ᑳᑐᕆᓐ ᑕᒃᐹᓂ ᐅᑭᐅᖃᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ 15ᓂᒃ, ᑎᒍᓯᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᐊᔾᔨᓕᐅᕈᑎᒥᒃ ᐊᒃᑲᒻᒥᓂᒃ ᐱᓯᒪᔭᒥᓂᒃ ᐊᔾᔨᓕᐅᕆᖃᑦᑕᓕᖅᑐᓂᓪᓗ ᖃᐅᑕᒫᑦ ᑕᖅᑭᓄᑦ ᖁᓕᐅᖏᒐᖅᑐᓪᓗᐊᒐᓚᓐᓄᑦ: ᐃᓄᐃᑦ, ᓄᓇ, ᐃᓪᓗᕐᔪᐊᑦ. ᓱᓕ ᐸᐸᑦᑕᖏᑦ ᐊᔾᔨᓕᐊᒥᓂᖏᑦ ᑕᑯᓕᕋᐃᒐᒥᒋᓪᓗ ᒫᓐᓇ, ᑕᑯᖃᒃᑕᓕᖅᑐᖅ ᐱᕈᖅᐸᓪᓕᐊᓂᕆᓯᒪᔭᕐᒥᓂ ᐊᔾᔨᓕᐅᕆᖃᑦᑕᓂᒃᑯᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖃᓕᖅᑐᓂ.

ᐃᓱᒪᒋᓗᒋᑦ ᖃᖅᑲᐃᑦ ᑕᒪᓐᓇ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᓕᕈᕕᐅᒃ.” ᐅᖃᐅᑎᔭᐅᕗᖓ ᓂᐱᒧᑦ ᐅᖄᓚᐅᑎᒃᑯᑦ ᐃᖅᑲᐅᒪᒋᐊᖁᔨᓪᓗᓂ ᓯᕗᓪᓕᖅᐹᕐᒥ ᐳᓛᕆᐊᕐᓂᕆᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᔭᕐᓂᒃ ᐊᐅᓱᐃᑦᑐᕐᒧᑦ. ᑕᑯᕗᖓ ᖃᖅᑲᐸᐅᔭᐅᑎᓂᒃ ᐊᕙᓗᓕᒫᕐᓂ, ᐊᐳᓯᒪᐃᓐᓇᖅᑐᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑑᑉ ᐃᒪᕕᖓᑕ ᓯᓈᓂ. ᖃᖅᑲᐅᑉ ᑐᙵᕕᐊᓂ ᓴᓇᙳᐊᖅᓯᒪᔪᖃᖅᑐᖅ ᐊᕐᓇᙳᐊᕐᒥᒃ ᕿᑐᕐᖓᒥᓂ ᑎᒍᒥᐊᖅᑐᒥᒃ.

LIKE MOST OF MY UPBRINGING, it was a challenge for me to place myself in spaces I was not invited. Speaking from when I was not particularly aware of my own presence, I would feel that sometimes my mere existence was welcomed. It was the way someone would look at me with frowned eyebrows, glances or the movement in their lips. The unspoken awkward silence, the idea that perhaps not saying anything is the only way of saying something. There are often no words required to know if you are welcomed or not.

TENT RINGS, ARTIFACTS AND REMNANTS of rusted barrels can be seen as you travel the islands and shores along the Coronation Gulf of Western Nunavut. Copper Inuit hunters and gatherers have crossed these shores since time immemorial, travelling by seasons, following migrations paths, and charting the land and rivers for food and skins.