Only in Nunavut: bartering hockey equipment for an amautik

Eileen Arragutainak and her son, Shawn. Arragutainak recently bartered with a southern buyer online to exchange an amautik she made for hockey equipment for Shawn. (PHOTO COURTESY EILEEN ARRAGUTAINAK)

The amautik Sanikiluaq seamstress Eileen Arragutainak bartered online. (PHOTO COURTESY EILEEN ARRAGUTAINAK)

Some people consider Internet access to be a luxury, but in small remote communities — which describes most communities in Nunavut — you often come across stories that suggest Internet access is more than just a perk.

Take, for example, the simple story Sankiluarmiut Eileen Arragutainak told Nunatsiaq News recently.

Arragutainak, a creative and gifted seamstress, had been contacted by a woman in Ontario after pictures of her fur-lined amautiit and mittens appeared on the website Pinterest, a social network where users can share pictures of their hobbies, including crafts.

The woman from Ontario asked Arragutainak if she could buy one of her amautiit.

“But I asked her if she would send me new hockey equipment instead, for my son,” Arragutainak told Nunatsiaq News.

The woman agreed and Arragutainak, inspired by the bartering experience, posted her story to the Facebook group Feeding My Family — a group which aims to raise awareness of the high cost of food across Nunavut.

“I thought it could be an idea for others,” Arragutainak said, “so that they can do the same thing.”

Arragutainak — who learned to sew amautiit from her sister when she was 17 years old — said she has been overwhelmed by the response to her Facebook post.

At press time, her post — two and a half days old — had more than 630 likes and more than 130 comments. Within an hour, more than 40 comments had been made on her post.

“I’m starting to regret that I posted that,” Arragutainak joked. “I’ve been getting a lot of messages and notifications, which is getting a little annoying. But it’s a good thing that people are very interested.”

Dozens of the comments ask Arragutainak for an amautik, or other home-sewn items, in exchange for money or goods.

“It’s absolutely beautiful, how much would it cost to get one made for my panik?” one comment reads.

Many people expressed support for the idea of exchanging goods, leaving money out of the equation.

“What an excellent idea Eileen. I think our whole country would benefit from doing more of what you’re doing,” another comment reads.

Comments didn’t only come from Canadians, either: one woman wanted an amautik for the cold English winter. Another commented from the United States: “I would be interested in purchasing one. Cold in Minnesota.”

“One person asked me for ‘one of those jackets’, he called them,” Arragutainak said. “I’ve been trying to tell him, ‘actually they’re amautiks’. He offered me a TV which I didn’t want, so he offered me an iPod.”

“This post is going viral. Amazing. I think you have a business here,” another comment reads. Hopefully this will lead to a business, Arragutainak said.

Arragutainak said this kind of exchange on the Internet is important.

“I know a lot of people can’t afford stuff, for their kids that they want or need. I couldn’t afford new equipment for my son.”

Her 12-year-old son, Shawn, has been playing hockey since he was old enough to skate, Arragutainak said, but in recent years he’s been playing in used equipment that doesn’t fit him.

“I badly wanted to get him some equipment for a couple of years, but I couldn’t because of the high cost of the equipment here in our local store,” Arragutainak said.

“The other thing is the materials,” Arragutainak said. “I can barely afford to buy materials here in Sanikiluaq. I’ve had some people tell me they can send me materials, and I can sew for them, which I’d be happy to do.”

Even though this exchange was for hockey equipment, Arragutainak hopes to make future exchanges for food too, both store-bought and country food.

“I just done this for the first time, but I know I’ll be doing it again, for sure,” she said.