By Kaylie Seed
The Canadian Arctic is a place that not a lot of people get to visit in their lifetime. Teacher Odette Barr had the amazing opportunity to live in Canada’s farthest Inuit communities (Pangnirtung, Hall Beach, and Grise Fiord) and teach alongside her partner YoAnne Beauchamp. In these communities, Odette and YoAnne were given the opportunity to learn things themselves especially when it came to Inuit culture and thus broadening their own horizons. This work of nonfiction was written by a non-Inuit woman who has complete love and respect for the Inuit culture and a desire to share these not so well-known places, cultures, and traditions with the rest of Canada.
Barr, who has conducted significant research, presents the most respectful approach when discussing her time with Inuit Peoples. Barr goes into detail with what happens in the school and the community and gives readers a look into what life is like in the most northern and isolated parts of Canada. She outlines what life is like on a daily, monthly, and yearly basis. Barr breaks down the school year and shows readers how she and her partner had to immerse themselves in Inuit culture to better understand where it was that they were teaching. Barr always reminded herself to be open to learning as much of the culture as possible, in the same way the children were expected to learn from her. Barr goes into detail about how the school is centered around Inuit traditions and culture and whenever there was a learning opportunity around those topics the rest of the learning could wait. Barr discusses how community is absolutely essential in the North. Much of the school calendar is based around community events and children were encouraged to partake in these events outside of school.
Barr does an excellent job drawing the reader in and engaging them on a topic that they may not have thought about before. The reader has a unique opportunity to learn from someone who has spent years in northern Canada and to gain insight into what life is like in a different part of Canada than they may be familiar with. The picture Barr paints is one of serenity, collectivism, and love and it really shows that Barr holds a special place in her heart for these most northern communities. Barr’s autobiography is highly recommended to Canadian readers so that they can learn more about people and cultures of Canada.