KANGIQTUGAAPIK/CLYDE RIVER - Elizabeth Kopalie said she had never been to anything like it before.

"It was great, fun and made me happy," said the woman from Qikiqtarjuaq.

Kalluk Palituq of Clyde River picks berries near the Arnait Retreat camp. - photo courtesy of Shari Gearheard

She was one of 22 women who participated in a women's retreat with ladies from Clyde River and Qikiqtarjuaq at the beginning of last month.

It was called the Arnait Retreat. Women from both communities - 10 from Clyde and eight from Qikiqtarjuaq, along with four female researchers and three male polar bear monitors - camped out for a week at Kiglapait, a popular camping spot about 35 kilometres from Clyde River by boat.

The gathering is part of the Arnait Project, which Clyde River resident Shari Gearheard is working on with a colleague at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ont. The project is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

The project in its first of three years and looks at women's roles in the communities, Gearheard said.

"We are looking at how women share resources ... ones that are helping them and ones they might need," she said.

Gearheard said the goal of the retreat was to bring women from the two communities together to create a support network.

In the mornings and evenings each day, the women had discussions on a wide range of topics, which they chose.

"We did a little bit of healing, you could talk about anything - husbands, children, grandchildren," said Kopalie.

She said she felt quite comfortable being surrounded by other women.

Discussion topics included how to be a good woman, a good person and how to be a good partner in a marriage.

Gearheard and the other researchers were able to gather information on things like where women get their food, the income needed to sustain a household and the challenges they face.

The women on the retreat ranged in age from 20 to 75 years old. For Kopalie, she said having women from a variety of ages enhanced her experience.

Much of the remaining time on the retreat was spent picking blueberries and black berries, playing games and making food together.

Many of the women on the retreat said the social and physical activity of berry picking was a highlight.

"It was about the women being together," Gearheard said.

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