Michele LeTourneau
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Mar 08/00) - By far the most impressive moment of the Arctic Winter Games opening ceremonies on Sunday was when the Coming of Raven act began with a great billowing cloud of fog and lights over the ice.

From it emerged a giant raven puppet. Carried by three actors, the raven flew to the voice of a storyteller, as creation unfolded in the dim light of primordial chaos.

The piece, by the Yukon Educational Theatre, was but one of many performances staged for a capacity crowd gathered at the NorthwesTel Takhini Arena in Whitehorse.

A dazzling array of Yukon performers entertained the crowd before and after speeches by dignitaries, including Governor General Adrienne Clarkson.

Representatives from the NWT and Nunavut, including Premier Stephen Kakfwi, joined their counterparts from Russia, Alaska, Yukon, Greenland, Northern Alberta and Nunavik.

The opening ceremonies expressed the exuberance and excitement that had been building for days as athletes, performers, coaches, officials, parents and fans streamed into town -- and focused it all in an hour-and-a-half program.

Prior to the athletes' entrance, the crowd was regaled with the haunting strains of the Midnight Sun pipe band, a fast-paced turn by the Klondike Highland Dancers and a unique skipping piece by the Takhini Heartbeaters.

The local traditional dance group, the Dakwakada Dancers, performed an honour dance, while the singing of the traditional welcome song fell to Linda Harvey, a Southern Tutchone singer from the Ta'an Kwach'an First Nation.

Throughout the proceedings, the unlit torch, a bronze sculpture commissioned by the Whitehorse Host Society and positioned dramatically on stage, made its presence felt. The striking sculpture, by Yukon artist Bela Simo, combines the three rings of the AWG logo -- symbolizing athletic competition, cultural exchange and social interchange -- and an ulu, the traditional cutting tool that is also the shape of the award medals.

With the lighting of the torch and the raising of the flag, the games were officially declared open.

Immediately after the ceremonies, Clarkson moved on up the hill to the Yukon Arts Centre, where she formally opened Convergence: the Exhibition of the 2000 Arctic Winter Games. Among the many art works from across the North included are the paintings of Yellowknife artists Germaine Arnaktauyok, Sheila Hodgkinson, Mona Thrasher and Antoine Mountain, as well as a sewing kit by Yellowknifer Judith Buggins.