This archive report was first published on 19 October 2019.
Published on October 19, 2019, a time when the Inuit community in Canada was still grappling with the effects of poverty and cultural erosion.
Ms. Saila's family, a line of artists, struggled to maintain their traditional way of life after her grandfather's death in 2008. Her great-grandfather, Pauta Saila, was an acclaimed carver, and her grandfather, Mikisiti Saila, followed in his footsteps.
Mikisiti made enough money to buy a snowmobile, which he used to take his family on trips to nearby lakes to ice-fish in the spring. In the summer, they would set out in his boat for weeks, pitching canvas tents on a rocky island. Ms. Saila learned to pluck sea gull eggs, pick orange cloudberries, and hunt during these trips.
These experiences, known as 'on the land,' were an essential part of the Inuit identity, even for those to whom it was a distant memory. 'It was family time,' Ms. Saila said. 'When you are out on the land, it's peaceful.'
However, after her grandfather's death, the trips on the land became less frequent. Ms. Saila dropped out of school in the 11th grade to work at the co-op's late-night convenience store, where she had a confrontation with a drunk customer.
'I got mad — I head-butted her,' she said, giggling at the memory. She says she quit.
