Neil Burgess
As the twin otter swooped in over the hills surrounding Nain and dropped towards the airstrip, I couldn’t help feeling a rush of anticipation. Our adventure was about to begin. This adventure was not a wilderness expedition, however. It was the meeting of two paddling cultures – one old and another new.
We were about to re-introduce sea kayaking to Labrador Inuit, and that prospect filled me with a strange mix of excitement, humility and something deeper.
It all started a year before, when on a side trip to Nain (the most northerly town in Labrador), I looked up Heather Angnatok, the youth program coordinator with the Nunatsiavut Government (Nunatsiavut was formed by Canada’s newest Inuit land-claim settlement). I was working in northern Labrador in Torngat Mountains National Park Reserve at the time, and we discussed the possibility of starting a sea kayaking program for Labrador Inuit youth.
As Heather told me, “Kayaking is perfect. It will promote fitness and teamwork. It will get youth out exploring their coastline. It will build self-esteem, and it will connect them with their cultural heritage.”
She took the initiative to secure funding for the project and I helped with advice on the equipment and training that would be required to get things started. The new kayaks and boxes of gear arrived on the Nain coastal ferry in August.
We set Labour Day weekend as the date for the first Paddle Canada sea kayak course on the north Labrador coast. I talked Richard Alexander, Paddle Canada’s president, into joining me to instruct the course. It wasn’t a tough sell. His expedition paddling in Greenland had exposed him to Inuit kayaking culture, and the purpose of this trip resonated deeply with him.
Heather met us at the airstrip and we jumped right in, taking a quick inventory of the new kayaks and gear, and meeting the course participants. Our group was a mix of Inuit youth and adults, girls and guys.
Everyone had a different reason for signing up for the course, and I was struck by elder Maria Dicker’s motive: “Kayaking was always part of me even before I knew how to walk … I say that because it is a very big part of our life, meaning that it is part of our culture. I have seen a sealskin kayak in my earlier years before they actually disappeared here in our community. And that moment of time when I saw my uncle in a kayak, I pictured myself in it and thought to myself that maybe the day will come for me to be in one. From that day on, it was my dream.”
It was difficult to say who was more pumped, the students or the instructors. We spent the next day in the sheltered waters of Nain harbour learning strokes and rescues. We were favoured with brilliant sunny, warm weather. It was a real pleasure instructing such a strong group. There was some hesitation when we came to the wet exits, but it was great to see the mutual support and encouragement among the participants that got everyone over the hump. There was much gasping and laughing in the frigid water! Richard’s favourite activity was to give everyone the opportunity to stand up in his or her kayak. Much to our surprise, Josh Pamak, Andrea Andersen and Maria demonstrated great balance and agility by standing up to a chorus of cheers from the rest of us – a strong group, indeed.
Heather had asked us to extend our Level I course by adding an overnight trip. It was a great suggestion since all were experienced campers. The next day we packed for the trip and set out after lunch.
On the trip out we paddled, took photos, covered a few more paddling and navigating skills, and enjoyed the spectacular coastline. We were lucky enough to encounter a family of harlequin ducks, which weaved their way among our kayaks – no better example of the advantage of kayaks over power boats in getting close to wildlife. Richard took the opportunity to paddle with Maria in an attempt to learn some Inuktitut. Maria’s pride in her language and culture was obvious, and her sharing will help ensure its continuation. This cultural sharing between elders and youth is a cornerstone of the youth programs in Nunatsiavut. As the afternoon drew to a close, we stopped by a cabin to visit with a couple from town. It was rewarding to see the satisfaction and pleasure that shone from the paddlers as they described their kayaking progress.
Camping with our group was easy. We had good food, yarns and ghost stories around the campfire, and the odd blackfly to prevent any boredom.
On the trip back the next day, we stopped on a small island to teach towing and have lunch. As we were packing up, the group showed Richard and me the bones of an old Inuit grave among the rocks. I couldn’t help but think about how those people had got to this island long ago in boats of wood and sealskin.
Before we were all done, we managed to coach three participants, Josh, Andrea and Tyler Pamak, in getting their extended paddle roll. Their success was a reflection of their determination and ability, given the numbingly cold water. Not bad considering this was only their third day in a kayak.
What started as an adventure, ended as a huge success. The crowd lining the wharf when we returned from our trip testified to the broad interest in kayaking among the people of Nain.
Heather and I have already begun talking about expanding the program for next summer. We share the same vision: to train local Inuit kayak instructors to ensure a self-sustaining future for the youth paddling program in northern Labrador. Hopefully, the kayak program will expand to other communities in Nunatsiavut.
After the weekend, Kristie Howell said, “I’d love to be in a group of people who will paddle south of Nain to other communities. To show our elders that another part of our tradition is on the verge of returning. I saw how kayaking can bring out the best in a person’s soul – a group of people become one. I saw the old Inuit ways of respect for each other so strongly during the course.”
Andrea added, “I hope that in future years we can kayak up north to Hebron, and make another journey of a lifetime.”
Richard and I came away from Nain with a feeling of accomplishment in bringing safe and enjoyable sea kayaking to people in a new part of Canada.
In a very real sense, kayaking had come full circle, back to the Inuit of Labrador.
Neil Burgess is a Level 2 sea kayak instructor with Paddle Canada. He is a past president of Kayak Newfoundland & Labrador and a former eastern vice-president of Paddle Canada.
Reprinted with permission from the Winter/Spring 2009 issue of KANAWA, Canada’s Paddling Magazine.