Monthly Archives: August 2008

Living in the north means small towns and big landscapes.

The Centre for Contemporary Canadian Art (CCCA) has a link to a wonderful art gallery, showcasing the work of the late Ulukhaktok artist Helen Kalvak.

The community’s school is named after this artist, whose work was featured on a Canadian postage stamp.

In recent years, Ulukhaktok has revived its art co-op as a source of business and activity.

(Here is an image posted earlier of prints being made.)

My neighbour Eli Arkin (who previously shared photos from Tuktoyaktuk) recently traveled to Ulukhaktok. 

This is an island commuity north of Inuvik, which has about 400 people. Notice there is floating ice in these photos!

Ulukhaktok is often described as the friendliest community in the North.

From Wikipedia:

Ulukhaktok is also the location of the the world’s most northern golf course and hosts the “Billy Joss Open Celebrity Golf Tournament” every summer. Over the years they have managed to attract players from the Edmonton Oilers and the Edmonton Eskimos, as well as golfers from other countries. This tournament is growing and features excursions to traditional areas where Arctic char and Northern Lake trout are harvested for subsistence as well as limited commercial fishing and hunting.

Here’s a vignette about life in Inuvik, and how rumours can sometimes be true.

The local restaurant Fast Food — which I have mentioned here before for looking very rough and littered — was recently involved in a crack cocaine bust.

Click here to read the article from the Inuvik Drum.

Rumors had been going around town for weeks, and people were cheering police when they went in to make their arrests. 

Interesting to see how this will play out in court…

This statue was installed for the 50th anniversary. 

The simple shapes suggest three people wearing parkas, perhaps doing some throat singing.

This interesting flyer was posted at the Inuvik Legion Hall: The organizers need help recognizing those pictured.

Interesting note: Using social networks (like the internet) and calling out to people to do work (like ask each other) in bulk is what author Clay Shirky would call “crowdsourcing.”

Here the Sir Alexander Mackenzie primary school, as it is boarded during the summer. 

This is a defence against vandalism, rather than the weather.

At least this year the boards are black, which is nicer than last year’s plywood.

Be sure to check out cbc.ca/north and cbc.ca/northwind for photos and interviews from this weekend’s End of the Road Music Festival.

It was a great time, with some excellent music.

I like the body language in this shot of Wally Palamaryc and Dennis Allen. 

Wally was visiting from Calgary, since he’d been stationed in Aklavik as a Navy man in the late 1950s.

He served as a barber and radio host while here, and apparently was recognized when he arrived in Aklavik this year!

This is some BBQ fish, which was prepared in the local style. The herring was smoked over a fire for many hours, which gives it a smoky taste.

Then, it is wrapped in tin foil and cooked lightly — no sauce, no salt, no flavouring of any kind except the smoke. 

As you can see, not a single piece goes to waste! (Most of the fish was eaten by people.)

We had a pleasure of interviewing Seth Wotten on today’s episode of Northwind.

He paddled here from Montreal over the course of three summers!

Check out his website, www.wffg.ca, or click here and hear Roy Goose’s interview. (Also, my cheezy radio skills.)

Next time you have five minutes, gather some flat rocks and create an Inukshuk.

It turns out, anyone can do it.

Here’s a close look at a shoe — rather a moccasin — which was sold at the Great Northern Arts festival.

Many Gwich’in designs feature flowers and it’s impressive to imagine some long evenings, where the creator chooses, threads and sews every bead.

This sticker was found on a salvaged piece of furniture. 

You’ve been sealed.

Just in case you didn’t see it earlier, CBC has published my photo gallery of the 50th anniversary Northwind live broadcasts.

It was a very fun week, so thanks to everyone who participated!

Here is the Inuvik cemetary, which overlooks Boot Lake.

The community is mourning this week because two people died in a boating accident. Two more are presumed dead.