(Post 3 of 4) Barbra Akoak is a young artist working in Matthew’s studio. She engraved these ulu earrings with patterns from traditional tattoos that honour the seal. “The zig zag represents the flame of the qulliq” (a seal oil lamp). “I bless the metal, the stones, myself, everything. My family tells me that I’m…
Canada
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(Post 4 of 4) I met artist Matthew Nuqingaq by chance at the Baffin Deli, where he goes twice a day with the Grumpy Old Men’s Coffee Club. Maybe you will see him there.
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Parks and prayers, Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada
(Post 1 of 2) It’s been about six weeks since I returned to the Arctic for this project, #meetthenorth. I will spend the next two years meeting northerners from different countries, and this weekend, during #ParksDay, I introduced myself to this friendly face. As often happens with Meet the North, an introduction led me somewhere…
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(Post 2 of 2) Sunday morning at St. Simon’s Mission in Apex, Nunavut. Paul Idlout looks very different than he did yesterday where I met him at the park (see the last post). Paul was a pastor who worked in several communities. What he didn’t mention, but others did, is that in 1996 he became…
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Look down, Apex, Nunavut, Canada
(Post 1 of 5) Grounded in #iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut on Baffin Island, with lots of time to check out the neighbourhood. The long view from this part of town: the river, the fog and two locals checking their fish net. Arctic char come in under the same ice that is locking down boat…
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Dreaming north, Lakefield, Ontario, Canada
Eating chocolate cake and studying my circumpolar map with author and adventurer James Raffan (Circling the Midnight Sun). We’re in Lakefield, Ontario, Canada for a literary festival but can’t stop scheming about #thenorth. “I’ve had a version of this map on the ceiling of my work space since 1975,” James said. “But the real map…
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Giving gifts and family life in Svalbard
(Post 1 of 4) Welcome to World of Maps in my neighbourhood in Ottawa, Canada. I have bought maps here since I was a kid, and when I went in for a chart of Svalbard, the owners, Petra and Brad, told me they have been shipping merchandise up to the Longyearbyen museum for years. Aha!…
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(Post 2 of 4) Witness the package of Canadiana I carried up to Longyearbyen. Petra put together a wonderful gift for her friend here (she’s been shipping maps to the Svalbard museum for years): maple candies, maple syrup, an Inukshuk and a photo book of Canada. I’ve had it in my bag for a few…
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Ottawa, Canada
Leaving the land of canoes and headed for the land of kayaks, but I have a few stops to make first. People from my home town might recognize this birch bark beauty. Built by Algonquin elder Patrick Miranda, this is the twin of Pierre Trudeau’s boat. But it lives in the airport now. I’m on…
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Packing complete!
I’m proud of this luggage. 24 hours from departure and it’s ready. This is unprecedented (ask my family) and worth a commemorative photo shoot in the garden. A bientot, Ottawa. I’m ready to Meet the North.
