We are now in the Northwest Territories. Holman was initially named for J R Holman, a member of a Franklin search group aboard Inglefield's ship the Isabel. It is now called Ulukhaktok or the place where ulu materials are found. The slate and copper to make the namesake ulus are found on a large buff near the town.
The villagers turned out for us, skinning some char with ulus and baking up some fresh bannock. A treat. I asked a welcoming lady if I could take her picture. She said, "No. Why don't we do a selfie?" Her name was Laverna Klingenberg and she is the Mayor of Ulukhoktok. Politicians know how to take care of you.
We walked around the village finding the Arts Centre, the COOP Store and the Community Center.
In these villages there is a real emphasis on health related issues.
Addiction continues as a force.
Another area of interest is the omnipresent issue of oil exploration in the Beaufort Sea,
and where it is happening.
The villagers are very aware of pollution issues and even required another visiting tour ship the Crystal Serenity, with its one thousand passengers and 600 crew and its accompanying supply ship, to agree not to dump its waste nearby. There are about 1400 inhabitants of Ulukhaktok.
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