Toonik Tyme 2012

In 1964, Iqaluit's community leaders came together to discuss ways of attracting tourism to the north and 'put the town on the map.'  (Back then, Iqaluit was known as Frobisher Bay).  They wanted an event that showcased Inuit culture, traditions, and how to have fun in the far north.  It was decided that a yearly spring festival to celebrate the end of winter would be held.  The first Toonik Tyme Festival was held in May 1965 and has been going strong ever since.  The festival is named after the Tuniit people, one of the ancestors of today's Inuit, who lived in Greenland and in the eastern Canadian Arctic several millennia ago.  Inuit history describes these people as superb hunters, who killed their game up close with spears and lances.  They have also been described as having near superhuman abilities. 

The four day festival (April 12-16 this year) is packed with many activities for adults, children, and tourists.  It's like a compacted version of Ottawa's Winterlude except at the end of winter.  Even though it's the end of winter on the calendar, there's still plenty of snow & ice to see.  Some of it melts (mostly on the roads) but the majority won't disappear until the end of June.  On the plus side, the skies are clear and the sun is shining brightly.   

Even though the festival was happening during the Easter Break, it would still be a challenge for me to attend most of the events because I had to prepare classes for the following week.  Family outdoor soccer, adult ice golf, Elders Bingo, and an adult scavenger hunt were just some of the activities that took place on the first two days of the festival.  

            

            

The first event I attended was the large craft sale at the town's curling club on Saturday.  The ice had been removed and replaced with rows of tables displaying crafts, art, clothes, animal skins, food, books, cards, and jewelry.  Admission was just $2.  There were some interesting items on display like the animal skins and carvings but those items are the most expensive (in the hundreds & thousands of dollars) and I didn't bring that much money with me.

After visiting the craft sale, I headed over to Arctic Ventures to do some grocery shopping.  On the way, I spotted a large crowd that had gathered in the parking lot of Nakasuk middle school.  From a distance it looked like everybody was just standing around talking but from the program booklet, I learned that the gathering was for the tea & bannock contest.  Bannock is a type of quick bread that can be found throughout North American Native cuisine.  Inuit bannock looks like large onion rings and is really tasty.

            

     

In the late afternoon, I walked over to the RCMP station to photograph the ice sculptures that were put on display.  I was expecting to see life size sculptures as were the norm at Ottawa's Winterlude festival, but instead I was treated to small but detailed sculptures of a raven, inukshuk, Inuit child, and a seal.  Still worth it.  From there, I proceeded to the courthouse to photograph the igloos that were built behind the building.  Building an igloo (hut made out of ice) is a lot more complicated than it looks.  

            

The main event on Sunday was the snowmobile drag races that took place in the centre of the bay.  Despite the bright shining sun, the ice in the bay was still thick enough for vehicles and snowmobiles.  The races began after lunch and from the high school, I could see a long line of vehicles slowly making their to the centre of the bay.  A huge crowd formed around a long strip of cleared ice.  With my lessons prepped and ready for the upcoming week, I left the high school and walked over to the races.  This would be my first time stepping onto the frozen bay.  The trek took me about 25 minutes.  As I walked under the bright sun and clear blue sky, skidoos zoomed by me at fast speeds.  By the time I reached the centre of the bay, I could see all of Iqaluit behind me.

            

The crowd of spectators was mostly centered around the starting line but there were some positioned along the length of the drag strip too.  Around the starting line, one could look & photograph the various racing snowmobiles and drink free tea & hot chocolate from a nearby table.  The only unfortunate thing I noticed was there were no outhouses.  I was glad I had gone to the washroom before.  For the first few races, I watched from behind the starting line, photographing & filming the male racers roaring down the drag strip of flat ice.  I never realized snowmobiles could be so loud and move so fast.  I should have brought earplugs.  At the finish line, there are two flag carriers, tasked with raising their flag if the racer in their lane crosses the finish line first.  When it was time for the female competitors to race, I took a position at the finish line to film them from an approaching perspective.  The snowmobiles still sounded loud from the other end of the track and surprisingly, I was able to keep my digital camera on the racers as they zoomed by me. 

            

By the time I made it back to my apartment, my legs were aching from all the walking.  I'm not sure how many calories I burned but it must have been a lot.  From what I observed and experienced, Toonik Tyme was a lot of fun.  I was able to get outside and experience some Inuit culture.  If I didn't have so much work, I would have been able to attend many more events like the snowmobile uphill climb, traditional dog sled races, and the seal skinning contest.  Well, there's always next year.

            

As for the week as a whole, it was quite nice to have the time off because teaching can be tiring.  Working all the time can be a bad thing.  At the beginning of the week on April 8th, I played the organ again at the Anglican Parish Hall for the Easter Mass.  To my surprise, I had a fiddle accompanist, Darlene, who played the melody lines and descants.  The resulting performance was lively.  As usual, I tagged along with several members of the parish who headed over to the Hotel Arctic for morning brunch.  This time I ordered the Arctic char burger.  What was also exciting was that the lady sitting across from me was Edna Elias, the 4th and current serving Commissioner of Nunavut.  A commissioner is similar to a provincial Lieutenant Governor.  Maybe next time, I'll have brunch with the premier?

            

Edna Elias was appointed to the commissioner's position in May 2010.  In May of this year, she and five of her female friends are planning to raise $70,000 for the Alberta Cancer Foundation to support breast cancer research.  To achieve this, they will walk across Coronation Gulf from Umingmaktok to Cambridge Bay which is approximately 250 km (160 mi).  Their plan is to walk 40-48km a day, hoping to reach Cambridge Bay in 5 - 6 days.  I would like to wish them all the best!