Inuit Carving – Sharing a culture’s stories
Carving has long featured in the culture of northern indigenous peoples in their production of weapons and utensils in a variety of materials. The...
Caribou People
The Sacred Place Where Life Begins
I sit with Gwich’in hunter Charlie Swaney outside under a classic blue camping tarp, rain silently drumming. Thin, tall,...
The Journey Forward, A Novella on Reconciliation
When We Play Our Drums, They Sing!
Richard Van Camp
Cover photograph by Tessa Macintosh
McKellar & Martin Publishing Group, Ltd.
February 2018
You’d think that in all those...
An Artifact Mystery
A Netsilik (“Nattilik”) compact qajaq
Museums collect artifacts that tell a story, sometimes in concert with other items, sometimes alone. Unlike a good mystery novel...
BioBlitz – Preserving the ecological integrity of treasured places
In early July, Parks Canada, a recognized leader in conservation, organized the very first BioBlitz event in Sirmilik National Park and in the community...
Preparing to teach in Nunavut
The Need for Teacher Orientation
When the Government of Nunavut (GN) advertises every year for teachers to come North, it is looking for people who are...
Inuit artists in the contemporary art market
In preparation for my trip to Cape Dorset, Nunavut, I had read hundreds of pages on the history of Canadian Inuit art, but only...
Summer Rendezvous – Gathering at Shingle Point
It is mid-summer on the Arctic Ocean and the sun will not set for another 40 days. I’m riding in a motorboat with the...
Polar Bear Sleep Over – Choosing a Camp Site
A polar bear decided to have a sleep over while I was a 15-year-old boy on a summer outing in a canvas tent with...
Spring Camp – Learning Inuit Traditions
How amazing would it be to participate in an Arctic adventure for a week, to live off the land? What about learning Inuit traditions...