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A little blurp about my tour with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra as the Inuttitut narrator for the Soldiers' Tale.  The music is written by Igor Stravinsky and the story by C. F. Ramuz.  

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Friday, September 12^th.

Friday was a windy and cold day.  It even snowed.  Inuit have many words for snow, and this was of the ma’qu description.  Snow that falls and melts on the ground yet collects on the grass thatch.  Ma’qu unspoken meaning is the look of misery when lacking shelter. 

I went to see my mom Lucy, who is in her mid 80’s.  I took Alexis Martin, my couch and director to see her and she told us many stories.  She was the only person I really had time to visit with.  She is one of the oldest persons in Inukjuak and did not come to the concert due to mobility challenges.  My mother has many stories that are from another era and time.  As someone once summed up that era, “we were Inuit after all.” 

The misery of the weather meant we had a captive audience for our concert.  The school gym was packed.   I thought of a great carving I could make at that time.  It would be nothing but depiction of closely packed faces.  There is a reason why I did not become a carver, so some things are better left in the imagination.  

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A little blurp about my tour with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra as the Inuttitut narrator for the Soldiers' Tale.  The music is written by Igor Stravinsky and the story by C. F. Ramuz.  

Thursday, September 11^th. 

We got to my hometown of Inukjuak.  I am relieved to be here and yet daunted.  That is how I’ve been for weeks.  Torn by a excitement and fear.  I can tell by the flight of sleep, whenever something wakes me up.  Sometimes I can’t tell if I’m excited or frightened.  When I heard about the narrator, I knew I wanted to do it.  I was not even on the short list.  Then I got the call and a chance to say yes. 

I got the Soldiers Tale in English and Inuttitut.  In 35 pages.  I felt like crying and started to read.  I saw some fat that could go.  If I could trim of 5 pages, we could make a unique Soldiers Tale.  I would narrate the whole time and the MSO could play in the background.  That was how long it would take to read all my text.  So much for the imaginations of old men. 

We got to Inujuak.  It was much colder than the middle of August .  It was in mid 20 Cs. when I was here last.  I was glad to be here.  It meant no more changes to my text. 

The motorized canoe trips were our first chance to feel the sea and the tundra.  It was appropriately cold and fresh.  We go seal hunting in October by canoe when it is cold and miserable but it is one of those things that you want to do everyday.  As we found out in Inukjuak, the caveat “weather permitting” is uncontestable. 

We did a little cod fishing and I caught a small codfish.  It could have been the Iqalullamiluq (fish woman), by how we all celebrated.  The codfish has saved many Inuit from starvation, so the celebration was not unique. 

We saw a number of flocks of Canada Geese.  They have started leaving.  I also saw two Peregrine Falcons, they migerate with the geese though the geese do their best to loose them.  The geese go so as to quickly shuffle away amongst the rock with bellies and head down to the ground. 

It felt great to be in a position to “host” very talented musicians and professionals in my hometown.  Though I have been away for many years, people always welcome me home.  

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My infancy

Who is Jobie Weetaluktuk