QIKIQTARJUAQ/BROUGHTON ISLAND
A group of determined walkers from Qikiqtarjuaq took part in a 52-kilometre trek in the name of suicide prevention from May 24 to 27.
Patrick Borbey, chairperson of the Arctic Council's Senior Arctic Officials, said May 29 the council needs to do a better job of communicating its mandate to Northerners. - Myles Dolphin/NNSL photo
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The annual event, organized by the hamlet's recreation board, kicked off on the Friday afternoon when 15 participants and five helpers on snowmobiles left the community.
Qikiqtarjuaq's recreation co-ordinator Eena Kooneeliusie was one of the walkers. She said the soft snow made it relatively hard to walk, causing some of the participants to experience muscle cramps and blisters.
"I was always the last person because, as the recreation co-ordinator, I have to make sure everyone is alright," she said.
"When the group needed a pep talk I gave it to them. It wasn't that cold because we were moving and we felt so happy when we finally got back to Qikiqtarjuaq because a lot of people were cheering for us."
Over the weekend the walkers slept in tents and ate food prepared by a chef who accompanied them.
The group returned on the Monday evening to much fanfare, when most of the hamlet showed up to welcome them home. A huge feast took place that night following their arrival.
Because of the exposure to the bright sun, many of the walkers returned with impressive tans on their faces, leaving the skin around their eyes much lighter.
Monica Koksiak participated with her 10-year-old daughter – the event's youngest walker – and her newborn baby on her back.
She's been joining the walk since it first began in 1999. That year, there were only five of them.
She heard the call from the recreation board on the radio and knew she had to sign up once more.
"I always enjoy the walk because it helps me physically and mentally," Koksiak said.
"I feel like I get more energy after I've completed it."
Koksiak said she uses the walk as a cleansing ritual.
"I think of what I've been through over the years, and what I've been through in the past year," she said.
"If I went through hard times, I thank God that I was able to get through it."
When she got back to Qikiqtarjuaq, she felt proud of her accomplishment when hundreds of people cheered her group on.
"I was so happy to have made it, with my baby with me," she said.
"The reason why we walked is because we feel love for the people in our community, and we needed to let them know. That's what we told them, in Inuktitut, when we got back."
She encourages more people to take part in the walk next year and plans on being part of the group that gets the call out for participation on the community radio station.
