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Myrna Pokiak © Pokiak Photography
Close.Qilalukkat!
Belugas and Inuvialuit: Our Survival Together
Learn about beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) and their relationship with the Inuit people of the Western Arctic, the Inuvialuit.
Explore the history and traditions of beluga harvesting, which continues to be a vital part of present-day Inuvialuit life.
Experience a Tuktoyaktuk family’s journey, from preparing to storing the food provided by their annual beluga harvest.
See ancient artefacts, modern tools and beluga-inspired arts and crafts. Stroll through a re-created camp and smokehouse.
Discover how Inuvialuit and scientists work together for beluga conservation.
Family members use both modern and traditional tools to clean and prepare fish for drying. Myrna Pokiak © Pokiak Photography Maureen Pokiak puts freshly-cooked muktuk (whale blubber and skin) on cardboard to cool. Myrna Pokiak © Pokiak Photography Whale meat and whitefish drying in the smokehouse. Myrna Pokiak © Pokiak Photography The exhibition’s curator, Myrna Pokiak, was born and raised in Tuktoyaktuk, N.W.T. Here she is with her three daughters: Mya, Launa, and Kara. Myrna Pokiak © Pokiak Photography Whale harvesting has always been part of Inuvialuit culture and survival. Here, Bertram Pokiak prepares a harpoon head. Richard N. Hourde/Hudson's Bay Company Archives, Archives of Manitoba: HBCA-1987-363-E-341-052 The tradition of harvesting provides much-needed food for winter and teaches the next generation how to sustain the Inuvialuit way of life. Myrna Pokiak © Pokiak Photography
Take a brief tour of the exhibition.
Northern Voices Gallery
Special Exhibitions
Qilalukkat! is showing in our Northern Voices Gallery, which is located within our Canada Goose Arctic Gallery. Through such temporary special exhibitions, the Northern Voices Gallery provides an opportunity for Northern communities to share their own perspectives about the Arctic and their relationship with the land.
Focus on the Arctic
Canada Goose Arctic Gallery
Explore Canada's mysterious, vulnerable and unique Arctic.
A Window into the Arctic
Catch a glimpse of life in the North: browse current photos on social media by the people who live and travel in the Canadian Arctic.
Presented in partnership with the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre.