Toonik Tyme

First off, a big "thank you" to everyone who voted on the survey, in the comments, via email or Facebook. Based on everyone's responses my new parka will have black trim. I can't wait to show you all when it's done! Now, on to Toonik Tyme.

In Nunavut, it is the return of the sun in the months of March, April

and May, the sign of spring, that is the most important. The sun brings

back warmth and light that glimmers on the snow swept hills and mountains

well into the evenings and allows for warmer weather activities such as dog sledding, 

kiting, floe edge exploration, snowmobile trips and back country skiing.

Seasons were traditionally named in great detail, based on

important environmental factors such as the time when ice starts to form

on the sea--known as ukiaksaaq, or upirngaaq--the period when the sun doesn't set.

source

The Toonik Tyme festival is here! The festival officially started on Thursday with the opening ceremony being held at the local curling club.  Due to the climate up here, Nunavut doesn't experience the four seasons the way the rest of the country does. Instead, the Inuit have traditionally recognized at least 8 seasons.  Toonik Tyme is held to celebrate the return of the sun, and "early spring" in the arctic. There is an emphasis on coming together as a community to share in traditional Inuit activities and to enjoy being out on the land. This week's festival schedule lists events such as BBQ's, dog sled races, snowmobile races, ptarmigan hunt competition, seal skinning competition, seal hunt competition, fishing, bingo for elders, etc. I don't know how much we will make it to (we obviously won't be entering the ptarmigan hunt, for example, as JJ and I are not hunters), but I will keep you all in the loop about what's going on! 

We did make a point of attending the opening ceremony Thursday night. We were told to arrive early, and sure enough, it was a packed house.  Something that really struck me was the excitement in the air.  Normally the Inuit come across to me as a somewhat stoic, reserved people.  Not this night!  There was more Inuktitut shouting and cheering than I'd ever heard before.  The ceremony was relaxed and low-key, not stuffy at all.

We got to the ceremony half an hour early, which turned out to be perfect timing. By the time things really got underway it was standing room only at the back of the arena. During the ceremony prizes were handed out to elders and random attendees. There were musical performances by the Inukshuk Drum Dancers and a rock band. 

Handing out prizes to the two elders in attendance
who had participated in the original 1965 Toonik Tyme.

An elder showing off her 1965 Toonik Tyme pin, with
 her new prize (a blanket) wrapped around her back
 and head. (She danced and shouted out in Inuktitut 
for the crowd.)

Governor General Julie Payette opened the festival.

Incredibly, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Julie Payette, Governor General, was the guest of honour brought in to open the festival. For those of you who don't know, Julie Payette is a former Canadian astronaut. She has flown in space twice, on shuttles Discovery and Endeavour. Her role now is to represent Queen Elizabeth (or the current monarch of England) in our federal government. To have her here to celebrate Toonik Tyme is a Big Deal. 

After the festival was officially opened, there were musical performances and more prizes. 

One of the remarkable things about Inuit culture is how little
it has changed. Take out the microphones and this photo could
have been shot 50 years ago (or more).

The Inuksuk High School Drum Dancers.

Random prize winner: an Inuit Mom with baby in her
amauti.

Random prizes were awarded throughout the evening. At one point, organizers began tossing hats into the crowd.  I was lucky enough that one of these hats landed on my foot!  Yay!  Shortly after, a woman sitting behind Jack caught one.  Rather than keep it, she handed it up to Captain Jack. Both of my children will be wearing official Toonik Tyme winter hats for the rest of the week.

CJS with his Toonik Tyme hat!

A first for me: an Inuk rock band.

The next day our good friend Shiree (who trained with JJ when they were both medical residents) arrived for a 5 day visit.  She could not have chosen a better time to visit--there will be lots of things happening with Toonik Tyme.

The night Shiree arrived we went to dinner at the Frobisher Racquet Club. (I won't put pics up here as I have blogged about this already, to see pics of the club or read about it click here.) One of the neat things about the racquet club is that it overlooks the curling arena.  Normally you can watch the curlers below, but this night the ice was covered and they were hosting Toonik Tyme bingo. Nearly 400 people showed up for a chance to win $30,000. (More people would have attended but the tickets sold out.) 

Looking down on Toonik Tyme bingo Friday night. The jackpot was $30,000.

The next morning Shiree and I decided to check out the Toonik Tyme Giant Craft Show. Word of mouth around town was to get there early to line up. Shiree and I got there about 35-40 minutes before the doors opened. The line quickly grew behind us until the entire lobby was full of people anxiously waiting for the craft sale to start. The craft sale offered the usual Iqaluit fare: various sealskin items such as mittens, pill boxes, furs, wallets, headbands, jackets, etc. We also saw a beautiful 100% caribou hunting parka. Other things up for grabs included fur pom poms, many knitted and/or crochet items (such as hats, mittens, shawls, etc.), and traditional-style homemade parkas for babies, toddlers and adults.

The same space now holding the Toonik Tyme Craft Show on Saturday morning.

Soap made from whale blubber is a popular item,
especially when it is bubble gum scented.

At the end of an hour of meandering about the increasingly crowded room, I walked away with a knitted hat with crystal fox pom pom, Inuit artwork for Coraline's bedroom in Thunder Bay, bubble gum scented whale blubber soap, and two types of homemade arctic char sushi (fresh and smoked). 

Smoked char sushi.

Knit hat with crystal fox fur pompom, art for Coraline.

Whale soap.

That afternoon Captain Jack had a hockey game: the Aiviqs (walrus) vs. the Nanuks (polar bears). I also finally learned his Aiviqs team chant: 

Aiviqs, Aiviqs 

swimmin' in the ocean

causin' a commotion

ooh ooh ooh! 

Isn't that awesome?  Since we were all at the arena watching Captain Jack's hockey game we missed out on the Toonik Tyme outdoor games. Luckily, there were a couple of photos from the games on the Toonik Tyme facebook site.

Blanket toss.  As in, tossing children.

That's Nakasuk Elementary School in the background.

The same day we all chose to attend the music event. Family Music Night, as the name suggests, was geared toward families. The show started at 7pm. All the music was in Inuktitut. There were several bands performing that evening, but the dancing really picked up once the Jerry Cans started playing.  For those of you who don't know, the Jerry Cans just performed a couple of weeks ago at the Juno Awards in Vancouver.  They are a talented group of musicians--not just by local Iqaluit standards! They have been on numerous tours, and are especially popular in Australia.

Lots of people crowded the stage. Shiree and I (and the kids) were content to sit near the back.
JJ watched from the sidelines, saying it was "one of the highlights of my year". 

CJS was super excited to have Coke. 

Coraline hanging out with a friend, Mauve.

Coraline dancing with Mauve and Lilith.

As there is far too much Toonik Tyme to squeeze into one blog post............

Up next: more Toonik Tyme! Skijoring, dog sledding, and whatever other stuff we get up to!