Salluit 🤝 Adventure Canada

Nunavik is Inuit territory within Quebec, and Salluit (“the thins ones”) is the second northernmost community within Nunavik. It is a town of about 1,400 to 1,500 people along the Sugluk Inlet. They had never received a cruise ship before, so Adventure Canada worked with them over the past year to arrange a visit.

Today was a busy day overall for Salluit, as they were receiving a shipment of supplies—one that comes twice a year to deliver big items like construction materials, appliances, etc… There was much ado about the community.

Upon disembarking the zodiacs, we were met with such warmth and excitement. People gathered to introduce themselves and welcome us into their town.

One local took a group of us on a hike to a large Inuksuk (explained in my prior post!) on the top of a hill. Along the way, one of the Adventure Canada expedition members, and naturalist, Dylan, threw out bits of information on the birds flying above and the hexagonal shape of the marshes below.

While posing for some pictures, I made my new expedition friends shout out a hello for my folks back in Chicago…

Then, it was back to town, where, in a community hall, a celebration was beginning.

A large portion of the Salluit community had gathered, and us blue-coated expeditioners flooded in to exchange greetings. Tables upon tables were set up on the edges of the room, where local artisans put their works on display, from jewelry to stone carvings to sealskin hats and gloves and so much more. They had made us T-shirts to take home with us, and set up a large luncheon of country food—a stunning display of hospitality and affection.

And it didn’t end there.

A group of women came up to explain their traditional clothing, throat singing was performed, and we all organized ourselves in the center of the room to dance to the sounds of guitar and accordion. We stomped, stepped, and swung about until our faces just couldn’t smile much wider.

Adventure Canada had a partnership with Project North, and because of this, was able to donate sets of hockey gear to the community, which some of the young boys were particularly excited about trying out for the first time…

Everyone got back onto the ship a little lighter that evening. There was such a swelling of gratitude—we were so happy to meet one another, make new friends, and share a little of one another’s cultures.

Thank you for your kindness and open arms, Salluit 🧡

Song of the Week

Easy choice. It absolutely must be the beautiful song this man sang for us during the community gathering. I wish I knew the name of the tune or the lyrics… (And, I can’t get enough of those two little girls playing in the back.)