Sealift and a Cruise Ship

Right up until the day before the sealift was due to arrive at Kimmirut Sunday, July 18 no one seemed to know if the harbour was clear enough of pack ice for the supplies to come to shore. Skies had been a dull grey for days with temperatures not rising above 10 degrees Celsius. Saturday morning however, the sun shone brightly and luck was with us.

 

But sunshine and good luck alone could not have managed the logistics required to successfully bring in the cargo received here that day. We all watched on as two barges and two tug boats pushed their way through the remaining pack ice, the cargo ship so far out to sea it could hardly be seen off in the distance.

Two boys peer out at the coming barges barely visible in this photo on the water. The two qamutiks in the foreground may be too old to be pulled behind a snowmobile next winter. I have been told this big wooden boat is used for collecting soap stone for local carvers but have not seen it in the water yet.

 

At a calm and steady pace first one barge, then the other, arrived at the sandy/rocky/icey shoreline. Kimmirut has no wharf. The force of the tug boats and skill of their crew were put to the test. First off were two heavy Volvo forklifts to clear away chunks of pack ice remaining in the way.

 

The tugs push to keep the barge in position while the ramp is in place.

The second barge carried 8 or 9 containers, known as sea cans here, that are removed by the forklifts.

 

 

Nothing to it, apparently.

 

 

 

Next day another sealift arrived. Happy days for Kimmirut. Now shelves of the Co-op and Northern stores are chock full, materials have arrived for the construction of the new duplex, and there are a couple of new trucks in town as well as several new four-wheelers.

By Wednesday the town was abuzz as things were looking just right for the cruise ship to arrive. And sure enough it did. What a sight to see after a long frozen winter. Close to 200 Adventure Canada travellers came ashore via three-zodiac shuttle.

 

It was really festive seeing large groups of people led around town by their young tour guides: To the Co-op store for bug hats as the mosquitoes had come out in full force with the warmer weather. Up the hill for a good stretch and hike along recently-watered dirt roads to keep the dust down for our visitors. Through the Parks Department Visitor Centre and tiny Soper House museum and shop to view the impressive selection of local soapstone carvings.

 

A sturdy tent of the sort now typically used by Inuit families going out on the land was erected in town. Inside two women used ulus to demonstrate sealskin cleaning.

 

 

Finished product ready to be stretched and dried outdoors.

 

Toward the end of the visit everybody was invited to the Akavak Centre, the school gymnasium, to see some traditional Inuit games. There was a drum dance, the Knuckle Hop, One-foot High Kick, and the Finger Pull, all pretty much self-explanatory.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Lake Harbour

Known as Lake Harbour until 1996, the Inuit hamlet of Kimmirut, population about 450, is located on Hudson Strait on the southern shores of Baffin Island.The name Kimmirut, which means "the heel," was chosen because of the shape of a huge outcrop of rock in the harbour that is said to resemble the upside down heel of a foot. In this photograph, taken July 16, the shelf of ice at the base of the heel indicates the tide is low.

The view looking out the harbour is breathtaking.

Nunavut Day, celebrated July 9 all over Nunavut, honours two historic events. In 1993 the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, the largest Aboriginal land claims settlement in Canadian history, was passed by the Federal government of Canada returning the land of central and eastern Northwest Territories to the Inuit people. And in 1999 this land, called Nunavut, split from the Northwest Territories to become a Canadian territory on its own.

In Kimmirut this year the Nunavut Day celebrations, including the wearing of traditional clothing, games and hamburgers, took place indoors in the Akavak Centre, which is the school gymnasium. Qaqqalik School, for kindergarten to grade 12, has an enrolment of approximately 135 students most of whom are bilingual speaking Inuktitut and English. Pictured here are some children flying their kite at one end of the school.

 

The amautis on display were gorgeous. The large hood, as shown in this one made of caribou fur, is designed to carry a baby. This young mother used to be the baby in the hood when her mother, who made the amauti, used to wear it.

 

These three ladies were wonderfully obliging models, happy to show off their hand-made garments. Itee, on the left of this picture, wears her pants of baby sealskin which she made for herself when she was young.The front of the amauti made by the middle woman, has a sort of chest plate entirely of tiny beads depicting an ulu, one of the traditional tools used by Inuit women for scraping skins and cutting meat. On the right is a hand-knit baby carrier with Happy Nunavut Day knit into the pattern.

 

Animal skin boots called kamiks last a long time when you take good care of them.

Much to be proud of.

 

Kimmirut was the site of the first Hudson Bay post on Baffin Island. Built in 1911, the building no longer stands.The original St. Paul's Anglican Church, also built in the early 1900's, was the second Anglican mission on Baffin Island. The original church was replaced by this building in 1948.

 

Children attending Sunday school enthusiastically sing a Christian action song.

 

This lovely old cemetery located in the centre of town is due for a little TLC. The new cemetery, about the same size, is just up the hill.

 

Many of the folks who live in Kimmirut were born here and are surrounded by family: mothers, fathers, siblings, aunts and uncles, grandparents. And some have moved here from other Baffin Island hamlets. There is much to be said for the quiet life here. By far the majority of residents live in public housing provided with subsidized rent. There are many modern conveniences like power, Internet, and television. But the opportunity to hunt and fish daily still exists. It's amazing to realize that some of these people, and their forefathers, were still living on the land as recently as the 1950's.

See the Welcome to Kimmirut website for more information.

 

 

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Three or Four things

A few things haven't fit anywhere yet. So, before they become stale, I'd like to mention them now.

First is the anticipation of fresh green growth in springtime. So far it hasn't happened here, at least not enough to meet this "southerner's" need. Maybe that's partly why I am so glad to have planted some seeds right away. That was what I did with my first morning in Kimmirut six or seven weeks ago. Using the pots and potting soil sent up from Nova Scotia I planted organic Hope Seeds from the Annapolis Valley.

It must have been the long hours of daylight in late May but, whatever, I was rewarded with little green sprouts the very next day! It was like a miracle. You know how when you sew seeds it's impossible to resist checking on them way too often? Well, I really couldn't believe my eyes the next day. The seeds were sewn Saturday. By Sunday the kale had germinated and by Monday so had the arugula and mixed lettuce.

We eat salad every day. Bill built these perfect shelves so the plants get lots of light. Next crop will be planted outdoors in a big plastic bin as there is not enough soil locally for even a small traditional garden.

Most of the snow is gone now. So what's a fellow to do but take a spin on his motorbike with his buddy. Saturday afternoon this is what we saw whizzing by. Sure looked like fun. (In the background is a row of public housing units. Behind that is the arena.)

Easy Rider in Kimmirut. It's pretty muddy on the roads so there's not much point even worrying about it.

At 1:15 a.m. Canada Day, July 1, the sky looked like this. Sort of like a really early dawn.

The plane coming in from Iqaluit is an event. Flights are scheduled four times a week though uncertain weather causes frequent cancellations. Occasionally the approach is over our house, as shown in the next two pictures.

Bottom left corner of this next photo is the front eaves of our house. I'm not sure if the young pilots have a taste for dramatics or it's the nature of the job.

 

 

It snowed June 28th.

 

 

Last Saturday we went to the Reversing Falls to try out our new fishing rods and look for mussels. The rapids, so named because when the tide is high the water flows in the other direction, is considered a good spot for fishing Arctic Char.

By early evening there had been no bites and only a handful of mussels gathered. The duck hunters pictured above had the same kind of day. But the foggy chill of the air felt good and it was lovely to be out in it. Another fisherman must have been feeling the same way. After reeling in his line for the last time he summed it up like this: "A bad day fishing is better than a good day at work."

I'm looking forward to checking out the Nunavut Day festivities tomorrow and will definitely be taking pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Canada Day in Kimmirut

What a relief that the 6-8inches of snow of last weekend had all melted in time for the Canada Day festivities in Kimmirut. Many families gathered in a central area for various contests, all offering prizes.
Below is the tea boiling contest which is a race to see who can make their kettle of tea boil the fastest using scrubby low growth from the hills to fuel their fires. All three contestants won prizes!

A young couple shows off their baby's Canada Day outfit. This family's other claim to fame is their engaging little dog Rocky who can be seen daily socializing around town with humans and canines alike.

Children lined up to take a turn at bean bag toss trying to hit a pop can. The bicycle event had been earlier in the afternoon. The white and green building is the local parks office with lots of interesting information and displays.

It's becoming dangerous to drive snowmobiles to the floe edge now to hunt because the ice is getting soft and there is a lot of water on the surface. So folks are starting to put their boats into lakes for hunting and fishing inland. Wednesday we saw duck hunters and people walking on a far-off island who seemed to be looking for seagull eggs, a local favourite. We were told it's a good time to gather mussels, and it is apparently the right time for fishing Arctic Char in the fast water.

As best I can tell from my wild flower book this lovely purple flower is a member of the lousewort family, either Arctic or hairy. Whichever, I think it definitely deserves a more attractive name. Doesn't this one have a nice view! Gray plumes to its right are Arctic willow.

It was a cool, maybe around 5 above, sunny afternoon. We hope to return to this spot, the Reversing Falls, soon to go fishing. I think Inuit are allowed to fish with nets but we will be taking our fishing rods. It isn't easy to see the fast water in this photo, but it really moves along. About the middle of this picture you might just be able to make out a duck hunter on his four wheeler.

This caribou skull and antlers has been here long enough for moss to have started growing over it.

Just so beautiful.

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