No, Abbey! It's Nibbles!

I heard that my friend James, a tall, black man from Harlem (two traits which make him stick out here in Cambridge Bay) had his own radio show on the local radio station. A few days ago, I mentioned that I'd like to see the station, so he invited me to come today to help with renovations. Though there wasn't much for me to do, I did have the opportunity to ask some questions about how the station operates.

There are about three or four people who have weekly radio shows. They choose the music they want to play and make community announcements. The rest of the time, the music is simply put on shuffle. This works unless the CDs skip, which has happened several times while I have been working out. : ) The most popular kind of music here is country and western, although the station is stocked with 70s, 80s and aboriginal music as well.

Sometime this week I will hang out with Abe, one of the afternoon radio hosts. I am hoping that I will have the opportunity to get on the air at some point. Unfortunately, there is no online streaming, but I'll try to get some video of it if I do!

A boy plays in a giant puddle with the radio station in the background

The rest of the day was spent watching So You Think You Can Dance (I'm a little embarassed to admit that) and preparing for tonight's big dinner. I invited Renee, Lisa, Cameron and Richard over to eat dinner tonight, so I spent most of the day cleaning. Renee and Cameron arrived early to help make the pizza and Lisa arrived later with a pie! The dinner was delicious, and by the time it was through, we were all stuffed! Richard, a 6th grader, spent the whole time being simultaneously immensely curious and scared to death of the cats.

I was really confused when he insisted that Sweet Pea's name was Nibbles and that she used to belong to one of his friends. The lady I'm housesitting for told me that she was a rescue cat, but I never thought that this community was so small that people knew the pets by name too! : )

Cameron makes friends with one of the cats

Caps, Gowns and Kulliks

"Ladies and gentlemen, the largest graduating class in the history of Kiilinik High School, and perhaps in the entire Kitikmeot region, the class of 2009!"

Some of them laughed, some cried, some smiled, but it was obvious that each of the fourteen students standing on the stage were proud of their accomplishment. Together, they had overcome teenage drama, family hardships, and social pressures to make it to one of the most important moments of their lives. All dressed in black caps and gowns, you wouldn't know that one of them was a single mom who came back to school to graduate at age 21. You wouldn't know that one of them was the first to graduate in his family, or that another was destined for the University of Alberta.

Congratulations Class of 2009!

The ceremony began with Lena lighting the kullik, the traditional stove of Inuit. The kullik (also spelled qulliq) is lit using Arctic cotton and seal oil, and is a very symbolic act. Here is a video that my dad found of the process. Mary followed the lighting of the kullik with her traditional drum dancing. Since Lena and Mary were sponsored by the Heritage Society, I was invited (no, I didn't just crash the party) to attend the ceremony and dinner, which was catered by the Arctic College's cooking program.

Lena lights the kullik

I was extremely proud of this graduating class, several of whom I have had the pleasure of working with in the environmental class. Perhaps this is a sign of things to come; that more youth of Cambridge Bay are recognizing the importance of getting an education. You could tell by the looks on the faces of the graduates' parents that they believe there is hope in the youth of Cambridge Bay. I wish them all the best of luck and hope they pursue their dreams with all of their hearts.

What a Nice Day!

Today began with another meeting, this time between the KIA (Kitikmeot Inuit Association), the Wellness Center and the Recreation Department. It was a chance for the directors to discuss sources of funding and goals which could be met by working together. I am excited to see all of the initiatives which will be carried out this summer, but it makes me wish I could stay longer to see them happen.

I was so excited to see this article on CNN today! There is a team of scientists conducting an expedition this summer to study the effects of climate change on humans, specifically the Inuit! This is exactly what I hoped to learn more about this summer! Unfortunately, this crew will not be passing through Cambridge Bay while I am here. Hopefully, though, they will conclude their expedition with some great video and eye-opening findings.

Everybody left work early today because it was such a nice day. Of course, by "nice day," I mean not snowing and 0 degrees Celsius. : )

To keep this from being a really boring post, I decided to share some of this week's classic moments. I was talking with Eric on the phone on Thursday when I noticed the two cats were up on the counter. I shooed them off and told Eric, "they must have found something tasty up there!" He said, "they're probably just thirsty." That's when I realized that I hadn't refilled the water bowl since Monday night!! When Eric mentioned that I should change the litter box every day, I cringed...I hadn't changed it for three days! I'm now convinced that the hardest part of my 8-week experience will be keeping these cats alive. : )



I forgot to mention that our landfill trip was featured in the school newspaper! It was placed beside an article about how the governor general came to the high school library...which, in actuality, never happened. So much for truthful journalism, haha!

Communication Breakdown

The morning began with a meeting at the elders cabin with the Kitikmeot Inuit Association. The KIA is similar to the Heritage Society regarding its stance on preservation of local culture and traditions. This meeting served as a forum for new ideas for elders programming and was conducted in both English and Inuinnaqtun. One of the ideas was that the elders cabin be spruced up and invested in, as currently, many community groups use it as a meeting place and it is not being kept up properly. One of the elders got really excited about this idea and pumped his fists as he spoke of taking ownership of the cabin. Later on during the conversation, he said, "I do not understand, because now you are saying something different." He had thought that they were proposing that an entirely new building be built! I asked Renee if this kind of communication mishap happens often, and she replied, "all the time!"

Steve and the rest of the elders decided to do a traditional fishing trip in August

I began filming in the afternoon for the documentary about Cambridge Bay that I am making to show my scholarship program; hopefully I can help put something together to send to the Jane's Walk program or show the Cambridge Bay community. I began by filming some of the 6th graders doing throat singing and jigging. They get really excited whenever I pull out my camera or videocamera, and I have to let them take turns holding and using each. This means I usually end up with many very unflattering pictures of myself later. (Check back later...I'm going to try to put up the video of them throat singing!)

Me and Shaina, one of the 6th graders

I am glad to be starting another project, because I feel in a rut here. I want to do more organizing, but I don't know what I can do as a white outsider. As we made muffins this afternoon for tomorrow's elders meeting, Renee and I spoke about the potential power of youth in Cambridge Bay. I feel strongly that if anyone is going to spark change in this community, it will be the youth, simply because they have not yet accepted everything as "the way it is." The concept of change does not bother them. They seek improvement. However, it doesn't seem like anyone is encouraging them, showing them how to take charge. They have no role models who could show them how to lead a social movement. I would love to be able to provide a forum to discuss social issues or help them organize protests (like the protest against alcoholism that students of Kugluktuk sponsored), for example, but as a white outsider it may be inappropriate for me to do so.

Sometimes, I wonder at how much I will actually be able to accomplish here. Though I have learned much about the culture, history and social issues, I do not feel like I have done much to help this community. As my passion for these people, and my understanding of their problems, grows, I feel more helpless. I want so badly to empower them, but must walk a fine line that may prevent me from doing so.

Speaking of change and empowerment, I discovered this really cool article online today, entitled 25 Big Ideas. Though some of the ideas are controversial (getting rid of syllabics for example), they are all proposed by Nunavut residents, who are obviously more qualified than southerners at judging what their region needs. I was particularly interested in the ways that Nunavut could become a leader in the environmental movement. Take a look and see what you think!

Down in the Dumps

It was a little hard to roll out of bed today, knowing that a field trip to the dump was in store. It was even harder to walk out of the door into the June snowstorm (those two words I never thought would be in the same sentence!).

Like I said, today was the environmental class' dump field trip. It was a 20-minute walk; halfway there we began to detect what awaited us at the end of our journey. The kids were amazed at what they saw: lots of plastic, aluminum, paper and cardboard, in addition to "waste" that could have easily been reused. A whole box of new clothes, price tags still on them, had been dumped, as well as an entire set of Canadian law books. Though they did not get an interview with an employee, the kids shot a lot of video of the piles of trash and the seagulls which threatened to disgrace us at any moment.

The kids pose in front of the landfill sign

Logi films as Pia exclaims, "It smells like a giant diaper!"

I realized that I forgot to share my first major cultural faux pas with you! Last Friday, I went fishing with some of the elementary schoolers. A high school boy who works with me came as well, and as he is somewhat shy, I began to make conversation by asking about his heritage. Most people here, whether Inuk or white, are very open about their heritage. However, this kid is a foster child from the Northwest Territories. It did not occur to me that to ask him about his parents might make him uncomfortable. I felt pretty bad about it afterwards.

I was surprised to see how popular adoption and foster care is up here. If I had to guess, I would say that at least half, if not more, of the students live with someone who is not a parent. Many teachers are foster parents for their students, and I know of one Cambridge Bay family that has adopted 8 kids! Interestingly, many kids are not removed from the Cambridge Bay community when placed into foster care. My immediate thought was that it seemed like an awkward situation for the kids to be in the same community as their parents, but I suppose that could be a benefit as well. I really appreciate this part of Cambridge Bay culture. What a way for a village to raise a child!

Housesitting: Day 1

Last night, I awoke suddenly because it felt like I had a hair on my mouth. As I brushed it off and sleepily opened my eyes, I was startled by the sight of two huge green eyes staring back at me. Living with cats is going to take some getting used to!

When I woke up, the cats were staring at me. Not a "oh, we were waiting for you to get up!" stare, but a "oh, you're still here?" stare. As I prepared for work, I put the dry food in their bowls. They continued to stare. Thus sums up my life with the cats. It's a good thing they can't talk, or they would no doubt tell their owner that I am the most boring housesitter ever. : )


In the environmental class today, I talked with the students about the pros and cons of each of the recycling options that we are presenting to the Hamlet, stressing that we should be able to discuss them in detail when we make our presentation. I introduced the kids to the concept of a "carbon footprint" as we talked about how using planes or barges to recycle would have a bigger carbon footprint than having a facility in Cambridge Bay. However, the recyclables would be taken on normal flights, so no extra greenhouse gases will be emitted in the process. This is a relief, because as of now, it looks like using either Canadian North or First Air airlines is our best option.

After work, Johnny and I went shopping at the co-op for my groceries. Johnny is a 6th grade boy who was in Renee's 5th grade class last year. He comes to the Heritage Society every day after school to read, play on the computer and hang out with Renee. I have to admit, Johnny got on my nerves a little at first. He hangs around Renee all the time, coming over after school, waiting outside of her house, calling at least once a day...I didn't think I could take it if I was her. After a while, though, Johnny grew on me. It's true that he demands more attention than most kids his age, but he is a good kid, with a fun personality. Johnny knows almost every Cambridge Bay phone number. It's a good thing I like him, because after he went shopping with me, he invited himself over for dinner on Friday night. When I asked him what he wanted for dessert, he said, "rice." I laughed and said, "No, Johnny, what do you want after the rice?" and he said, "chicken." He also let it be known that he likes apples, oranges and Asian food. So we are going to have chicken stir-fry with some kind of fruit for dinner on Friday. I have no idea what I'm going to do for dessert. : )

I discovered a publication in the library today about FAS (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome). FAS is expressed in physical traits as well as mental disabilities.

Here is a really good article about FAS from the Nunavut Literacy Council: http://www.nunavutliteracy.ca/english/resource/learning/fas.pdf It is important to note that FAS and FAE (Fetal Alcohol Effects) manifest themselves in varying degrees of severity. According to one study entitled "Barriers to Youth Employment in Nunavut" (see page 19), learning disabilities in general are less likely to be diagnosed since the North has less medical and academic resources. Hopefully, Nunavut will continue to make it a priority to educate pregnant women about the dangers of drinking alcohol during pregnancy.

Residential Schools

Since nothing of interest happened today, I have decided to finally tackle the subject of residential schools. I did not want to bring up this issue without both the knowledge of their history as well as being able to discuss the consequences they have had on Northern communities. I have tried to make this information as comprehensive as possible, but am aware that I may never fully understand the horrific nature of these schools and their impacts.

Residential schools were Canada's way of "civilizing" aboriginal peoples. The phenomenon was most widespread during the 1950s and 1960s, although it lasted many years. Over half of these schools were Roman Catholic, the rest Anglican or some type of Protestantism. Native children were stripped from their parents at a very young age and forced to practice Christianity and learn English, French and other academic subjects. Aboriginal parents had no say in the matter. If they refused to send her children, they would be jailed. Also, the government gave out "baby bonus checks" for each child, but withheld them if the parent refused to send them to school. According to one elder from Cambridge Bay, her daughter was allowed to visit home for about two weeks per year. Though she loved seeing her daughter, she almost dreaded her coming home, because they had difficulty communicating with each other and held different opinions.

Truthfully, how can two people reconcile such differences? The daughter was being told her mother's culture was evil and wrong.

It looks a lot nicer than it was

If children were unruly, practiced their native religions, spoke their native languages, etc. they were punished. In the first five years of attending these schools, 35-60% of the students died, not only from abuse, but from lack of sanitary conditions and tuberculosis.

Since I arrived in Cambridge Bay, I have not heard residential schools discussed in public conversation, besides the public suicide prevention forum. People do mention it some, but in half-whispers; it seems to pain them to even mention the subject. Many people blame this community's rampant alcoholism, drug use and suicide to the pain that was caused by residential school experiences. This problem is not unique to Cambridge Bay; communities all over the North are experiencing these same issues. For sure, the cultural genocide that was inflicted by the schools can be seen today, especially as the Inuinnaqtun language is spoken less.

In the past few years, aboriginal communities have been seeking settlements for the abuses experienced at residential schools. I have heard that someone from Cambridge Bay usually receives about $20,000. The Canadian government and, in late April, the Pope, have apologized to aboriginal communities for the damage caused. Many say apologies are not enough. Others think that the money should not be given directly to the people, who burn through it quickly buying drugs, alcohol or other short-term amusements.


Here are some extra articles about residential schools:

Pope comments on residential schools gets mixed reception in North
Talking helps healing after residential school
Residential school deal gets nod in Nunavut
Where are the children buried?

I have hoped that I will find a way to use what I have learned here to apply to my communities in the United States. In doing research for this blog post (on Wikipedia, heehee), I found this article about Americanization. It seems that a similar situation with boarding schools occurred in the States as well! I had no idea! I have always had a heart for aboriginal peoples and this discovery simply furthers the compassion I have for these often forgotten Americans.