Busy community with different goals

Weekends are always busy during the boating season. Inuit wage-earning hunters trying to fit in their weekends for a quick successful hunt.

For the last two weeks thousands of migrating Qamanijuaq caribou across the lake had everyone heading out to in the general direction.

Mining industry is also mingling in the community, although with a different goal. KIA Land's department confirmed that there are currently 14 different companies  working in Baker Lake area.

Our first barge for the year arrived the weekend of July 16h. Since then we see barges docked up and unloading huge, strange looking items for the mine and two large ships are anchored in our lake.

Inuit hunters are impacted in so many different ways. One boater's o/b motor got tangled up in an unmarked barge's line. His prop was bent out of shape.

Another widowed elder complaint that while she was out hunting with her grandson and g-grandson, at a traditional caribou water-crossing, helicopter scared away the caribou from their impending crossing.

It's always the same questions when hunter has incident with a flying aircraft: 'what was the call sign?' 'Did they write down the serial number?'

How many Inuit hunters, let alone elders bring piece of paper and a pen while out hunting?

I went out across the lake on my boat and only saw a muskox calf abandoned by it's mother on an island. I have witnessed countless times, unlike caribou cows, Muskox cows don't look for and fetch their calves! What do you say? I'd be happy to receive your comments.

I&uarnikkut,

Joan