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UQSUQTUUQ/GJOA HAVEN
Artifacts taken by Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen in the 1900s are the centrepiece of Gjoa Haven's new Nattilik Heritage Centre, set to officially open on Oct. 17.

Nattilik Heritage Centre board members Joanni Sallerinas, left, and Peter Akkikungnaq discuss a shaman's belt, which is one of 16 artifacts recently repatriated from Oslo after being taken from Gjoa Haven by Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen in the 1990s. - photo courtesy of Tone Wang

The artifacts were repatriated from Oslo and landed in Gjoa Haven in July.

Work on the facility is near completion with only a few finishing touches left to be done,

said Joanni Sallerina, vice-chairperson of the NHC board.

One of the main features of the new multimillion-dollar tourism centre is a museum.

It is home to 16 artifacts repatriated from Oslo.

The pieces, which include hunting equipment and everyday tools, were taken from Gjoa Haven by Amundsen who wintered in the area in the 1900s.

When he returned from his expedition in 1906, Amundsen gave the artifacts to the University of Oslo's Museum of Ethnography, now the Museum of Cultural History.

Tone Wang of the Museum of Cultural History said Amundsen collected the items so he would have a way to share his experiences and the success of his expedition.

"Amundsen was very impressed by the knowledge and expertise of the Inuit he met on King William Island," stated Wang in an e-mail from Oslo, adding the explorer made a point of learning from his Inuit friends.

"He collected comprehensively, including all the material objects the Inuit in this region were making and using at the time."

Over the past few years the museum has worked with Gjoa Haven to see some of the pieces returned.

It finally happened in July when the 16 artifacts arrived by plane.

The NHC board unpacked the items with Wang and everyone was relieved to find nothing was damaged.

Sallerina saw the collection of items from Amundsen for the first time last year when he visited Oslo with his wife and seven students.

It's satisfying to see some of the items returned, he added.

"Just to be able to handle them. It's hard to describe. It made your heart beat," he said.

Seeing the artifacts reminded Sallerina of his grandparents because they still used a lot of the tools when he was growing up, such as the bow drill, fish spear and harpoon.

For Sallerina, his favourite pieces in the NHC's new collection are the qulliq and the bow and arrows set, which is complete with a seal skin casing.

He believes the traditional lamp was used by hunters since it's only about a foot-and-a-half wide.

"When you go out for hunting and you're out for days and weeks at a time, the men would take that with them. The home-based camp qulliqs are huge, they're much bigger," he said.

The centre, with Wang's help, has taken museum quality measures to ensure the more than 100-year-old artifacts remain well preserved.

They have been sealed, climatized and carefully lit.

However, it was a difficult task give the various materials -- bone, antler, wood, metals, sinew and skin of different types -- they're made from, Wang stated in an e-mail from Oslo.

"The skin and sinew are the most fragile parts of the objects," she said.

Going forward, the Museum of Cultural History and the NHC are hoping to collaborate with one another on future projects.

Currently, the NHC is looking at loaning out camcorders for residents to make videos of hunting trips or travel, said Sallerina.

The footage would then be sent to the museum in Oslo so they can share images of Gjoa Haven today.

"It's a work in progress," he noted.

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