Baker Lake (Oct 25/06) - A love for the ways of the past led to the creation of a unique piece of art in Baker Lake earlier this month.

Vera Avaala said she would prefer the traditional, nomadic way of the past over the lifestyle Inuit face today.

Her parents used to live in a caribou-skin tent years ago, and Avaala was upset with herself for never learning how to make one before they died.

The chance presented itself with the help of a grant from the Canada Council Traditional Art Forms program and the willingness of her aunt, May Haqpi, to teach her how.

The resulting piece, Illagiit (big family), took 40 caribou skins and two weeks of labour to finish.

The work will be part of the Kivalliq Inuit Doll Festival and Exhibition in Rankin Inlet from Sept. 8-15, 2007.

"I didn't even know how to start," said Avaala.

"I made a long strip of skins the first time I tried, but I learned the right way as my aunt took a skin and cut it in half before putting it on top of another.

"Then she put the third skin on the bottom and started adding from both sides.

"I would never have thought of doing it like that."

Avaala kept notes and took numerous photos at every stage of the process to document the proper way to construct the tent.

She said the record keeping, coupled with working with her aunt, has her confident in her ability to build one on her own.

"I wanted to make a bigger tent but the posts I had were too short, so we made a medium-sized tent.

"Still, there would be lots of space for a family of about 10 to sleep inside."

Avaala also heads the Baker group, which is making dolls for the 2007 festival.

She said it's good to see young girls involved with the project.

"I have about eight students in our group, with the rest adults.

"If the girls finish, I'm going to bring their dolls with me to Rankin.

"The girls just started, but they seem interested and ask a lot of questions."

Avaala wants to learn how to make many more tools of the past, including a kayak.

She has most of what she needs to start on traditional bags for carrying meat, water and other items, but will need to find more funding to tackle a kayak.

"I want everything Inuit used a long time ago, before we had the qablunaaq lifestyle of noisy machines and TV and a big house that has to be cleaned all the time.

"I only watch TV for an hour a day, but my husband loves to watch hockey.

"When he has hockey on TV, I go visit my friends."