Jillian Dickens
Northern News Services

Clyde River (Oct 10/05) - Peter Iqalukjuak is a multi-talented man, known for connecting people, sounds, and places through a host of electronics, a knowledge of the territory, and a dedication to both.

Simply put, the man is "up to date."

"You should see my house," said Iqalukjuak.

It's a snarl of wires and a pile of equipment, he said. Among the web of wires, you will find three computers and several cameras. "I even have a T.V. station where I broadcast to the community from my house."

Iqalukjuak wasn't always this connected. He grew up outside of Clyde River in an outpost camp, where equipment he works with now was virtually unheard of.

"I joke that I came from iglus to computers," he said.

While Iqalukjuak, who is also a musician, was playing the keyboard at a church in Pond Inlet three years ago, a flood of sound, like a rushing river, came out of nowhere. He immediately turned down the music from the control board nearby, and still the sound continued. To this day, Iqalukjuak does not know what was causing the noise.

"I started carrying a camera after that because you never know what's going to happen."

But that wasn't the only reason. When Nunavut was in the process of setting up self-governance, Iqalukjuak played a part in connecting the different groups and organizations together to talk. He travelled a lot then.

"I started seeing all these people and different communities. This made me think I should take pictures to show people what's going on in these places."

Now, whether he's filming bowhead whales and polar bears, or just shopping at the Northern store, he has his recording devices in hand.

"I keep my camera under my jacket and people at the store never ask me about it," says the now well-known cameraman. "They trust me."

Iqalukjuak posts his pictures on the web and sends them to newspapers and to friends.

"My biggest interest is connecting people, sounds, wires. That's the most I understand."