ARVIAT - A book of stunning photography and illuminating text on the beauty of Arviat will be released later this month by Nadine Lamoureux and Lynne S. Rollin.

Follow the Trail is a new book on the beauty of Arviat which will be available later this month. Lynne S. Rollin (inset) has lived in Arviat for the past 25 years. - photo courtesy of Nadine Lamoureux

The book, Follow the Trail, depicts life in Arviat through photos of people, landscapes, animals and birds.

Lamoureux hails from a small community south of Winnipeg.

She visited Arviat during the summer of 1997 and returned to stay a few months later.

Lamoureux joined the staff at the Catholic Mission and the Mikilaaq Centre, where she became a Jack-of-all-trades. She managed to combine work with studies, and eventually realized her dream of becoming a photographer.

She's shared her talents and knowledge through workshops and classes offered at the Mikilaaq Centre and a local school.

Lamoureux designed the pair's first calendar in 2007, with two more to follow.

The release of Follow the Trail will be a dream come true for her in many ways.

She said the book captures the beauty of simple, everyday life in Arviat.

"The photos are very recent, with most coming from the past year and others from a year or two before that," said Lamoureux.

"It's not a historical book of Arviat, but a fresh look at life in our community.

"Lynne's been here for 25 years and I've been here for 12, so she does write about her stories on the land and different ways we've experienced Arviat.

"With Lynne being here so long, some of the stories do go back a ways, but the photos are new."

Lamoureux said she won't be totally relieved over the book's completion until she sees the final product.

She said the point of the book is to show Arviat's beauty, and she will be proud to accomplish that.

"I am proud to be able to show all the good things about Arviat in this book.

"We both have jobs, so the book took us a full year to do.

"We worked on it as time permitted and it will be exciting the day it arrives.

"I put the book together on the computer, so I won't be totally relieved until I've checked it all out, but I'm sure it will be great."

Rollin was born and raised in a small French Canadian farming community outside of Ottawa.

She first travelled to Arviat, called Eskimo Point at the time, in the summer of 1981, vowing to return.

When she did, she fell in love with the community and made it her home.

Rollin was involved in many community projects for a number of years, but has recently lived a more secluded life, putting a lot of energy into proudly exposing the beauty of Arviat, the community she affectionately calls home.

She combined her love of writing and nature to collaborate with Lamoureux on the calendars Birds of Arviat (2007), Northern Blooms (2008) and Gems of the North (2009). Her desire to publish a book continued to grow, leading to the current project.

Though the process was slow, and complicated by a full-time job and volunteer work at the Mikilaaq Centre, she pushed on and her tenacity was rewarded.

Rollin contributed the text and a number of photos to the book, which is a testimony to her love of nature and all that makes the North unique.

Rollin said creating the book was an emotional process.

She said it was a dream she wanted to realize so badly, yet there were times it seemed like it was never going to happen.

"As the book got closer to being completed, it took more and more of my time and occupied more space in my head," said Rollin.

"Once we finished and sent it to the printer, Copy Expert in Kanata (Ottawa), Ont., it was very exciting, so, I assume, when we get it back it will be twice as exciting."

Lamoureux and Rollin published the book on their own and will give a free copy to each Arviat household.

Rollin said many people in Arviat are already excited about the book and are anxiously awaiting its arrival.

She said the book is a culmination of her 25 years in Arviat and a way to thank the community for all it's given her.

"We've been happy and privileged to share many special moments in people's lives here, and to enjoy the beauty of the land.

"There are people who want to buy the book as soon as it becomes available, rather than wait for the free copy we'll be giving away after Christmas.

"We did the same thing with our calendars because we want to share with everyone, not just the people who can afford it.

"This book is not about making money, but about the beauty of the North and its people, land, animals and birds."

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