Kugluktuk (July 14/03) - "It was awesome!"

That was Stacey MacDonald's reaction to a recent cross-cultural trip to Guyana, a small South American country bordering on the Amazon jungle.

MacDonald, of Kugluktuk, was one of nineteen college students who went on the trip. They were all students in the Nunavut Sivuniksavut (NS) program, a college program for Inuit youth from Nunavut. The trip came at the end of their eight-month school year in Ottawa where they had studied Inuit history, issues and organization, including the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement.

The trip actually felt like three trips in one: aside from a few days spent in the capital city, Georgetown, the students made three separate trips to different parts of this surprisingly diverse country.

Kabakabure

The first trip was to Kabakabure, an Arawak village of approximately 100 people about 60 miles up the Pomeroon River in the jungle. (The Arawaks are one of nine different Amerindian groups in Guyana; together, they make up about 5% of Guyana's population today). The village had been founded in the 1840s by an Anglican missionary.

Getting there was half the adventure.

The day-long trip from Georgetown involved both buses and speedboats. The boats, propelled by 200 hp outboards, gave students a chance to see their new tropical surroundings close up.

"Travelling up the river to Kabakabure was awesome! I never had that much fun in a boat before in my life," said Karen Panigoniak of Arviat.

The boat trips also enabled the students to catch a much-needed breeze; adjusting to temperatures as high as +40 degrees proved a constant challenge for the students.

One of the high points of the trip came the moment they arrived in Kabakabure: the community's dock was filled with people waiting to greet the visitors from Nunavut with hugs and gifts the moment they stepped ashore. For many students, the experience was unforgettable.

"One of my favourite memories was of the people greeting us on the dock - they were so friendly!" said Noah Nashaooraitook of Taloyoak.

This warm hospitality proved to be a constant feature of their stay in Kabakabure.

The students were taken by their hosts on boat tours up jungle streams, shown traditional Arawak crafts such as weaving and pottery, and allowed to try their hand at traditional hunting tools like bows and arrows (which are still used to hunt everything from fish to birds to big game).

One morning, the students visited a cookhouse where the women demonstrated the lengthy process needed to make their staple flat bread from the cassava plant.

One evening was spent in a cross-cultural exchange at the local school. NS students performed Inuit songs, drumming, and throat singing, and demonstrated their clothing and traditional games. Local performers shared some of their own songs and dances. A second evening saw a huge bon fire, and a tug-of-war between the visitors and the hosts.

The warmth of the hospitality left a lasting impression on the students:

"I found the people of Kabakabure to be the most welcoming people I've ever met," said Teresa Nowdluk of Iqaluit. "They took care of us as if we had known them forever."

The visitors left a big impression on the hosts as well.

"I never dreamed I would actually meet the people from the north that I had always read about," said Gloria Lowe, who fed all 22 members of the group at her home every day they were in Kabakabure.

"It has been a great honour."

[next week: More to Guyana than jungle]

Murray Angus is a freelance writer and an instructor in the Nunavut Sivuniksavut program.