One Last Feast!

Today was our last full day in our Northern home. We started things out with a big breakfast at the only restaurant in Cambridge Bay. Then we returned to the school where a local craftsman taught everyone how to carve their own miniature "inukshuks" (Inuit stone people statues) out of caribou antlers.

Our lessons in Nunavut culture continued as we went over to the school's awesome Heritage Centre, where one of the Elders demonstrated a traditional igloo stove that used seal blubber as fuel for heat, cooking and light.

The Elder also let a couple of members of our crew model some authentic caribou fur clothing and accessories!

After spending the morning learning about the heritage of this amazing place, it was time to prepare the community feast!

The Elders brought over all of the caribou meat we harvested yesterday, and we also pulled out all of the Arctic char 'piffy' that we'd put out to dry two days ago.

The Screaming Avocado gang did what they do best and cooked up an unbelievable feast with the Cambridge Bay students and the Elders.

Everyone in the community was invited, and the turn-out was incredible! 

Elders, lots of cute kids, and everyone else in town came to the gym and shared all the food that we'd prepared for them.

In the evening, we were treated with a demonstration of the amazing Inuit music called "Throat Singing". Three talented young women put on a great show just for us:

Jenna and Siobhan tried some throat singing of their own after a little coaching from the experts!

Everyone will be sad to leave this magical place tomorrow and say good bye to our all our new friends....

Catching Caribou

 In Nunavut, when you go "out on the land" and successfully harvest a caribou, it is known as "catching" a caribou. Today, we once again joined our friends the Elders of Cambridge Bay  and the students of Kiilinik High School and caught three caribou with them!

The waters of the Northwest Passage are finally starting to freeze up (it was a bitterly cold day today with a wicked wind), so the caribou herds are gathering and anxiously awaiting their opportunity to leave the island. We came across a herd of twenty and the hunt was on! While the Elders were taking aim with their rifles, Gerry was taking aim with his camera (he shot the pics above and below).

The Elders selected several females to harvest, and we all watched in awe as they shot them, tracked them, then cleaned and dressed them on the snow. Then we loaded everything into the qamutiks and brought the meat and skins back to town, where it will be used in the traditional feast that we will be helping the Elders prepare tomorrow!

But tonight it was the Screaming Avocado gang's turn to make a special dinner for the community in cooperation with their new-found friends on the exchange. The people of Cambridge Bay were invited to attend a dinner we all made together using some local Arctic Char and some beautiful Ontario pork!

The fundraiser for the Stratford end of the exchange was a massive success! After dinner, there was a huge Halloween party at the school that was attended by all sorts of costumed local kids, as well as the Screaming Gang and their exchange buddies. What a great night for everyone!

Out On The Land!

Our day started with a Skype session where some of  the people from our group and some of the students and teachers from Kiilinik High School talked with an elementary class from Seaforth about our experience so far. Then we were invited to a surprise assembly, where the entire school turned out to officially welcome us to their community!

Then we truly began our adventures in the Arctic Circle by hopping into a whole bunch of 'qamutiks' (which are basically big sleds that are pulled behind powerful snowmobiles) and heading "out on the land" to see the migration of the Caribou!

We were extremely fortunate to have the Elders of Cambridge Bay as our guides for the day. We saw dozens of caribou waiting for the sea ice to freeze on the Northwest Passage of the Arctic Ocean. When the ice freezes they will cross from where we are on Victoria Island to the mainland, where they will graze until they return here for spring.

For many thousands of years, the Inuit of Cambridge Bay have hunted the caribou during this stage in their migration. They have always depended on the caribou to survive, using them for their meat, skins and their antlers.

When we returned to camp, the Elders had prepared a feast!

We ate caribou stew and bannock, their traditional bread!

We returned to town, where we enjoyed an evening of traditional drum dancing and throat singing.

Check out the video of the drum dancing... with two special guests from our group trying to keep up! (Hint: they're the guys not wearing awesome traditional costumes):

We're here! Not quite!

The trip from Toronto was a breeze. While seven the students had never been on a plane before, they survived their first flight and earned their wings. We departed quick from the airport for Steve and Twyla's for an incredible northern bounty meal that included Muskox sous vide and carpaccio, cedar plank Arctic Char and much more. While most showed an adventurous spirit we had a couple who wouldn't step up for even morsel. Guess they'll go hungry in Cambridge Bay.

Our gracious hosts also had an amazing collection of Inuit and Native art and natural artifacts!

Our Northern Feast - Thanks to Steve, Twyla & Family!

 

Kirsten Trying on a Pair of Inuit Snow Goggles

Barry Wielding a Narwhal Tusk

Today we rose early for the flight to Yellowknife and then a quick hop to Cam Bay - that was the plan. When we checked in we were informed of the low ceiling and fog, but not to worry as it should burn off. Five flights later and seven hours in the air we returned to Yellowknife for the night due to bad weather. We were only fifty feet from the runway in Cambridge Bay when the pilot pulled us up and turned the plane around. Tomorrow we rise and try it again.

Shayne, Jamie, Barry & Jordan at Yellowknife Airport

The Gang Getting on the Dash-8 to... nowhere

 The kids are good for the most part. Some grumpiness from exhaustion (the teachers as well), but ready to take a stab at it again and excited to meet their twin in Cambridge Bay.

Best, the Screaming Avocados