Kyle Kisoun Taylor Writes the 109'ers

HI KIDS. MY NAME IS KYLE KISOUN TAYLOR. I WORKED WITH DOUG IN INUVIK NORTHWEST TERRITORIES. I WAS THE ONE THAT MADE SURE THAT NONE OF THEM FROZE AND GOT THEM OUT WHEN THEY GOT STUCK. MY FAMILY HAS LIVED IN INUVIK SINCE THE BEGINING OF THE TOWN. MY GRANDMOTHER BERTHA ALLEN IS GWICHIN AND MY GRANDFATHER VICTOR ALLAN IS INUIVALUIT. THEY BOTH SPEAK THEIR NATIVE LANGUAGE. I WILL TRY TO ANWSER SOME OF YOUR QUESTIONS. WHAT TO DO IF YOU FALL THROUGH THE ICE? WELL, IF YOU FALL THROUGH THE ICE YOU MUST STAY CALM AND THINK THAT IS THE BEST WAY TO GET OUT OF THIS. YOU MUST GET YOUR SELF OUT AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE BECAUSE IT IS VERY COLD. WHEN YOU DO GET OUT IF YOU CAN MAKE IT TO SOMEPLACE WARM RIGHT AWAY GO THERE AND GET OUT OF YOU WET CLOTHES AND INTO SOME DRY ONES RIGHT AWAY. IF THERE IS NOT A WARM CABIN AROUND AND YOU HAVE A CHANGE OF CLOTHES YOU MUST CHANGE INTO THEM AS FAST AS YOU CAN BECAUSE YOUR CLOTHES WILL FREEZE ON YOU REALLY FAST AND YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO GET THEM OFF THEN START A FIRE. AFTER YOU ARE OKAY AND WARM AGAIN YOU MUST GO BACK AND MARK THE TRAIL WHERE YOU WENT THROUGH SO THAT OTHER PEOPLE KNOW THAT IT IS UNSAFE TO TRAVEL THERE. I HAVE GONE THROUGH THE ICE IN THE SPRING. LUCKILY I WAS CLOSE TO MY WARM CABIN SO I WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT THERE TO WARM UP. EVERY YEAR SOMEONE GOING THROUGH THE ICE AND DROWNS IN THE NWT. IT IS VERY DANGEROUSE UNFORTANATLEY MOST OF THE DEATHS COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF PEOPLE WOULD HAVE BEEN PREPARED AND DID NOT TAKE UNNECESSARY RISKS. I HAVE BEEN LUCKY ENOUGH TO SEE SOME POLAR BEARS WHEN I WAS ON AN ICE BREAKER CALLED THE AMUNDSEN ( HTTP://WWW.AMUNDSEN.QUEBEC-OCEAN.ULAVAL.CA/AMUNDSENENGLISH.HTM). POLAR BEARS DO NOT LIKE PEOPLE VERY MUCH SO THEY TRY TO AVOID US WHEN THEY CAN. SOMETIMES THEY WILL WANT TO SEE WHAT IS GOING ON AND COME IN CLOSE FOR A BETTER LOOK BUT FOR THE MOST PART THEY AVOID US. THEY MOSTLY EAT SEALS IN THE WINTER SO THEY ARE FAR OUT ON THE SEA ICE WHERE NOT TO MANY PEOPLE GO, SO WE DON’T SEE THEM MUCH.

Arctic Doug's Final Post from Tuk

WELL 109′ERS, THIS IS WILL BE MY LAST POST! I LEFT INUVIK THIS MORNING AND AM NOW OVERNIGHTING IN EDMONTON BEFORE RETURNING HOME TOMORROW! HERE ARE A FEW LAST PICTURES.THANK YOU FOR YOUR RECENT POSTS. I LIKED HEARING ABOUT YOUR LEGEND OF THE CLOWN-VERY CREEPY STUFF!I’VE BEEN READING A BOOK CALLED “PEOPLE OF THE DEER” BY CANADIAN AUTHOR FARLEY MOWAT. A TERRIFIC MOVIE WAS BASED ON HIS BOOK CALLED “NEVER CRY WOLF”. ANYWAY, HE WENT AND LIVED WITH THE INLAND INUIT (IHALMIUT)AND IT TURNS OUT THAT THE INUIT HAVE SOME PRETTY CREEPY LEGENDS TOO, INCLUDING PAIJA.”PAIJA IS A SHE-DEVIL WITH A SINGLE LEG AND SHE COVERS HER BODY WITH HER LONG BLACK HAIR. APPARENTLY IF YOU LOOK AT HER YOU DIE. THERE IS A FAMOUS STORY OF A MAN WHO WAS RETURNING FROM HIS TRAP LINE. HIS FAMILY HEARD HIS DOG TEAM PULL UP TO THE IGLOO. AS THEY WAITED FOR HIM TO HITCH UP THE TEAM THEY HEARD HIM SCREAM. THIS TERRIFIED EVERYONE IN THE IGLOO BECAUSE THE ONLY WORD HE SCREAMED WAS THE NAME PAIJA.FOR SEVERAL HOURS NO ONE WAS BRAVE ENOUGH TO GO OUTSIDE. EVENTUALLY THE BROTHER OF JATU, WHO WORE AN AMULET BELT AND WAS SOMETHING OF A SHAMAN, TOOK HIS SPEAR AND WENT OUT INTO THE NIGHT. HE FOUND JATU STANDING BY HIS SLED. HE WAS FROZEN SOLID AND THE SNOW, WHICH HAD BEEN DRIFTING STEADILY, WAS ALREADY UP TO HIS KNEES-AND HE WAS DEAD. WHEN HIS BROTHER LOOKED INTO HIS FROZEN BROTHER’S OPEN EYES, HE SAW THE IMAGE OF PAIJA REFLECTED THERE. THUS, THIS WAS AS CLOSE AS ANY MAN EVER CAME TO SEEING PAIJA AND LIVING TO TELL THE TALE.”THE INUIT ALSO HAVE SOME VERY BEAUTIFUL CREATION STORIES TOO, WHICH INVOLVE A WOMAN FISHING OUT EVERY LIVING ANIMAL FROM A HOLE IN THE GROUND. ALSO, ACCORDING TO THEIR LEGENDS IT WAS THE WOLF WHO UNBURIED THE SUN IN THE BACK OF A CAVE, THUS ILLUMINATING THE WORLD SO THAT HE COULD HUNT.

HERE IS A PICTURE OF KYLE, WHO HAS BEEN WORKING WITH US AND MAKING SURE WE ALL COME HOME SAFE AND SOUND. I’M PRETTY SURE HE IS PART INUIT AND PART GWICHIN. WITH ANY LUCK HE MIGHT POST FOR YOU GUYS, ALTHOUGH HE HAS BEEN WORKING VERY HARD AND IS ON HIS WAY TO GO SNOWBOARDING!THIS PICTURE WAS TAKEN ON THE 20TH WHILE WE WERE PHOTOGRAPHING THE ICE ROAD FROM UP WHERE YOU CAN ONLY GET BY SNOWMOBILE. LATER THAT NIGHT WE WERE LUCKY TO SEE A TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE MOON!

BY THE WAY, I LIKED HEARING ABOUT YOUR DOGS AND THEIR NAMES AND FUNNY STORIES. CHARLIE’S DOG IS NAMED TESLA. SHE FANCIES HERSELF A MIGHTY HUNTER AND HAS ACTUALLY CAUGHT AT LEAST TWO BIRDS IN THE BACK YARD. SINCE WE LIKE BIRDS WE TRY NOT TO LET HER SNEAK UP ON THEM.MUKTUK, OR WHALE, TASTED TO ME LIKE A BLAND FISH DIPPED HEAVILY IN OLIVE OIL. IT WAS PRETTY GOOD BUT THE PEOPLE HERE LOVE THIS STUFF. I THINK IT IS AN AQUIRED TASTE AND RIGHT NOW IF I HAD TO CHOOSE BETWEEN MUKTUK AND ANWAAR’S STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES- WELL, IT WOULD BE THE GRAPE LEAVES FOR ME ANYDAY BUT THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE WHO WOULD BE GLAD AND GOBBLE UP THE MUKTUK FOR THEMSELVES! THE MUSKOX SOUP REMINDED ME OF A WATERY GOULASH BECAUSE IT HAD MEAT AND MACARONI. I THINK ONE OF YOU GUYS ARE POLISH? SO YOU COULD MAYBE EXPLAIN GOULASH. IT WAS VERY TASTY!I THINK YOU ARE VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE SUCH A DIVERSE GROUP OF KIDS IN YOUR CLASS! AND ALL OF THOSE LANGUAGES!!!IT WAS ACTUALLY AMAZING THAT WE ONLY GOT THE TRUCK STUCK ONCE, AS THEY DON’T PLOW ANY ROADS AROUND TOWN. ALL OF THE ROADS ARE JUST HARD PACKED SNOW IN TUK, SO IT’S DIFFICULT TO TELL WHAT IS A ROAD AND WHAT ISN’T. THE NON ROAD AREAS HAVE HARD PACKED SNOW ON TOP, BUT SOMETHING AS HEAVY AS A TRUCK IS TOO HEAVY AND SO FALLS THROUGH INTO THE POWDER AND GETS STUCK.HERE IS ANOTHER PICTURE OF ROB -THIS TIME GETTING A SNOWMBILE STUCK! I DID THIS ALSO AND IT TOOK A LOT OF WORK TO GET IT OUT!BY THE WAY, IN CASE ANYONE IS FEELING LIKE ROB IS A BAD DRIVER HE REALLY ISN’T- HE JUST HAD TO DRIVE A LOT MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE!


WELL- I GUESS THAT’S ABOUT EVERYTHING! KYLE MIGHT BE SENDING ONE LAST POST. TELL MS. RANDOLPH TO GIVE ME A CALL OR E-MAIL TO SEE IF CHARLIE AND I CAN SCHEDULE ONE MORE VISIT TO YOUR CLASS?! IT’S BEEN REALLY FUN DOING THIS PROJECT WITH YOU ALL AND EVERYONE ON THE CREW LOVED HEARING ABOUT THE 109′ERS AND YOUR AWESOME QUESTIONS. CHARLIE REALLY LIKED IT TOO AND THOUGHT IT WOULD BE FUN TO BRING YOU GUYS A LITTLE SURPRISE.

ARCTIC(BUT QUICKLY THAWING) DOUG