Nome

  • Nome

The Canada C3 team docked in Nome, Alaska for a day of exploring, a visit to the Nome cultural centre, and a Ship t’Shore show! We began the day at the Katirvik Cultural Center, which exhibits the latest in circumpolar research, and rich historical relics. Katirvik means “Gathering Place” in King Island Inupiaq, and the center also provides a space for tribal members, visiting scientists and any travellers interested in the culture of the Bering Strait Region of Alaska to learn about the history region. After our visit, we headed to the XYZ Seniors’ Centre in Nome, where we held a Canada C3 Ship t’Shore show for the community. The show included a presentation by our participant Victoria Grant, who is of the Loon Clan, Teme-Augama Anishnabai Qway, from the Temagami area and has always been and continues to be an advocate for more robust Indigenous engagement. Victoria is also the co-founder and inaugural chair of the Temagami Community Foundation. We also heard from our Youth ambassadors Dana Kenny and Chukita Gruben. Dana is a member of the Prime Minister’s Youth Council, and served as President of the UPEI Student Union. He is passionate about democratic engagement, promoting Francophonie, and improving support for victims of sexual assault. Chukita is from Tuktoyaktuk, NWT and is interested in exploring her identity as an Inuvialuit and the diverse ethnic backgrounds in her family’s genes, which inspire her to learn more about the history and heritage of the Inuvialuit and settlers. We also heard from Mark Edwards, one of the scientists from this leg, also spoke of his research, which is terrestrial-based with an emphasis on large mammals inhabiting the natural and urban regions of Arctic and Nearctic landscapes. The show concluded with a performance by Devin Cuddy, our leg 12 musician, and Remy Rodden, leg 12 participant and talented singer-songwriter. We then had the opportunity to explore Nome, which included a meeting with Mayor Richard Beneville. Nomw has a population of over 3,000, and is home to three culturally distinct groups of Eskimo people (as Inuit are called in the USA). The Inupiaq reside on the Seward Peninsula as well as the King and Diomede Islands. The Central Yupik primarily reside in the villages south of Unalakleet. The Siberian Yupik live on St. Lawrence Island and are closely related culturally and linguistically to the Chukotka people of Russia. After some free time in the community, we returned to the ship, where we had dinner and then shared the highlights of our day during the C3 hour. Thank you for welcoming us, Nome!