Darrell Greer
Northern News Services

RANKIN INLET (Feb 10/99) - For the first time in his more than 50 years of hunting and trapping, elder Honore Ittgaitok had to be found by search and rescue members last month after spending four nights lost and alone on the land.

The weather wasn't particularly good when Ittgaitok left Rankin Inlet with his partner Louis Pilakapsi to go caribou hunting. Little did Ittgaitok know leaving the hamlet that all his years of traditional knowledge were about to save his life.

After getting a few caribou, the bad weather turned worse and Ittgaitok and his partner lost their bearings and each other. Ittgaitok said when he realized he didn't know where he was, he immediately set to building an igloo, which would protect him for the next four nights until help arrived.

"I was well prepared and did not want for anything," said Ittgaitok. "I had brought food and a sleeping bag and I had the caribou. It was very hilly, so all I thought about every day was whether Louis got in an accident and maybe no one knew we might be in trouble and where we were.

"I was born on the land and brought up in the traditional way, so I know how to survive on the land and build an igloo for shelter."

Ittgaitok does his part to pass on his knowledge to today's youth by taking every opportunity to teach them traditional skills, something he says he enjoys very much. He says many people don't even realize different types of snow affect an igloo.

"Some snow can make an igloo very warm, other snow not so warm. When you look at the snow, the old snow came from previous blizzards and the new snow from the bad weather that is happening.

"The older snow would be better to use to build a shelter if it looks like you may have to stay in it longer."

Ittgaitok says there are basic precautions people can take before heading out on the land, pointing to how he was prepared with tools, food and a sleeping blanket. He says hunters usually know when the weather is going to be bad and will wait until it co-operates. No one should ever venture out onto the land if they know the weather's going to be bad.

He says taking precautions doesn't guarantee you'll be never be stranded and, if you are, staying calm greatly improves your chance of surviving.

"Some people tend to panic because they have in their mind the people back at home who love them. You have to push that aside. If you don't know where you are, stop and wait out the weather. As soon as it becomes better, try to figure out where the community is.

"Someone who does not know how to build a shelter could try and retrace their steps, but chances of surviving are much better if you can build a shelter and wait for help to arrive."