Darrell Greer
Northern News Services

NNSL (Feb 03/99) - For Rankin Inlet elder Jack Kabvitok, hitching up the dog sled and heading out onto the land to hunt, trap or fish is as natural as the snowy landscape that lends itself to all his favourite activities.

Kabvitok was born in an igloo in Chesterfield Inlet in 1940. He and his family moved to Rankin Inlet in 1957, where he has lived ever since. The amicable elder says he still loves to head out on the land and still prefers travelling by dog sled over the more modern choice -- the snowmobile.

"I still enjoy it, to hunt and trap," says Kabvitok, in his slow and deliberate manner that commands almost instant respect. "I first started to trap when I was eight years old, a long time ago," he says matter-of-factly.

Kabvitok is more well-known than your average Inuit elder, having appeared across North America when he was featured in a recent edition of xxxThis Old House magazine, which wanted to feature a traditional Inuit igloo. Kabvitok says he's not sure how the magazine picked him, but they contacted him about doing the feature and he agreed.

"There were two of them who came from Texas," said Kabvitok. "They went out to my cabin with me. They took the pictures there you see in the magazine. They stayed out there with me for about, oh I guess, about a week. I think they really enjoyed it. They had a good time."

Kabvitok has been employed with Rankin Inlet's Manni Ulujuk junior high school for the past eight years, where he says he does "anything."

In fact, Kabvitok spends a great deal of time with the school's students passing on his traditional knowledge. Knowledge which, someday, may help the students to survive.

"I go with them and show them how to hunt, fish, trap, work in shop, build a shelter, those types of things. I enjoy showing the kids these things very much. It's very important that the young Inuit learn these things."

Kabvitok is worried about the ambition, or lack thereof, today's young Inuit have when it comes to learning traditional knowledge. He agrees there seems to be too many modern devices competing for their time, TV, video games and the like, and they are losing interest in the traditional ways of life.

"I was born in an igloo and I've been hunting and trapping just about all my life. When I first came to Rankin there were about 200 people here. It's really grown up since 1957, but I still like life here.

"It's important we (elders) pass on as much knowledge as we can to our young people so they don't forget out past and our skills. I still love to go out on the land and always will."