Silamit - Building a qajaq (kayak), Part One

Silamit

Building a qajaq (kayak)

Part 1

Igloolik 2018-19

With elders teaching about Inuit societal values through individual and community hunting practices, elders wanted to find a way to see the hunting past of our Ancestors connected to the present day through a concrete example; having a traditional object that could be used for hunting, but also be available to teach through the construction and making of a qajaq. Zacharias Kunuk and a group of elders spent time talking about this and came up with the idea of building a traditional qajaq used for hunting. They wanted to find out: What is the meaning of hunting by qajaq to Inuit daily life and Inuit culture?; What are the values embedded in a group working together on constructing and using a qajaq? The Silamit project was structured around the Inuit values of ‘Inuuqatigiitsiarniq’, ‘Qanuqtuurungnarniq’, and ‘Piliriqatigiinngniq’ – values of Caring for People, Being Resourceful, and Working Together, provided the bones of this project.

Part 2 will be about the finished qajaq and launch and traditional hunting practices.