Darrell Greer
Northern News Services

Marble Island (Aug 23/00) - Sometimes future successes result from taking an initial first step.

This was the thinking behind the group responsible for entertaining about 80 tourists to Marble Island on Aug. 10 and 13.

The visitors were travelling aboard the French cruise ship Le Levant and were treated to drum dancing, an interpretive tour, elders' tales and an assortment of local products and crafts.

The Marble Island Tour 2000 idea was initiated by Sheila Milloy of Kivalliq Tours and further developed in consultation with Nunavut Tourism, the Hamlet of Rankin Inlet, Kivalliq Inuit Association and the Department of Sustainable Development.

The project was funded by Kivalliq Partners through the Community Initiatives program.

Project co-ordinator Joeffery Kaludjak hopes the tour will pave the way for bigger and better things when tourists visit the Kivalliq region.

He said the project was designed to develop the local tourism industry.

"There were some actual sales made by local merchants," said Kaludjak.

"The first trip was not so great because the contact person with the cruise ship forgot to mention it and the tourists didn't bring any money along.

"The second trip, however, the tourists were looking for Keewatin Meat and Fish products and purchased some replicas of harpoons, kaqivaks (fish spear) and other carvings."

Kaludjak said the visitors enjoyed the tour and hearing the legend of Dead Man's Island, handed down from generation to generation among Inuit and told by Felix Pissuk. Kaludjak hopes the effort will pay future dividends for the local tourism industry.

"It was a good first attempt, which I think was very successful. Now the cruise ship company is talking about bringing the tourists into the community the next time instead of us taking local merchants down there (to Marble Island).

"That would definitely be a positive development for our local tourism industry."