The day began with our crossing of Davis Strait from Greenland Qeqertarsuaq to Nunavut Qikiqtarjuaq, both meaning big island in Inuit dialects. During the crossing, National Geographic photographer Ralph Lee Hopkins did a talk on the history of National Geographic photography and its power of storytelling and legacy.
After lunch, we were greeted with a view of Qikiqtarjuaq, where we waited patiently for clearance from Canadian customs for our first community visit in Nunavut. Locals offered some interpretations of the surrounding areas. We soon gathered at the community centre, where the elder welcomed us by turning on a traditional Inuit Qulliq, a soapstone lamp. The Inuit greeted other travellers that visit settlements and communities in this way. The cultural performance continued with traditional throat singing by two locals. They displayed several different styles of throat singing.
The community visit concluded with a hike across town for some. Others enjoyed guided walks to an Inuksuk, meaning the cairn that resembles a human, which served as path points to human settlements or hunting grounds since time immemorial in Inuit cultures. It was another lovely day on National Geographic Endurance.
