New Baker Lake cabin brings back memories of life on the land

For elder Eva Elytook, a new gathering place on the land outside Baker Lake brings back memories of hunting and travelling with her late husband, Thomas Elytook.

Baker Lake elder Eva Elytook says the Inunnguiniq Cabin brings back memories of time spent on the land with her late husband, Thomas Elytook. (Photo courtesy of Daniel Tapatai/Agnico Eagle Mines)

Before a road was built to the Inunnguiniq Cabin, which Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. recently donated to the hamlet, Elytook said she and Thomas made their way over the rocky landscape using an all-terrain vehicle, often spending weeks in the area.

“This cabin reminds me so much of him and the great memories we have out here,” Elytook said through an Agnico Eagle spokesperson Aug. 19, during the gathering space’s inauguration.

The cabin is part of the three-year, $5-million Inunnguiniq Project, which supports wellness, cultural continuity and food security in Nunavut, according to an Aug. 19 news release from the company.

Agnico Eagle operates the Meadowbank gold mine, about 110 kilometres from Baker Lake.

The cabin’s location was chosen with guidance from Baker Lake representatives on the Kivalliq elders advisory committee. The hamlet will take on stewardship of the facility, which will be available to elders, youth and other community members, the release said. 

Elytook said she already has a cabin that Thomas built. But she welcomed the new space as a place where more people can spend time on the land, perhaps while berry picking or just using it for shelter and rest.

“I see this Inunnguiniq Cabin, and I wouldn’t mind sleeping here or even spending 10 hours here just to enjoy my life out here,” Elytook said. “Not everyone has a cabin, and the view here is really beautiful.”

The cabin is modular with a design by Réseau de la transformation métallique, a Quebec-based non-profit organization.

Becky Tootoo, a member of the hamlet council, said in the news release that the cabin will also provide a place for elders to share knowledge with younger generations.

“The cabin will allow elders the opportunity to work with our youth to instil pride, which is important to strengthen identity, because then they will begin to better understand where they come from,” Tootoo said.

Nunatsiaq News has reached out to Agnico Eagle for the cost of the cabin, but didn’t hear back by press time.