Hiked out of town today. Surprised to see someone following about a half kilometre behind, I stopped to wait. His name was Robert Tookoome. Robert and I hiked along the tundra after that, and chatted about Nunavut and the challenging culture that has emerged here. I point the camera at the ground for a bit, but mostly it was turned off. I had a lot of listening to do. In town I saw a couple of kids playing and couldn't resist turning the camera back on. :D
like the pic of robert - wish i could hear what he was saying while watching your grey shoes walk on the grey rocks and muted lichens...
ReplyDeletethe boys are junior arctic circus performers huh? did u tell them about that group?
thanks for sharing your life there - such simplicity - in relationships - and in connection to the land... c xo
He was talking about Christianity's influence in the north; we shared our perspectives of the southerners that come here to work, and how my willingness to try to share in Inuit culture is, sadly, a bit rare. He talked about wanting to do positive things in his community, but that he didn't want to get in people's faces about it; rather, he wants to listen and learn and lead by example. There were three youth suicides here in the last month or so, and we mourned that together. It's all a bit heavy, of course. But the repetition of foot on rock and the constant wind seems to help keep the balance.
ReplyDeleteScroll to the Causes of Inuit Suicide section. It's illuminating, and difficult. But I hope there's hope. http://www.itk.ca/Inuit-Approaches-to-Suicide-Prevention
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