Spirituality in Iqaluit

A few weeks ago I got a request to do a post on the religions here in Nunavut.  When my readers speak, I listen. Plus, Christmas is coming so it seems appropriate. Here goes!

Most people in Nunavut, if religious, are Protestant (mainly Anglican--that's the Church of England for my American friends. Its the religion created by Henry VIII that made him head of the church and allowed him to divorce his first wife, Catherine of Aragon).  Martin Frobisher, attempting to discover a Northwest Passage from England to Asia, set off with Queen Elizabeth's blessing to discover what is now Nunavut in 1576.  Seeing as how Elizabeth would not have been his heir had King Henry not changed the religion (and allowed himself to marry her mother Anne Boleyn), AND being the head of the church as queen, she was probably pretty devout. A colony from England was established later in Elizabeth's name, no doubt bringing the Anglican religion with them.

Martin Frobisher. Pretty dashing lookin' fellow.
(Side note: Captain Jack is convinced this is his Uncle
Chocolate Mark.)
(source)

A replica cairn constructed using the same rocks as the
original built by Frobisher overlooking Frobisher Bay.
(source)

"Frobisher's first duty was to claim the newly discovered country and its hidden riches for England.  By raising a cross and claiming the land in the name of God and their monarch, Christian Europeans of the time considered that they had legitimized their claim to the ownership of the homelands of non-Christian peoples." (source)

There are also some Catholics living here.  There are less than 50 Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Sikhs, and Hindus in the entire territory.

In Thunder Bay, both Coraline and Captain Jack went to a Catholic elementary school.  Neither JJ or I are devoutly religious, but this school was right around the corner from our house, had small class sizes, and a reputation for wonderful staff.  We were still hesitant to send the kids there, as the Catholic church has some views that we both disagree with (their take on homosexuality is one example).  Then we found out that friends of ours, a wonderful family who happen to be Muslim, were sending their children to this school, too. In the end we decided if they could do it, we could too. The school has been fantastic, and we have no regrets.

When they got a little older the kids wanted to do the "Catholic things" their friends at school were doing (ie: taking first communion, participating in mass).  JJ, who was raised Catholic, took on the job of taking the kids to church.  We both feel exposing our children to organized religion will give them a broader view of the world. Ultimately the decision as to whether the kids choose to practice a religion, or what that religion might be, will of course be up to them.

The Anglican Church in Iqaluit.

Up here, however, we decided to try something sort-of new.  Since the vast majority of people (at least among those who practice a religion) are Anglican, and since the Anglican church building is just so cool (it looks like a giant igloo!), then we would be Anglican too! (See what I mean about not exactly being "devout"?)  Its been neat for JJ and the kids to see the differences in how the services are conducted (I was raised Anglican, so no real surprises for me). 

The large cross on the wall is made of 2 narwhal tusks.

What I find most interesting about the Anglican church in Iqaluit is how they have incorporated parts of the Inuit culture into the physical church itself. The sign that the hymns are posted on has been constructed to look like a miniature qamutiik (traditional Inuit sled).  So has the lectern (podium). The large cross on the wall has been made using 2 huge narwhal tusks.  The collection plates are sealskin bowls.

Coraline doing a reading at the qamutiik lectern. 

And a real qamutiik for comparison. The one
at the church even sort-of shows the wood tied
 together like this one.

Qamutiik sign for hymns.

Sealskin bowls for collection.

Close-up of the sealskin bowls.

Narwhal tusk cross.

At the Catholic church the kids regularly attended in Thunder Bay, children went down to Sunday school during mass.  When they were present in the church they were expected to sit quietly and respectfully. While of course no one objected if a baby cried, parents (us included) would sometimes bring books (or crayons, or phones on "silent") to keep kids occupied in the pew. Its a little different up here.  I've talked a little bit already about how children are "free range" here in Iqaluit.  The same holds true for church services.  Children walk/run all over the place, make noise, and are chased down by adults regularly in the middle of the service. No one is concerned. Its VERY relaxed. The noise and running around is viewed as just part of childhood and children being in a public place.  There is Sunday school offered here as well, but not all kids choose to go (especially the toddlers). There is a service offered weekly in Inuktitut following the English service.

Some of this post I've had to research.  I found myself thinking "Didn't the Inuit have their own spirituality or religion before Frobisher and the English showed up?"  The answer is yes, of course they did, and still do.  It simply isn't talked about much, especially with outsiders. Its also tricky to find information about. The Inuit believed in Animism, which is an understanding that all things have a spirit. The only people who could control the spirits are Shamans. They use charms and dances to communicate with the spirit world. Spirits are credited with good weather and successful hunts, among other things.  If a disaster happens, angry spirits may be blamed.  I found a website called First Peoples of Canada that goes into more detail for those of you who are interested.  I don't feel qualified to really discuss this, as it is part of Inuit culture that I have not been exposed to yet. Some people say Shamanism (or Animism) is actually becoming more popular among the Inuit.  Others say it isn't practiced as much anymore.

Sometimes its difficult to separate religion and cultural tradition.  One such tradition is the Lighting of the Qulliq, which was done at Captain Jack's school Christmas concert.  At the very beginning of the evening, an Inuit elder did the "Lighting of the Qulliq" Ceremony.  A qulliq is a traditional oil lamp in an elliptical or half-moon shape (often made of soapstone, like the one at the school).  The oil is traditionally from seal or whale blubber. The wick is often made of arctic cotton grass. The qulliq is considered the most important household item for the Inuit, who have been using them for about 3000 years.  In the harshest cold, it is a guaranteed source of light and warmth.  In one Inuit myth, the sun deity carries an oil lamp. She spills it, getting soot and oil on her hands.  Then she rubs the face of the moon deity. The quilliq is so important it is even on the Nunavut coat of arms. (source)  After the Lighting of the Qulliq ceremony at the school, the same elder said a prayer in Inuktitut.

Lighting of the Qulliq

The lighting ceremony was followed by a prayer
in Inuktitut.

That little dish on the left with the red on top
is a qulliq.

Drum dancing, which can be part of a religious ceremony or part of cultural identity, still happens on a regular basis.  There is a drum-dancing class taught at the local high school, and Captain Jack Sparrow took drum-dance lessons at music camp this past summer. At Captain Jack's school Christmas concert one of the skits was called "So You Think You Can Dance". (The students pretended to compete for best dance number.)  One of the dances was to a pop song, another was four boys drum dancing, and a third was four children (two boys and two girls) doing a traditional dance.

Drum dancing as part of the "So You Think You Can Dance" skit.

And traditional dancing. The girls are in amautis, the one on the left
is wearing sealskin kamiks (boots). Sorry for the poor picture quality,
my iphone is terrible in low light.

The "So You Think You Can Dance" skit is a great example of how religion, culture and modern life are intertwined.  Hunters wear sealskin, eat raw whale skin and blubber, and ride around on snowmobiles. After going to church, children might put on their sealskin mittens and kamiks to head home to play on their xbox before having a lunch of smoked char.

Up next: Its Christmas!!!!  I normally post on Mondays and Thursdays.  With Monday being Christmas day, I'm going to do my best to get another post published. Wish me luck!

Merry Christmas from Iqaluit everyone!