Pond Inlet, Canada

Niiicola

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I'm looking to set my next book in Pond Inlet, Baffin Island. It looks stunning, but unfortunately my budget doesn't stretch to include a trip there for research purposes. I've Googled/YouTubed to get a general sense of the place and have requested a couple of books from my library, but can anybody recommend specific books or movies? I'm looking to get a sense of local culture, weather, geography -- basically everything.
 

alleycat

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You might also consider posting your questions on the City-Data forum in the related sub-forum. You can get information from locals that way. It also has detailed weather and other information about many cities.

http://www.city-data.com/forum/canada/
 

Wilde_at_heart

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I'd be very careful about supplying generally 'northern' source material, as the Arctic is very diverse. North of 60, for example, is set in the Dehcho which is the western arctic; the aboriginal population would be mostly Dene, and I believe the dominant language would be Slavey. Pond is the eastern arctic, the population is predominantly Inuit, and the dominant language is Inuktitut. It's a completely different cultural context.

For depictions of the eastern arctic on camera, the most important figure in recent Inuit cinema is Zacharias Kunuk. He is from Baffin Island, though from Igloolik and not from Pond, and his film Atanarjuat was the first full-length film to be done entirely in the Inuktitut language. It is historical and not contemporary, but the language is absolutely authentic and you can certainly see what the landscape and climate of the eastern arctic is like.

For other cinema to look at, both classic and contemporary, I would explore the Inuit film collection of the National Film board and the Unikkausivut project:

http://onf-nfb.gc.ca/en/unikkausivut-sharing-our-stories/the-nfb-inuit-film-collection/

https://www.nfb.ca/playlist/unikkausivut-sharing-our-stories/

If your book is contemporary in time, I would especially recommend the hour-long documentary Inuuvunga on the second link, which was shot by Inuk teenagers documenting their own communities. Understanding the role of language and tradition in the culture, the relationship between youth and elders, and the way the north is both changing and staying the same, are vital to writing an authentic and sensitive portrayal of the Arctic. Good luck!
 
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Xelebes

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I'm a City-Data type person. Actually, a moderator at Skyscraperpage. Whatever.

Pond Inlet is remote and most imported things are very expensive. There are several interesting projects slated to be built there including an iron mine and a railroad that will be billed as the most northern railroad in the world. For cultural advice, do refer to Nuallain's post. There are three main cultural groups in the Canadian North: Dene, Innu and Algic (Cree and Montagnais, mostly). These groups are as different as comparing Arabs, Indo-Europeans, and Basque. You will be working with the Innu, which includes the Inuit, Innu, and Innutsiavit. More specifically, you're dealing with the Inuit of Nunavut.
 

Niiicola

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I'd be very careful about supplying generally 'northern' source material, as the Arctic is very diverse. North of 60, for example, is set in the Dehcho which is the western arctic; the aboriginal population would be mostly Dene, and I believe the dominant language would be Slavey. Pond is the eastern arctic, the population is predominantly Inuit, and the dominant language is Inuktitut. It's a completely different cultural context.

For depictions of the eastern arctic on camera, the most important figure in recent Inuit cinema is Zacharias Kunuk. He is from Baffin Island, though from Igloolik and not from Pond, and his film Atanarjuat was the first full-length film to be done entirely in the Inuktitut language. It is historical and not contemporary, but the language is absolutely authentic and you can certainly see what the landscape and climate of the eastern arctic is like.

For other cinema to look at, both classic and contemporary, I would explore the Inuit film collection of the National Film board and the Unikkausivut project:

http://onf-nfb.gc.ca/en/unikkausivut-sharing-our-stories/the-nfb-inuit-film-collection/

https://www.nfb.ca/playlist/unikkausivut-sharing-our-stories/

If your book is contemporary in time, I would especially recommend the hour-long documentary Inuuvunga on the second link, which was shot by Inuk teenagers documenting their own communities. Understanding the role of language and tradition in the culture, the relationship between youth and elders, and the way the north is both changing and staying the same, are vital to writing an authentic and sensitive portrayal of the Arctic. Good luck!

Thanks, this is extremely helpful. I don't want to bungle any of the cultural stuff, so this is going to involve a ton of research. That documentary made by teenagers will be an enormous help, as the book is YA. Really appreciate the info!