Ulukhaktok, Northern Territories, Canada

By Glen Bruels
This is part of a series called Northwest Passage et al 2024
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Today we visited Ulukhaktok (previously named Holman), an Inuit community of around 450 people. It sits on the west coast of Victoria Island, which is the ninth largest island on earth. The name translates to “where there is ulu material,” which refers to the copper they use to create the semi-circular knife that goes by the same name. In addition to harvesting copper and knife making, the town is famous for two things: Inuit stone cut prints (similar to Japanese woodcut prints) and having world’s northernmost golf course. Interestingly enough, some people on the ship are trying to get tee times on this 9-hole course! It hosts the annual Billy Joss Open which is a three-day, 24-hour tournament that is played under the midnight sun. I can’t understand why the Golf Channel or ESPN doesn’t cover this. Of course, as traditional Inuit communities, a portion of their income comes from hunting, trapping, and fishing.

Before going ashore, about 40 members of the village came aboard to demonstrate Arctic games and dances. While some were what you would expect with chanting, drumming, and dancing, there was also a trio of fiddle, accordion, and guitar that played music you would hear in any contra dance and, of course, the line dances that go with it. The performers then left, but we would see them again as they sold their arts and crafts.

One of the Arctic game demonstrations — kicking a suspended ball. I guess the record for one foot is over nine feet!
A drumming and chanting group.
These drummers were wild, swaying and hooting as they beat their drums.
They encouraged us all to get up and dance with them. This is Jeanne, one of our science team. Yeah, I got up too!
This is where it became unexpected. This was more or less a contra dance at this point.

Upon landing, the first thing I noticed was how arid the island was. Given the tundra we had seen 36 hours earlier, the hills in the background could have been in the desert Southwest! Everything has to be brought in — including water! As compared to my earlier research, walking around the town was where the promise departed from the reality. I was really excited about seeing their stone cut prints at the island art co-op. What I had researched about the evolution of their art reminded me of the emergence of the Aboriginal art movement in Australia. In this case, two world-renowned artists came to work with the local parish priest to establish an artist co-op to bring a stable income for the families in the area. Their work became noticed by the Canadian Eskimo Arts Council which really helped promote their work. While they originally started out with monochrome stone cut prints, they got much more sophisticated over the years and their work was exhibited in shows all over the globe. Sadly, the art co-op closed five years ago, the priest that promoted the work passed away and there hasn’t been a replacement for around twenty years, the the artists who helped get the movement started are long gone. As a result, craftspeople now work in their homes and the art has returned to the simple crafts you would find in any remote community.  Walking around town was very interesting, however — lots of small, colorful single family homes dotting the landscape. The settlement has only been around since the 1930s when a Hudson’s Bay Company Store and Catholic mission opened here. Probably the coolest place in the town, however, is the Holman Eskimo Cooperative. The people here seem very happy, but they seem to be struggling. People work multiple jobs, but don’t make much money, and many are deep in debt. When I visited the local grocery store which is only replenished about once a month, the prices were outrageous, but people are allowed to buy on credit, charging it to their account (and thus the increasing debt load). In some respects, it reminded me of the old company store model. As with so many other small towns, many of the young people are leaving the island for the “big city” where there are more opportunities. And yet, people get by and are happy to share their lives with others.

Our official welcoming committee. Note that the primary mode of transport is ATV.
There are sleds for moving things around in the snow, but that’s when the Skidoos come out. Only saw a few working dogs, so not sure how much they are used.
Our walking tour guide, Chelsey, selling earrings from her bag. She grew up here, has worked a number of jobs, and plans to stay. BTW, she, like many of her peers, grew up speaking English and doesn’t speak the native language.
This was the original settlement. The new town only came about after the Catholic Church and Hudson’s Bay Company.
Many of the houses here were built somewhere down south and then barged here. A few people own there homes and some are allocated to teachers, and other civil servants. The rest rent.
Waiting to go into the the small arts center, filled with typical crafts from the island.
Sadly, the Art Co-op closed about five years ago, as the artists/teachers left…
… and the sponsoring priest who ran this now “under repair” Catholic Church, died.
We ended up visiting the co-op to look at prices. We were asked not to buy anything because we would be reducing availability for the islanders who only get once/month shipments.
Not surprisingly, most of the inventory are processed foods and the prices are quite steep. To the best of my knowledge , there are no subsidies to offset these prices.
But hey, the’ve got Miracle Whip — my kinda people!
The Anglican Church appears to be well-attended and has been kept up very well.
On the edges of town, the houses seem to be better maintained and are more colorful — even two tone!
As we came back down to the landing, we saw the first working dogs on the island. While ATVs and Skidoos do much of the work, remote muskox and caribou hunts still use traditional methods and the dogs play a major role.
As we were getting ready to leave, we saw this arctic char that was getting ready to be filleted using an Ulu knife. While we missed it, people told us that the Arctic Char sashimi was excellent.
As we left port, it was amazing to see just how arid at least this part of Victoria Island is…
This entry was posted in Canada, Cruising, Northwest Territories, 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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