Janice Komak, from Cambridge Bay, sent this picture in response to Nunatsiaq News’ Nunavut Day invitation to readers to share what’s special to them about their part of the territory. (Photo courtesy of Janice Komak)
Nunavut’s food, wildlife, people stand out in readers’ minds
‘My Corner of Our Land’ asks Nunavummiut to share what’s special to them on Nunavut Day
In Nunavut, the land provides food. The land offers healing to those who are in pain. And the land exerts a lifelong hold on people, whether they are born in the territory or move there.
Those are some of the lessons from a dozen Nunatsiaq News readers who entered the paper’s second Nunavut Day writing contest, which invited readers to send in short articles about what’s special to them about their part of the territory.
We called the section “My Corner of Our Land.” The responses will be published in Friday’s paper, starting on page 13.
The submissions will also begin appearing on the Nunatsiaq News website on Thursday. A few new ones will be added each day until Sunday — Nunavut Day.
Food, naturally, was on the minds of Janice Komak and Eileena Arragutainaq. They described the delicacies of eating fresh Arctic char eggs in Cambridge Bay and the popularity of beluga jerky in Sanikiluaq.
Wildlife is another common theme, including the wild birds whose “honking and trills” lift the spirits of Tanya Tungilik in Rankin Inlet.
The people, of course, also make communities special.
In the words of Iqaluit’s Zan Tao: “They carry with them a deep-rooted connection to the land and the people.”
It was heartwarming to read Roger Clowater in Taloyoak pay tribute to “the degree of friendliness” the hamlet’s youth have afforded him, as a newcomer.
This year, submissions came in from Cambridge Bay to Iqaluit, and from Clyde River to Sanikiluaq, just to give a sense of the range.
One came from man who used to live in Rankin Inlet but moved to New Brunswick. Another came from a man whose job brought him to Rankin Inlet from British Columbia.
Nunavut Day is a busy time. There is a lot going on. Plus, the summer is the time when people go out on the land.
But carve out a few minutes over the long weekend to read what this group of Nunavummiut had to say about the special place their land holds in their lives. It will undoubtedly add to your appreciation of what Nunavut provides to its people.
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