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 Dave Nalungiaq, left, Stanley Nirlongayuk, Remi Krikort, Marianne Uggarqluk, Melissa Ihakkaq, Gwen Karlik and Emilia Krikort enjoy IQ day at school. - photo courtesy of Amaiya Emingak |
He goes hunting every spring outside of Kugaaruk with his grandfather and uncle.
But even this promising young hunter said he learned a thing or two during the Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (IQ) Day his school held on Aug. 31.
About 60 students gathered around a freshly caught seal on Tuesday behind Kugaardjuq school in Kugaaruk.
They carved it up, wrote down all the parts of the seal in their notepads, learned how to squeeze then braid the intestines and feast on raw as well as boiled meat before delivering much of the fresh meat to elders in the town.
"It was a wonderful day," said Amaiya Emingak, co-principal of the school, who along with the support of all the teachers, came up with the idea for IQ Day. It's an event she'd like to see happen again soon, especially if they can get a fresh caribou.
"The students, especially the Inuit students, are hungry to learn, and this is part of their ancestry," she said.
"We wanted to also promote healthy eating habits. We hear so much about junk food in the schools and this was one way to promote a healthy, traditional lifestyle."
Gwen Karlik, a Grade 7 student, liked cutting the seal skin off using an ulu.
"It was fun," she said. "I liked cooking the seal. Then we gave some to the elders."
When asked how the elders reacted to the seal meat carved by the students, she said, "They told us, 'Thank you.'"
Gina Alakannuark, also in Grade 7, only needed a moment to think of her favourite part of IQ Day.
"Braiding the intestine!" she said. Once braided, it was boiled and eaten.
Alakannuark was especially thrilled when she gave her grandfather some of the meat they carved.
Benjamin Niptayuk, 14, has been out on the land and knows a lot about seal hunting, but said he learned more from IQ Day after they had to label all the parts of the seal.
"It was about three or four feet long," he said of the seal.
Niptayuk said his parents were proud of him when they heard about the day.
Netsilik, the region where the students live, means "people of the seal," Emingak pointed out.
"I tell the students that the land provided their ancestors with so much," she said. "The non-Inuit teachers were happy to learn, too. I love teaching my culture."
