Friday, February 16, 2007
A Passion of the Past
Our ancestors used to go on the land by dogsled to hunt and find new camps each season. Their life was hard because they had to hunt to feed themselves and make warm clothing. When men went hunting for their families, they kept the traditions alive by using their most important means of transportation: the dogsled. Nowadays, our elders still hold fond memories of those years. The elders have memories of the relationship between the dogs and the hunter, and also memories of mutual help amongst the Inuit when they got lost in some unexpected blizzards.
For this project, we interviewed David Etok and Johnny George Annanack, elders in our community. David told us that when he was young, dogsleds were made from wood. The ropes that pulled the dogs were made of seal and walrus skin. Johnny said, “It used to take all day, just for one dogsled.”
The mushers began training the dogs when they were puppies. The most important things that dogs had to learn were obedience and the words that had to do with directions, such as “left”, “right”, “stop” and “go”. Johnny told us that, “The owner and the dogs were just like best friends.” David said, “Even through tough times, the owners would do anything to keep their dogs running, and the dogs would do their best to keep traveling.”
The dogs were only fed once or twice a day. That was because the dogs had to stay fit and because they needed energy.
Both David and Johnny remember that there were women mushers too. David said, “Women were doing even better than men.” David also added that women were good at hunting, and getting the dogs ready for trips. Hopefully in the future, both Inuit women as well as men will continue their involvement in dogsledding.
This text will be part of our Quebec Roots Book
By: Louisa and Eva
For this project, we interviewed David Etok and Johnny George Annanack, elders in our community. David told us that when he was young, dogsleds were made from wood. The ropes that pulled the dogs were made of seal and walrus skin. Johnny said, “It used to take all day, just for one dogsled.”
The mushers began training the dogs when they were puppies. The most important things that dogs had to learn were obedience and the words that had to do with directions, such as “left”, “right”, “stop” and “go”. Johnny told us that, “The owner and the dogs were just like best friends.” David said, “Even through tough times, the owners would do anything to keep their dogs running, and the dogs would do their best to keep traveling.”
The dogs were only fed once or twice a day. That was because the dogs had to stay fit and because they needed energy.
Both David and Johnny remember that there were women mushers too. David said, “Women were doing even better than men.” David also added that women were good at hunting, and getting the dogs ready for trips. Hopefully in the future, both Inuit women as well as men will continue their involvement in dogsledding.
This text will be part of our Quebec Roots Book
By: Louisa and Eva
Times of hardship and changes
By Matthew and Rosina
Secondary 3-4 English
Times of hardship and changes
In the past, many Canadian Inuit dogs were used as transportation. They were very helpful because the Inuit used them to go hunting and used them to travel. The dogs were good at knowing things that were dangerous for them also to their owners and knew where to go even when the weather was really stormy. The Inuit treated their dogs well because they were an important asset in their survival. The affection in their life started at that time. They had no more transportation also had no more choices to go and find food by foot. It became much harder for them to find animals to kill. They became hungrier and had difficulties to save food for future days. The lost of almost all the good dogs also affected their community. The Inuit’s way of living started to change in many ways they would have imagined. The most important part of their survival and culture was now gone. They had to be ready for new ways, a change in their long, untouched culture.
In between the 1950’s and 1960’s, white people started to come to George River. They wanted the Inuit to live in one place, not spread out along the lands. The white people wanted the Inuit to live in a community because they wanted to help the Inuit improve their lives. That way it would be easier for the Inuit to get help from others and also help other Inuit. At that time, white people thought they were helping the Inuit, but they weren’t helping them.
One day, the RCMP started to kill most of the Inuit dogs because they thought the dogs were sick and might attack people. Around 1959, the government established a permanent settlement in our town. While killing the dogs, both Inuit and some RCMP officers didn’t know what the reason was for doing so. The Inuit didn’t even have a clue why their dogs were being killed by whites. The Inuit people started to think about their future, how they were going to live and what would happen to them when they would have no dogs. They realized hunting would become more difficult. How could they carry the caribou they had shot? After the sled dogs disappeared, some Inuit starved to death. They could never have dreamed that it would be almost half a century before the sled dogs come back to George River.
Secondary 3-4 English
Times of hardship and changes
In the past, many Canadian Inuit dogs were used as transportation. They were very helpful because the Inuit used them to go hunting and used them to travel. The dogs were good at knowing things that were dangerous for them also to their owners and knew where to go even when the weather was really stormy. The Inuit treated their dogs well because they were an important asset in their survival. The affection in their life started at that time. They had no more transportation also had no more choices to go and find food by foot. It became much harder for them to find animals to kill. They became hungrier and had difficulties to save food for future days. The lost of almost all the good dogs also affected their community. The Inuit’s way of living started to change in many ways they would have imagined. The most important part of their survival and culture was now gone. They had to be ready for new ways, a change in their long, untouched culture.
In between the 1950’s and 1960’s, white people started to come to George River. They wanted the Inuit to live in one place, not spread out along the lands. The white people wanted the Inuit to live in a community because they wanted to help the Inuit improve their lives. That way it would be easier for the Inuit to get help from others and also help other Inuit. At that time, white people thought they were helping the Inuit, but they weren’t helping them.
One day, the RCMP started to kill most of the Inuit dogs because they thought the dogs were sick and might attack people. Around 1959, the government established a permanent settlement in our town. While killing the dogs, both Inuit and some RCMP officers didn’t know what the reason was for doing so. The Inuit didn’t even have a clue why their dogs were being killed by whites. The Inuit people started to think about their future, how they were going to live and what would happen to them when they would have no dogs. They realized hunting would become more difficult. How could they carry the caribou they had shot? After the sled dogs disappeared, some Inuit starved to death. They could never have dreamed that it would be almost half a century before the sled dogs come back to George River.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Dog Sledding at Old Woman's Lake
Daniel Annanack and Noah Annanack on a class field trip, dog sledding near Old Woman's Lake, in Nunavik, Quebec on February 14, 2007. Photo copyright Eva Obed, 2007.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Photos for the Dog Sledding Project
Low, rolling hills near the town of Kangiqsualujjuaq, Nunavik, Canada. January 07, 2007. Photo copyright: Shirley Annanack, 2007.
Johnny George Annanack, a respected elder in Kangiqsualujjuaq, Quebec, being interviewed on February 7, 2007 about the sudden disappearance of sled dogs in the community in the 1950s. Copyright: Louisa Etok, 2007.
A photo of the only school bus in the village of Kangiqsualujjuaq, Nunavik, Canada, taken during a class field trip, in January 2007. Photo Copyright: Thomas Hubloo, 2007.
An unusual view of the school in Kangiqsualujjuaq, Quebec, in January, 2007. The name of the school is Ulluriaq, which means star in Inuktittut. Copyright: Joe Etok, 2007.
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