Karen Mackenzie
Northern News Services
Monday, July 23, 2007

IQALUIT - The brightly-painted Rhonjalee stands out against the seasonal hustle of sea crates and forklifts on the Iqaluit shore.

Juta Ipeelee is a carver, crew member and miner aboard the Rhonjalee in Iqaluit. - Karen Mackenzie/NNSL photo

Formerly a mid-water trawler, the vessel will sail this month for open soapstone pits outside Cape Dorset, where her crew will mine about 57 tons of the material favoured by local carvers.

"A lot of sweat and hard work," said Russell Chislett, owner of the boat.

Chislett, one of the few in the territory to undertake a commercial soapstone venture of this size, has made the trek a few times a year since sailing the Rhonjalee up from West Pubnico, N.S., in July 1992.

Crew member and miner Juta Ipeelee has worked alongside Chislett for about 18 of those years. As a carver himself, he said he likes the opportunity to handpick a chunk or two for his own work - mainly depictions of whale and walrus, one of which can be found at the local museum.

Soapstone is the only medium he works in, as "other stone is too hard to work on," he said.

Near the end of July, the Rhonjalee will ferry about eight crew to the worksite, where they will join local miners in breaking and hauling out the stone over the course of four or five days.

If they're lucky, they'll supplement their camp food with country food along the way.

"And he's a good bannock-maker, this guy," said Chislett, gesturing towards Ipeelee.

On their return, the soapstone will be stored and sold to local carvers and some galleries, primarily around Iqaluit, according to Chislett.

Last year, soapstone went for about $2.30 a pound, he said.

"There're quite a few people who transit, pick up stones here, carve for a bit, and are on their way," he said.

"There are a lot of carvers 'round here now," Ipeelee added.

Chislett's load makes up a substantial portion of the estimated 300 tons mined throughout Nunavut annually, according to Chris Cowx, of the Department of Economic Development and Tourism.

But 300 tons is a rough guess, he stressed.

"It's very hard to tell, because a lot of what is done occurs on a more casual basis. Most of it occurs as part of regular on-the-land activities," he explained, using the example of a family who returns from a hunting trip with a few chunks of soapstone in tow.

Under the land claims agreement, every Inuk is entitled to mine 50 cubic yards of carving stone.

Chislett, who is from Quebec, receives his permit through the Qikiqtani Inuit Association, which administers the resource.