The beginning of the week in Qikiqtarjuaq gathers most of its inhabitants at the local school. For the crew of Pangaea it was the second day spent in this community and we were welcomed by the headmaster of the school, who agreed to host a presentation about the Program, performed by our group. The same excitement that our peers showed was shared by all the older Inuit from the hamlet. People on the streets would spontaneously talk to us and share their knowledge and experience with pleasure.
I had a chance to talk to one of the hunters around the dock in Qikiqtarjuaq. Just like all the others, he was cleaning his fishing nets and preparing for the whole day he would spend hunting. Depending on the period of the year, he uses a boat or a snowmobile to travel between home and hunting spots, in seek for seals, arctic char, caribou and even walrus. The last days of summer are perfect to go fishing, he said.
His name was Jeremiut Toomasir and he was a proud Inuk, proud of Inuit culture and close bonds between the people of Nunavut. Centuries ago, survival in the high Arctic was possible only if people would work together and help each other. If Inuit knew that in the other camp people were starving, they would share their own food with them. In every community strong relationships were built. In the world of today, it may seem that this thinking about the others is abandoned, as nutrition products are easily available in supermarkets and people no longer depend fully on the success of hunts. Jeremiut has proved to me, that there are still people who need help, but also those, who would support them in difficult periods.
He, himself, is a father of two girls, one of which was adopted. The food he hunts never goes on sale, because in his big family, he’s the only person to provide land meat. He gives it not only to his closest relatives, but also to people in need from Qikiqtarjuaq.
I was very pleased to meet such a kind person and felt that the gift of a Wenger knife is not only a present for Jeremiut, but also to all the people he is helping everyday. It felt great to see his happy face as he tested different functions of the knife and told me what would he use it for.
