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EPISODE SIX :
IQALUIT
Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut, translates to place of many fish in Inuktitut, reflecting the region’s abundant wildlife and the deep connection between the Inuit people and the land. As the largest city in the territory, it has become a gathering place for Inuit from across the North and is now a hub for those wanting to share culture, traditions, and Inuit ways of life. Meet Aasivak and Laura, two influential leaders in their community on a mission to preserve Inuit traditions and culture.
OUR STORYTELLERS
KAYAK
Qajaq
(Inuktituk)
For over 2000 years, the Inuit have called the Arctic home. They learned to thrive in its harsh, austere landscape. Over this time, they developed cultural practices and technologies. These allowed them to hunt marine animals and develop a deep reciprocal relationship with their territory.
One such innovation is the qajaq, now known as the kayak. This single-person, closed-hull watercraft was historically used to traverse large expanses of water and hunt marine mammals, such as seals and whales.
The importance of the qajaq extends beyond its function. Qajaq are so central to Inuit existence that they feature heavily in many of their creation stories, including the story of Sedna, the goddess of the sea and marine animals. The story describes how she came to rule over Adlivun, the Inuit equivalent of the underworld.
In the legend, she is thrown from her family’s qajaq by her father during a raging storm. Her father cuts off her fingers, creating the sea animals, and she falls to the ocean floor, becoming a spirit of the ocean. The qajaq features heavily throughout the story.
Historically, qajaqs were made from seal skin stretched over whale bone or found wood, propelled by a single long paddle. Owners customized them to fit their weight and height, ensuring they were responsive and stealthy.
The pilot wore a form-fitting jacket called a tuilik, made of seal skin or whale intestines and sealed at the face. It kept the paddler warm, dry, buoyant, and able to right themselves after capsizing.
For example, Inuit in Greenland developed intricate roll patterns to right their qajaqs and trained on land with ropes. These techniques are still shared today and featured at international events such as the Greenland Kayaking Championship.
With colonial expansion, Inuit were displaced from ancestral lands, disrupting knowledge systems and leading many to lose connections with practices like qajaq-building. Although traditional qajaqs are no longer used for hunting and survival, they are making a comeback as a key part of Inuit cultural heritage.
Organizations across the Arctic, from Greenland to Nunavut to Alaska, are spearheading initiatives to revitalize qajaq-building knowledge and restore the practice in their communities.
These initiatives preserve Inuit traditions and foster collective pride and identity. Now used worldwide, the qajaq is a uniquely Inuit innovation and a source of Arctic Indigenous pride.
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