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ARVIAT
Members of an Arviat cultural performance group recently ventured outside its community to appear in bigger venues in front of larger crowds. They were met with great reception.

Qaggiqtiit members Nuatie Suluk, left, Karen Panigoniak, Elizabeth Nibgoarsi, Nancy Tasseor, Ernie Eetak, Mary Anowtalik and Eva Mukyunik pose for a photo in Ottawa, with one unknown guest at back left, Summer Solstice Aboriginal Arts Festival in late June. - Hugh Phillips photo

Qaggiqtiit brought its throat singing and drum dancing to Ottawa's Summer Solstice Aboriginal Arts Festival in late June, and to Iglulik's Rockin' Walrus Arts Festival in early July.

"They were received very well," said Lois Suluk-Locke, the leader of the group, referring to the summer solstice festival in Ottawa. "Everything went well, except it was too hot for the elders."

She said the group was also a hit at the Rockin' Walrus festival.

Suluk-Locke, herself a throat singer and cultural teacher outside of the group, said she isn't afraid of being on stage in front of big crowds, but these performances have helped others who don't have as much experience in public performance.

"For the others that just started out performing, they've gotten so much better, so much used to performing on stage," she said. "It definitely opens (the performers') eyes to be more proud in their heritage and to be more precise and bold as to what they've been experiencing since the beginning."

The group consists of 13 members, which was split into half to send groups to each festival. Suluk-Locke said Qaggiqtiit hopes to recruit music students once high school is back in session in Arviat, to add depth to the performance.

The current show starts off with a traditional drum song, and then there are two more drum songs with two different types of throat singing breaking up the three acts. The group members also spend a lot of time explaining what they are doing, and why.

One type of throat singing they perform is called bucket throat singing, in which the performers use a bucket to produce an echo effect.

Arviat tourism co-ordinator Olivia Tagalik said Qaggiqtiit's performances are a hit with tourists to the community.

"It's a very authentic program," said Tagalik. "The group is made up of elders and youth and different people in the community so they (tourists) always find it really interesting, how they showcase the culture."

Tagalik said the group has a show slated in Arviat for October, when a group of tourists will come to observe polar bears.

Though she is busy promoting herself as a throat singer and cultural teacher, Suluk-Locke hopes to attend one or two trips out of Arviat with Qaggiqtiit per year.

"The show we did (in Iglulik and Ottawa) took maybe six months to perfect and we kept using the routine but we're going to change a few things come fall time," said Suluk-Locke.

Qaggiqtiit was founded two years ago as part of the Arviat Community Ecotourism initiative, under the leadership of Suluk-Locke, with the intent to provide cultural performances for visiting tourists. Through funding from Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., the group has brought Guillaume Saladin, the founder of Iglulik's ArtCirq, to Arviat five times to help the group fine-tune its performances.

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