ice fishing

This week was Inuktitut Language week and we had a number of activities to try to promote Inuit culture and the language. Each morning or afternoon from Monday to Thursday a different class would go out to Sopher Lake where some elders had set up a tent. There the kids could fish through the ice for cod and listen to the elders tell stories. There were many fish caught and the kids all had a great time. The weather cooperated with mild temperatures and light winds. On Thursday morning it was the senior high school students' turn and I went along on my snowmobile. We had the best weather of the week with warm temperatures, sun, and no wind at all. The kids had a wonderful time. It is good to see them out of the school setting because they show a different side of their personalities out there. They caught over 80 fish in about three hours. There must be thousands of fish down there because for the most part they were snagging them with large gang hooks with no bait. Incredible. This weekend I took part in a two day workshop on suicide prevention. The suicide rate here is about 10X the national average with the group most at risk being teenagers. There hasn't been a suicide in this community for five years but there were three just prior to that. There have been two or three threats this year and anything that helps the school deal with that situation is welcome.