Qikiqtarjuaq means "big island" in Inuktitut. According to the people here, their ancestors go as far back as 4,000 years ago, to the Dorset and Thule people. Then came the explorers, the whalers and the traders, which changed everything --- good & bad. Right now, 520 people live in this hamlet. Most of them still speak Inuktitut and still hunt and fish for their food. The girls continue to learn how to scrape seal and polar bear skins for clothing and the boys how to make igloos and komatiks (sleds).
winter setting in...