Excitement in Whale Cove

It has been a very eventful couple of weeks in Whale Cove. Alex and I went to Rankin the last weekend of February for the Avataq tournament (mens hockey tournament). This tournament brings in hockey teams from communities all over the Kivalliq region. Nunavut is hockey crazy, lots of fans came from Whale Cove to cheer on the team. Whale Cove was beat out in the first round of play offs but they played 4 games and it was great to watch and have some time away!

The exchange trip students from Bracebridge arrived the following Wednesday. The exchange students were able watch and practice seal skin preparation, listen to stories about living on the land from elders, watch and take part in building a traditional igloo and they got to go out on the land by snow machine and qamutik. The day that we chose to go out on the land was a pretty cold day (-46 with the wind chill which feels alot colder out on the land). I bundled up with multiple layers and I was stillll pretty cold. The cold and isolation out on the land really makes you appreciate how the inuit were able to survive on the land. A lot of people travel by snow machine in -50, -55 to get to different communities or to go hunting. The weather can change very quickly here from clear skies to blowing snow to 0 visibility blizzards. - this is why passed down survival skills are so important to the inuit because in weather that can freeze your skin within seconds there are no second chances.

Breakfast TV and Sports Net arrived in Whale Cove last Wednesday. We were hosting a farewell feast for the exchange students so BT and SN got a very warm welcome as well. Breakfast TV and Sports Net were in Whale Cove filming and interviewing the hockey team that will be travelling to Geraldton, Ontario and Toronto. Very exciting stuff for the kids!

Inuit games at the farewell feast. This one is called head pull.

Alex trying his luck at head pull.