Wayfaring the BW project

Coral Harbour First Trip 2020

Alongside funding from Genome Canada, the project PI’s also successfully applied to the Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada/ World Wildlife Fund to fund ‘traditional knowledge research and a denning survey in Coral Harbour, Nunavut’ (Schedule H, 2020, March 31.

This intended study included documenting polar bear TEK in Coral Harbour, surveys of vacated dens by locals to collect a variety of samples and data, and the initiation of a collaborative effort with the high school to train students in land-based surveys.

The den survey and TEK collection activities in Coral Harbour were planned for March and April.

I would join this trip as a first introduction to the North.

Coral Harbour view from across the boat launch (Photograph by author)

Covid-19

Most of the BearWatch team was set to arrive in the Hamlet in March.

I had, however, travelled North a day earlier than the rest, and arrived in the community when the Covid-19 epidemic was declared a global pandemic.

Non-resident travel bans came into effect in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories immediately, while physical distancing requirements within communities were put in place a little later.

Spring Coral Harbour 2020

Despite immediately rescheduling my flight back to the South after I had landed in Coral Harbour, the wind took a turn and blizzards delayed my departure from Coral Harbour by multiple days.

In addition to the stressfulness of getting stranded during early pandemic unfoldings, this also provided for an unique introduction to the North.

Since I was all by myself, I was invited by local PI Leonard Netser and his family to come over and spend some time with them.

"Accept the Invitation" and join Leonard on a Caribou hunt.

Or,

"Keep Going" to follow the main track of the BearWatch project, and see what kind of remote solutions were found to deal with the Covid-19 disruptions for the work with Coral Harbour.

Invitation: Spend time with Leonard Netser and his family

Covid-19 Remote Interviews

One year later, in March 2021, the project PI’s reported to have adapted their strategy to the Covid-19 restrictions.

The polar bear denning surveys that had been planned for the region, had been executed under local leadership, and methods to compile TEK had been adapted together with Co-PI Leonard Netser to allow Southern BearWatch team members to “participate remotely.”

“This new practice evolved from an expressed desire of the community, adapting available technology, revised ethics approval from Queen’s University, and agreement on Covid-19 protocols that exceed local requirements.”

"You are invited" to take a side trail and learn more about why these remote TEK interviews were discontinued after two interviews.

Alternatively,

"Keep Going" and consider the two TEK interviews on Southampton Island, that we managed to conduct, a successful outcome.

Invitation: Tech, TEK and Tea

Fieldtrip BW Team Coral Harbour Summer 2021

Although collaborations had already taken place remotely between local PI Leonard Netser and the PI’s from the South, it was only in the Summer of 2021 that the respective team members from the North and the South got to meet each other for the first time within the community.

A short 5-day introductory fieldtrip was organized to visit Coral Harbour.

Preparations

During this trip several BearWatch researchers presented the proposed research activities that were upcoming to the Coral Harbour HTA and other interested community members.

The time was also used to set up material equipment for a simple local lab to support further community lead sampling efforts, to be conducted over late 2021 and early 2022.

Finally, the trip was used to visit some of the sampling areas that were pointed out during the TEK mapping interviews of 2020.

You're "invited" to tag along, and get a sense of Southampton Island in the Summer.

Otherwise,

"Keep Going" to move straight ahead to the second leg of this fieldtrip, towards Gjoa Haven.

Invitation: Drive across  the Island

Fieldtrip BW Team Gjoa Haven Summer 2021

Gjoa Haven from the docks (Photographed by Saskia de Wildt, Aug 2021)

This visit to Gjoa Haven was used to gain final feedback on a peer-reviewed publication on Gjoa Haven polar bear TEK.

It was also used to present results of several other graduate students that had been working on various elements of the BearWatch bio-monitoring toolkit.

And, finally, this visit provided opportunities for me to collaborate in person on the publication and dissemination of Gjoa Haven's "Voices of Thunder" on polar bear quota restriction impacts.

Voices of Thunder Meetings

Being physically present in the community, presented opportunities to co-create an audio-visual productions with multiple community members, in addition to discussing and revising the latest iteration of the Voices of Thunder" paper.

You find yourself at a cross-road with many tracks.

"Detour" to cut 2 to follow the process of co-creating an animated graphic documentary and other video projects. You won't return here.

Or,

'Detour" directly to Cut 1 to view the final animated documentary, and return afterwards.

Alternatively,

You are "invited" to help with some logistical chores around town.

This is a helpful way to get to know people, and it will be much easier than in Coral Harbour, because of the existing network.

Otherwise,

"Keep Going". There are, for example, community-lead sampling efforts underway in Southampton Island that you can visit, before returning to Gjoa Haven in the spring of 2022, to present the some final cuts of the videos that were made.

Detour to Cut 2: Co-create a Graphic Documentary

Detour to Cut 1: View the Voices of Thunder Animated Graphic Documentary

Invitation: Help Out With Chores Around Town

Community-Lead Sampling Coral Harbour Spring 2022

In March 2022 fieldwork was carried out on Southampton Island which included bear den surveys and sampling of snow from polar bear tracks and filtering of snow melt from polar bear footprints ‘in the field’.

Troy Netser leading sampling efforts on Southampton Island (photograph by Scott Arlidge)

These efforts were compiled into instructional videos, and currently collected on a youtube channel that can be accessed through this link only.

Meetings Spring 2022 Gjoa Haven

In the spring of 2022 I returned to Gjoa Haven by myself. I was welcomed "home" immediately, and many people had remembered seeing me around town the previous year.

This visit allowed me to screen an intermediate version of the Voices of Thunder documentary for the Gjoa Haven HTA and co-create some missing material for the final edit with Danny Aaluk, a Gjoa Haven based artist who I had collaborated closely with during my previous visit.

Film screenings

Improvised projection on living room wall with silhouette of a viewer (photograph by de Wildt, 2022)

I was also able to screen two other videos for the community-members that had worked on them with me.

I organized a home screening, after which we shared bannock and soup prepared by Danny Aaluk's mother, and had a collective discussion on the cultural meaning of the songs and dances that the people had performed in the videos.

Both Holly and Mary commented on how listening to the Pihhiq just makes them "see" the land. The others, people who did not take part in singing the pihhiq, or even that particular video, all agreed. Pihhiqs are life stories of famous hunters they explained to me. This particular Pihhiq came from the grandfather of Jacob Keanik - an interpreter we had worked with a lot in the previous year.

I started to notice how multiple people connect the use of certain words and song to mental pictures of the land during conversations with me

Check out the "Landmark" to learn more about this connection.

Or,

"Keep Going." This will take you back to Coral Harbour where you are hoping to talk more about a model of land-based knowledge conciliation that is based on wayfinding and wayfaring with local Co-PI Leonard Netser.

You also want to further discuss his priorities for the project and its final workshop.

Before you go,

You have an opportunity to go check on seal dens with George.

Accept the "invitation", to learn more about his methods of moving through the land and ice.

Landmark: Song, Dance and Oral Storytelling"

Invitation: Checking Seal Dens

Meetings Spring 2022 Coral Harbour

I returned to Coral Harbour with high hopes of working with co-PI Leonard Netser on the development of a knowledge conciliation approach that would be based on western philosophies of knowing through wayfaring, and Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit on land-based wayfinding.

We had started talking about such an approach after my last visit in the late summer of 2021 in our personal correspondences, and Leonard was very supportive and interested in the idea.

He had told me that coming back in the spring would allow be good timing for him. I had furthermore anticipated that travelling to Coral Harbour alone, would provide for a slower pace and less pressure from other project related activities like sampling.

An unexpected "ice-pressure ridge" has, however, emerged on this path. We can't keep going. Leonard is engaged elsewhere and needs to move a cabin before the spring ice becomes too unsafe to travel across.

Ice-pressure ridge: Seasonal Activities