The Tuktu and Nogak Project: Inuit Knowledge about Caribou and Calving Areas in the Bathurst Inlet Region

AFTER AN EXHILARATING SPLASH INTO THERIVER, we threw on dry clothes and climbedback into the boats to resume our search for caribou. We had not brought enough “kabloonaq ” food with us, and a caribou would make the difference between returning to Umingmaktok or staying out on the land for the night....

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: L. Thorpe
Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
Format: Text
Language:English
Subjects:
Online Access:http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.524.4759
http://pubs.aina.ucalgary.ca/arctic/arctic50-4-381.pdf
Description
Summary:AFTER AN EXHILARATING SPLASH INTO THERIVER, we threw on dry clothes and climbedback into the boats to resume our search for caribou. We had not brought enough “kabloonaq ” food with us, and a caribou would make the difference between returning to Umingmaktok or staying out on the land for the night. No sooner had the boat eased into full throttle than did excited voices—screams of “tuktu! tuktu!”— sound over the noise of the engine. Noah expertly slowed the boat, turned towards shore, and reached for his rifle. On the shore, a mammoth bull darted across the open tundra. Nowhere to hide, nowhere to run. Noah aimed while Lena, Mary, Bobby, and I held our breaths and sent warning messages of “hush! ” to our growling stomachs. The first shot screamed “tuktu! ” and ricocheted off a rocky outcrop. The bull was stunned and bolted inland. Noah fired again and again, but the boat was rocking and