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Videos

“This documentary is the voice”

 

– Iola Metuq, Inukjuak 

The Making of Nanuk Narratives

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Inuit have shared a deep and enduring relationship with the wildlife they have lived alongside for millenia, including polar bears. An important dimension of these relationships is that animals continue to thrive into the future. This video shares a glimpse into Inuit views on wildlife stewardship, and calls for greater co-operation with others who value wildlife conservation. 

James May

Iola Metuq

Tony Annanack

Derrick Pottle

Sammy Unatweenuk

Nunavut

Nunavik

Nunatsiavut

Inuit Stewardship

“Inuit are natural born animal activists, and scientists”

 

– James May, Tasiujaq 

Inuit Stewardship

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Inuit have shared a deep and enduring relationship with the wildlife they have lived alongside for millenia, including polar bears. An important dimension of these relationships is that animals continue to thrive into the future. This video shares a glimpse into Inuit views on wildlife stewardship, and calls for greater co-operation with others who value wildlife conservation. 

James May

Iola Metuq

Tony Annanack

Derrick Pottle

Sammy Unatweenuk

Nunavik

Nunatsiavut

Inuit Stewardship

“They are actually catching fish and putting them away for later use, that's what we are witnessing”

 

– Sammy Unatweenuk, Kangiqsualujjuaq 

Polar Bear Adaptations

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This video shares firsthand observations of the polar bear population in the Davis Strait range. In contrast to public discourse, polar bears in this region are relatively stable and abundant. People across the Eastern Arctic share how, in the face of a changing environment, they are witnessing different polar bear behaviours and adaptive strategies, including eating more duck eggs and catching char.

James May

Derrick Pottle

Sammy Unatweenuk

Daniel Annannack

Kenny Angnatuk

Brenden Laroche

Jack Allakariallak

Nunavik

Nunatsiavut

Nunavut

Polar Bear Adaptations

Tracking Bears Outside Iqaluit

Polar bears are elusive, even in open tundra landscapes. This video follows Solomon Awa and Jack Allakariallak from Iqaluit as they go out looking and tracking polar bears. They finds lots of tracks, and share their knowledge of what can be learned from these tracks and the environment around them.

“I've never been out and seen that many tracks in a year”

 

– Jack Allakariallak, Iqaluit

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Solomon Awa

Jack Allakariallak

Iqaluit

Tracking Bears

“We used to put up tents, but now it's too dangerous to be in a tent”

 

– Sammy Unatweenuk, Kangiqsualujjuaq

Human-Bear Encounters

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Across the Eastern Arctic, communities have been sharing that there are increasing encounters between people and polar bears. This video shares perspectives from one community, Kangiqsualujjuaq in Nunavik, which has experienced more bears in it's area. As people are on the land hunting, fishing, and trapping, they do not feel the same sense of safety that they once felt. In some cases, bears are coming in and around communities, posing direct threats to people. 

Kangiqsualujjuaq

Sammy Unatweenuk

Charlie Annanack

Daniel Annanack

Tony Annanack

 

Encounters

“ADD QUOTE"

 

– Tony Andersen, Makkovik

Bear Break-Ins

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Makkovik

Tony Andersen
 

Bear Breakins

“I can even smell the bear!”

 

– Darryl Shiwak, Makkovik

Tracking Bears: Makkovik

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Makkovik

Darryl Shiwak

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Makkovik Tracking

“You don't need to shoot a bear that's 300 meters away, you have other means and methods”

 

– Derrick Pottle, Rigolet

Bear Safety

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Derrick Pottle is a respected bear guard from Rigolet, Nunatsiavut, who protects and trains other Inuit in safely managing human-bear encounters, a skill increasingly needed given more bears are spending time on land. This video provides practical lessons and tips for mitigating a dangerous interaction with a polar bear. 

Kangiqsualujjuaq

Derrick Pottle
 

Bear Safety

“Nippaq is when polar bear is waiting at the hole for seals”

 

– Solomon Awa, Iqaluit

Nippaq

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The millennia-old relationship between Inuit and polar bears is cinematically explored through a shared source of food: seals. Bear and human hunters both wait patiently by the tiny breathing holes seals have carved into the frozen icescape. Through bears, Inuit have learned to be still, waiting for the rare moment to strike to eat and survive.

Community members across Nunavik

Inukjuak

Nippaq

“Nanoq, a fellow Arctic inhabitant, continues to define our identity"

 

– Paninnguaq Pikilak, Nuuk

Paninnguaq's Story

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Paninnguaq Pikilak, an artist, filmmaker, and cultural knowledge holder from Narsaq, Greenland, shares a unique perspective on the deep emotional connections between Inuit and polar bears. 

Paninnguaq Pikilak

Nuuk, Greenland

Paninnuaq's Story

“From that time on, elderlies were no longer left behind”

 

– Lizzie Epo, Inukjuak

The Cane

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This video shares the legend of an elderly woman who, long ago, encountered a polar bear on her own and managed to kill it... with nothing but her cane and a mitt! Although this legend varies across communities, it represents a shared oral knowledge system across the Eastern Arctic, and is an example of how stories convey meaning across regions. 

Tommy Unatweenuk

Lizzie Epo

Moses Morgan

Inukjuak

Kangiqsualujjuaq

 

The Cane

“It's a part of us. Always has been, and always will be"

 

– Brenden Laroche

Brenden's Story

Brenden Laroche sets on a journey to build a stronger connection with bears. He shares his observations of a growing bear population around his community of Kangiqsualujjuaq, Nunavik, and the safety challenges this brings for both humans and bears. He also shares the importance of polar bears for him and his community for cultural, dietary, and land-based reasons. This narrative illustrates how Inuit youth can be connected to polar bears into the future.

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Brenden Laroche

Kangiqsualujjuaq

Brendan's Story

“Tracking polar bears is my most enjoyed enjoyed moment while hunting them"

 

– Lucassie Echalook, Inukjuak

Lucassie's Story

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Lucassie Echalook is among the most respected polar bear hunters in Nunavik. Through hunting, he has developed an deep understanding of polar bears and the landscape he shares with them. For Lucassie, traditional practices such as dog sledding to building an igloo are fundamental to the hunt, enabling him to survive to travel and survive in harsh winter conditions. This narrative is a testament of Inuit wisdom and connection to the land and polar bears they live alongside. 

Lucassie Echalook

Inukjuak

Lucassie's Story

“It's a symbol of Inuit culture, and a connection to their heritage as well"

 

– Melva Williams, Rigolet

Melva's Story

This narrative shares the experience of Melva and her family's experience trying to hunt a polar bear outside of Rigolet, Nunatsiavut. As a female hunter, Melva shares the cultural value of the hunt, and how the fur is now used as an educational resource for youth so that their connection to polar bears can be sustained. 

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Melva Williams

Jim Williams

Max Allen

Rigolet

Melva's Story
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