After the return journey from Mashuyak, Dan and I stopped in at the Arctic Char Inn in Ulukhaktok for a cup of coffee and a bite to eat. Some of the people in the restaurant were telling us that we had missed a big celebration for Jimmy and Laura Memogana’s 60^th wedding anniversary that past weekend.

We were a little disappointed, because there had been a drum dance, and this coupled with the scheduling of several big BINGO games during the week meant that there wouldn’t likely be another drum dance while we were in town. However, we met a woman who said she was sure another drum dance could be arranged so that we could see it.

“Mashuyak!” we exclaimed - our new expression meaning “awesome!” in recognition of the awesome string of days we spent in the cabin on the land.

On Wednesday after dinner, in the golden warmth of a windless Arctic spring evening, Dan and I made our way to the address we were told the drum dance would be at. Coincidently, it was also the house of Jimmy and Laura Memogana.

We were among the first to arrive. We took off our boots and walked into the living room where Jimmy, who was nursing a cold, was lounging on a sofa and Laura was on a loveseat next to him. Their daughter, Wilma, and some of their grandkids were also there. Soon, more people, mostly kids, drifted into the house and sat or stood around waiting.

Wilma Memogana, brought out a big wooden case, which when opened revealed four large drums (parachute cloth or animal skin stretched over a wooden frame) and a box of drum sticks.

Jimmy and his teenage grandsons, Chad and Justin, each picked up a drum and spritzed a little water on the drum skin to moisten it. Then, exchanging only a word or two, they began to drum and sing and the dance began. (Below: Jimmy and Laura's livingroom is full and alive.)

Drums of the Central Arctic are different from those to the east and west. They are a bit wider and you do not strike the skin directly, but rather the underside of the frame. I assume that the songs and dances are all similar in content; they are about things of importance to the daily life of the Inu like chores, hunting, seasons, and animals. Traditional drum dancing is something that brings those who know how to do it all over the world to various events and gatherings from embassy openings to conferences of indigenous peoples. (Below: Jimmy, Chad, and Justin Memogana beat out a song.)

I think I was expecting a more “traditional” drum dance with costumes and, I don’t know, more ceremony; but what we were presented with was even better in many ways. When it comes to aboriginal traditions, many of us so-called “educated” people from outside of the community are still extremely ignorant, because we still have those historical photos of aboriginal ancestors from our history textbooks etched in our mind as not just the way things were, but the way they still are. The truth is that these communities are about as far from those photos as we are from photos from when our grandparents were kids. The massive machine of American pop-culture leaves no community with access to television or the Internet untouched. Even the kids of a remote hamlet like Ulukhaktok are looking to NBA players and pop stars for their fashion and ambitions. The disconnect between tradition in some places is greater than others, but in the places we’ve been to, the movement to reconnect the youth with the old ways is growing strong. (Below: Some drum, some dance, some sing, some watch, and some just suck their thumbs. There were four generations in that living room.)

This is not to say that people are trying to return to a fully traditional life. As many aboriginal leaders and elders have observed during the Mackenzie Gas Pipeline hearings, there is little chance that their people will ever return to the land and live as their ancestors; that time is gone. However, the need for the younger generation to be connected to and knowledgeable of their roots and traditions is essential. Sadly, this has only become clear after the damage of such well intentioned initiatives like residential schools and the settling of people on reservations has already been done. Canadian aboriginal people are playing catch-up in the game to retain their cultural heritage. (Below: Chad Memogana, in his late teens, was not only the strongest drummer and singer, but also an emotive and powerful dancer. Also, the only male to dance.)