I’m back here in the community of Whapmagoostui, Northern
Quebec on the coast of Hudson Bay. Around 2000 people live here including both
Crees and Inuit. My last experience here was in the 1990’s while underway
working for the Crees educational system.
This trip includes introductions to people from different cultures.
The plane from Nemaska did a stop over briefly in another Cree community Waskaganish
before beginning the northern trajectory past James Bay further into a region
known as Ungava bordering Hudson Bay.
While onboard the aircraft I struck up a conversation with
Alux an Inuk who during the trip north was looking out the window at the clear
view of the coastline below. He let me know that he was on the look out for
Beluga whales. The Beluga is a primary source of food for the Inuit people. The
tradition involves a crew of men who travel to the whales off the coast aboard
their boats; they harpoon and shoot these sea creatures for provision of food
for their communities. My idea of seeing these animals cruising the surface
shifted to thinking about what the slaughter might be. My introduction to
people from distant lands is rich learning and hunting is a way of life
foreign to urban societies.
Our stay in Whapmagoostui (Great Whale) has included
introductions to many people and visits to many locations. A coastal community Whapmagoostui
has the magnificent Hudson Bay ever present as a backdrop. The region includes beachfront,
sand dunes combined with hilly terrain mixed with lakes and rivers. The
natural terrain has a landscaped look that is picture perfect. A natural
splendor, groomed well beyond any man made garden. We’re here in summer and
we’ve been afforded almost temperate conditions with fresh breezes purging
biting flying insects. Breeze coming from across broken ice flows, over the vast
waters of Hudson Bay. This weather is an easy adjustment for our crew of urbanites
by comparison to the extreme cold served up for most of the year here in the north.
Another primary mode of transportation here is the ATV (All Terrain Vehicle). These torqued up dune buggies have been used for about twenty years.
They’re a multi-purpose utility that provide riders and passenger’s
transportation across the spectrum including recreation, hunting
as well ATV’s are good for getting the groceries or Sunday driving. A compact
personal vehicle with rock proof suspension frames and highly efficient engines
make the ATV design the transportation of choice for those living in the
community.
Getting from point A to point B is a common aspect of life
in the North and different modes of travel keep people together. The ATV
provides an exhilarating driving experience, a great option of mechanized
travel that further enables living on land.
