Research

The Seasonal Round of Mathew Ehaloak’s Family in the 1940s

Mathew Ehaloak was born close to Iqaluktuuq to his parents Nuitiqtuq and Akuaqhiut. In the springtime Mathew’s family would camp and fish at the mouth of Kuugarjuaq, a river which enters Tahirjuaq (Ferguson Lake) to the northeast of Iqaluktuuq. Here they would catch fish using the kakivak and fishnets and they would make dry fish and cache it on a small island off the mouth of the river. In July, the family would move in the direction of Iqaluktuuq and camp at the old caribou-crossing (nalluq) site Ajapkaut. Ajapkaut is a small point on the north side of Tahirjuaq where the lake narrows to its outlet at Iqaluktuuq. Here they would continue fishing using nets, and they would prepare dry fish. They would use their rowboat for fishing. At this time there were very few caribou and muskox in the area.

Wellington Bay Map click to enlarge

Iqaluktuuq Map click to enlarge

From Ajapkaut, the family would move to the north side of the mouth of Iqaluktuuq taking the dry fish they prepared at Ajapkaut with them to cache at the river mouth. This occurred in August in order to coincide with the beginning of the char run up the river. Here they would fish with kakivak and fishnets. Their fishnets would be set parallel to the flow of the river, as the current was too strong to set it perpendicular. As the weather was now colder they were able to cache the fish they caught whole, without gutting them. They would continue to fish at Iqaluktuuq until the water started to freeze in September. After freeze-up in September, the family would travel towards Niaqunarjuaq where they would hunt seals with the rowboat.

In October the family would travel by boat to a small lake on the Paallirjuaq river and set nets though the ice. They would stay in this area waiting for the start of the trapping season (November 1st). After the sea ice had frozen in November, they would travel by dog team to the Tikiraarjuk area to go sealing. They would continue sealing in that area until February when they would return to the Paallirjuaq area to fish with nets through the ice. They would fish at Haglaarjuk as well.

In March the family would return to the sea ice to seal hunt, and sealing activities would continue through April and May when they hunted nattiat (seal pups). In May they would move across Wellington Bay to Halukviit where they would hunt geese, and continue to hunt seals. Finally, at the end of May or in June the family would move back across Wellington Bay to Kuugarjuaq to begin the cycle again.