Cumberland Sound, Baffin Island, Nunavut
Pastel clouds smudged into each other as morning crept into the sky. The newly fallen snow picked up the hue and frosted the peaked mountains in pink and blue. Although our course has carried us south fall seems to be marching faster. Only days ago the tundra glowed maroon and gold. Today the brilliance fades and leaves are turning brown. Cottony willow seeds wave in the breeze trying to hitch a ride on the wind. Jack Frost is not just around the corner but he has cracked open the door. Fingers that yesterday were nimble, today fumbled for gloves or mittens. The town of Pangnirtung warmly welcomed us however and we basked in the sunshine of their friendly smiles.
Early man ventured here to Cumberland Sound and stayed to reap the bounty of sea and shore. Evidence of their presence is spread along its shores. Waves of change swept the land and now their descendants live lives much like our own. Yet, their culture survives. The flag of Nunavut, its inuksuk stylized, flapped rhythmically in the breeze creating a symphony of sorts with a Canadian flag and its red maple leaf. Time-honored patterns took shape on modern tapestries and prints. T-shirts hid beneath traditionally styled coats while their models produced miraculous sounds deep within their throats.
It was the early whalers, both Scots and Americans who changed the lives of the villagers bringing both prosperity and disease. Isolated communities joined together, men and women alike, working beside these foreigners to harvest the mammals of the sea. Much remains of this era on nearby Kekerten. Once again the peoples of the region are drawn to this isle but this time to interpret its history for visitors like us. Trypots and barrel bands lie rusting upon the tundra alongside the ribs of houses whose frames were once the ribs of whales.
The Hudson’s Bay Company came late, around 1921. It was their factors that chose the site of Pangnirtung. One wonders why when the tide is low and the boats rest on the sands but following the river course deep into the hills the answer seems so logical. Here was a perfect pathway for hunters to come and go. Caribou skins and fox or maybe wolf and bear were desired articles. So much has changed and yet so little. Trading was facilitated today, goods exchanged for currency. We shared our stories and they shared theirs. And we grow with understanding of one another.
Pastel clouds smudged into each other as morning crept into the sky. The newly fallen snow picked up the hue and frosted the peaked mountains in pink and blue. Although our course has carried us south fall seems to be marching faster. Only days ago the tundra glowed maroon and gold. Today the brilliance fades and leaves are turning brown. Cottony willow seeds wave in the breeze trying to hitch a ride on the wind. Jack Frost is not just around the corner but he has cracked open the door. Fingers that yesterday were nimble, today fumbled for gloves or mittens. The town of Pangnirtung warmly welcomed us however and we basked in the sunshine of their friendly smiles.
Early man ventured here to Cumberland Sound and stayed to reap the bounty of sea and shore. Evidence of their presence is spread along its shores. Waves of change swept the land and now their descendants live lives much like our own. Yet, their culture survives. The flag of Nunavut, its inuksuk stylized, flapped rhythmically in the breeze creating a symphony of sorts with a Canadian flag and its red maple leaf. Time-honored patterns took shape on modern tapestries and prints. T-shirts hid beneath traditionally styled coats while their models produced miraculous sounds deep within their throats.
It was the early whalers, both Scots and Americans who changed the lives of the villagers bringing both prosperity and disease. Isolated communities joined together, men and women alike, working beside these foreigners to harvest the mammals of the sea. Much remains of this era on nearby Kekerten. Once again the peoples of the region are drawn to this isle but this time to interpret its history for visitors like us. Trypots and barrel bands lie rusting upon the tundra alongside the ribs of houses whose frames were once the ribs of whales.
The Hudson’s Bay Company came late, around 1921. It was their factors that chose the site of Pangnirtung. One wonders why when the tide is low and the boats rest on the sands but following the river course deep into the hills the answer seems so logical. Here was a perfect pathway for hunters to come and go. Caribou skins and fox or maybe wolf and bear were desired articles. So much has changed and yet so little. Trading was facilitated today, goods exchanged for currency. We shared our stories and they shared theirs. And we grow with understanding of one another.
