UPLUKKUT IQALUKTUUTIAMIN. INUIN NAAMMAINNAQTUT. AANIAQANGGNITTUQ HAMANI. KIHIMI ITQAUMAJAVUT INUIN ARVIAMIT. NAAMMAQPAKLUHI. HILA QAIJUKNAHIJUQ. HIQINIQ KIHIMI QULVALIQPAKTUK. QAUMAGAGNAT ALIANAQHIVAKTUK. NANUQHIULIQPAKTUTLU TUKTUHIUKTUTLU KIHIMI ALAPPAKNAK. NUTAQQAT NAAMMAINNAQTUT. NIRIPKAIJUT QUANAQQIVAKPUUK. QUANA TAPKUAT IIGAVAKTUT NUTAQQANUN NIRIJAMI ILLA. KIILINIMILU NIQIHANIK TUNIQHAIVAKTUT. NUTAQQANNUITLU NIRIVAKTUT KATIMAVIANI. QUANA ILLA MUNAQTAUJUT NUTAQQAVUN. INIKNIRIIT NAAMMAINNAQTUTLU. TAMNA AANIARUT PINGMAN HULA KATIMAJUITTUT. KIHIMI MUNAQTIVINGMI IIGAVAKTUTLU INIKNIGINUT. IHUMALUKPALAAKHIMAITTUMIK. AYUKNAKMAN ILAIJAGAGNAT. QINIQPAKLUGIT ILATIT.NUATQATINNUATITLU. INUTUQAITLU QINIQPAKLUGIT. TUHAKPAKLUGIT DAKTIITLU MUNAKHIITLU. IVJARUTIT ATUQATTAQLUGU.
Greetings from Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, land of the Inuinnait where the Elders and youth dance and sing during coldest weather. This is the coldest time of year, lots of blowing snow and blizzard conditions with very cold temperatures.
When the weather is cold, many would cook and cook and cook and stay indoors and invite each other to feast, after feasting they would tell stories and stories would be made into drum dance songs for all hours. When it is daylight, hunters still continued to hunt close by for seal, caribou and fetch ice for tea, water for washing etc. While hunters were out, Grandmothers and mothers and young ladies would sew with skins and produce skin clothing out of caribou and sealskins and rabbit and other fur that may have been harvested.
But today, we have stores and many modern ways of life such as internet, computers, schools taught mainly in English. We are scarce of caribou, live in housing provided to us by government – which is not enough as our population grows, today we see shortage of housing and hopefully this will be resolved. The schools today and colleges in Inuit communities are now teaching Inuinnaqtut language lessons to take back the language.
Many Inuit and non-Inuit are now sewing much more, and making parkas, kamiks, mitts, hats. It has become a fashion to wear Inuit-style clothing, it is beautiful.
With more funding being made available to hold sewing courses in the communities from the governments, it is known that many younger generation and residential school survivors are now becoming the best seamstresses and designers across the North. Keep up the good learning everyone. Don’t give up, keep trying.
Quana to the wellness centre staff
The community of Cambridge Bay has had their vaccine clinics and many residents received their first and second vaccines, with Elders and essential workers being priority. Quana to the health centre staff and Tara for making sure residents of Cambridge Bay are safe and well taken care of. Please call the health centre to make appointments to talk with a nurse about your vaccine. Stay safe and look after yourselves.
The wellness centre staff, or Cambridge Bay’s Department of Healthy Living, is always busy looking after everyone.
During this pandemic the Elders usually get together for lunches and games and story telling, but are unable to with the pandemic restrictions, so the staff at wellness centre have been cooking meals for the Elders and delivering. Also the youth centre staff provides breakfasts and lunches to youth in the community at the youth centre. We are so thankful and happy kids get to have a good meal and snacks before and during school days. Quana to the cooks there.
The Kiilinik High School students are also very fortunate to have a daily lunch served with healthy snacks Monday to Friday. Quana to the staff and cooks who help feed our youth. The food bank is now open daily since the pandemic to help those who need food for their families and themselves. It is so important to make sure residents of all ages are well taken care of during this pandemic. So many restrictions now since the pandemic, making sure residents eat is of great importance.
Cadets meeting again
The 3004 Nanook Cadets Corp. has started up again and meet every Wednesday at the Kiilinik High School gymnasium. This cadet corp has been running for many many years with Rick Gillis, now his son Chris Kalluk and more since the beginning with Rick. With Michelle Buchan and Fiona Buchan-Corey and other officers, the success of the Cambridge Bay cadet corp is good for our youth in this small town. The cadet program focuses on leadership activities, community service, citizenship, physical fitness, sports, marksmanship and teaching of survival and on-the-land skills and teamwork. So far to date, about 13 individuals have joined cadets or continued from last time, and usually have about 25 joining cadets.
Every year they perform for the community marching at Remembrance Day parades, leading the Omingmak Frolics parades behind the fire truck, but this past year there has been no services or parades due to the pandemic and social distancing being practised.
Cambridge Bay is well known across the North for its fine dining and good services, something rare in the Northern part of Canada. We have restaurants and hotels, but during the pandemic most of the restaurants and hotels have been closed or limited capacity. Just recently though, restaurants have opened up just to limited seating, and take-out service has been used by residents.
Take good care everyone. Remember to wear your masks and listen to the social distancing rules and talk to a nurse if you are sick to get instructions to self isolate and to keep the Covid-19 virus away from our community. Keep washing your hands, wear your mask and avoid big gatherings.
As time goes on, the pandemic rules will ease and there will be less worries. Look after your Elders and youth and yourselves.
God Be With You Son.