Description
The story of Uvajuq (oo-va-yook) is rooted in a time when people and animals lived in such harmony and unity that they could speak to one another. For Inuit, as for people whose traditions include the story of the Garden of Eden, this idyllic existence came to an abrupt end a very long time ago. The story told here, in words and pictures, speaks of that ancient event and of the transition to an existence where a different more or less sharing prevails.
This old Inuit legend has recently taken on an entirely new dimension in Cambridge Bay, with the uncovering of a unique array of artifacts right through an archaeological survey of the hill referred to as Uvajuq. The mysterious find offers a compelling confluence of myth and reality.
The legend of Uvajuq, as told here, was once collected from a group of Inuit elders within the Nunavut community of Cambridge Bay, 300 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle. At the surface, it’s the story of how three prominent hills near the community were formed. Underlying that may be a tale of much deeper significance.