Up here, winter is still in effect, while down south, even in Dawson, the warmth of spring is being felt. Below you see some of the newer houses of Aklavik nestled in the snow which is still easily 3' deep. They are typical of many of the homes in these relatively new northern settlements.

One detail that I want to draw your attention to is the ubiquitous direct-TV satelite dish. Don't think that just because these places are 200 km north of the Arctic Circle that they are free of the trappings of modern technology and southern culture. Just like Dan and I have never had to go long without wireless Internet (let alone regular Internet) or the sweet strains of top-40 pop music on the radio, so too we have never been far from cable TV.

People up here watch just as much TV as they do anywhere else - long winter nights are perfect for relaxing in front of the tube. Considering all the images that they, especially the youth, are bombarded with on a daily basis is it any wonder that they're interested in getting all the same junk that the rest of Canada is obsessed with? Is it an wonder why they must struggle to keep their traditions alive when a "better life" exists just a click of the remote control away?
The next place Andrea brought us was to visit Aklavik Inuvialuit elders Donald and Elizabeth Aviugana. I would say they are both in their 70s. Donald is a respected member of the community. He is a hunter and trapper and also serves on the board of several committees in the community. Donald was among the many people who left Aklavik in the 1950s for Inuvik, but he returned in the 1970s and doesn't seem to regret the decision.

They were both very kind and welcoming as was their living room which was filled with photos of familyl and friends. They had us sit down gave us tea and served us eskimo ice cream and crackers. Eskimo ice cream is bits of dried meat in oil and fat, of the same texture as a pate, and quite tasty. Many of the traditional foods up here are high in calories, because they are needed to give the body energy and to keep warm when out on the land.

Donald told us a little about how the ice on the river breaks up and about his work out on the traplines this past winter. Elizabeth allowed us to look through several albums where she had collected the programs from community funerals over the past 20 years, which were really intesting to look over and some quite sad.

Dan got to talking with Donald about trapping and snaring, and Donald offered to show us his work hut where he stores his catches and butchers and skins them. Below you can see the corner of the work hut where he has hung some of his traps.

In his hut Donald had tools for fixing and cleaning his traps and rifles. There was also fishing gear which included hooks carved from caribou antlers.Donald snared 49 lynx this winter which will get him about $250/pelt on the market, though perhaps as much as $300. A good price, he told us. However, he said he had discovered several of lynx he snared had been partially eaten by birds or other animals. This damage makes the pelt worthless to buyers. The young lynx Donald has in his hands here (below) is an example: it's half eaten.

Anecdote: Andrea informed me that the singular of lynx in these parts is "link" - one lynk, two lynx.

Also in Donald's work hut were some big fish and parts of caribou and moose, but these were given to Donald by other hunters. It's custom in these communities for younger hunters to give a share of what they catch to the elders as a sign of respect. I don't know if these beaver testicles were a gift or not, but they sure are BIG! Though, I'm not sure what one does with them...maybe they just hang there?

I was pretty amazed when Donald told us that some beavers can be over 3' tall when standing on their hind legs. I always thought they were smaller.