We spent this beautiful day in North Arm, Saglek Fjord, with invigorating activities for the morning and afternoon: a scenic Zodiac cruise on the fjord and a hike to a beautiful waterfall. We were accompanied by Parks Canada Staff and local Bear Monitors, and they shared stories of the Nunatsiavut Inuit ways of life. We learned about setting up camp, collecting firewood, and picking berries on a calm summer day. We also learned how one could mark a route using Inuksuit (stacked rocks) to indicate various meanings, such as: lots of animals, no animals, graveyard, or hunting caribou.
As an Inuk from Pond Inlet, Nunavut, experiencing this park and seeing how the Nunatsiavut Inuit help control it was especially interesting. They can show their culture in their own voice, on their own terms; it is an incredible sight to behold. To see the differences and similarities of the environment and the landscape made me really think about how, despite the distances between us, our culture is what connects us.
We finished the day by dancing the night away with the Spice Boys and Girls, the crew band of National Geographic Explorer.
