An Inuit storyteller will be at the Fort National Historic Site this Saturday, sharing tales of his childhood and living a traditional Inuit lifestyle.
Michael Arvaarluk Kusugak who grew up in Repulse Bay, NWT (now Nunavut), will spend the afternoon sharing Arctic stories, including tales of how his family travelled by dog sled.
comes to the Fort Langley National Historic Site for an afternoon of Arctic stories on Saturday, Dec. 1 at 1 p.m. at the Fort theatre at 23433 Mavis Ave.
During his childhood, Kusugak and his family travelled by dog sled, living a traditional Inuit lifestyle, where he learned many traditional tales growing up.
He is an award-winning author of twelve children’s books including The Littlest Sled Dog, The Curse of the Shaman, T is for Territories, Northern Lights: The Soccer Trails and Baseball Bats for Christmas.
He was a co-writer of A Promise is a Promise with Robert Munsch.
Parks Canada invites Canadians to be inspired and captivated by the stories of the people and events that shaped the Canada of today, said historical site promotions officer Nancy Hildebrand.
“This event will create new connections between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians,” she said.
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Parks Canada worked together with the Vancouver Maritime Museum to bring him to the area to offer a storytelling presentation at both the Fort Langley National Historic Site on Saturday and the Vancouver Maritime Museum on Sunday.
At the museum, Kusugak’s storytelling presentation is part of the “Tales of the Northwest Passage Speaker Series,” celebrating 90 years of Adventure onboard the St. Roch.
Built in B.C. but named after a parish in Quebec, captained by a Norwegian immigrant, crewed by farm boys from across the country, and helped by the Inuit, the RCMP St. Roch was the first vessel to sail the Northwest Passage from west to east (1940-1942), the first to complete the passage in one season (1944), and the first to circumnavigate North America.
The St. Roch is designated as a national historic site.
The local event at the Fort Langley National Historic Site’s theatre is included with site admission, which is $7.80 adult and $6.55 for seniors. Age 17 and younger is free.