BROUGHTON ISLAND/QIKIQTARJUAQ - Leslie Nukiwuak recently met two of three sisters he never knew he had.

"It's something. It's 'wow'!" said Nukiwuak. "It's slowly building, it's so new. I'm still getting to know them. I've lived with sisters all my life and now I have to start over again with new ones!"

From left, siblings Janice Chapman, Leslie Nukiwuak and Pam Miller. Nukiwuak, Chapman and Miller are all children of Bill Whaley, an RCMP officer who was stationed in Pangnirtung from 1943 to 1947. - photo courtesy of Tia Nukiwuak

Nukiwuak is the son of Bill Whaley, an RCMP officer who was stationed in Pangnirtung from 1943-1947.

Nukiwuak had been curious about his biological father for years and in the 1980s he tried to find out what happened to him. But all he had to go on was a photo and a name which was incorrect, so his inquiries never turned up anything. He never knew that after leaving Baffin Island his father got married and had a family in Alberta.

Meanwhile, one of Whaley's three daughters in Alberta had a family friend who worked as a nurse in Pang. The nurse found out from elders there that Bill Whaley had had a son in the community. For Janice Chapman (nee Whaley), that began a long quest to find her elder half-brother.

Bill Whaley died about 10 years ago, but his daughters grew up surrounded by photos and carvings he had brought back with him, and developed lifelong interests in the Inuit North.

"We grew up listening to many stories my father would tell about his time on Baffin Island," Chapman said.

The name Chapman got from Pangnirtung was "Leelie." Unilingual elders pronounced "Leslie" as "Leelie" so that was what Chapman had to go on. She looked online for a potential contact who could assist her, such as a church minister.

At one point she wrote an e-mail to Leelie Enterprises, Nukiwuak's business, but got no reply. Years later, Nukiwuak's wife Tia Nukiwuak recalled receiving and deleting the message because it looked like spam.

In the end the connection came by seeming chance. Nukiwuak's niece was in Edmonton and met Chapman's son. The two talked family and discovered their mutual heritage and put their families in touch with each other.

"That's how we found each other, through the kids," said Chapman. "Sort of destined to happen, I guess."

Chapman and her younger sister Pam Miller spent three weeks in Nunavut in late August and early September meeting family they never knew. The third Whaley sister, Wanda Whaley, could not make it to Nunavut.

Nukiwuak's mother Kilabuk Kooneeliusie was extremely happy to meet them, Nukiwuak said.

"I am the oldest daughter of three of my father's children," said Chapman. "Leslie is the oldest of us all now. How nice, I'm not the oldest anymore!"

Nukiwuak showed Chapman and Miller as much of his land and culture as humanly possible in their limited time in Qikiqtarjuaq. After some weeks with him, the sisters were going to see Pangnirtung, where Whaley was stationed.

As a gift for Pang's elders, the sisters brought with them a photo album they assembled of many of the pictures their father took while in the North.