Darren Campbell and Jennifer McPhee
Reporting From Iqaluit and Nuuk

NNSL (Mar 25/02) - The athletes and performers at the Arctic Winter Games did more than showcase their talents last week. They grasped the true spirit of the circumpolar games, celebrating their culture and learning about others.

Joey Francis is a perfect example. The blocky 15-year-old from Fort McPherson competed in the Dene Games in Nuuk, Greenland. It was the first Arctic Winter Games for the five-foot-eight, 220-pounder, and it was quite a debut.

Francis speaks softly for such a big boy but above the din of the raucous Greenland crowd, cheering on the junior girls volleyball team at the Nuuk mutihall, he mentioned he won three ulus at the games.

Still, Francis also knows the games are about more than ulus.

He noticed how all participants here act like one big Northern family, regardless of nationality.

"You go up to people, ask where they're from, they tell you. Then they ask where you're from and what sport you are doing," said Francis. "This is the best fun I've had in a long time."

Francis also kept an eye on the female situation in Nuuk. The Greenland girls are his favourite.

"These are the best girls I've seen in my life and I'm meeting lots of them," he said.

Over in Iqaluit, games participants, curious about other cultures, offered similar sentiments. When a young drum dance group from Cambridge Bay performed, other artists peppered them with questions. "Do you guys perform in your community? At feasts?" asked throat singer Neeve Hanson. "Do you get paid?"

Young drum dancer Jackie Kameemalik discovered more young people are showing a genuine interest in traditional culture.

"We each have a talent that is unique," he said. "I always thought drum dancing was going to die down. But it's totally the opposite."

Everywhere in Iqaluit, artists from different regions and countries became friends.

"It's really nice to talk to all the different musicians about the business," said Malik Kleist, vocalist from Greenlandic rock band Chilly Friday. "Musicians are the same all over."

On their off-time, Chilly Friday even tried out Canada's national sport, curling. "It looks so easy on TV," said drummer Alex Anderson, laughing. "But then we tried it and we were way off."

Nora Sanders, a potter from Iqaluit, said the games helped ignite cultural pride. "Just having so may young people together at the same time, learning about each other is wonderful."

And while many performers dealt with issues specific to the North -- the land, animals and hunting -- they also tapped into broader, universal themes.

Alain Auger composes music for the folk-influenced band, Taima, and Nunavik singer Elisapie Isaac writes their beautiful, emotional lyrics.

"We want to show the complexity of being a human being, even if we are from different cultures," said Auger. "We all ask the same questions. We're all scared of the same things."