Thelon City

Introduction

V.K.

"It's always been a hard place to live. Before the qallunaat came, we had to survive out on the land. Where there's no guarantee that you'll live to see another day. Out there, all you have is your wit and skills that's been cultivated since you were a kid.

Now my daughter and her daughter worries about how much money they make or what their peers think of them. I just want this culture to continue on."

Dimitri Muriisii-Young

"What do I think of our culture? That's a hard question. I think about a lot of good and bad things when it comes to being an Inuk. We have the highest rate of suicide in the world. Almost all of my friends ended up quitting school or getting pregnant, I see a lot of substance and alcohol abuse. Sexual abuse is the hardest topic to talk out of the three. It happened to me and a lot of those close to me. t's really sad when you're the one experiencing and seeing all the darkness.

On the other hand, we managed to survive despite all the difficulties present. Here, the land is beautiful. Irresistible. It's almost like we're addicted to camping, fishing or hunting- we need it.

People always told me being rock bottom means the only to move is going up. And I'm beginning to believe that. All parents want what's best for their children, and all the hard work is starting to pay off. I learn that there's more and more to be grateful for."

Redoretta Muriisii

"My mom said that?! I've rarely heard her talk like that. *laughs* 

But I do understand that it is hard living in the north. Especially when we have 24 hour daylight in the spring and summer, which has a really bad impact on your sleep. You never get used to it either. By grade 11, over half of my classmates quit school and got a part time job. I'm probably gonna end up like them if my sleep schedule doesn't change. And there's so many things I wish I could change about my life, about my mom's. I think I would wanna change everything because I see a lot of pointless things or things that really shouldn't be happening."