There's a creature under my table...

Deon just got back from Ulukhaktok, after being there for several days for work. With him, he brought several treasures reflecting the place he had just visited. Since the hotel (which has 8 rooms) was all booked up, Deon stayed at Ulukhaktok's Kuptana's B&B. You may recall that in Sachs there is also a Kuptana's B&B, the Polar Grizz. At any rate, the Roger Kuptana of Sachs Harbour and Robert Kuptana of Ulukhaktok each have their own B&B, which supports their sport hunting and outfitting businesses.

So, Mr. Kuptana treated Deon very well, preparing him filet mignon of the muskox kind for dinner, and took him out for lunch at the hotel's restaurant. He also took Deon on his skidoo to get his H1N1 shot, since there was a clinic in town this week... Overall, Deon had the kindest reception from his host, and the town. They lived up to their claim on their website (which you can visit here), saying the town has an international reputation of being hospitable and friendly.

Ulukhaktok was under a blizzard warning for most of the time he was there, with blizzard conditions imminent or occurring. He helped his host shovel out his yard, where some of his equipment, etc. was buried under the snow. At the end of Deon's stay, Mr. Kuptana offered him a muskox pelt. Deon of course was thrilled, but could not accept it just as a gift. A muskox hunt alone would cost $5,000 for someone to travel to the town and hunt. Furthermore, there is a lot of work involved in skinning and preparing the hide so that it can be used. So the most Deon could offer him was $100, which from what we've heard, is an incredible deal.

So, I introduce to you the creature that is currently residing under our dining room table, for lack of a better place to put it at the moment, Musky the Muskox:





Deon also brought home some prints, for which Ulukhaktok is famous. Generally, the artists use the "stone cut" method of print making for making what is known as the "Holman Print." This is where the pattern for the print is carved out of stone, and then a print is created. Remember my picture from Ulukhaktok from last May?



So Deon purchased one small print of two muskox in front of the bluffs that are in Ulukhaktok, a large one of an ice fisherman that is done in several shades of blue, and one especially for me done by my favourite Northern artist, Mary Okheena. Mary Okheena is the wife of one of the men who sat on my Commission that I work with on a quarterly basis until recently, and I have one of her prints from when I was in Inuvik for my research as a grad student.

I will have to post pictures of them when they are framed and on the wall. This might take a while considering there are no frames to be found in Tuk- however, Deon goes to YK in a two week's time, so he should be able to find some there.