Whale watching... I mean, working...

Many work initiatives require us to take trips out onto the land to better understand the land for which we are developing policy. Today's excursion took Deon, Barry and me, along with a member of the local Hunters and Trappers Committee (HTC) to Kitigaaryuit (pronounced Kittigazuit). Our mission was to map a walking path at the site, as well as to identify existing cabins that should be protected, and also to decide on a location for a welcome sign.

Kitigaaryuit is the largest known site for collective beluga whale hunting by any Inuit group in the Canadian Arctic. The hunt provided enough stored food for the Kitigaaryungmiut and others to retur in winter for kaivitjvik, which was a time for festivities, games and discussing issues of governance. Kitigaaryuit is also the site of the largest known traditional Inuit graveyard in the Canadian Arctic with 248 graves visible on the surface. The graves reflect the importance of Kitigaaryuit as a burial ground and are a reminder of the diseases that contributed to the end of the Kitigaaryuit site as a thriving village.

Currently, Kiti is used by the Inuvialuit of Tuk and Inuvik as a seasonal hunting camp for beluga whaling and spring goose hunting.

Today, our mission was to map a walking pathway for any potential visitors (even though the land is Private land, meaning that for non-Inuvialuit, entrance would be trespassing). We also had to identify any existing cabins that might still be in use, and to decide where to place a sign to warn visitors of the site rules.

The Kitigaaryuit site is located approximately 1 hour by boat from Tuk, and would be accessible by ice road during the winter. Surprisingly, the water is only a maximum of 10 feet deep, even hundreds of metres away from the shoreline. Some spots are only 2 feet deep, which left Barry and Deon to jump into the water to push the boat past the shallow spots (being a lady, I got off lucky).


PUSH!

We arrived at the site, and looked around at the various archaeological remains:


Kitigaaryuit Historical Site.


Rack for drying muktuk (whale meat).


Early Hudson's Bay Trading Post/Store from 1920s.


Grave site.

As you can see, the bugs were with us in full force once again. They are certainly starting to make me a tad annoyed! Barry seems to attract the bugs the most however...



After our visit to the site, Barry and Deon had to push the boat back out of the bay, since the tide had gone out even further while we were on the land. Despite the bugs and wet pants however, the best part of the day came on the journey home. On the way out to Kiti, we saw some beluga whales surfacing off in the distance. On our way back to Tuk, our guide from the HTC decided take us for a bit of whale watching.

Keeping in mind that the Inuvialuit people have been hunting beluga for centuries, it was no surprise that our guide knew exactly where the whales were swimming and where they would surface. While swimming, the whales make a circle pattern on the surface of the water, due to the use of their tails for propulsion. These rings are a dead giveaway for the pathway of a beluga... So we followed whale after whale, having them surface sometimes not 10 feet from the boat. We must have seen several dozen different whales in different locations, sometimes travelling alone, sometimes with a partner. It was an amazing experience, the kind that you can't just pick out of a tour guide and pay for.





This summer has really helped both Deon and I to get to know the local people better, by being out on the land and water with them, and learning more about the way in which their people survived for thousands of years. I think there is an appreciation on their part that we are excited to learn more about the land and to take part in traditional activities.

Now, if only the bugs would BUG OFF!!

Afterthought: Another incident with the work truck- We forgot Barry's truck keys in the boat, and the boat driver was headed back home to Reindeer Point. Barry decides that it would be a great idea to drive down to the boat launching area and try to flag the boat down. So, we drive down the gravel driveway to the boat launching area, and do not end up catching the attention of the boat. Then it is time to back the truck back up the hill. This leads to the truck burying its tires deep deep into the gravel. Alas, we walked back to work (across the street) and later in the afternoon I called the local construction company for a free tow via their bulldozer. I shall blame this incident on the men who were in my company.