Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services

Arctic Bay (Nov 22/99) - Hold onto your leashes Nunavummiut, because if last year's 500-kilometre dog-team race from Arctic Bay to Iglulik left you amazed, you ain't seen nothing yet.

This year's trek promises not only to be bigger and better, but to leave the winner a great deal richer.

"First place will win $20,000," said Joeli Qamanirq, a member of the organizing committee and the finance officer at the hamlet office in Arctic Bay.

Also a member of last year's group that got the race off the ground for the first time, Qamanirq said the thrust behind the project was to celebrate tradition.

"We want to let the world see that Inuit can still travel by dog team and the traditional ways. We also want to encourage more people to start having their dogs again," said Qamanirq.

To that end, contestants must have only traditional Inuit dogs tied to their qamotiit when they leave from Pond Inlet on March 27, 2000. From that starting point, dog mushers will race towards Iglulik first and then head back up north to Arctic Bay and the finish line.

Mushers from Pond Inlet, Clyde River, Qikiqtarjuaq, Repulse Bay, Hall Beach, Iglulik, Arctic Bay and Kuujjuaq have already been invited, but any interested racers are permitted to sign up as long as they can scrape together the money to get themselves and their teams to Pond Inlet.

Qamanirq said that while the route and entrance fees were still being decided upon, this year's committee, located in Arctic Bay, had already started to raise the needed $40,500 for the cash prizes that will be awarded to the first 10 teams to cross the finish line.

"We had a dance on Saturday night. That was the first one we held so far and we managed to raise $1,500," said Qamanirq.

Raffle tickets were sold to help supplement the money collected at the door and lucky draw winners went home with a VCR, three months of free cable, $50 in cash and a membership to the local radio station.

And if all goes according to plan, the dance that has been scheduled for Dec. 3 will bring in even more money.

"We're having a public meeting on November 22 to request from the public two polar bear tags. If the public says yes, we want to use those tags for a raffle at the dance."

A 21-inch TV/VCR and a gas-powered auger will also be up for grabs at that event, and at $25 a couple, the money should start to seriously roll in.

Qamanirq also said that a music festival featuring musicians from the Baffin, the Kivalliq and Kuujjuaq was planned to wrap up the race. All in all, the event should be a boost to the local economy, he added

"The last race really benefited the hosting community."