Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, Northern Canada

By Glen Bruels
This is part of a series called Northwest Passage et al 2024
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Today we stopped in Cambridge Bay, or Ikalutuuttiaq (which means “good fishing place”). This has been a gathering spot for Inuit for over 4000 years. It is the largest community on Victoria Island with nearly 1800 people and is the largest stop for passenger and research vessels traversing the Northwest Passage. Europeans first reached this place in 1839, beginning a series of expeditions to discover the Northwest Passage. Then came the Hudson’s Bay Company and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

As we got off the boats, we were greeted by our local walking guides. Because of the size of us, they pressed a number of teenagers into service and our guides were an eighth grader (Peter) and a couple of seventh graders. I think it is fair to say that they weren’t horribly enthused, but took us around with a minimum of sullenness. Walking around town was a totally different experience that we had in Ulukhaktok. The town feels newer and in a much better state of repair. They actually have traffic. I would like to be the Ford dealer that sold the many, many Ford trucks that we saw on the road. Our first stop was at the Red Fish Arts Studio. The man who started it was a retired welder who decided to give back to the community by teaching young adults metalwork, using the large amount of scrap metal in the area. While most of the art there is metal, they have expanded into visual art and jewelry. And maybe thats another big difference here — it seemed everywhere we looked there were advertisements for trades training across a variety of disciplines — at no charge to the student. Another thing that was apparent, is that they celebrate their culture and really reinforce it at every opportunity they can. We saw exhibits at not only the visitor’s center, but also at their high school that also serves as their heritage center. There, anyone can some in, find patterns for fur parkas and mittens, and then sew them right in the heritage center. What a great way to get the high schoolers imbued with their culture!

Look at this counter at the Red Fish Art Center. I love the Jeep grille front!
Here is young artist, Darryl, whose fish we purchased. It was made from an old oil drum. Love it!
And here is Elise. She came here 5 years ago while she was working on her PhD project. She and her partner have just bought a house and plan to stay another 5 years. She works at the research center and also creates and sells her art. What is amazing is that she grew up south of Montreal, about 10 miles from where my. Canadian relatives live. Small world…
Lots of cool art in town, like this Muskox…
… and these Arctic wolves.
Just to show you can make art from pretty much anything, this is a combination of a bowhead whale skull and a muskox skull. I like it!
The next time you need a new drinking game, try this!
Most people took the roads to get around; we followed the locals.
This was the cultural center, along with the library, that was housed inside the high school. Talk about a brilliant way to keep your kids connected to their heritage!
And here’s an example of “starting them young.”
I think this one is particularly brilliant — show the kids what traditional clothing looks like…
… and then give them patterns and sewing machines (there were newer ones nearby) to make them. I love it!
The place is full of historic artifacts meets modern How-tos….
… across multiple media.
BTW, if you want to know how far north we are, look at where the satellite dishes are pointing.

Probably the most impressive stop was at the newly opened Canadian High Arctic Research Station (CHARS), which was designed and built to “optimize innovation in Arctic science and technology, to welcome visitors, and to provide researchers with the accommodation and technical services they need. In addition to the myriad of labs that are used for teaching and research, they also have a Knowledge Sharing Center where local Inuit and scientists can meet, discuss, and exchange scientific knowledge. We loved walking around this spacious facility and taking in all the exhibits. One of the things we were a bit surprised to see were members of the Canadian Armed Forces here, working with the local cadets. What I hadn’t really considered is that where we are now (and where we have been for the past few days) are Canadian territories — not provinces. As such, the Canadian Government claims that these are Canadian Internal Waters, while some other nations consider them to be either territorial or international waters. Hence, Canada is not only showing the flag, but also flexing a little muscle — as much as you can with 140 troops, a few helicopters, two aircraft, and a couple of boats). There has been recent concerns because of the frayed relationships with both Russia and China who are both looking at the Arctic for its natural resources.

Trudging up to the CHARS. Deb, who was at the end of the line, was kindly picked up by a local, who stopped by me, rolled his window down, and said “Hey, I stole your wife!”
Approaching the CHAR — what a cool looking building.
In this facility, indigenous heritage and knowledge…
… meet cutting edge science. There’s even a cold lab here that they keep at -15 C to mimic conditions in the winter.
Here, Defense’s Public Affairs Officer explained what the mission the Canadian military and local cadets were executing. The CHAR is being a genial host for all these goings on.

This was a really great and uplifting stop. 

This entry was posted in Canada, Cruising, Northern Canada, Nunavut, Travel
Glen Bruels

I am a traveler and sometimes clay sculptor, following a long career working in consulting. My work allowed me to travel the world extensively and I was hooked. Today, I travel with my wife/best friend to explore new places, meet new people, and learn new things.

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