Philippe Morin
Northern News Services
Monday, March 26, 2007

TUKTOYAKTUK - Eleven-year-old Effie Gruben said it sometimes gets a little hot, dancing in a homemade drum parka.

"You want to stand under a fan," she said, of the fur-lined winter coat her mother made.

But of course, a little heat is a worthwhile sacrifice when it comes to being a Tuktoyaktuk Drummer and Dancer.

Gruben said she practises two or three times a week with other kids in the hamlet, as well as the many adults who round out the traditional group.

She has been dancing for four years, and was taught by her mother Louisa Gruben.

"It's fun to do, and you get to travel all over," she said, adding the group sometimes goes to Inuvik for recitals.

Tianna Kuptana, who is also 11, is another member of the troupe.

She said traditional dances are like small stories, which all showcase a part of Inuvialuit culture.

There is the kayak dance, the seal-hunt dance, the wood-chop dance and many others, all of which have moves to be memorized.

And of course, there are words to sing in Inuinnaqtun, which can be difficult.

"You have to memorize the words they are saying," Kuptana said, adding she doesn't always know what each Inuinnaqtun word means, though she can match the pronunciation.

When asked what kind of music she listens to, Gruben replied "anything with a beat," including modern pop music.

But she also said she enjoys the loud drumming, which is hard to describe in print. (Suffice to say it is a sound big enough for the Northern landscape, with no amplifiers necessary.)

Teacher Karra Dillon, who is Kuptana's aunt, said it's nice to see many young people taking part in drum dancing.

On March 17, she watched from the sidelines as the Tuktoyaktuk Drummers and Dancers performed a powerful show at Kitti Hall, which was the high point of a traditional games weekend.

Game official and organizer Donald Kuptana said the drummers will surely be invited next time, as they help tie the games to local tradition.

"We'll try to be doing that more and more," he said.