A rather damp and foggy morning as we boarded the Zodiacs for an 18-minute, high speed transfer through the numerous small islands guarding the entrance to the community of Kimmirut, formerly known as Little Harbour. The Canadian names were changed some years ago to enable the traditional Inuit language to be used. The Inuit name is always descriptive of the location as explained in this extract from today's Chronicle:
"Kimmirut is a traditional Inuit hamlet located on the southernmost peninsula of Baffin Island, just across the Hudson Strait from mainland Québec. The name, translating as "the heel", is named for a distinctive rocky outcrop that looks exactly like the back of your foot! First contact with Europeans occurred around 1000AD when Dorset and Norse sailors from Greenland interacted.
Intermittent contact continued between the Thule people and the Vikings for another 500 years. Interactions increased as fur hunters ventured farther and farther north, whalers came to the Hudson Strait in search of Bowhead Whales and Anglican missionaries arrived across the bay from the community in 1900. In 1911, the first Hudson Bay Company trading post on Baffin Island was built in Kimmirut.
Today, Kimmirut, formerly named Little Harbour, is home to over four hundred people who preserve a traditional way of life, with a thriving culture of arts and crafts, including stone carving, ivory scrimshaw, and jewellery making using many gemstones native to this area."
The photo shows this rock feature described as the 'heel' of the foot – perhaps not the best camera angle to demonstrate the shape.
We were warmly welcomed on our first footfall in Arctic Canada. We gently walked with our guide - a mother of 3 currently on maternity leave - through this small community with ATVs speeding past as the locals went about their daily business, always with a wave. The roads were also busy with two bowser water delivery trucks and a sewage extraction truck, the driver of which was the most enthusiastic waver or was he just trying to say 'get out of my way'!
The water delivery and sewage emptying service is available from 9.00am to 5.00pm every day – the local residents dial into the Central Admin Office to either request a delivery of water or for their sewage tanks to be emptied via two simple connector pipes on the outside of each home. The water comes from a lake above the village and is treated with chlorine before delivery. Both these trucks snaked around the village in no particular order or so it seemed or perhaps just as the orders from locals were phoned in?! Whatever we always got a frantic wave and the community, which is no more than a kilometre square – if that – so driving round and round must have added a bit of fun to the daily delivery round!
Not that I want you to think that this was the highlight of this trip ashore since we also entered the two Cooperative stores – interestingly placed at either end of the community – a bit like the old cowboy films you felt the supporters of each Coop would face each other off – guns firing or perhaps in this instance brandishing "Prices Slashed" banners as part of the daily price war!!
Both the shops contained a wide range of food and hardware items but at eyewatering prices. For example, a large jar of Nutella was $40.00 (Canadian Dollars) and a jar of Marmalade $20.00. Not surprising really since the community only has two 'Food lifts' by ship a year with other perishable goods being flown into the small airstrip above the Community on a more regular basis and when weather permits.
The locals baked traditional Bannock Bread which I was reliably informed was very good but since it was cooked in lard I decided against – I've put on enough weight as it is!
We have a delightful Canadian Inuit Lady onboard named Mary Rose. She had relatives and friends in Kimmirut as I witnessed when one of her Aunts turned up on an ATV and gave her a bag of what looked like large pieces of white chocolate. It was actually chunks of Beluga Whale Blubber! Mary Rose devoured some with obvious pleasure whilst her Aunt told me that it was better than shark meat!!
All this took place whilst the trucks plied their business, a motley, but not unfriendly group of dogs, affectionately known as Baffin Island Specials growled and barked at this invasion of red coated visitors and the 2 Canadian Police Officers rushed around in their Hilux Truck trying, I presume to keep crime at bay. I was a bit worried when our Guide told us that sometimes there are 4 Officers in the community, a ratio of 1 to 100 of the population!!
An interesting morning learning how one of the most northerly Inuit communities in in Arctic Canada live.
We saw Kimmirut on a wet rainy day, but you have to keep in mind that in winter it can be -30C!!
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