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