Pingwartuk Ottokie

Pingwartuk Ottokie (also known as Iqaluk Pingwartuk) was born in an igloo near Kinngait in 1942. He recalls his father travelling back and forth from Kinngait to Iqaluit by dog team over a three-year period and describes what traveling by dog team is like. In 1959, his family moved to Kinngait. The police that came to the town after patrolling the area warned them to tie up the dogs. His family tied their dogs but still found them shot to death because they affected a stream needed for water in the summer. He explains the importance of dogs for hunting and says that dogs were not vicious and those that were, were shot by their owners. He describes how the killing affected his father. He has good memories of growing up in the camp and learning from his father. His mother was sent south for TB treatment for two years.