More than building kayaks, Iqaluit's kayak club strives to revive paddling culture

Iqaluit's Qajakkut Society wants to see kayaks in Frobisher Bay and residents with the know-how to build, paddle and hunt with the traditional Inuit boats.

The kayak club was formed late last year, after Torsten Diesel, who represents Inuit Heritage Trust on the society's board, said he was hearing from people with the desire to have a sustainable paddling culture in the North.

"I think we're a little bit concerned that the knowledge will be lost over time if we don't push to keep it alive and revitalize it.

"It's really important for us to work with Inuit, with hunters, with elders on how to build qajait [kayaks], but also how to use them in the water in a safe way."

While he says there have been multiple workshops on kayak-building in communities in Nunavut, there is little follow up afterwards and participants are left without knowing what to do with their kayaks.

"You can't just give someone a kayak and say 'have fun'," Diesel said.

"We have high tides, it's a cold ocean, it's dangerous out there, the winds pick up, especially if you want to go hunting. That's a way different story."

Baffin-style kayaks

Dieselsays there's a vibrant kayak culture in Greenland, but it's been sidelined in Nunavut.

The club is working with an elder from Kimmirut to revive the Baffin style of kayak-building. Diesel says there are many similarities between a Baffin kayak and a Greenlandic one, but kayaks in western Nunavut can look very different.

The Baffin kayak is often made of sealskin and made wider to accommodate bringing back larger animals from a hunt on the ocean, while in western Nunavut kayaks can be made from caribou skin and are more suited to inland hunting on lakes and rivers.

As the society picks up speed, Diesel says he would like to see those differences explored.

3 kayaks built

This summer, the society helped three youths build their own kayaks, using the workshopat Inuksuk High School.

And Diesel, just from word of mouth, says he already has a list of around 12 peopleinterested in building kayaks next summer.

The society is almost finished building a storage shed on the beach behind the Elders qammaq for these new boats.

He said the shed is on Inuit-owned land and its placement was specifically chosen to foster connection between youth and elders.

"There's a strong component of young Inuit who want to learn, but we still need the guidance now from the older generation, that we can actually make those connections and learn about kayak traditions, not just the technical part of building the kayak."

The shed will also hold safety gear for kayakers and the club plans to purchase hunting gear to lend out as well.

Diesel says the club is still trying to sort out how it will make the kayaks available to the wider community.

Right now, he says he's looking for grant funding to allow the club to offer community programming and lend the boats out for free.

But safety is paramount, he says, so people who want to borrow kayaks may have to participate in training or go out with experienced club members.

Once people have learned how to hunt in kayaks, Diesel says, the placement of the shed will facilitate sharing the catch with the elders.