The Kids of Cambridge Bay

The younger kids are bussed to school, the older students all walk.

No matter where you travel in the world, it's all about the kids. They make you smile, they make you laugh...and sometimes they make you cry. Nunavut Territory in Canada is the same.

While I've only been to two communities (so far) both have been similar but different. Apart from climate, a common element in both was the kids. You would think that in January, February and March, people would stay inside.

The extra knee protection for crawling in the snow

Especially, if the the temperatures were in the minus twenty Celsius range AND if there was only a few hours of daylight. That wasn't the case in Rankin Inlet last winter...and it's certainly not the case here in Cambridge Bay either. As my time here comes down to the last few days, it's been a time for me to reflect and summarize what I learned this trip.

Nunavut, the territory, is only 17 years old. It has grown up fast. The changing landscape includes the mining of natural resources, both open pit and deep shaft. The mining activities continue through the cold months, of which there are many at this latitude.

Kite boarding on the Bay

The Inuit are concerned about these changes as are many elsewhere. Careful management of these projects is ongoing. One can only hope that enough precautions are enforced to protect “this beautiful land” as one of my flag signers wrote.

Change is nothing new to the Inuit. Early exploration brought change...the internet continues the trend. After my xray examinations were complete, I had many opportunities to talk with my patients and their families while they awaited further medical treatment and attention.

Enjoying the sunny part of the day

The same question gave many results. “Have you lived in Cambridge bay all your life?” While many different communities were named, some stories are detailed here. The first involves CHIMO BAY...a hamlet in name only.

A friendly wave to the guy taking photos in town

Firstly, two stories about Chimo Bay. The location is 190 kilometers from here and a focus in the community was the Hudson Bay trading post which closed in the early 70's. Those living there simply moved to the two closest hamlets...one being Cambridge Bay. I can't imagine being a seven year old and starting fresh, let alone having the parents and friends bearing the brunt of the relocation.

I asked him have you ever been back? Not for about thirty years he sad....you could see a sadness in his eyes as he reflected and continued...some families have kept cabins there...I probed no further not wanting to bring further memories to the surface.

Clarence, the Inuit carver, signs his works CHIMO BAY as well as his name. I expect it's to honour his ancestors and his birthplace. I may see him in town this weekend to ask.

One of three playgrounds that I found in the hamlet

Another person I talked to was a “lifer” here, except for his years of high school. It's a time when all teenagers were sent went away from their home community to INUVIK or other “larger”centres and were raised in “residential schools”. We have heard the horror stories of some of those. During the discussions on the founding of this territory, for many years he had sat on the Nunavut Implementation Commission.

Walking to school, no crossing guards but we have a pedestrian X-walk

Another person affected by”going away” to high school was a young lady from Ulukhoktuk, Northwest Territories, who came to Cambridge Bay to attend high school. She's been here ever since. Originally, she left her home on the other side of Victoria Island and arrived here still on Victoria Island. While she was here, a new high school in Cambridge Bay came to life but she never attended as it opened the September after she had graduated a few months earlier.

Hockey and Basketball are 2 of the indoor sports

While in school, the Territory of Nunavut became a reality so she automatically became a Nunavut resident as the new border crossed our island. She has family still there, but has never been back. A common story of past present and future.

I went to the arena, last sunday night, climbed the steep steps up to the top row of seating to get a good view of the ice. I met Stephen and his daughter watching a cousin play... and was later introduced to his wife Lisa and 2 more children. That's a typical family, here in Cambay, for many. Three of more supported by his job as a carpenter buoyed by the housing growth.

A family leaving after the hockey game

Lisa and some of her "girls"

One saturday, I met Harlem playing in the snow climbing and sliding on the snow drifts...just having a ball like any almost three year old. Dressed in snow pants and mitts, boots, scarf with cheeks as red as Santa's suit. After talking to his parents, I climbed the hill and walked over a couple of streets. In a playground, I found kids climbing on the equipment and swinging on the swings....it was -28C that day. They were dressed and under the watchful eye of their mother, out walking the family dog.

And then another Saturday, I met a family out for breakfast at the Arctic Inn. I was just finishing up and the family at the next table drew my attention. Two women and two young boys were having a great time...the boys appetites almost as big as they were. The oldest boy (about 9) had just finished the same style breakfast I had completed.

Another playground...what does the future hold?

His younger acquaintance (brother, cousin, friend) had a stack of toast along with a plate of 10 pieces or more of bacon...he was relishing every mouthful. They call him the “baconator” she laughed. Knowing the number calories burned off in this climate and the level of physical activity that is achieved here, I hoped he wasn't headed to the video game console at home as the sunlight gave us about 4 hours now.

I'm heading to the rink again this morning to see the minor hockey leagues play. The rising sun is causing a bright orange glow along the landscape with a clear blue sky that escapes description.

The day is dawning bright and clear. Today's short term future is known.

But for The Kids of Cambridge Bay...the future of NUNAVUT...will they stay or will they go?

Fire at Forty Below

The FIREHALL at Cambridge Bay

I've got a lot of stories started...some will be completed after I arrive home. Thankfully, I know now how I'm going to finish most of them. With five days left here in Cambridge Bay, I've had many conversations providing some perspective on the benefits and hardships that occur while living in the Arctic.

"SPARKY" lives here as well !!

Probably none hit harder than the reality that occurred after work tonight. There are many things at home we take for granted...heat, electricity, and water..to name a few. Emergency services are another. Fire, ambulance and police are ready and willing whenever needed in all our communities.

Especially in the north, volunteers staff those positions and manage those responsibilities. Like most jurisdictions in northern Canada, policing falls under the local RCMP detachment. Usually, these are two...sometimes three person detachments. While I haven't met the officers here, I have noticed them driving around. Last saturday, I was standing taking pictures of the detachment, when the automatic door of their garage opened and their pickup backed out.

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting the local Fire Chief...and twice since. He, also mans the ambulance, and has a capable staff of volunteers to help in both capacities. I've mentioned about the siren in town going off every noon hour and again at 10 p.m. at night (so that the kids will go home during those days of extended daylight). It's also a test of the warning system used to beckon the volunteers should they be required in the event of fire.

PUMP 1 in Cambridge Bay

We had one the first week I was here. A kitchen fire. An all to often heard story...grease catches fire after french fries are made. The good news is the smoke detector worked. Many times you are watching news casts and their live feed picks up the eerie sound of that detector still working. The chief showed me the detector, covered in smoke, half melted...was still working he said. More than one life was saved that night.

Here in the Health Centre, our IT Support Tech, doubles as the Assistant Chief. He had offered me a tour so tonight, we went across the street, less than 50 yards from our Health Centre main entrance to the fire hall. He opened the side door and we entered the first bay.

It saved a life !

It was warm inside but the pumper was plugged in. He explained that if the heat in the building went out, they would still be able to start the truck. On the side the emblems said CAMBRIDGE BAY. The red vehicle wasn't spic and span clean and gleaming sitting there. It had a coating of grime, but you have to remember all month it's never gotten warmer than -28C....haven't seen a car wash in town...don't think one exists. Why would you try?

Wired but working???

The READY ROOM set to go

Like most pumpers, this GMC truck #1 carries it's own water tank, for several reasons. First, there are no fire hydrants in town that I've seen so far. There is a water line running the main street and supplying the Health Centre, 2 schools and main government buildings. The remainder of the town uses water trucks for water delivery by the town on a regular basis.

In the Health Centre, we have sprinklers....just in case. I also noticed them in the library so the high school must have them too. At the back of the truck, stored above the hoses, was a portable collapsible tank. One like many rural departments would use. The fire response in this town is quite different however.

Once the siren goes, there are water truck drivers that also respond to the location. They pump directly from their tanker into the pumper's internal tanks providing a steady flow for the volunteers and their 1.25 inch hoses.

Inside Rescue 1

In these temperatures, you dress for the weather. Firefighters here are no different. Their gear is neatly hung in the ready room...boots, helmets and all. I can't imagine having to get ready to respond...but they have a dedication and feel a responsibility to help protect their families, neighbours and friends. The whole hamlet is the benefactor.

Next we moved on to the ambulance, set up not like we would expect in the south. While it is quite spacious, on first glance it was not what I had expected. On closer examination all the pieces were there...and our health centre is just five minutes from most of the town dwellings. It doubles as a refuge for the firefighters from the weather and an oxygen station.

The Search and Rescue BOMBARDIER

As the hamlet continues to grow, I'm sure that this will be the next new piece of equipment to arrive by sea lift. The older pumper is still on site....it's status unknown. But parked between them is a bright yellow painted Bombardier, and enclosed tracked snow machine that would hold two people very comfortably in the front cab with suffucuent space for goods and supplies in back. For search and rescue... a qamatik would be added to tow a couple of smaller snow machines. Hopefully, we'll not need that this week either. The weather, after today, looks cold but clear.

C.B.  F.D.  NU.

It's comforting to know that at forty below with the wind chill, there are people to look after us all...should we need it. It's just anther part of the spirit of the north...people helping people to survive the climate, to endure when needed, and to celebrate their families and this land here in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, Canada.

From the North Shore of the NORTH WEST PASSAGE

The Arctic Archipeligo of Canada's North

John Cabot, Jacques Cartier, Martin Frobisher, Sir Humphrey Gilbert, Alexander Mackenzie, Sir John Franklin all searched for the North West Passage...a shortened path to get from Europe to the riches of the Orient. A means of getting goods cheaper in both directions and reduce the dependency on the African or South American roundings...and the high sea dangers that those paths possessed, remembering that the Suez and Panama canals did not exist at that time.

Sir John Franklin and John Rae had decidely different approaches

Her Majesty's Ships "Erebus" and "Terror"
of the Franklin Expedition 

That's a very short list. Many others combined overland and sea routes searching.....searching. At a time when only a compass, a sextant and the stars guided your efforts. No Loran, no weather maps...GPS did not exist, satellite radiophones had not even been thought about and at a time when you carried your food stuffs, provisions and supplies...sled dogs, boats, and anything that might provide your success. Starvation was a real possibility...frostbite and the resulting loss of digits on the feet and hands was common occurrence...if any of your party even survived.... a first winter.

The use of the local Inuit population was crucial to the survival of many of these parties...they do NOT get the credit they deserve for putting their lives on the line for the many Europeans, mostly ill-equipped and often badly prepared for their journeys. The loss of lives and explorers were blamed, not on the inept planning and head strong positions of authority these men held, but on the actions of the locals who tried, were ignored and suffered themselves as well.

Dr. John Rae, Arctic Exxplorer

The British navy had searched for over 300 years and by the 19^th century, the search for a northwest passage had become an obsession...and had to be found at all costs. By 1845 the British Admiralty had sent two lavishly equipped ships to search for the passage commanded by Sir John Franklin. They were confident in his abilities and he was positive that he would return a hero and yet, he and his 128 men were never seen again.

The disappearance of Franklin and his crew began the most expensive and illusive manhunts that the world had ever known. In six years of searching driven by his grieving widow, Lady Jane Franklin, the British, Americans, Russians, and French failed to find evidence of the ships nor their crew. Eventually it was a Hudson's Bay Company employee who unlocked a portion of the mystery.

Sir John Franklin, Arctic Explorer 

Parks Canada's continuing search and dates.
Next year could be the big discovery

John Rae's discovery happened after travelling over 13,000 miles on land and water....but his discovery and subsequent published findings were not what Victorian Britain wanted to hear. All of the naval commanders who had searched for Franklin were given knighthoods for their efforts. Arctic explorer, John Rae's report pushed him to the margins of history since the tales he recounted were more grim than what the public could have been imagined.

His final report given to the Admiralty has been dissected to the point that the information included may be some fiction mixed with fact. Having grown up in the Orkney Islands, north of Scotland, these islands were the starting point for Cabot, Hudson, Frobisher and the like during the preceding centuries. The Franklin Expedition left from these islands as well. For all, the quest had been finding the Northwest Passage.

The British Admiralty was buoyed by a report of a Sperm Whale, harpooned north of Newfoundland, that had been harvested in Alaskan water the same year. A fear that the Russians would discover the passage first drove them further despite political concerns being voiced at home.

A member of the French Navy commemorated
after losing his life searching for Franklin's group

At age 19 John Rae returned to Orkney having been accepted as a surgeon at the University of Edinburgh. His father was an agent for the Hudson Bay Company and in June...John signed on as the ship's surgeon, the “doctor on board”, for a seasonal or summer job with an adventure to travel to Canada aboard the “Prince of Wales, a Hudson Bay Company ship.

While travelling the southern portion of James Bay, the summer ended early and the ship became lodged in ice for the winter at Moose Factory. John Rae's extensive career with Hudson's Bay started that winter. Rae was firmly established with Hudson's Bay for thirteen years before the British sent out John Franklin's expedition.

The graves of some of Franklin's party

Two 340 ton ships, manned with 128 crew, and their hulls reinforced with steel were provisioned with the best that Victorian England could provide. Fine china, heavy silverware, a library of 1200 books and enough polish for their brass buttons and buckles were but a few of the items carried aboard. Provisions were enough to last several years and a steam organ aboard was to provide entertainment to the officers.

The wording of another tablet commemorating

These were self sufficient floating hotels and allowed the adventure to enter some 70,000 square miles of uncharted waters and lands. The huge size of their ships and scope of the entire expedition demonstrates, to some, an arrogance of the scope of the arctic itself. A lack of respect...for the land, for the climate and for survival.

The Hudson's Bay Company decided to mount their own expedition with John Rae at the helm. Using small craft, packing supplies, living off the land above the tree line...a small group of seasoned travellers with Inuit interpreters...mapping and surviving. In 1847, this was an entirely different approach...packing light and trusting the instincts of those who had lived for centuries at this latitude.

Eventually, a consensus agreed that this party would over winter on land. Four men were set with the task of gathering stones to make a stone house, the same mistake of many explorers. There were no trees to provide fuel for fires...no coal. What little oil for their lamps came from the seals. They faced starvation should insufficient food be available.

After observing that the Inuit travellers in their party were toasty warm, they switched to the Iglu as their shelter. Fishing and hunting provided additional sources of food.

Current Winter can do this to an over wintering vessel even today!
Looking south to the passage!

After two years and no word of the Franklin party, Lady Franklin began to question the admiralty. There had been no copper tubes passed onto whalers, not a word. They were well provisioned for up to five years...so those funding were not worried at this point. Eventually she sponsored a 10,000 Pound reward for information leading to locating the captain and crew. Today, that would be the equivalent of over a Million Pounds Sterling. In its day, the reward was quite substantial.

While researching for this edition, I've been mired in the controversy, myself. Hence the delay in this edition. There is so much information, I wish I had started much earlier. While John Rae's final report to the admiralty was shocking in its conclusion of cannibalism amongst the remaining crew, the Lady Franklin empowered Charles Dickens, to publicly counter such revelations.

“Englishmen eating englishmen” was not accepted in London and Rae's accounts of the Inuit's stories providing a more realistic account of gathering of 35 men disorientated, travelling in the snow without supplies was more realistic, but the blame turned in London against the aboriginals. Franklin's death during the second winter was mere rumour. His statue in London depicts an image showing his burial, with one of the “natives” holding a bow and arrow.

In the Arctic, the Inuit never used bows and the land area they were traversing was not easily dug...a cairn of rocks might cover his body and mark his grave. Yet, they were then blamed for any hint that cannibalism had taken place. Death due to starvation would not have been concurrent but in varying stages....so the questions are more...not less.

My first weekend here, on the second floor of a local hotel...in their North West Passage room, I found a document...in a frame...hung on the wall. I re-visited last Saturday and dictated the contents, which I have transcribed and are available at the end of this edition.

The whole story is one of ambition, pride, and obsession and the pitfalls that had come from them all. Although they carried enough provision for three years, little light has been shed on solving the mysteries...but there is much speculation.  The search for the truth continues to be shrouded in controversy.

Last summer, one of his ships, the H.M.S. Erebus was located not far from here in less than 11 meters of water in the upright position. In the mid-eighties the bodies of three crew were discovered on Beechey Island. They included John Torrington, John Hartnell and William Braine, all who died in 1847.

After last summers discovery, the assorted recovered objects were displayed at the main dock of Cambridge Bay for the local residents to view and rumours abound that they may have recovered human remains at that time as well.

The "find" of my 2016 adventure in Cambridge Bay

One of my patient's told me...."They'll find the other boat closer to here (Cambridge Bay)". We'll all be listening for more information from the planned explorations of next summer. The North West Passage still packs charisma, even at -37 degrees Celsius....The text of my discovery lies below.

FROM THE WALL

The 10 x14 inch framed document, with several water marked stains on it, begins in cursive hand writing:

“H.M. Ships Erebus and Terror wintered in the ice in 28^th of May 1847 Latitude 70 degrees 5 minutes North, Longitude 98 degrees 23 minutes West having wintered in1846 at the Beechey Island in Latitude 74 degrees 43 minutes 28 seconds North, Longitude 91 degrees 39 minutes 15 seconds West after having no...(indistinguishable)....Wellington Channel to Latitude 77 degrees and returned by the west side of Cornwallis Island. John Franklin manned the expedition...all well.

The document reads in printed text.

“Whoever finds this paper is requested to forward it to the Secretary of the Admiralty London with a note of the time and place at which it was found or, if more convenient, to deliver it for that purpose to the British Consul at the nearest port.”

The above paragraph is written in many languages French, Spanish, German, probably Norwegian, and then possibly, Swedish or Danish.

The handwriting continues written landscape style, along the left side of the document going along the border from the bottom to the top of the page for several lines and then continues for several lines in the sames direction on the right side of the document.

The writing begins:

“1848 HM Ship Terror and Erebus were desserted on the 22 April, 5 leagues NNW of this ???

has been set since 12 Sept 1846. The officers and crew consisting of 105 souls under the command was formed by Lt. Knowing under the cairn supposed to name has been built by Sir James Wrought in1831 were it has now been deposited by the late Commander Gore in May June 1847. Sir James Rope (Rope's Pillar) has not, however, been found and the paper has been transferred to this position which is that in which Sir J. Rope ...was erected. Sir John Franklin died on 11^th June 1847 and the total of deaths in the expedition has to this date been 9 Officers and 15 Men. James Fitzjames, Captain of the Erebus...Captain and Senior Officers and just tomorrow 26 in for barks fish...(????)

Party consisting of 2 Officers and 6 men left the ships on Monday 24^th May 1847. Lt. Gore and First Mate????

When the ice is gone this summer...what will be found?

Caribou Stew and an IGLU too !!!

The "TEMPLATE"

After almost two hours standing on the ice, watching the elders start construction of this iglu, my feet were cold...not just cold...ARCTIC COLD. I hated to leave but thoughts of frostbitten toes and their treatment sobered my thinking and I starting off towards town to warm them.

The second row has begun

It was almost 1 p.m. The sun was starting to head down already. It hadn't rose high in the sky maybe 10 degrees today. Although it had provided light with a red orange haze to all it illuminated, it seemed to provide very little heat. I retraced my steps back to the dock, along the bay, up the hill and soon I near the Visitors Centre. I would warm there.

Climbing up the steps, it was dark...again. This was the third trip to it, and yet again it was closed..when I needed it most. I was resigned to head back to the apartment and then I saw lights...in a building I had passed a few times before.

The blur of fast assembly

I had my discount card from the Northern...so maybe I qualified...perhaps this ELDER's CENTRE would allow my feet to return to body temperature. Here, in Nunavut, no one is turned away when cold. There was no sense using the doorbell in this weather, I turned the knob and walked in.

The focus of knowledge, skill and determination of an experienced Elder

The warmth started to frost my SLR slightly (probably the humidity inside as this building). I removed my mitts and the recently acquired seal skin aviator-style helmet, hung my coat on a peg and introduced myself to the lone occupant. She was not an elder, but part of the heritage committee providing support for today's “on ice” seminar. I would only be a few minutes...and she was leaving shortly too.

The third row was just a solid

Some easy conversation as I circled the room, looking at the various photos depicting local history and hanging on the walls. Ancestors, many who no longer walked the earth, were standing in front of buildings dating from the mid-fifties and sixties. Through the expanse of windows, facing south, you could see the bay and the sun, now much lower in the sky despite my elevation. I had only been about an hour since its rise to the iglu site and already it was sinking quickly.

Once out of my boots, my feet warmed quickly (Note to self..three pair of socks next time). Another heritage member arrived, the first left, more conversation and then time to return to the demonstration seminar. This time in style...a truck ride back...combining both warmth and speed. Along the winding road, a turn to the right and a short trip back up another small hill above the iglu.

After the second row the only entrance available

The crowd was still there...and I could see some further progress had been made. A couple of quick photos was followed by the trek down to the shoreline. A couple of more rows of panels had been installed on the iglu during my absence. The sun had left the area now and so had some of the crowd.

The walls are curving inwards

The wind had started to pickup now and one of the organizers asked me if I had eaten my lunch yet. A quick response with a negative reply had me escorted to the flap of the tent. I opened the flap a bit and was hit with steam and warmth. Two ladies were seated....one legs crossed sitting on a slab of wood..the other next to the Coleman stove. Two other “guests” were standing, out of the wind with styrofoam bowls in hand...the contents steaming into the air.

Concentrating on the project

You want stew I was asked....yes please...out came the ladle...the pot got stirred...two scoops from the ladle and the bowl was filled. A plastic spoon, found in the plastic cutlery bag was inserted. With everyone watching to see my reaction and with the temperature outside, this steaming bowl was just what I needed. I stirred it a couple of times in case it was too hot to swallow.

Standing while watching caused my feet to chill
(I'm the brown coat on the right)

An assortment of vegetables...carrots, potatoes, and corn...and the meat within the gravy...TUKTU. A tasty concoction..the tuktu (caribou) a little course but quite enjoyable..had no gamy taste. Pleasantly seasoned, the bowl was soon empty. I started to put the bowl down on the used stack next to the stove when the cook asked...want another bowl?

Decisions...decisions..I said yes...had I made the right choice....two more ladles and the full bowl was passed back to me. It didn't take long and that bowl too was history. I looked at my camera...it had frosted on entry to the tent. The frost was gone....except inside the centre of the lens.

My hostess for the luncheon of TUKTU Stew

Time to head outside...I thanked my hostess near the stove, the other had left during my second bowl...and I told her how good it was. She seemed genuinely pleased. Once outside, now back in the reality of an arctic winter, the wind had further increased. The light was fading more and the iglu was progressing. Volunteers were bringing panels from another “dig” site, from forty feet away.

Kids played in the snow, as the four elders continued to angle and adjust the walls and tap the blocks into place. Watching and talking to the other spectators, the work progressed...another hour and a half had passed after my “snacks” and my feet started to ache from the cold once again.

The centre is lowered to the level of the entrance to gain height inside

The battery finally failed on the Nikon, my lens having become clear about ten minutes after leaving the steamy canvas shelter. Although the iglu was not complete, my day was done...the cold, all the walking, the whole experience...I had reached my limit....and I still had a mile to home.

The "Youngers" learning from the "Elders"

Back across the ice and snow...back to the dock..over the drift....and up the gangway for the last time today. By now, I had determined the shortest route home...across a few back yards...no one has fences here. Up a few driveways and along some houses had protected me from the winds, but meant I had to climb the drifts at the ends of their driveways. The street lights guided me home..I could see the second story of the Health Centre in the distance.

Another couple of streets, more barking dogs...five more steps up into the building...up the inside stairs...I was out of the wind, into the heat and now home...the outside protection was removed, the boots were pulled off ..and my feet started to warm once again. The two pairs of socks were removed, a pair of fresh socks installed and my new slippers added.

The next day the IGLU site looked like this

I changed all my clothes and put on fresh and dry ones...here you work up a sweat in your winter clothes from the walking,the activity of climbing and the general strain and exertion. You don't realize how many calories you burn up in very short order. I would return tomorrow to see the competed results.

These visitors were sledding nearby

The next day was cloudy, foggy and generally dull. There would be no sunshine this day, but a good nights sleep, a mushroom and cheese omelette, a couple of cups of coffee, some toast and it was almost time to get the most light possible for some final shots of the completed dome. Once dressed for the weather, the route home the night before was retraced.

Before long, I was back at the site of the previous day's construction. The tents were gone. Only the holes where the stakes had been. Tracks were everywhere, human, machine and animal. There would be no sunshine today, the sky was dark grey.

Gaps in the wall would be stuffed with snow from the outside

In the distance, on the far shore, I could see the old stone church, further north the Cairn dedicated to the Maude and then towards me slightly from there, the recovery barge and assorted equipment. Close by though, was the IGLU...totally abandoned.

I walked over to it, took some photos. The dome not complete. They had not completed the monument to the ancestors. I was disappointed but realized that shortly after my departure, time had been called and the event had been concluded. Then,a roar of a snow machine approaching towing a qamitik.

The entrance from the inside

An introduction or two, and I had meet the Mayor of Cambridge Bay. We admired the structure. I was asked by the husband, if I had ever slept in one overnight.. .nothing like it he said. I told him I've never been inside one as he carried a 20 block of clear ice over to the edge of the IGLU. In case someone, wants to make some tea..its from the reservoir he said.

They motored off while another couple arrived with their two kids and snow sleds. They used the hill behind the Iglu and eventually the kids came over...to view the Iglu. A few more trips down the hill and they left as I tried some more shots to best image the dome. The grey of the sky, reflecting on the snow, provided a flat image....post processing might help...but only time would tell.

Time to enter...I got flat on my belly, arms outstretched...feet moving me forward and my camera ahead of me...raised from the snow...I was in! There was no wind inside but being this close allowed a couple of other observations...there were gaps in the walls between the blocks, but they were more visible from the inside.

The inside panorama of an IGLU

Also, the floor had been cleared to the same level as the entrance meaning the inside of the IGLU was lower than the outside gaining a height advantage from within. A few more shots and it was time to continue a cross the ice to the Maude and the old stone church.

This day had no sunrise, no sunset, no reflected glow in the sky..and there wouldn't be for a few more days. During the night, I had feared that someone might destroy the IGLU before I had seen it completed. Thankfully, that had not occurred...but neither had the completion.

Tomorrow, I'm travelling back to the site. This week, I talked to Pam of the Heritage Society at the Library and, despite my hope, she said the Elders are not going to complete the dome. If I want to see a completed IGLU, I'll have to return at a later date...now there's a thought!

IGLU 101

The sun was rising on a historic day...11 a.m.

Most of my stories begin with an idea, an opportunity or some information either read or relayed. Such was the happening scheduled last saturday here in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut. The most interesting of notes on the bulletin board raised my interest earlier last week. I had missed the same event in Rankin Inlet both times I have been there and I was determined not to miss it this time.

One of two tents and the "supply" qamutik sled.
The first snow blocks are towards the hill.

Friday afternoon, I had dialed the Library and my contact there confirmed the schedule and told of the location. Saturday morning, after getting called into the health centre for another snowmobiling incident and completing my patient...I was off. The sky...clear and blue, the wind..a slight breeze. The sun about to rise above the horizon to our south...only the fourth day to do so. It was -24C.

The snow block panels have been carved and removed...only 28 to go

Wearing long underwear, a heavy shirt, 2 sweaters, my head hood, jeans and over pants, 2 pairs of socks, mitts and all, I was headed out onto the land...following our road to the east, then out on the bay shore half way to the Cairn marking the Maude. My first iglu...from start to finish...There were only 2 questions today. Would I be able to stay there in this weather and.....would my camera battery last?

Before Saturday morning, I had done a little research into Iglus and since then, have completed more. That's why it's taken so long to tell the entire tale. As I travelled along the road, you could start to see the sun trying to rise above the horizon. I walked past the old Hudson's Bay trading post, the old boat in front buried by a wind blown drift.

Fresh "ice" chopped from the reservoir and wrapped
to keep clean for our tea and coffee

The odd truck and or snow machine drove past in either direction. When I got to the end of the street overlooking the bay, in the distance, I could see some activity about half way along the south shore towards the Maude recovery site. I walked down the hill, past the old “northern”store, turned right and walked out onto the docks there...down the gangway and stepped up and over the drift and then onto the ice.

The latest technology for a centuries old tradition

The ice had stress cracks, some clear spots and gradual drifts of up to 20 centimeters. I just marched on as the drifts here support your weight...very seldom do you punch through. If you break the crust, you go in about an inch, sometimes deeper but its just the uneveness with the snow drifts that makes it difficult to manoeuvre.

The Coleman cook stoves were used to heat the "ice" for coffee/ tea 

Closer now, I could see several snow machines and a qamutik (sled), parked neatly in front of one the two canvas tents erected on the snow near the shore. the sledge acted as a wind break to the front flap of one. The tents were just canvas tents, the same you would see on the documentaries of arctic explorers or gold rush participants, held in place by wooden stakes just pounded into the snow's crust.

A layer of plastic tarp was kept in place as flooring by snow piled along the edge providing a wind brake, not allowing the wind to get inside. A flap was opening and closing as gear was moved in and out. I found Peter filling the Coleman stove to be used later. There were some snow blocks already cut and removed just behind the tent towards the shore.

Shadows on the snow...it's almost noon and
the sun was rising higher but we were at the shore

I looked over the equipment. An axe, a Stanley saw still remaining in the store packaging, a couple of shovels stood ready for use and a thermos sat near where the initial blocks had been removed. Little did I know this would become theentrance. Another snow machine arrived, and another left and the word spread that the “elders” would soon be here. The crowd began to grow (in Cambridge Bay more than five can be considered a crowd).

The arrival of the some of the "elders", the sun now on the buildings

I introduced myself to the elementary school teachers, a couple of the heritage society members, a fella from the Canadian High Arctic Research Station and another from a radio station in Yellowknife. It seemed that, at the moment, I was the lone representative of the health centre. Another qamutik towed by Skidoo followed by another Polaris pulling the last qamutik sled...the elders were here.

Others just "hoofed" it

As the sun rose higher in the sky, I noticed the hill behind had become red at the top and as time progressed this redness moved down the hill side towards the gathering. Eventually we were bathed in sunlight. While it was morale boosting, there was no heat from its beam. A pickup had tried to move out onto the ice but its driver had missed the proper access point and was mired...a bobcat was dispatched to help her along.

The "snow walker" with two canes and the caribou for the luncheon

From the truck activity, I watched a single person walking our way. As they got closer, I could see that he was pushing a small sled. Attached to this snow "walker", were two canes, in front was a leg of caribou for the stew. This elder pushed on to the second tent and dropped off the leg for later use. He returned to snow zero and the conference of the elders began. By this time some of the town's people were instructed how to cut the snow panels, with the saw...following the lines drawn on the snow surface by the elders...then going deeper with each pass. A slight curve to each panel,section or block (yes the curve goes to the INSIDE!).

Rear right leg of lunch

In the carribean, it would be called a machete. Above the magic circle, it was referred to as a “snow knife”. For any construction, drawings as used...but today one of the elders took some snow from a broken block and formed a rough template, much to the delight of those gathered.

The ends of the panels were defined and trimmed and then one of the elders would make horizontal cuts underneath to make each panel about 16 inches in height...about the same distance as between studs in new construction...down south. A little pressure would be applied and the block would pop free...and be lifted and placed in a row next to the others. More panels were cut and extracted and lined up ready for the anticipated assembly.

The tent with tarp floor and snow to hold the tarp and block the wind

After about 20 pieces had been extruded from the snow, another gathering of the elders and Noah took his snow knife and dragging the snow knife through the crust, he walked making a circle in the snow. The plans had been made...final on-site modifications had been discussed and construction was about to begin. The area where the original panels had been removed was about to become the entrance.

The entrance tunnel with first "half" block in place

A broken piece of panel was trimmed and blocked about half the width of the entrance tunnel. Noah scoured the alignment of panels searching for that special one. He selected it and moved back to the entrance panel. He placed it so that it rested on both sides of the tunnel...a few swishes with the snow knife caused the angle to shift slightly towards the inside of the circle...a few more and the ends were trimmed.

The template...on any good construction job you need a plan

As the threesome moved to their left with each successive panel, the angles, edges and tops were “trimmed”...The first layer had been completed. It was time for them to take a break before the second layer was fashioned and placed. This took longer that the first since they were adjusting angles as each piece fit.

The edges were not butted completely, and the gaps between would be filled with snow and pieces later. After all, this was just the beginning. The frame had been started...which means it's probably a good time to review the reason an iglu would have been built by these men and their ancestors.

Meanwhile, even in Nunavut, a woman can still draw a crowd.

The function of the iglu was to provide shelter from the biting winds and cold temperatures. It would take 40 panels to make the entire dwelling. Once made, it was permanent for the season. It could be built by two people...in less than an hour. After completion, the inside could be heated with a candle bringing the temperature to a comfortable level.

The placements are about to begin

The heated inside would form an ice dome which further strengthened the structure and made it so comfortable that the Inuit could discard their heavy fur outer garments...furs and hides were used as bedding and placed on top of the packed snow providing a layer of insulation from the frost below.

Early explorers brought their knowledge to the arctic...spending months building stone structures to survive the cold harsh winters, only to visit their Inuit neighbours...warm and comfortable in their “ice houses”. The stone structures would have been wonderful if adequate wood was readily available for continuous heat, but this is the far north...way above the tree line. No supply of wood was available unless you had brought it along.

The call goes out...more blocks!!!! the sun is now shining on us...

The smart explorers were quick to switch to the ice domes. Those more rigid in their ways stayed in their tents and other man made structures and frostbite was common.  Time and again, the Inuit showed the white man that adapting to the climate was easier than fighting against.

Those that listened...learned that even in this harsh environment... life can be made easier...above the magic circle!

NEXT TIME:
LUNCH on the "LAND"

Looking south on a winter's day as "IGLU101" begins!