Introduction-E

Did the Catholic priest reside in Avvajja?
Paniaq: He used to live there from time to time. But when houses were constructed in
what we now know as Iglulik, they moved there and so did our grandfather.
Were there houses in Avvajja then?
Paniaq: There was always a small house in Avvajja. When another one was constructed
in what is now called Iglulik, they had a priest in both places. The other one would go
to the other place.
Are there still people living in Avvajja?
Paniaq: Absolutely not. There’s nobody left there. After we left the place, people lived
there for a short while, and then nobody lived there.
When?
Paniaq: I cannot say what year it was as I was not thinking about years.
When you were an adult?
Paniaq: Before I was an adult, we had moved to another place. Other people were left
to live there. When I was big enough to travel but not big enough to be much help yet,
we left the place.
You said you were big enough to travel. Can you tell us about travelling
for the first time?
Paniaq: I cannot tell you about the very first time I travelled. I would travel with my
brother to nearby places. I do not recall when I went travelling for the first time.
Tell us just what you remember.
Paniaq: I did not travel very far. I went along when they went to check their traps. I was
not allowed to go if they were going to sleep over on their trips as I tended to wet the bed.
Can you tell us about the first time you caught an animal, or about an
event that you really enjoyed?
Paniaq: The first animal I killed was one I did not catch. We would travel to Ikpiarjuk
for our supplies in the springtime as there was no trading post in our area. After
trapping foxes during the winter, we would go trade the fox skins in Ikpiarjuk and
46 Introduction to the Oral Traditions