EXPEDITION UPDATE: Aug. 10, 2007
Pangnirtung

The team awoke in the calm waters of Cumberland Sound this morning, which was a welcome relief after the an evening of rocking and rolling through the Davis Strait. All are well and happy to be standing vertical again, reported Geoff this morning.

This morning they spent some time in the lecture room learning about whales from Olle Carlsson and later about Women Explorers from Milbry Polk. Before, between and after - the team was out on deck or up on the bridge, taking in the sights and looking for whales!

Around lunchtime, the group arrived in Pangnirtung (known as 'Pang' to the locals) . The community of about 1300 is located at the end of an extremely rugged, albeit absolutely stunning fjord, complete with snow-capped mountains on either side.

Upon landing, the team met with community representatives, including elders, artists, local students, and Parks Canada interpreters... and in the evening, they participated in a big community feast! Parks Canada guides came aboard the ship in the evening for a special briefing about tomorrow's hike... to the Arctic Circle!



Participant Journals!

From: Brianne Lovstrom 

It is just after breakfast, sunny, calm, with a nice clear blue ocean and sky alike.  There is nothing better to refresh me than the clear air.  At least my nostrils do not seem to notice the salty aroma anymore!   

Yesterday, after our mysterious zodiac cruise through the Savage Islands, was a day spent in leisure, as many slept, vomited, or just turned green a little.  Me on the other hand, I loved the swells.  They were almost as relaxing as the clear air this morning.  Like being on a rollercoaster, or an old fashioned ride called the Caterpillar, for 24 hours!  We had a few laid back lectures, and a discussion on climate change too.  The discussion was interesting and mainly based on opinions and questions.  I guess climate change is still so delicate a subject, and so unknown. As Fritz said, there can be no definite fact numbers put into place, but the environment is always changing.  We need to look at trends.  And they are very real.   

After the discussion there was some PQT, personal quiet time, which was awesome!  It was nice just to read, write, and for many sleep.  My favourite part of the day however, was Being Caribou.  This is a movie that a couple from Canmore made to try and educate the public while protesting against the drilling for oil in an arctic wildlife reserve.  Basically for four months, the couple followed the caribou migration, and later produced a documentary.  It was amazing.  Their perseverance was really inspiring, and it even looked a little exciting.  I could see myself travelling three hundred miles by ski and foot, just to protect something I love.  But, no mom, that does not mean that I am going to just hop on a band wagon right now and go follow the Asian Elephant, or a Siberian Tiger.  I feel that there has to be strong purpose and planning, with a reasonable predicted outcome, if ever I did decide to go into the field.  Their outcome was a documentary.  But they were just also fortunate enough to get huge public awareness as well.   

Well, today we head into Pangnirtung.  I am ecstatic to experience the lifestyle of a larger community this far north.  I swear the closer we get to the circle the more amazing and alluring this landscape has become. 

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From: Connor Jessup 

Today was our second landing in an Inuit community so far on the expedition. The community we came to this time was slightly larger than Kimmirut, it is called Pangnirtung. Pangnirtung is located in the Pangnirtung Fjord on the eastern coast of Baffin Island. The fjord is said to be one of the most beautiful places in the Arctic. Both sides of the fjord are lined with mountains that play host to large valley glaciers. Out of everything I have seen on this expedition so far, this is by far the most eye-boggling. We arrived at the town of Pang around lunch time. Although it is larger than Kimmirut, it is still tiny compared to cities like Toronto and Ottawa. Community guides gave us tours of the Whaling Museum, Parks Canada HQ, Sculpture Gallery and Shop (Pang is very well known for its prowess at stone carving) and other landmarks. Following the tour, some of the town and all of SOI gathered in the Community Centre for a celebration. The first event was really interesting. Two of the Elders of Pang answered questions (through a translator) from the students about their community and how climate change has affected it (e.g. hunting, glaciers, temperature, etc.). The Elders were followed by local girls who presented throat singing (an Inuit type of singing by making sounds through the throat) and Inuktitut (the Inuit language) songs. We were also shown some more Arctic Sports similar to the ones we were shown in Kimmirut. The best part of the day was the feast of local foods including Caribou, Seal, Beluga blubber, raw Salmon, etc…. When we came back to the ship we had 2 new members with us. They are representatives from Parks Canada that are here to help us with our FULL DAY HIKE to the Arctic Circle that we are doing tomorrow. It is a 22km (with a lot of twists and turns) hike through Auyuittuq National Park. I think I need to get a REALLY good sleep tonight. 

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From: Mary Simon 

What a welcome we had when we arrived in Pangnirtung today. The people in Pang were super with the SOI. The elders took the time to talk to the youth and give their experience and impressions of what is happening to our Siila (water, earth and air). We have one word for these three things because they are so inter-connected. We had a feast of muktuk, arctic char, seal meat, and caribou meat. We also had lots of bannock. 

The community also entertained us with throat singing, drumming and Inuit games. Awesome day as the kids would say!

Tomorrow we are doing a trek at Auyuituq Park. I am sure it will be another wonderful day. So far it has been a wonderful experience, and Jordan is having the time of his life. Happy birthday Carole! 

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From: Omar Beg 

Today was quite an interesting day. We reached Pangnirtung by midday and had a zodiac landing there. We had a guided tour of the town. The visitor centre had a lot of neat stuff.

After the tour we got to go to the local store and FINALLY I bought something for my younger brother Ali! But I’m not mentioning what it is as I bet he will be really happy to see it. The rest of everything’s fine. Tomorrow we will be visiting Auyittuq National Park and I am looking forward to it! 

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From: BJ Bodnar - Climate Change: A discussion of our collective future  

One of the primary objectives of the Students on Ice program is to expose student expeditioners to our global environmental realities and in the process provide knowledge and inspiration to do something to help mitigate their effects. One of the major themes of this year’s trip and one of the most potentially threatening issues the Arctic has ever been faced with is climate change. Yesterday, students were given the opportunity to explore the climate change issue from all angles (scientific, political, social, etc.) through a group discussion with a panel of experts. The meeting was filled with terrific questions, even better answers, and spirited debate. It soon became evident that all of the different backgrounds added valuable perspectives and expertise to the task of both climate change prevention and adaptation. Some of the key themes that emerged were:  

-          the continued need for public awareness and education about the causes and consequences of climate change.

-          the need for developed countries such as Canada to take a leadership role in climate policy on an international level.

-          the constant struggle between economic expansion and environmental sustainability in a capitalist society.

-          the need to implement more environmentally friendly technologies that are currently available.

-          the overwhelming potential of individuals actions to create a meaningful difference. 

Without a doubt, this was one of the most thought provoking and influential discussions of the trip so far. It was clear that there remains a collective will from all geographical and political backgrounds to combat the global climate crisis we are facing, and to begin taking meaningful steps today. Stay tuned (or online, I guess) for further climate change prevention updates and ideas. Keep your stick on the ice! 

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From: Colleen Alkalay-Houlihan 

This morning I just went to an amazing workshop, put on by Robin Anawak and Mary Simon, about health of northern indigenous people and climate change. Robin gave a presentation in which he spoke of many different difficulties that the Inuit could experience because of a changing environment, and this included dangerously high concentrations of chemicals that are being found in traditional food sources, and Mary went on to speak of caribou that are getting very sick because their livers cannot process all of the cadmium that is being concentrated in lichen and mosses, their main food supply. Jackie Price added a point later on in the discussion that really struck a cord with me. I interpreted her comment as meaning that we see all of these beautiful arctic animals, and of course we want to protect their habitat and ensure that they have a future, and the media in the years to come will use these animals to encourage people to protect our fragile north, knowing that they are so cute that it is hard to resist.  

It is important, however, that we view these animals not just as landscape, but as food for the Inuit; we must understand that for thousands of years the Inuit have depended on these magnificent animals to feed them,  to clothe them, to allow them to express themselves artistically by making sculptures of them….These animals have survived, and thrived, for a very long time, and the Inuit have treated them with respect and kindness, understanding that we alone, as humans, cannot survive—we depend on others, and the caribou, seals, walruses, etc. are a part of our survival, and so too must we ensure their survival. Jackie said that for the Inuit, the animals hold a deeper meaning; they are not just a source of physical survival, but they are necessary for the thriving of the northern peoples’ souls. When an Inuk has not had “country food” for a long time, they will start to feel it deep within them, and there is a longing for the nourishment of their homes. 

Robin quoted his father as saying “The north breathes in what the rest of the world breathes out.” I think this is a very true quote, and hopefully it will make the rest of the world think more about their actions and how it is affecting our delicate northern environment. 

From: Helen Filion

I can hardly believe how fortunate I am to be with SOI  here in the Canadian Arctic on the Russian ship, Lyubov Orlova. Here we are mid-way through our amazing Arctic expedition-adventure and my head is swirling with so much new-to-me information learned during the excellent daily presentations by the accompanying top-qualified scientist-researchers who are sharing their knowledge with us. I am in every way as much a student as the 68 we are chaperoning. 

So many new exciting experiences to tell you about when next we meet: Zodiac cruises and landings on calm liquid-mirror seas as well as choppy swelling ones; seeing walruses, polar bears, caribou, belugas and a pod of orcas, as well as several species of Arctic birds, all in their natural habitat; being welcomed by the whole community of Kimmirut on Baffin Island; and so many more experiences yet to come. Flexibility and Good Karma have been important key words as we go with the flow. 

The beauty and peace that prevail everywhere we have been here makes us all pause to reflect on what we are learning and how global warming does and will continue to affect all forms  of life. There remains so much more to be learned; so much is still unknown. Predicting the future is more difficult than interpreting the past.  

I am happy and proud to become acquainted with this beautiful part of Canada where Inuit have lived for thousands of years. All that I am hearing, experiencing and witnessing is certainly making me more aware and richer. I will have to incorporate many new ideas into my lifestyle. 

From: Jason Koblogina 

Yesterday was a good day.  We were at the Savage Islands in the morning and the polar bear and beluga zodiac groups went on a rough ride due to the waves on the sea.  On our journey through the Savage Islands we saw a beautiful male polar bear who was sleeping and I guess we woke him up. The bear awoke, stared at us, walked away but stopped and looked back a couple times.  After our zodiac cruise we came back to the ship and had lectures. Because of the waves some people got sea-sick.  After dinner we had a couple more lectures then we watched a documentary called Being Caribou. 

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From: John Cortes 

Today we went to another Inuit community: Pangnirtung, but we just call it Pang. I met some of the Elders who speak Inuktitut. Some of the people live in plywood homes with newspaper as wallpaper and they look kind of rough on the outside but inside it’s cool. They are insulated, with plastic windows. We went to the community centre. The Elders talked about global warming with the help of a translator. After this they showed throat singing and Inuit games.  One of these is kicking what happens to be a bundle of fur hanging from a crane. The German guys are good at kicking. More specifically, Jacob is. After that we ate the great Inuit food: beluga, seal, fish, bannock, and caribou.  

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From: Neha Thacker

Each day is just as fascinating as the previous. We went to this small town called the Pangnirtung in the Davis Straight. It was lovely. The people of the small town are so warm, that it just touches my heart. We even had a very interesting chat with the Elders of the town regarding climate change. We all really feel bad that it is much more intense and evident to these indigenous people. Lately, when we discuss our experiences I feel really proud that there are people who really want to make a difference about climate change. Well, tomorrow we have a big day ahead, going for a long hike to a national park up to the Arctic Circle. Everyone is so excited! For everyone back home, I’m doing great!

From: Payal Patel 

Well, today was another filled day. It feels so weird because I haven’t written in an online journal since the first day; I don’t know how to capture my rich experiences in a couple of sentences. Well, after yesterday’s horrible weather and our ship being filled with sick children, the weather calmed and everyone was a lot better. We had some lectures and workshops in the morning about climate change, exploration and animals, and we spent the afternoon in another Inuit community. This will be our last stop at a community, other than our final destination, Iqualuit. The place was called Pangnirtung (Pang). 

We arrived in the afternoon, and spent our time visiting the local museum, National Parks Headquarters, arts and crafts shop and a little place where clothes are made. We were in the museum, which had a couple of wonderful displays on how the Inuit used to live in the area. There was hunting tools, preserved animals, a replica shelter from old times and many others. There was also a display of games, most using bones that had to be manipulated. When we learned how to play the game, we realized that it was like a more resourceful way to play Monopoly.  

We also went to the National Park Headquarters, where there was an amazing display of a polar bear with a seal in its mouth. There was also a beautiful mural representing the whole culture of Pang. At the arts and crafts shop, many intricate sculptures, jewellery and embroidery were for sale. The various things were made of materials like soapstone, wool, and ivory. I bought a couple of gifts for my friends and a beautiful ivory ring with a beluga on it (I won’t say how much because my mom is probably reading this).  

The weaving workshop had this beautiful wall filled with magazine articles. We learned that a group of youth were actually the ones who built the place. I tried on a sealskin jacket which was extremely warm from the inside, even though I was only wearing a light sweater underneath.  

We then went to the community center, where we were greeted by the elders. They gave us their words of wisdom: their observations of climate change, how they felt about what was happening and what youth can do to change the world. It was really touching for me, and I feel that the experience and wisdom that they have should really be listened to so that we know what the exact changes are. There was also throat singing and arctic sports to entertain us. There was a feast of food, from beluga to seal meat and caribou stew to vegetarian snacks that I could eat. We SOI expeditioners had a chance to really try something new and learn about the Inuit culture. Some of us got to call home, which was a good thing and that helped me today in actually writing this journal. We learned a lot of new things today. Tomorrow, it is a brand new day to learn something new.