George Angohiatok grew up among the last Inuit to live a fully traditional, nomadic life in the Canadian Arctic. As a child in Nunavut in the 1950s and 60s, he lived with his parents, siblings and grandparents on the land, seal hunting on sea ice in the winters, and returning to land to hunt game and fish in the warmer months. That all came to an end when George was sent to residential school, and his family was forced by the government to settle in the community of Cambridge Bay. Those days on the land deeply shaped who George is today, and at 67, his mission in life is to teach the skills and traditions he learned from his parents and grandparents to a younger generation by taking Inuit youth hunting and teaching them survival skills in what can be a harsh environment.

In this episode, George shares some incredible tales from that unique childhood and stories his grandparents passed on to him. I hope you enjoy listening to this interview as much as I enjoyed talking with him. He is both a powerful and gentle human being, who has done as much as anyone living to keep Inuit culture vibrant. And here’s a little aside George shared with me about surviving an Arctic winter: he says, “Fifty percent of it is staying out of the wind.”

And a big thank you to everyone who took part in and donated to the RCGS Polar Plunge, in support of this podcast. With Polar Plunges in the Pacific Ocean, Lake Okanagan, Cambridge Bay, Canmore, Toronto, Gatineau Park and the St. Lawrence River, we raised an incredible $30,000 to keep Explore going for another season. Thank you!