Johannes Lampe, the minister of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, has lived much of his life on the land. He explained that Nunatsiavut means “Our beautiful land,” and that it has always provided everything his people need. He also gave us an interesting little tidbit: his ancestors used to smear themselves in caribou or seal blood to protect from the notorious mosquitoes and blackflies that are part of the atmosphere up here in the summer. If we run out of Deet, that may be our back-up plan.

Seventy-nine-year old elder Jacko Merkuratsuk lived on the land for 20 years before being moved into Nain. The move was difficult in that it removed him from his traditional hunting territory in the north into a new region he didn’t know. There were many lean years as he struggled to provide food for his wife and family away from his home grounds. In a terrible winter storm in 1979, he rescued numbers of people in his party who were caught out in the open by building an igloo to shelter them. He then marched out in the blinding whiteout and back to the coast to bring in rescuers. Even his heroic effort could not save everyone as two of the party perished. Only one of the bodies was ever found.

Humbled by this fresh perspective of the land and its connection with the Inuit people, we headed out into the land, eager to experience it for ourselves.

Documentary filmmaker and writer Frank Wolf and a fellow canoeing enthusiast will travel 1,400 kilometres from Nain, NL to Kuujjuarapik, Que., and document their journey through film and articles. The duo plans to share the Inuit perspective of the land through interviews with members of the communities of Nain and Kuujjuaripik. Read more of Frank’s blog posts and learn more about their expedition on the Royal Canadian Geographical Society website.