Questions from Mrs. H's class

This is a follow-up post to Mrs. H's grade 2 class.  If you are not in second grade, don't worry.  I will do another regular post on Monday.

Hi again, Mrs. H and Grade 2 students!  It was wonderful to hear from the class.  I'm so happy that you are learning all about Nunavut.  You know what we got to do? Play in an igloo! People here do not live in igloos, but hunters use them when they are out on the land. They are often used in emergencies, if a snowmobile breaks down or bad weather comes up suddenly.

The igloo we played in.

Captain Jack and Coraline in an igloo having suckers.

One thing Captain Jack Sparrow and Coraline both noticed is that igloos are smaller than they thought they would be.  Also, once you are inside an igloo, your body heat warms it up very quickly.  They are very cozy and warm inside!

Now, let's answer your questions.

How do we have Christmas trees when there are no trees in Nunavut?

Like you guys, we have been getting ready for Christmas. You are right, there are no trees that grow up here. We can, however, buy real Christmas trees at some stores in town.  They are quite expensive, and there are not many to choose from.  The trees are chopped down somewhere else, then put on big cargo planes and flown up.  We didn't choose to buy a real tree this year.  Instead, we bought an artificial (pretend) tree in Ontario and brought it up with us. We put it up last week and decorated it.

Here are some trees for sale
at the grocery store.

Here is Captain Jack being "cool" in front of our
artificial tree. 

These ornaments are made of dried gourds and hand-painted. There
are a lot of craft sales up here.

This ornament is made from thin leather, but
its painted to look like a sealskin drying out.

How was the fur on Coraline's headband dyed red?

The whole sealskin, once it has been scraped clean, is dipped into a big bucket full of red dye.  Then it is cut up and sewn into whatever the artist chooses.

Here is Coraline's sealskin headband again.

This is what the sealskin looks like after
it has been dipped in dye and allowed to dry out.

These sealskins were dyed dark blue, brown, and green.

The same thing can be done with other kinds of fur.

After the sealskin is dyed, it can be used to make all sorts of things,
like these cute little creatures.

These holly pins for Christmas were made with red
and green sealskin, and white arctic fox fur.

How do you say "husky" in Inuktitut?

There is no word for "husky" in Inuktitut.  Most of the dogs up here were huskies (or part husky) for a very long time.  They are the kind of dogs that can survive in the cold and are great for pulling a dog sled. Since there was only one type of dog, the Inuit have one word for all dogs:  qimmiq (say it like kim-ick).

There are so many dog-sleds up here they have to
put up signs to warn drivers to watch for them.

Here is one we saw one day.

Do we have the same Christmas break as you?

School here works a little differently than what you are used to.  Every day all the students come home for lunch on the bus.  After they have lunch at home, the school bus takes all the kids back to school again.  Our Christmas break starts on Friday afternoon, December 15th. So, all the children will go to school in the morning, and come home for lunch.  After lunch, instead of going back to school for the afternoon, they just get to stay home.  They are home until Tuesday morning, January 2nd.

I hope I answered all your questions!  If you have any more just let me know.  Coraline asks if you could please say hello to her friend, Zyla in Grade 6. Captain Jack Sparrow asks if Mrs. H could please tell the Grade 3 class that he misses them, and we hope you all have a Merry Christmas!