Beaufort Sea initiative

Normally I walk everywhere in Inuvik as it’s not a big place and my apartment is close to the offices and shops. But I wanted to see the Midnight Sun Mosque which is on the outskirts of town beside a new housing development, and it was too far and too cold to walk.  So I got the taxi to let me off at the mosque so I could take pictures. The driver convinced me to go inside – this was his mosque and he wanted me to see the interior. He waited patiently and insisted on driving back to the centre of town for a coffee.
The Midnight Mosque, which serves the Muslim population here, garnered considerable publicity when it was transported by road and barge from the south. I choke up every time I watch the wonderful slide presentation:
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifgsY4wWl9c[/youtube]
I was taken aback by the Philippine choir at the community Christmas sing-along at the famous Igloo church. I enjoyed the Gwitch’in and Inuvialuit choirs, but the pleasure of the Philippine choir singing in their own language was unexpected. I recognized the lead male singer the next day working as head of the housekeeping staff where I live. He tells me there are 28 Filipino in Inuvik, of which only five are men. The women came first, to work in the hospital and are slowly sponsoring their husbands.
Inuvik is situated on the East Channel of the Mackenzie River, just south of the tree line and west of open tundra. Built in the 1950s (inland to avoid flooding), it now has a population of about 3500 people and serves as the supply and services hub for the Western Arctic. The population is a mixture of Inuvialuit, Gwitch’in , lots of folks from Down East, us old white guys  and a growing multicultural community.
The structures that support decision making here are very different than the south. Both the Gwitch’in peoples and the Inuvialuit have land settlement agreements with the federal government and are co-managers of their territory. They guard their hard-won rights with decision-making bodies for land use and wildlife harvests. (www.irc.inuvialuit.com and www.gwichin.nt.ca)
It’s important for us to understand and respect these decision-making structures and know how to best support good conservation planning – a goal we all share while sometimes disagreeing on approach or timing. The holidays have been a good time to reflect on how to move forward. More on that in my next blog.

Our Lady of Victory (c) Sue Herbert/WWF-Canada