Iqaluit builds real-life Inuit village as part of Qaggiq 2026

There were a lot of songs, cheers and mitten-muffled claps over three days of the Qaggiq festival in Iqaluit this past weekend.

“I think even the lighter is frozen,” said elder Mary Panipak, who was lighting the qulliq at the start of the festival on Friday.

It was -30 C and windy as about two dozen people gathered near the road to Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park at what the organizers called the “Inuit village.”

Eventually, someone brought Panipak a working lighter; the qulliq was lit and the events carried on.

The free festivities ran from Friday to Sunday, bringing together performers for drum dancing, throat singing, theatre and traditional games.

The last time the event was held was in 2021, and it was never intended to be an annual festival. But after a lot of community members asked for it to be brought back, Qaggiavut Nunavut Performing Arts Centre decided to give it another try, the centre’s executive director Looee Arreak said.

A lot of the events, like jumping over a rope or participating in Inuvialuit dances, were made to help participants warm up.

“If you’re cold, one way to warm up is to be active,” she said. “So Inuit always had games and activities.”

For the event, the organizers built two small igloos and one big semicircle out of snow to protect the attendees from the wind.

They started construction on Wednesday.

“I’m very happy that we were able to do it on time,” Arreak said, as drum dancers from Inuvialuit region were gathering for their performance.

“I think for some it’s their first time being in an igloo and they seem to be having lots of fun.”

She said they are not yet set on whether the event will happen again in 2027, but if the feedback is good they could start making those plans.

“If there’s enough funds and support for it, we could do it again for sure,” Arreak said.