Monthly Archives: November 2007

There’s just something about those pale blue eyes…

A suggestion of Neta Allen, upon a visit to the Youth Centre.“Here, let me take a photo of you taking a photo. On three…one..two…click.”Neta was mentioned in an article I wrote about technology in the north, because she said she prefers Youtube to regular television. 

Here are more pieces of art available through the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation.

The last one seems especially sad.

If traditional art could talk, what would it say?

1. Stone carving by Patrick Harrison of Inuvik
2. Doll with rabbit fur by Sharon Green of Paulatuk.
3. Stone bear by Derald Taylor of Tuktoyaktuk.
4. Whalebone sculpture by Francis Ruben of Paualtuk.
5. Mother and child (detail) by Ron Taylor of Tuktoyaktuk
6. Hand-sewn rabbit fur and felt medallion by Bessie Inuktalik of Inuvik

(Thanks to Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, which showcases local art.)

One great thing about Inuvik: Whenever government agencies want to announce anything (say, an Arctic Energy Alliance and Environment and Natural Resources program to encourage energy conservation) they hold a community feast.

Here’s some arctic char prepared by Aurora College students.

Good news! The aforementioned production of “a pair of lunatics” sold all 100 tickets.

The plush chair was borrowed from the local Mackenzie Hotel.

This drummer is carved from a piece of whale vetebrae. It was offered for sale at the Inuvik Craft Fair on Nov. 23.

You know it’s cold in Inuvik when dogs are wearing jackets and boots.

This is very considerate of the owner.

Here’s more stuff from the Inuvik fire department. These are probably reminders of a house fire.

This face has spent more than 10 years at the Inuvik Fire Department.

Fire Chief Al German said it’s actually the backside of a caribou. The eyes were added by a creative taxidermist.

“It keeps me humble,” he said.

Here’s the view around 2pm.

Note that in the foreground is a “utilidor,” which are Inuvik’s outdoor protected sewers.

There photos were taken around 11:30am.

Living in the arctic, you can eat lunch while watching the sunrise. (At least, part of the year.)

The Inuvik Regional Hospital here mentions balancing modern and traditional healing.

It would be interesting to see if more people use natural medicines in the north.

Temperatures have reached -20 celcius in the last few days.

Here are some scenes from the early evening.

Here’s the office of the mayor and town council.

Here’s the view from Parkview apartments. Those stairs are worth it!

Here is my new home, Parkview apartments.

Like many buildings in Inuvik, it is raised on wooden support beams so that the permafrost does not melt. (It also gives a nice view of the lake.)

Moving furniture up those stairs is going to be tough.

The Midnight Sun Recreation Complex has these blue painted rocks in the parking lot.

It’s a creative decoration.

Fort McPherson’s hamlet council displays a large key.

It was given by Dawson City as a gesture of friendship between the Yukon and NWT many years back. (The cities are neighbours, but separated by a nine-hour drive on the Dempster Highway.)

Local muscian Jonathan Churcher (second from top, on bass) invited a few people to jam at his house on Sunday. Very fun! (This was originally supposed to be a flash slideshow with sound, but I am having trouble getting it to work.)

Here’s a shot from the lunchtime high school newspaper meeting at Samuel Hearne.

The group is deciding what caption a comical beluga whale should be saying. (A student suggests the winning caption which is reminiscent of Douglas Adams. “What am I doing here? Maybe this newspaper will tell me.”)

Here are some recent leftover photos intended for the local youth newspaper. (Named “The Bomber Pages” after local slang) I lent my camera and kids had fun using the fish-eye lens.

The youth centre is an invaluable service in town, because it lets kids go somewhere when it’s cold outside.

It also provides services like guitar lessons, earring-making workshops, drawing classes, etc.

Their website is featured in the sidebar to your right.

Here’s the “Inuvik Express” playground on Kugmallit street.

It’s not often used during the winter.

Still no UFOs, but someone launched fireworks near the hardware store on Friday evening.

There was a UFO spotted over Deline, NWT last week.

Last night it came to Inuvik! (I’m just kidding, this is a photo of Dez and the moon. But the Deline thing is being treated seriously by some people.)

Aurora College has a very modern building in Inuvik. It offers courses in traditional sewing and crafts, as well as programs in community recreation, environmental monitoring and a host of other subjects.

These are McCormicks pilot biscuits, which I’ve never seen outside the NWT.

They’re a staple of Northern stores and are available in Fort McPherson, Aklavik, Tuktoyaktuk, Paulatuk and other places.

They might be called biscuits, but they are just really hard squares of dry bread.

Here’s a banner from the Aurora College building. It’s done in traditional sewing but shows graduates using microscopes, laptop computers and earphones alongside traditional skills such as seal hunting.

This is a wonderful piece of art! You can feel the hope which went into every stitch.

(Note: the middle character does not have two heads. It’s a mother and baby wearing an Amautik coat. The baby sits in the hood.)

Here’s a poster I made for an upcoming comedy variety night. It just goes to show, there’s plenty of ways to get involved in Inuvik. (Now updated with new poster!)

Here’s a bit on sunlight receding around 6:30pm. The evenings are getting shorter and shorter, and sunlight now lasts from about 11am to 7pm.

Here are the chords and lyrics to “Crying” by Roy Orbison. It’s a popular song on Saturdays at the Legion Hall.

People use snowmobiles for everything in Inuvik. You are allowed to use them and ATVs on most streets, and many people pull trailers with groceries, etc.

Here’s the view from the News Stand corner store around 8:30pm Thursday. As you can see, winter is a dark place in Inuvik.

Inuvik’s Sir Alexandre Mackenzie school has a “Citizen of the Month” wall, which honours notable people and their public service. It’s a nice gesture to local elders, and encourages students to strive for careers.

Among those pictured here is Merle Carpenter, who was an RCMP officer in nearby Fort McPherson. (Note: I am trying to restore the thumbnails to have a full-size image behind the cut.)

Here’s a bird on the supended cables outside my window. (The photo was actually taken last fall, but somehow escaped being posted until now.)

Here’s Logan Bullock, a friendly cook at the Inuvik Regional Hospital and a good friend.

Not everyone can be that cheerful when they start before 7am!

This small red building is beside Inuvik’s airport.

It easily gets lost in the vast landscape.