BAKER LAKE - Writing her master's thesis for the University of Manitoba was almost as much about selfdiscovery as graduating for Paula Kigjugalik Hughson of Baker Lake.

Hughson graduated with a master's degree in natural resources management this past October.

Her thesis - Our homeland for the past, present and future: Akulliqpaaq Qamaniq (Aberdeen Lake) and Qamaniq Tugliqpaaq (Schultz Lake) landscapes described by elder John Killulark - documented her family history on her mother's side, their life on the land prior to moving to Baker in the late '50s, place names, songs and legends of the area.

Hughson, 40, who's been park manager for Ukkusiksalik National Park in Repulse Bay since 2006, donated her thesis to the Thomas Tapatai Library in Baker.

She said she selected the topic because she didn't know very much about her family history.

"One of my uncles had passed away while I was at university doing the course work for my program," said Hughson.

"I told my adviser I'd really love to learn more about my family's history and life before they moved to Baker Lake.

"I was originally going to do my thesis on polar bears, but when my adviser told me I could do it on my family history, that's what I decided to do."

Hughson said she learned how closely she was related to some of her cousins while going through the interview process.

She said she didn't realize their fathers were actually her uncles, because she'd only known three of her mom's brothers and sisters.

"I had never met any of my mom's older brothers and sisters or my grandparents, so it was interesting to learn about their life on the land, how they travelled and their respect for the land.

"It was such a different lifestyle then."

Hughson said although the Natural Resources Institute at the University of Manitoba has a lot of people from around the world doing similar type work, there hasn't been much done on Nunavut.

She said that led to the school being excited about her project.

"The library was also quite excited about receiving my thesis in Baker.

"I had completed the course and fieldwork for my master's when my job came up, so I left the writing part thinking I could write and work at the same time.

"That didn't work out so well, so I was very lucky they gave me a year off from my work to finish my master's because the university wasn't letting students drag their thesis over five or 10 years anymore.

"It's been a great project to work on and a great learning experience for myself and my entire family."

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