Yellowknife (July 26/04) - "Unforgettable! Fascinating! An experience of a lifetime!"

These were typical reactions by 17 Nunavut Sivuniksavut students who recently travelled to the tiny Central American country of Belize.

The two-week trip in May came at the end of the students' eight-month college program in Ottawa where they studied Inuit history, politics and land claims.

The purpose of the trip was to share their Inuit culture and the story of Nunavut with the Maya in Belize.

Belize was chosen because it is an English-speaking country and also because the Inuit Circumpolar Conference has relationships with Mayan organizations there.

While the country is tiny by Nunavut standards, students were struck by its diversity.

"That country is so small, yet we were in swampy areas, dry areas, mountain areas, jungle areas and even the Cayes (islands)," said Elaine Lloyd of Iqaluit.

The people, too, were diverse: Belize is made up of Spanish, Africans and indigenous peoples.

"I was able to taste their foods, watch them dance, hear them sing, listen to stories about their past and see what kind of environment they actually live in," said Jayne Omilgoitok of Cambridge Bay.

The first week was spent in Southern Toledo district where they were hosted by officials at the Belize Indigenous Training Institute.

"What really got me was the similar status of the two cultures," said Miranda Atatahak of Kugluktuk.

"It seems that both the Belizean and Inuit cultures were clashing with Western society and slowly being pushed aside by this modern age."

Hellin Alariaq of Cape Dorset also had strong reactions: "I would never have thought that other aboriginal people in a totally different part of the world are dealing with the same issues that Inuit are!"

At the same time, Elaine Lloyd pointed out, "They are like Inuit in Canada -- fighting for recognition and land. They even had organizations like we do up here."

The students spent several days in the southern Toledo region, visiting smaller Mayan communities as well as sites of ancient Mayan cities.

One stop was to a forest that was being managed by traditional Mayan healers.

These were elders who knew exactly how hundreds of plants could be used to treat different health problems, everything from snakebites to hair loss. There were 695 plants under their care in the forest.

Cultural sharing

Everywhere they went, the students gave performances which included Inuit drumming, throat singing, Inuit fashion shows and demonstrations of Inuit games. Audiences of all ages were enthraled by the students' performances.

"I really enjoyed performing at the elementary schools because the kids really got into it," said Jayne Omilgoitok. "It was like we were celebrities!"

"Sharing our Inuit culture was important as it reflected who we are and where we come from," said Jenna Kamingoak of Kugluktuk.

The sharing wasn't just one-way, however.

"After we did our presentations the people would share some of their traditional performances as well, which was really neat to see," said Elaine Lloyd.

-- Part 2, also written by Murray Angus, is about the students visiting an ancient Mayan temple.