Deborah Qaunaq on Changes

Inuit Knowledge and Climate Change - Interview with Deborah Qaunaq.

I think sometimes our earth has tilted. When the fall comes and ice should be forming, it doesn't happen right away. In the spring, when it should be melting, it stays cooler. It now seems to stay cooler longer than in the past.

Although I wasn't paying attention, I've heard my late father say: "when the sun returns, it used to rise there, but now it's way off course". He noticed it.

Weather used to be better in those days. When mosquitoes came we'd have no wind. Today, everything seems to have shifted. In the past, there used to be more mosquitoes. Today, mosquitoes would still be around, but now they disappear. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because of the clouds.

In the dead of winter, when you blow out your breath would used to make ringing sound because of the cold. I don't notice it anymore.

The dominant wind is now from the south. In the past, when we had south wind, Igloolik Bay would be filled with ice, and hunters would be unable to leave. Today, when we have south wind, where is all the floating ice? There's less ice now than in the past. On this trip, if it were the past, we'd be traveling through lots of floating ice. We used to do that on our summer caribou hunts. Today, there's hardly any ice. Why? It's all melted.

This spring was different. When the first sea ice melt drains, usually the second melt leaves deep puddles on the surface. This spring, it didn't happen, and I noticed it. After the first drain, the puddles didn't form, and it broke up. I don't know what's happening.