Nunavut Sivuniksavut

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1 Nunavut Sivuniksavut MONGOLIA TRIP REPORT Nunavut Sivuniksavut European Journey A report on the trip to Europe by Nunavut Sivuniksavut students April 28 May 9 th, Rideau Street, Suite 201 Ottawa, ON K1N 5Z4 Tel: (613) Fax: (613)

2 Government of Nunavut Nunavut Wildlife Management Board Kitikmeot Inuit Association Lyall Consulting Atuqtuarvik Corporation Royal Canadian Legion Br. 168 Qikiqtani Inuit Association Qikiqtaaluk Corporation Dundee Securities Ltd Qikiqtaaq Co-operative Nunasi Corporation Lyall and Associates Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. Aqsaqniq Ltd. Federation de la Jeunesse Canadienne Francaise Kugluktuk D.E.A. Ikkayuqtauvik Business Services Hamlet of Pangnirtung Municipality of Igloolik Grise Fiord Inuit Co-operative Tununiq-Sauniq Co-operative Nasittuq Corporation Rankin Inlet Softball Association Eskimo Point Lumber Supply Municipality of Cape Dorset Hamlet of Grise Fiord Huit Huit Tours Tujurmivik Hotel Nilasutuq Arctic Mackay Landau Hamlet of Whale Cove Deborah Davis Consilium Consulting Pangnirtung Fishery Ltd West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative Grise Fiord D.E.A. Hadlari Consulting Municipality of Kimmirut Angulaalik & Associates Leonie s Place Ltd. CAP Enterprises Thank you! Quyannamik! Koana! Matna! Students made personal contributions to the trip fund, and also raised a significant amount through their cultural performing activities in Ottawa and elsewhere during the year. 2

3 (L-R): Daniel Manning (Cape Dorset), Melanie Kuluguktuq (Grise Fiord), Nancy Aqqaq (Gjoa Haven), Justin Koonoo (Pond Inlet), Terry Milton (Pond Inlet), Ameela Aqiatusuk (Resolute Bay), Cecile Lyall (Taloyoak), Suzanne Alaralak (Repulse Bay); (L-R) Kayla Bruce (Rankin Inlet), Crystal Tatty (Rankin Inlet), Kaneena Kusugak (Rankin Inlet), Jennifer Ullulaq (Gjoa Haven), Christine Tootoo (Iqaluit), Christopher Hayward (Cape Dorset), Amber Eleehetook (Gjoa Haven), Sippora Amarualik (Igloolik), Kuluk Voisey (Whale Cove); (L-R) Jari Aariak (Iqaluit), Chelsea Klengenberg (Cambridge Bay), Simon DeMaio (Iqaluit), Savannah Rose Angnaluak (Kugluktuk), Vikki iptanatiak (Kugluktuk), Meghan Mike-Murphy (Pangnirtung), Ruthie Mingeriak (Kimmirut), Dettrick Hala (Kugluktuk), Linda Airut (Igloolik), Neoma Cox (Iqaluit). Leaders & Chaperones: Melissa Murray Becky Robyn Amy Irwin Angus Mearns Mo-Lian Keuhl 3

4 Nunavut Sivuniksavut Europe 2013 AMSTERDAM BRUGGE YPRES BRUSSELS VIMY PARIS 4

5 Day 1 We arrived in Paris after an overnight flight, and after getting settled into our hotel, we went directly to our first event: a visit to the Canadian Cultural Centre. We began with a tour of a special exhibition on the work of renown artist Kenojuak Ashevak. Following this, we put on a cultural performance for staff and friends of the Canadian Embassy. Despite the fact that we were so tired from traveling, we put on a great performance and the audience really loved it. We met some students from the Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales, where people in France are learning to speak Inuktitut! 5

6 Day 2 was spent in Paris where we held separate meetings with politicians from the National Assembly and from the Senate to talk to them about issues such as the EU seal ban, polar bears and climate change. We even got some of them to try on our sealskin jackets and coats so they could appreciate how beautiful they are! We ended one of the meetings with a brief cultural performance and gave them gifts made out of - you guessed it - sealskin. 6

7 A meeting with several Senators gave us another chance to educate French politicians about the importance of sealing to Inuit, and to discuss other issues of importance to Nunavummiut. At the end of our meeting, we put on a brief cultural performance and presented them with some gifts. We were then given a personal tour of the Senate chambers by one of the Senators. 7

8 Nunavut Sivuniksavut On Day 3, we left Paris in the morning and drove north for 2 hours to Arras, a small town in the area where so many WWI battles had been fought. We spent the afternoon visiting the Vimy Ridge memorial, where Canadians earned an historic victory in The monument is beautiful and it was a very moving experience for all of us. We also visited one of the Canadian cemeteries nearby and walked among the tombstones, many of which had no names on them. Finally, we walked through some of the trenches that had been preserved and restored. All in all, it was an unforgettable place, and unforgettable day. 8

9 Our fifth day was split between sombre and highly-educational visits to WWI battlefields and cemeteries and an afternoon and evening in the beautiful and historic town of Brugge in Belgium. At Ypres, we had the benefit of an excellent local guide who told us the story of the First World War as well as the significance of the various battles that Canadians had been involved in. He also showed us the dressing station where John McCrae wrote In Flanders Fields in Finally, we walked among the 12,000 graves in the Commonwealth Cemetery, many of which were for unknown soldiers. Again, it was a very moving experience that left a lasting impression on all of us. 9

10 The second half of this day was spent in the beautiful and historic city of Brugge, Belgium. It s a modern town near the Belgium coast that still retains much of its medieval architecture. It also has canals that wind through the town, making it a very pretty place to stroll around in. We began our stay with a walking tour led by our guide, Katy, who pointed out historic sites and other points of interest. It also turned out the Fair was in town, so we got to take in some rides and try some of the games in the arcade. Some of us won big! Before leaving the next day, we did an impromptu performance of singing and drumming in the town s central square for the benefit of passers-by. 10

11 Day 6 was a day of travel - leaving one country (Belgium) behind, and discovering the delights of another (The Netherlands). We spent the morning finishing up our visit to Brugge in Belgium by strolling through the town, exploring old churches and other places of historical interest, and picking up some last minute gifts and souvenirs. We hit the highway to Amsterdam in the afternoon and arrived in this legendary city by 7 pm. After dumping our bags, we headed downtown for a quick orientation to the centre of the city by our guide Katy, and then had some time to explore around on our own in preparation for tomorrow's full day of sightseeing. 11

12 Today marked the midway point in our journey. It was a free day in the sense that we had no structured activities planned and so we were all free to explore this amazing city. A few students stayed back at the hotel to catch up on their rest, but most went into the centre of the city and began exploring. About half the group headed to the Anne Frank museum, where we stood in line for over an hour and a half before we got in. Others rented bicycles, visited museums, and shopped for clothes and/or souvenirs. It was a wonderful day of tromping around this beautiful city. In the evening, we saw it all from a different angle when we took a 2-hour dinner cruise through many of the canals. It was an unforgettable evening! 12

13 Our dinner cruise on the many canals in Amsterdam, organized by our wonderful guide Katy, and our bus driver Kevin. They looked after so many of the details that made our trip both easy and enriching. We presented them with gifts made of our sealskin! to show them our appreciation for all they did for us. 13

14 On Day 8, we left Amsterdam around noon and headed south to Brussels. The highlight of the 4 hour journey was a stop at a local farmer who makes both cheese and wooden shoes. He was very informative and entertaining as he demonstrated how each of these is made. Fascinating. We got to Brussels by the end of the afternoon and after getting settled into our hotel, our guide Katy led us on a walking tour of the central part of the city. There were lots of modern buildings because Brussels is the headquarters of the European Union and NORAD, but there were also a great many beautiful historic buildings too, some dating back almost a thousand years. 14

15 Day 9 was our first full day in Brussels and included two events sponsored by the International Polar Foundation (IPF). This foundation was created by explorer Alain Hubert to support education and research on both the Arctic and the Antarctic. Our first stop in the morning was to an exhibition that re-created Belgium's Antarctic research station. Our guide let us through each of the rooms of the station and explained all the different aspects of what it took to live and do research in Antarctica. After a quick lunch, we went to the headquarters of the IPF and spent two hours interacting with a class of high school students who had been studying the polar regions. They were happy to meet people who were actually from one of those areas. We made a brief presentation, then answered questions, followed by a cultural performance. 15

16 Day 9 was our biggest day for meetings with European officials to talk about the impact of climate change and the importance of seals and polar bears to Inuit. Our first meeting was at the Canadian Mission (a.k.a. embassy) where we were given a briefing on the different components of the European Union, i.e, the EU Commission (bureaucracy), the EU Parliament (with MPs elected from each of the 27 countries), and the EU Council (made up of the governments of those 27 countries). The decision-making process is complex. We then put on a performance for the Mission's staff. Unfortunately, cameras were not allowed into the Mission for security reasons so we have no pix of the meeting. We then went to the European Parliament for a meeting with MPs. It lasted only 45 minutes but we were able to raise all the issues we wanted to mention and to engage in discussion. This was followed by a short cultural presentation. Finally, we went back to the Canadian Mission where we presented our view on seals and polar bears to officials from the European Commission - one was responsible for the EU's involvement with the arctic, the other was responsible for the EU's relations with Canada. It was a very intense discussion, followed by a brief cultural performance. Once again, no photos were allowed at the meeting. 16

17 Day 10 in Paris was our last day of the trip, and we had set it aside for last-minute shopping and sightseeing. We began the day with a cruise along the Seine. Some then went to the Louvre, one of the most famous museums and art galleries in the world. We actually saw the Mona Lisa! Then we did some shopping on our own and re-grouped at Notre Dame Cathedral, a spectacular building with extraordinary history (it's marking its 850th anniversary this year!). We then went out for our last group dinner together before heading off for the long-awaited grand finale of our 10-day journey: a trip to the top of the Eiffel Tower. It was a beautiful evening, as we watched the sun set and the lights of the city came on. An unforgettable experience for us all! 17

18 We saved the best till the last! Going to the top of the Eiffel Tower was an unforgettable ending to an unforgettable ten days. 18