Michele LeTourneau
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Jan 28/00) - Every once in a while, the general public has the opportunity to view a private collection of photographs.

And currently on display at the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre is one such collection by an avid photographer who has recorded and amassed a wide range of images of the Beaufort Delta from the 1960s to '80s, which now make up a history of sorts.

The photographer, Dick Hill, then passed this collection on to Eddie Kolausok, who will present the slides this Sunday at the heritage centre.

"He took the slides years ago when Inuvik was developing and the surrounding area as well," explains Kolausok, currently executive advisor for Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development in Yellowknife.

"Before he moved, he gave me a copy of the slides and told me I could use them to promote the area ... and for any function I wished. I think that was very kind of him to do that."

Kolausok, an Inuvialuit/Gwich'in from the Beaufort Delta area, has trained as a tour guide and once managed and operated a tour boat in Inuvik. While presenting the slides, he will be providing an interpretive historical overview of the culture, people, animals, geography and weather.

The exhibit will definitely give viewers a sense of the history and evolution of furthermost regions of Western Arctic.

"I enjoy it," says Kolausok.

"Sharing our culture and information about the landscape, animals, geography etcetera ... it's really important for me because it helps others understand the diversity of the Beaufort Delta and the Northern people."

The photographs begin in the very early days of Inuvik, just when it was being formed as a community.

"You will see the wooden sidewalks at the beginning. You will see the elders and how they dressed in the 1960s and '70s. You can see the gradual change."

The communities of Tuktoyaktuk, Sachs Harbour, Holman, Aklavik, Fort McPherson and Tsiigehtchic are also well-represented in the collection.

For Hill, photography was a hobby.

"Dick Hill was involved in many things. He was a businessman, he was one of the first mayors of Inuvik. He was always involved in tourism, the promotion of the North. Dick always encouraged me to work hard at promoting the North in a positive manner," said Kolausok.

Kolausok has shown this collection in Edmonton, as well as in Yellowknife in the past and in Inuvik.

As part of the presentation, he will talk about the neolithic (pre-contact) history of the area all the way to the present day.

Kolausok adds that anybody who attends the presentation will gain an in- depth understanding of the Beaufort Delta, including the socio-economic development. He says he has Hill and numerous elders to thank for the information he now shares with the public.

This rare opportunity to learn about the Beaufort Delta will be Sunday, Jan. 30, from 2-4 p.m. at the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre.