Crafting a cultural space
Relocation of heritage buildings kicks off park construction
Beth Brown
Northern News Services
Monday, September 19, 2016
IKALUKTUTIAK/CAMBRIDGE BAY
The hamlet of Cambridge Bay is upcycling its heritage into a cultural park.
The very first RCMP building, which housed and office and jail, shown Sept. 14, is part of a proposed heritage park in Cambridge Bay. - Navalik Tologanak/NNSL photo |
After sealift wraps up, three historical Hudson's Bay buildings and one RCMP shack are to be relocated to the waterfront.
The relocation is the first phase in the creation of a heritage park in the hamlet. The initiative began as an effort to preserve the buildings, which were donated to the hamlet by the Northern store and the RCMP, and grew into plans for development of a community cultural space, said Marla Limousin, senior administrative officer for the hamlet.
The park is to be opened next summer for Canada's 150th birthday, aligned with the opening of the Canadian High Arctic Research Station.
Funding for building relocation has been received from the territorial government. Proposals for additional park projects will be released soon.
After moving the heritage buildings, the next stage will be to install park infrastructure, like pathways and interpretative signage, Limousin said. The following phase is a youth art initiative which will take place over the winter.
"We want to get the kids involved so that they take ownership of this park, so it's their art in it," Limousin said.
The park centerpiece will be a large metal sculpture, accompanied by a little forest of smaller metal artwork.
Youth will create the pieces using material from the community metal dump, such as old oil drums, rusty roof iron, steel posts and vehicle parts, she said.
"We'll do what we can with what we've got," said Limousin. "Everything in this park is going to be something that already has a language written on it, already has its own history, and we are going to incorporate that history into the park."
The final phase of the project, which is in its earliest planning stages, is an artist studio and gift shop.
The intention is for the park to serve as a hub for visiting cruise ships in summer months. The hamlet is hoping to build a platform for cultural presentations at the artists' venue.
"Tourism is part of it but the other part is for community, to preserve that past for future generations," said Limousin.
The heritage buildings represent some of the initial government buildings used in Northern colonial settlement.
The park will also incorporate an old propeller from a grounded Globemaster, a military jeep, and the top 20-feet of the LORAN (long range navigation) tower - a transmission tower and past icon of the community that was taken down for safety reasons.
Limousin said the park is to reflect the industrious heritage of Cambridge Bay.
"It was built on the DEW Line, it was built on harbours and ports and bringing materials into this community."
The pieces of history described in the park will be recorded by the youth and presented in both Inuinnaqtun and English, she said.
