Sanaaq (19 page)

With spring coming and many water holes appearing on the lakes, thoughts in the Qalingu household turned to fishing. Aqiarulaaq went to visit Sanaaq
.

“Cousin! I feel like going fishing with Maatiusi
and Arnatuinnaq. Qumaq will also be coming!”

“We'll go tomorrow
ai!
Great idea! We'll leave tomorrow. I'll prepare something to eat for the trip and make some bannock because it's far from here… We'll camp overnight and go by dogsled over the ice!”

Arnatuinnaq, Maatiusi, Qumaq, Aanikallak, and Akutsiaq went to see the Catholic missionary and the store employees.

“Tomorrow we're going fishing,” said Arnatuinnaq to the missionary.

“I'll go with you! It'll be a great pleasure for me,” he replied.

They all went to see the chief factor at the trading post and Maatiusi told him, “Tomorrow we're going fishing. I'd like some biscuits for the trip.”

“I'll go with you, and I'll take enough provisions.”

They left and returned to Sanaaq's home.

“All of the
Qallunaat
will be going with us,” said Maatiusi.

Aqiarulaaq and Sanaaq were delighted. The next day, everyone prepared to go. They took along their fishhooks and provisions. Ningiukuluk and Taqriasuk remained behind at the camp because of their advanced age. The others travelled by dogsled over the wet snow. Maatiusi drove the dog team. When they reached their destination, they made tea for their
ullugummitaaq.
Arnatuinnaq went to draw water from a river.

“Isn't this fun!” she exclaimed.

Meanwhile, Aqiarulaaq was building a fireplace. The chief factor remained seated in order to attach his fishhook properly. Maatiusi was baiting his with a piece of blubber.

“
Qatannguuk!
” said Sanaaq. “It's coming to a boil. Time for our tea! Let the children have theirs first.”

When everyone had had their tea, they walked onto the lake ice.

“Isn't this fun!” said Sanaaq. “Son, pay attention so you don't fall through the ice. Qumaq! You too!”

The chief factor started fishing.

“There's an
iqaluk
at the end of my line,
Maatiusi!”

“Mine too. Look at the one I've caught!”

But the one the chief factor caught was much bigger.

“I just missed an
iqaluk!
” said Sanaaq.

“I've got one too!” shouted Aqiarulaaq
.
“This is great!”

“The
iqaluit
won't stop biting at my bait,” said the missionary. “Here we go! I just caught a very big
iqaluk
,
a
nutilliq!
”

“I haven't seen the tiniest little
iqaluk!
” said Arnatuinnaq. “Qumaq! Come and fish with my line for a moment while I go smoke a cigarette.”

“Look!” said Qumaq. “A big
iqaluk!
Yes! I just caught a very big
iqaluk!
”

“I sure envy Qumaq for landing such a catch!” sighed Arnatuinnaq.

After Qumaq caught her
iqaluk,
she gutted it with a knife. Her mother and all the other anglers were very happy that Qumaq had got one. The missionary too had caught some Arctic char.

“I'm very happy to have caught so many fish,” he said, stuffing them into a bag.

The chief factor, for his part, had caught two.

While the two
qatannguuk
were fishing, Aqiarulaaq
suddenly shouted, “Over there,
qatannguuk,
are some
iqaluit
swimming in small schools. They're heading to shore, in your direction. One of them is very big!”

“Yes!” said Sanaaq
.
“Right there! Very many
iqaluit.
Look at them. They're fighting over my bait... I've got one
iqaluk,
and another one, and still another!”

The chief factor walked over to Sanaaq because she was landing a lot of fish, and he started fishing beside her.

“I've got an
iqaluk!
” he said. “I've got one! Another one! Another one… None are left! I've taken them all!”

That night, they would be sleeping under the stars, without a tent. With Aqiarulaaq, Sanaaq looked for a suitable campsite. Her son trailed behind, while Qumaq gathered
qijuttaq
and Arnatuinnaq went to do the cooking. The chief factor stayed near the fireplace, as did the missionary. Arnatuinnaq was looking for a flat stone. When she came across one, she picked it up but found it too heavy to carry. Maatiusi helped her.

The chief factor said, “Maatiusi, give it to me. Let me carry it!”

“
Ii!
” said Maatiusi. “I dropped it and it broke!”

He went looking for another one.

“Isn't this one suitable?” asked the chief factor.

“No,” answered Arnatuinnaq. “It's too thick!”

“Here's one,” said Maatiusi. “It should do the job, shouldn't it, Arnatuinnaq?”

“I'll bring it over,” said the chief factor, “because Maatiusi dropped the other one.”

And he carried it to the fireplace. Arnatuinnaq built a large fireplace beside the spot where she had prepared the tea. She lit the fuel under the flat stone, whose upper surface became burning hot. Onto this she put blubber, which crackled and gave off steam, and then one of the fish that she had cut into slices. In very little time, the fish slices were cooked on the flat stone. Everyone had some, including the chief factor and the missionary. Both of them enjoyed what had been cooked on the stone. After their first taste they asked for more. When everyone had finished, tea was served. As there were only four cups, people took turns drinking the tea.

After finishing their meal, they looked for a place where they could sleep in the open, there being no tent. Some of them created a makeshift tent out of bedspreads, by tying the edges together with a leather strap. They were Sanaaq, Arnatuinnaq, Qumaq, Aqiarulaaq, and Sanaaq's son. The others — the missionary, the chief factor, and Maatiusi — had no tent. They went to sleep in the lee of an L-shaped rock. They did, however, have a few bedspreads and some brush for bedding.

During the night, a strong wind picked up and those who slept outside were cold. They got up very early. Maatiusi lit the fire in the fireplace and made some tea. Being next to the fire, he was no longer cold. While the women of the group continued to sleep, the early risers began fishing once more on the lake. On approaching a crack in the ice, they saw large numbers of Arctic char and said, “Look at all the fish! Today we're going home!”

Meanwhile, Sanaaq's companions were just awaking.

“Arnatuinnaq, wake up!” said Sanaaq.

“Yes!”

“Mommy, are we going home?” asked little Irsutuq. “It's not warm in the tent!”

“We'll go home after we've fished a little bit more, I and my
qatanngut!
” said Sanaaq.

When breakfast was over, they both went fishing.

“
Ai
qatannguuk!
” said Aqiarulaaq. “Take care not to go through the ice. This past night it didn't stop melting!”

Arnatuinnaq
was cooking while Qumaq
and Irsutuq stayed in their tent. The men of the group were back. They had caught many
iqaluit.
Maatiusi had landed a big one — an
isiuralittaaq.
They began preparing to go home.

The chief factor found Arnatuinnaq very attractive. While she cooked, he even tried to kiss her, right in front of Qumaq, who thought, “
Ii,
that one, that bad
Qallunaaq
who was our companion, he's behaving badly. It's really offensive!” Arnatuinnaq, however, did not mind, and the two of them would be having sexual relations throughout the spring, unbeknownst to Arnatuinnaq's kinfolk.

Maatiusi was preparing to leave with Irsutuq while Qumaq chatted with the missionary.

“I again affirm my desire to follow your religion once we've returned home. I'll go to prayer every day. My stepfather, Qalingu, when he comes back, will be happy for me and I'll be happy all my life!”

The missionary replied to Qumaq, “If you always try to do good, Qumaq, and if you persevere in doing good, you will find happiness!”

With the return of Sanaaq and Aqiarulaaq, everyone prepared to leave. After having another cup of tea, they resumed their journey and soon arrived home, at Ningiukuluk's place.

“So you're back?” said Ningiukuluk. “Now we'll be able to eat fish! Thanks!”

She received fish from the kinfolk of Sanaaq and Aqiarulaaq. So did Taqriasuk. They had stayed home because they were very old.

With spring well underway, people began to long for Qalingu's return, because the airplane was supposed to be arriving.

“But when will my father arrive?” asked Irsutuq.

“I was told he would arrive tomorrow,” answered his mother.

“That's great! Tomorrow I'll stick around so that I can go and welcome him back. Little sister, they say my father will be arriving tomorrow!”

“
Ai!
That's great!” said Qumaq. “We'll save some fish for tomorrow, Mom!”

Arnatuinnaq told Sanaaq, “I'll go look for fuel, so that we'll have enough tomorrow to keep us warm. That's delightful news! We won't be alone at home anymore.”

Sanaaq went to Ningiukuluk's home. She walked in and said, “
Ai!
Ningiukuluk!”

“
Aa!
Sit down, Sanaaq, and have some tea!”

“Thank you, Ningiukuluk!”

When night fell, Sanaaq left and Ningiukuluk went to bed.

“
Uuh,
am I ever tired! It's tiring to be old. I feel exhausted each evening!”

She fell asleep. In the morning she awoke to a nice sunny day.

“My stepfather's going to arrive,” said Qumaq. “What a happy occasion!”

When the airplane appeared, all of the Inuit came to welcome its passengers. Qalingu climbed down from the plane. On seeing his father, Irsutuq felt overwhelmed.

“Father! You've arrived!” They headed to the village, with the baggage. “Dad, may I carry these things? Where were you?”

Qalingu had brought gifts for everyone in the whole family. The chief factor came to visit. Taqriasuk also went. They recounted everything that had happened in his absence.

“Over there,” said Qalingu, “at our work site, three of us were Inuit. One of us, a young man, missed his mother and father a great deal and we sometimes thought we'd never be allowed to go home, despite our wish to go home. We were told the Inuit would always have work… By going away to work, I made a lot of money. I'll buy a canoe and an outboard motor!”

“At the end of every month,” said Taqriasuk, “I've been getting money. I've bought felt and braid cloth — to tell the truth, just about anything… I'm very grateful!”

Qalingu was eager to go hunting now, for he was very happy to be back in his country. Maatiusi was happy to see his hunting companion return.

The airplane came again, with a nurse aboard. She brought her devices for diagnosing illnesses. The plane would stay two nights and the nurse would attend to the health problems of the Inuit. It was the first time that the Inuit met an
aanniasiurti.
The nurse used the missionary as an interpreter. That evening, the Inuit were invited to come. They heard for the first time that they would be examined. That same day, in the evening, they underwent blood tests. Maatiusi was the first to have a sample of his blood taken.

“
Aatataa!
That hurts!”

It was then the children's turn.

“No, I don't want to!” said Irsutuq, “because Maatiusi has just been hurt!”

Qumaq and Aanikallak
ran off for fear of being hurt. Although they slipped away, they were still made to take a blood test. Qumaq's blood was too weak. As was Aanikallak's. They were told so.

“Sanaaq! Qumaq's blood is too weak and the same is true for Aanikallak's. They'll both have to go to hospital!”

That did not at all please Sanaaq and Aqiarulaaq. The two of them cried and cried. Their lungs were going to be X-rayed. The next day, they were ordered to strip to the waist. They felt very ashamed, because they had never undressed in this manner.

“Do it!” they were told.

After they had been tested, their lungs were found to be healthy. Taqriasuk, however, was advised to take it easy because he was very old. The same recommendation was given to Qumaq and Aanikallak because they would soon be leaving on the airplane to be among the
Qallunaat.
The nurse also questioned Arnatuinnaq.

“Are you often unwell?”

“No!”

Their weights were measured: Arnatuinnaq, 122 pounds; Qumaq, 77; her little brother, 26; Sanaaq, 118; Qalingu, 141; Taqriasuk, 136; Aqiarulaaq, 112; Aanikallak
,
76; Maatiusi, 101; Tajarak, 40; Irsutualuq, 215, and Angutikallak, 143. The last two were too fat. Angutikallak was told that he was overweight.

“Angutikallak! You will not eat seal blubber too often. You're too fat for someone as young as you!”

“Yes, yes! I'll surely do as you say!”

“And you, Arnatuinnaq! You're pregnant. Your baby will be born next month.”

On hearing this, she felt thoroughly ashamed, for she had no husband. Sanaaq, her family, and everyone in the camp were learning the news for the first time. They thought, “Could it be Maatiusi's child or maybe Angutikallak's?”

Once she had gone home, Arnatuinnaq told her older sister, Sanaaq, “It's the chief factor's child!”

Some of their camp mates were very astonished and displeased at what Arnatuinnaq had said. When the time came to leave, Qumaq and Aanikallak were weeping warm tears, as were their families. The Inuit realized for the first time that some unpleasant things were being done to them. Qumaq did not cry too much, however, because she had begun to listen to the teachings of the Church, and her thoughts were often on the Catholic faith.

“In truth, I won't always be happy!”

There were many things they had not yet understood by the time of their departure. From then on, however, Aanikallak and Qumaq were constantly learning and understanding more and more.