Jillian Dickens
Northern News Services

Cambridge Bay (Nov 28/05) - The Kitikmeot Heritage Society shot two birds with one arrow by hosting the Cambridge Bay traditional Inuit bow-making workshop two weeks ago.

One, young people learned about their culture and history through a hands-on heritage project. Two, elders' memories and knowledge of the Copper Inuit bow were recorded.

Moses Koihok was one of the three elders on hand to teach and to tell.

"It took me back to when my father used to make them," said Koihok, through translations by Dennis Shappa.

Koihok, Frank Analok and Tommy Kilaudluk shared knowledge of bow-making, the specialized vocabulary, and hunting caribou with bows. They also told stories about hunting with the bows as children.

Don Gardner, an expert in creating replicas of traditional Inuit and other aboriginal tools, taught four students and heritage society staff to build the bows.

A handful of young students completed wooden bows, based on the design of an almost century-old Copper Inuit bow, now on display in a museum in the south.

Darren Keith, Kitikmeot Heritage Society senior researcher and event organizer, is pleased as punch at the event outcome.

"I hope this event will be the beginning of the return of Inuit traditional archery, and that it might one day be an event in Inuit traditional games at the regional, Nunavut and international levels," said Keith.

Traditional bow-making, the way he remembers it, is becoming extinct because muskox horns are being sold to non-Inuit, said Koihok.

"We cannot make bows and arrows as much. It was enjoyable making them for the kids and passing skills on to the young people," said Koihok.

He said traditional muskox bows take up to four days to make, and are burned into place.