New website a showcase for Nunavik

This is one of many photographs taken by Luc Bouvrette, a Montreal photographer who created a virtual museum for Nunavik called “Nunavik: A Land, Its People,” on display at bit.ly/8piUAT. (PHOTO COURTESY OF LUC BOUVRETTE)

SARAH ROGERS

KANGIQSUJUAQ — Nunavik’s heritage is at your fingertips, with an eye-catching website, called “Nunavik: A Land, Its People,” the latest reference for newbies and residents alike.

The newly-launched site, produced by Montreal researcher and photographer Luc Bouvrette, is now one of over 500 virtual exhibits funded through the Virtual Museum of Canada.

Bouvrette first came to Nunavik on business five years ago — then a place about which he knew little .

Taken by its rich past and present, Bouvrette said he wanted to give the region the credit it deserves.

“My first impressions were twofold; there were the people that I met,” he said. “Even having the smallest contacts by talking with people at the co-op, I felt very at home. And then there was the natural beauty.”

That beauty is captured in Bouvrette’s many photographs, creating a rich visual display on the website at bit.ly/8piUAT.

Limited by time and money, Bouvrette has spent his time in four villages, Tasiujaq, Kangiqsujuaq, Puvirnituq and Kuujjuaq.

Based on these visits, Bouvrette offers a colourful introduction to Inuit culture that takes the visitor beyond the well-worn icons of igloos and dog sled teams.

The website’s culture section provides a sensory experience, including audio of a trio of women from Kangiqsujuaq performing different styles of throat-singing.

Viewers can also scroll through a gallery of drawings by students at Arsaniq school.

In another section, readers can enjoy accounts from Nunavimmiut elders and youth.

“I wanted to create a section where the Inuit could express their thoughts on their culture, their land, their history,” Bouvrette said. “[Including] the drawings really gave the children a voice and sense of the future. A picture’s worth a thousand words, and in this case, it’s true.”

Allen Gordon, executive director of Nunavik Tourism Association, says the website’s visual presentation adds to its appeal.

“Overall, [the site] is pretty good,” said Gordon, who helped Bouvrette navigate the region. “It’s different in a way that it’s not full of text, it doesn’t bore you.”

A link to the virtual museum will be included on the tourism website because, Gordon said, “any additional information on the region is beneficial.”

Although the website wasn’t directly intended for tourists, Bouvrette hopes it catches the eye of potential visitors.

“My project itself is an educational website for school children and the larger public,” he said. “But one of the main objectives was to create something for people to realize there’s a wonderful environment [in Nunavik] and a whole different culture to explore.”

But like a real museum, can a virtual museum’s exhibit evolve over time?

“For me, this website is just a base, it’s a book with a bunch of blank pages,” Bouvrette said. “My dream is to get more funding and return to the region – there are many more stories to tell.”