Despite last week being hectic, I got to go to three new places and explore: the elementary school, the dump, and the cemetery.
I thought the elementary school was pretty cute, with artwork by students decorating the halls, and many tributes to local culture. As Igloolik is one of the most traditional communities in Nunavut, there was a lot of artwork, photographs, and artifacts throughout the building. In the absence of students, I felt like I was walking through the halls of a museum as opposed to a school!
The teachers are starting to come back from their summer vacations in southern Canada as well, and students are starting to be registered for their classes. Like other five and six year olds in Canada, students will get registered, but attendance in class tends to be lower than other provinces and territories, as schools seems to not be pushed up here like it is in other parts of Canada. Parents don't get penalized for letting their children stay home from school; there are no truancy police. Social services also wouldn't get involved if a child is absent from class too much - I'm sure if we did it would be constant overtime! Many teenagers will drop out of high school in their late teens as they find themselves pregnant and ready to start a family. This has probably been one of the most difficult things for me to comprehend as a southern Canadian, a former English as a Second Language teaching assistant, and the daughter of a teacher, as I was always lectured about the value of an education and how important school is. But after visiting and seeing how much local culture permeates the walls of the elementary school, and how much focus there is on Inuit Societal Values I can see how learning takes place - both in and outside the classroom, and in the home, through storytelling, through art, through cultural activities and oral history.
No trip to Igloolik is complete without a visit to the dump, either. The locals refer to it as the Canadian Tire. And unlike Iqaluit, this dump wasn't on fire, so that was good.
Many people go here for auto scraps, parts, things to make stuff with, and food. Lots of canned goods will get scrapped here, for no reason other than they were close to their expiry date. Yet, we don't have a food bank. So there's that.
Every so often, there are controlled burnings as well. When illegal drugs and alcohol are confiscated, they are also brought up here to be burned.
A quick walk up the hill brings you to the final resting place for citizens of Igloolik. The deceased are traditionally buried at the highest point of the land, so their spirits can look over the living.
Because of the permafrost, the term "six feet under" does not really apply up here. Graves are slightly more shallow, and rocks are piled on top of them to mark where the coffin is.
If you are Catholic, your grave gets marked with a cross. If you are Anglican, your grave gets marked with a rounded thin tombstone (see above). People have asked what happens if you're neither, and I don't really have an answer for that. A vast majority of the people in this community are religious, and my assumption is that if you aren't, and your family is, you are buried with whatever your living relatives practice.
I thought the elementary school was pretty cute, with artwork by students decorating the halls, and many tributes to local culture. As Igloolik is one of the most traditional communities in Nunavut, there was a lot of artwork, photographs, and artifacts throughout the building. In the absence of students, I felt like I was walking through the halls of a museum as opposed to a school!
The teachers are starting to come back from their summer vacations in southern Canada as well, and students are starting to be registered for their classes. Like other five and six year olds in Canada, students will get registered, but attendance in class tends to be lower than other provinces and territories, as schools seems to not be pushed up here like it is in other parts of Canada. Parents don't get penalized for letting their children stay home from school; there are no truancy police. Social services also wouldn't get involved if a child is absent from class too much - I'm sure if we did it would be constant overtime! Many teenagers will drop out of high school in their late teens as they find themselves pregnant and ready to start a family. This has probably been one of the most difficult things for me to comprehend as a southern Canadian, a former English as a Second Language teaching assistant, and the daughter of a teacher, as I was always lectured about the value of an education and how important school is. But after visiting and seeing how much local culture permeates the walls of the elementary school, and how much focus there is on Inuit Societal Values I can see how learning takes place - both in and outside the classroom, and in the home, through storytelling, through art, through cultural activities and oral history.
No trip to Igloolik is complete without a visit to the dump, either. The locals refer to it as the Canadian Tire. And unlike Iqaluit, this dump wasn't on fire, so that was good.
Many people go here for auto scraps, parts, things to make stuff with, and food. Lots of canned goods will get scrapped here, for no reason other than they were close to their expiry date. Yet, we don't have a food bank. So there's that.
Every so often, there are controlled burnings as well. When illegal drugs and alcohol are confiscated, they are also brought up here to be burned.
A quick walk up the hill brings you to the final resting place for citizens of Igloolik. The deceased are traditionally buried at the highest point of the land, so their spirits can look over the living.
Because of the permafrost, the term "six feet under" does not really apply up here. Graves are slightly more shallow, and rocks are piled on top of them to mark where the coffin is.
If you are Catholic, your grave gets marked with a cross. If you are Anglican, your grave gets marked with a rounded thin tombstone (see above). People have asked what happens if you're neither, and I don't really have an answer for that. A vast majority of the people in this community are religious, and my assumption is that if you aren't, and your family is, you are buried with whatever your living relatives practice.
The cemetery is a bit surreal ... it's like something from the last century or so. Thanks for the pics from Hoth! :)
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