Today was July 29th, and we awoke to our posted Adventure Canada itinerary for the day: destination Pangnirtung, aka “Pang”.
After the previous two days spent in Iqaluit, then cruising the waters around the southeast corner of Baffin Island, the MV Sea Adventurer was now sailing up Nunavut’s Cumberland Sound in an ice-spangled sea as smooth as silver satin. It was magical.
I used my telephoto lens to see a little more detail in the cliffs of the two opposite peninsulas – Hall Peninsula and Cumberland Peninsula – flanking the sound. Everything is so empty-seeming here and the colour palette is a thousand shades of sky-ocean blue and gneiss gray. But later we would discover that, botanically at least, this is a land of close-ups.
Headlands jutted out from the shore and we passed the occasional island, too. Cumberland Sound is 250 km (160 miles) long and approximately 80 km (40 miles) wide.
All morning, we watched Arctic fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) flying around the ship, their bodies reflected in the still water…..
…. which accentuated the splashes as one took off. We were lucky to have a seabird biologist on board, Dr. Mark Mallory who helped us with identifications throughout Nunavut and Greenland.
According to Wikipedia, there are two forms of the Arctic fulmar, a white form and this gray one. Though they look like gulls, they are members of the order Procellariiformes (the tubenoses), which also includes albatrosses. Procellariiformes have nasal passages that attach to the upper bill called naricorns; however, nostrils on albatrosses are on the sides of the bill, as opposed to the rest of the order, including fulmars, which have nostrils on top of the upper bill. The bills of are also unique in that they are split into 7 to 9 horny plates. One of these plates makes up the hooked portion of the upper bill. Fulmars produce a stomach oil made up of wax esters and triglycerides that is used against predators as well as an energy rich food source for chicks and for the adults during their long flights. Being hit with the oil will mat the plumage of avian predators, and can lead to their death. Finally, they also have a salt gland that is situated above the nasal passage and helps desalinate their bodies, due to the high amount of ocean water that they imbibe. It excretes a high saline solution from their nose. Fulmars are “pelagic”, meaning they feed exclusively in the open ocean, but they usually nest on uninhabited, predator-free islands.
As always, there were onboard activities, including a class teaching traditional Inuit sewing skills using animal skins. Before metal needles and manufactured thread were introduced, seal sinew and bird-bone needles were the tools of the trade.
Aaju Peter helped teach that class, her hands and fingers (and also her chin and forehead) displaying traditional, symbolic Inuit kakiniit, or tattoos.
Then we turned into Pangnirtung Fjord. Off in the distance on the right, you can see a collection of buildings.
The prow of the MV Sea Adventurer was a great place to stand and watch the ocean ahead.
Soon we were nearing the little hamlet of Pangnirtung, aka “Pang”. Imagine spending your entire life living between the sea and massive flank of that mountain.
Speaking of mountains, Pangnirtung is the closest bit of civilization to the magnificent Auyuittuq National Park (Baffin Island National Park), measuring 21,470 square kilometres or 8,290 square miles, and starring the spectacular Mount Asgard. If you’re a James Bond fan of a certain age, you might have seen this mountain with its monster twin rock towers in the dramatic opening scene of The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) with Roger Moore. Have a look, below! (And here is California stunt skier/BASE jumper Rick Sylvester’s memory of the once-in-a-lifetime scene.)
There are no high-rises in Pangirtung. The biggest structure is two storeys tall. And most buildings sit above ground on metal stilts, in part to prevent their indoor heating from melting the permafrost below. With global warming, permafrost melting is a reality, leading to shifting and possible failure of house foundations.
The zodiacs dropped us at the shore in ‘wet landing’ style.
I was so happy I’d bought the highest rubber boots I could find!
Our first stop was down to visit the ‘summer house’ of one of the Inuit elders of the community.
Along the way, we passed through a drift of alpine bistort (Bistorta vivipara).
Inside the little house, whose walls were papered with magazine pages, we took turns playing a few traditional Inuit games and were treated to a snack of bannock, i.e. palauga in the Inuktitut language.
Then we dropped into the Angmarlik Visitor Centre to learn about the area’s history, which included a long period of whaling (1824-1919) in Cumberland Sound and campaigns by colonial missionaries. We listened to the guide explain how the Inuit utilize the animals they hunt – especially caribou and ringed seal – for clothing, shelter and food. She showed us a game played with tiny animal bones and encouraged us to walk around and view the displays.
Then we headed to the wonderful Uqqurmiut Centre for Arts & Crafts for a tour, beginning with esteemed printmaker Jolly Atagooyuk, who demonstrated his work.
Here is a short video of Jolly that exploring his ethos and technique.
Then it was on to the studio where the famous “Pang hats” are knit in a rainbow of….
….. colours of worsted wool.
Wool art was also on display.
And, of course, we had to purchase our own souvenir hats. I chose a baby hat for my brand-new granddaughter, my first grandchild, born that week the day after we left on our Arctic trip. And I made sure it displayed a sealskin rose, in support of the proud sealing tradition of these people in the far north.
Finally, we were invited to the community hall for a light meal of whale stew (delicious!)…..
…. and a presentation by the youth, which included spirited dancing. Pangnirtung has its share of problems, as do many northern communities beset by sky-high cost of living, isolation, addiction and many other social factors, especially for young people. But that day, we saw the very best of ‘Pang’.
Next up: Botanizing at Sunshine Fjord
