AIK. IKALUKTUUTIAMI HILA ALAAPPAQNAIKTUK. INUIN UUGAKHIUQTUTLU. TUKTUHIUKTUTLU AHIAKMI. TAAKHILIKMIYUK. QILAMINNUAQ HIQINIQ TAMMAQPAKPUQ. NUTAQQAT INUUHAATLU INUIN NAAMAINNAQTUT. QUVIAHUKVIK TIKILIKMAT QULLIIT PINNIQHIJUT.
Greetings from Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, land of the snow and ice on Victoria Island.
Weather has been mild and much warmer and there are days when it does get colder. We have less daylight now and the sun stays up just for a short time, giving us a beautiful glance of the sunrise and beautiful sunsets. The fresh powder snow is fun to walk on and for those who ride their snowmobiles.
Christmas will soon be here and the community is preparing for festivities beginning with a giant bingo game.
A Santa Claus parade is once again happening on Saturday, Dec. 14 to start at 1 p.m.
The Hamlet of Cambridge Bay has begun collecting names for residents who need food hampers and other donations. Application forms need to be filled out and this is open to all residents. Names will be accepted until Dec. 11. You can pick up application forms at the Wellness Centre or the main Hamlet Office.
Elks will be giving out gifts for children at the community hall on Saturday, Dec. 22 and a pancake breakfast is on Sunday, Dec. 23 at 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. This year Christmas games will be held for only one week, games begin Dec. 23 and end Dec. 30.
To volunteer for Christmas games a committee will be set up and you are encouraged to attend planning meetings at the Hamlet Council Chambers Dec. 5 and 18 at 7 p.m. We hope our community will have a safe and fun-filled holidays with your families and friends and relatives.
Remembering Christmas back then was special when all our families, relatives and neighbours would all gather travelling in by dog teams. All the families would be cooking, drum dancing and playing games in the iglu and kids would play outdoors. There was no gift exchange but the gifts we would get were handmade sewn crafts like kamiit, mitts, parkas or a new cover. We had no store to shop in, but we would get some food like apples, oranges, chocolates from either the RCMP or missionaries or the DEW line. It was a real treat to get an orange back then.
I miss my mother's homemade clothing and my grandmother, Elders gifts were so special and beautiful.
When you look at photographs from those days you would see everyone smiling. There was no alcohol or drugs. Our ancestors would use the weather, moon, sun, ice, snow, daylight, sunrise and sunsets as calendars. We ate only traditional foods, fresh fish, seal, caribou, muskox, polar bear, geese and ducks. Stories of our ancestors and the good old days will carry on for generations.
Please remember your loved ones and those who are less fortunate this time of year.
God Be With You Son.