I can remember where I grew up. It is called Perry River. When I think about that place, many memories appear and touch me. Many times I have thought about going back to the land where I was raised. It is a place I carry within me that I will always feel I can go to and live on.
My parents taught me how to live on the land and hunt so I could survive in this place. It was where everything started for me.
I can remember our spring camps when we set up our home on tiny islands or on the side of the river as far upstream as the rapids in Ittimnigigut. I camped in this area with Angulalik and his family. Later I will tell how I came to work for him.
When I was growing up, I did not go to Baker Lake but I did go as far as Perry River to trade. Later on I did move with my parents to Iqaluktuuttiaq, Cambridge Bay, and from there to Baker Lake on an aeroplane, and then we stayed.
My memories tell me how I grew up as a young man and learned to hunt and survive on the land. People came to our camping area at Perry River from Hanninngajuk (Garry Lake) to trade with us. More people came to stay after Ekvana and Angulalik were married. A man named Tapatai brought a missionary with him by dog team along with Utak and Ugjuk. I was surprised to see how these people dressed. They wore different clothes from us. They had long trousers and stockings that were longer than ours. I wondered if their trousers were wide enough and I wondered if they were comfortable. I thought everyone in the world dressed the way we did until then.
I can tell you that my father’s name was Utuugak, and my mother’s name was Tikkikluk. I had brothers and sisters too and here are their names: Panaktannuak, the oldest one, then me, followed by another sister called Aulajuk, then Mingilgak, and last Ukalitana, the youngest.
I know that my parents came from Ellice River and Kulgajuk and that I was born in Ellice River. Kuunajuk is where I learned how to hunt and survive. Here is where I became a young man, strong and able to do many things. A bride was chosen for me from the Perry River area, her name was Unnguk. I went to get her with my oldest brother Panaktannuak.
Now my life changed again, and I raised a family there with Unnguk. She was my first wife and we had live children. I will tell you how these children fared.
Two of them died before they lived very long. Our first child was Qulauhuq, a girl, followed by Amigainik and Tikkikluk who became the wife of Jimmy Wingneck. A fourth child was born the same day as Amigainiq; it was his twin brother. This brother was given to Huvak and Kanajuk to take care of as their own child. They adopted the child, but the baby could not breathe while he was asleep he suffocated and he died. A fifth child also suffocated just after being born, and so we had live children in all.