purchase their creations directly from them. As we walked around the hamlet, we encountered Lydia Qayaq outside her home. Using an electric grinder, she slowly coaxed the spirit of a polar bear out of a hunk of white marble. She removed her respirator, dusted off the white powder which was coating her clothing and showed us some completed polar bear and seal sculptures. Later, we admired two more polar bear sculptures created by Ilkoo Angutikjuak. He explained why they were so lifelike. “I watch animals carefully,” he said, “so I know how they move and behave.” We especially enjoyed chatting with the friendly children swinging from monkey bars and zipping down slides in the playground. Two girls were so excited to have visitors, that they took photos of us. Several children cuddled puppies. One of them carried a docile puppy in her amauti. INUIT GAMES One of the best times to meet local people is during festivals and holidays. We were fortunate to be in Clyde River on Nunavut Day. Along with families and other visitors, we watched traditional Arctic games in the modern gymnasium. Most competitions were feats of strength, dexterity and endurance, once honed for Arctic survival. Some athletes high-kicked a piece of foam strung from a pole, which was raised progressively higher. Others competed in finger-pulls and tug-of-war arm-pulls. The airplane competition tested an athlete’s strength, requiring him to keep his body stiff as volunteers lifted his arms and legs off the floor and walked, while he stretched out in a face-down position. At a community feast, we enjoyed barbecued muskox burgers and traditional food (or country food, as the Inuit call it). The frozen raw Arctic char – chopped up with a hatchet – tasted like salt-free smoked salmon. Nunavut restaurants also serve delicious grilled Arctic char; Iqaluit’s Grind and BrewCafé makes mouth-watering Arctic char pizzas. CSANews | SPRING 2019 | 19
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