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QAUSUITTUQ/RESOLUTE
This summer's bowhead whale hunt in Pangnirtung, the community's first since 1998, was a success of immeasurable size.

This tent on Kekerten Island was part of the base camp for Pangnirtung bowhead whale hunters on Aug. 3. A large support crew worked behind the scenes to help the hunters catch a 40-foot beluga whale. - David Kilabuk photo

When the 40-foot behemoth was brought back to the hamlet by excited hunters on Aug. 8, they were greeted by several hundred enthusiastic residents.

Although the spotlight shined brightest on hunt leader Simeonie Keenainak and co-captain Charlie Qumuatuq, the men were helped out by a support crew numbering more than 100.

Eric Joamie, who worked for Fisheries and Oceans Canada as an interpreter during the 1998 hunt, was in charge of camp logistics this year.

As camp commander, Joamie had to co-ordinate every last morsel of food needed to feed more than 100 hunters, butchers, spotters and other helpers.

On top of those responsibilities, he was also responsible for the polar bear monitors and communicated with the hunting crews from atop the lookout hill on Kekerten Island, where the camp was set up.

Joamie said the week-long event ran very smoothly, aided by the fact that most of the crew were younger than the previous hunt members.

"There was a lot of good communication and commitment from the crew," he said.

"Most of the crew members were younger in generation than the last hunt in 1998. These boys were very accommodating. Whenever anything needed to be done, it was done in a fashion where they had a lot of respect for the elders."

Joamie said it was exciting to be part of the crew that worked hard together, and came back to a very welcoming community.

The crews noticed a lot of whale pods on their way back to Pangnirtung from Kekerten Island, a distance of about 50 kilometres.

"It was a very eventful return to the community," he said.

"And of course arriving to the crowd of well-wishers at the wharf made it even more exciting."

In fact, traditional hunting songs were sung upon their arrival, like it was normally practiced in previous hunts.

Another member of the sizable crew was David Kilabuk, the expedition's photographer.

The Pangnirtung resident, who shares a vast quantity of his daily pictures through social media networks, said it was a "once-in-a-lifetime experience.

"I gave notice that I wanted to photograph the hunt as soon as it was announced on the radio by the Pangnirtung HTA," he said, adding that he had been preparing for months ahead of time.

"I was dedicated to seeing this through, no matter what. It was emotional, hot, tiring, exhilarating and very satisfying to be part of history."

Kilabuk said he was initially worried about missing key moments during the hunt, and countered that anxiety by trying to anticipate how things would play out in his mind, months before the hunt even took place.

He likened it to an athlete visualizing a game before stepping onto a field.

"But this was no game and I have never done it before so I was worried," he said.

"It was all planned, how each boat had a responsibility after the first harpoon was struck by captain Simeonie Keenainak. Things worked out almost according to plan."

Although there were a few surprises along the road, they were handled efficiently, he added.

Kilabuk said he is thankful for the opportunity to be part of it, saying it brought him closer to his past.

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