Learning to survive
Elders teach iglu building in Chesterfield Inlet
Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Wednesday, April 6, 2016
CHESTERFIELD INLET
A group of elders passed on a bit of traditional knowledge during an iglu-building project in Chesterfield Inlet this past month.
Project participant Trevor Thompson places a snow block during an iglubuilding project in Chesterfield Inlet this past month. - photo courtesy of Valerie Ipkarnerk |
The project was organized by community wellness worker Jacinthe Amarok through the health committee with elders Mark Amarok, Gerald Blanchard and Casimir Kriterdluk taking lead roles.
Amarok said learning these skills is very important, both as survival training and as a way for the elders to pass on their knowledge to the younger generation while they still can.
She said as a result of the project, there are now four more young people with a better chance of surviving if they are ever caught out on the land.
"There were supposed to have been eight students on the course but because of a hockey tournament, we only had four," said Amarok.
"We also had four guys who helped with the iglu while learning at the same time, because the elders needed some help with it.
"But we had a big turnout of teachers, students and RCMP officers who went up and were, sort of, pitching in with the iglu.
"They were enjoying watching the elders build an iglu."
Amarok said too many young people are perishing out on the land because they don't have basic traditional skills.
She said she worries all the skilled elders will be gone without having a chance to pass their traditional knowledge on to youths who could really use it.
"Many of our elders are no longer physically-fit enough to build an iglu.
"These elders are among the few left who know how to properly build an iglu, so we grabbed them to show the younger people how to make an iglu or a shelter.
"If you know how to do it properly, you will be safe if you get stuck on the land."
Amarok said, in her opinion, not enough projects are held in the community for the remaining elders to pass on their skills.
She said she wants to see more programs held because there are fewer elders able to teach them all the time.
"Too many young people depend on their machines too much when they're out on the land.
"They trust their machine, but sometimes they break down and they're stuck out there. How many people have perished on the land because they didn't even know how to make a simple shelter?
"Sometimes they don't even take anything with them because they think they're only going to be gone a few hours, but then their machine breaks down and they're stuck on the land in the winter and that's scary."
