Going Off in Nunatsiavut

There is a pretty darn amazing program being run in Nain, Nunatsiavut. It is called Aullak, Sangilivallianginnatuk (Going Off, Growing Strong), and is described as “an outreach program [that] aims to enhance youth mental health by supporting social and cultural connections while improving food security status.” The program involves re-connecting Inuit youth with harvesters and Elders, as well as with their land and community.

I first heard about the program during ArcticNet’s Annual Scientific Meeting that took place in Halifax this past December. At the time, I didn’t know that the term “going off” was the (much more succinct) Nunavut equivalent of “going out on the land.”

And so, “going off” was put on my list of things to do if I ever visited Nunatsiavut.

As it turned out, not only was I was lucky enough to visit Nunatsiavut two months later, but I was also able to cross off one of my to-dos! While I was in Nain, I – err – went off (how do you even conjugate that?) with my friend and fellow researcher, Rodd.

Despite Rodd’s generous offers for me to drive (and I obviously eventually did), I thoroughly enjoyed taking in Nain’s surroundings from the back of his skidoo, with a few stops in between.

We also took some time to explore White’s Trading Post, which provided supplies to the north coast of Labrador in the early 1900s. Although it is now abandoned, it is still used by community members (as evidenced by sentimental graffiti and discarded pop cans) and woodland creatures (as evidenced by various wing/paw/hoof prints).

As much as I love exploring the snowy streets of Arctic communities, I don’t feel as though I can truly appreciate a place until I go beyond its (rather limited) city limits. There are good reasons why so many people own snowmobiles up here (and it’s not just because they don’t plow the roads in the winter). The landscape is breathtaking. The silence is humbling. The experience is amazing.

• # activities
• # photos
• # snowmobiling
• # travel
• # tundra