Neils Christensen
Northern News Services

Iqaluit (May 24/04) - Bulletin boards around this city can be a wealth of information for people looking for bargains.

Sometimes amid all the moving sale ads, vehicle sales and apartments for rent, there is a real gem. Sunday afternoon one poster did just that.

Kunuk Rojas shows off the two walrus tusks his family sold after only posting the message for a few hours on the bulletin boards in Iqaluit. - Neils Christensen/NNSL photo

"Two walrus tusks for sale: $100 each. Iqunaq for sale $50 each."

Aluki Rojas was selling the tusks.

"We just put (the posters) up this morning," he said.

"It was exciting," added Kunuk, her son, as he raced from room to room.

Rojas explained that he was in charge of tacking the posters to the boards.

The tusks and iqunaq -- fermented walrus meat -- were given to Rojas by her father, Apayata Kotierk, a hunter who lives in Iglulik.

"My dad saw this as an opportunity to sell some of his stuff outside of Iglulik," she said.

In January, Rojas and her family just moved back to the North and settled in Iqaluit.

She admits that this is the first time she has advertised and sold something using the bulletin boards.

"At first I thought it was going to be a headache but it hasn't been," she said.

Going, going gone

After few hours of posting the ads, Rojas sold the tusks to artist Garry Rasmussen.

Rasmussen said he was a little surprised to see the ad on the board.

"Things like that don't last long on the bulletin board," he said. "I had to get them as fast as possible."

Rasmussen will use the tusk for carving and making jewelry.

While the walrus tusks sold quickly, Rojas still has some iqunaq to sell.Still, she is confident it would all sell.