The Inuit dog should get special recognition

I want to nominate the Inuit husky dog for special recognition. As Inuit, we owe our lives to our dogs. I speak from my own experiences.

Since time immemorial, our dogs have always been our companions and workhorses. Whenever we traveled on the land, in the winter, they pulled our heavy qamutiit, normally loaded with all our gear, including our country meat.

In the summer, when we would walk inland to hunt caribou, they would help carry all our belongings, including our tents, caribou meat, and whatever else we needed.

In the winter, when we were out seal hunting when the seal holes were covered with snow, we trained them as tasikuat (professional dog smellers) to sniff out the seal holes, way down below the snow bank. Our dogs had the ability to find their way home, even during the worst blizzard conditions, when we, the masters, were no longer able to find our way.

The animals were company for our families, were loyal friends, protected us by giving warnings of approaching danger, such as polar bears, and kept us warm when we needed it. Their fur made good durable mitts and fur around our hoods.

They were also our lifelines. Some days, we used them to communicate for us. We would write a short note in Inuktitut syllabics, tie it with a piece of string around their necks, and send them to another camp, carrying the message.

Our dogs were highly respected for their knowledge and wisdom; Qimmit was sometimes used as a proper name of a person. Such a name was Qimmittiaq (beautiful dog,) a person from Kuugaarruk (Kugaaruk.)

To have a full team, the owner would have between five and 10 dogs, using both male and female dogs to pull the sleds. A mother, who was part of the team, had a “mamautailitaq”(dog bra), normally made out of caribou skin, which was used to keep the mamautit(dog breasts) from freezing at – 40 or -50 C. When traveling, the puppies would be inside a box and carried on the sled.

We were always taught to respect our dogs. In the spring, when the sea ice became dry from the spring thaw and there were icicles, my father or my brother-in-law, used to make kamiik (booties) for the dogs, so the bottoms of their feet didn’t get cut. My father used to say, if you look after your dogs well, they will always listen to you.

Here are examples of how to direct your dogs in the Aivilik dialect, when you are traveling: “Hai! (get up and go!); “Hut hut” (go fast); “Uut uutaa!” (There is a seal basking – go faster!); Arik arik (turn left); Auva’iak uaa… uaa (turn right, turn right); and Uuaa, uuaa! (Stop.)

It was always up to the lead dog known as “isurartujuq” to lead the way.

I would like to nominate the Inuit husky dog to be formally recognized within the Inuit homelands, for their contribution in helping Inuit survive for thousands of years. Inuit organizations can be the strength behind this initiative.

Peter Irniq
Ottawa, Ont.

Email your letters to editor@nunatsiaq.com.

Nunatsiaq News welcomes letters to the editor. But we are under no obligation to publish any given letter at any given time.

In our print edition, we usually print letters on a first-come, first-served, space-available basis. In our online edition, we usually print letters as soon as we are able to prepare them for publication.

All letters are edited for length, grammar, punctuation, spelling, taste and libel. You may withhold your name by request, but we must know who you are before we publish your letter.