ABOUT THE COVER
A family member’s love for Canadian Inuit dogs served as inspiration for this now-published author
This stunning shot of Siu-ling Han and her Inuit dogs was snapped by Ed Maruyama of Kuujjuaq, Que.
Fiction or non-fiction? That was the choice for my last assignment for a course I took from the Institute of Children’s Literature. I decided on non-fiction because I love the excitement of research and discovering things I did not know but, what to write?
My daughter, Siu-ling, used to live in Iqaluit, Nunavut, where she owned a team of traditional Inuit dogs. When I visited her in 2001, she had two eight-week-old puppies. They were the cutest, chubbiest, most adorable puppies I had ever met. Like two bouncy balls of fur, they happily darted here and there, curiously sniffing and exploring everything in their path when we took them for a walk in the tundra. It was love at first sight!
I had never seen this kind of dog before and wanted to find out more about them, especially since they are rarely seen south of the treeline. Siu-ling suggested that I visit The Fan Hitch website, an online journal and treasure trove of resources dedicated to the Inuit dog and related Inuit culture, with its diverse mix of stories, reports and scholarly articles.
Based on archaeological findings, these dogs have been in Canada’s Arctic for more than 4,000 years. Inuit shared a unique bond with their dogs since time immemorial. They depended on these dogs for survival in one of the harshest environments on Earth and, on May 1, 2000, the Legislative Assembly of the Government of Nunavut designated these dogs to be the official animal symbol of Nunavut and named them Canadian Inuit dog.
My book would not have been written if it had not been for Siu-ling who first introduced me to these awe-inspiring dogs and their captivating personalities. She stood by my side throughout my writing journey, even after she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, one of the deadliest gynecological cancers. In 2014 she organized a trip to Kimmirut for me, so I could
interview Elijah Padluq, an Inuk elder and friend of Siu-ling’s, about the time in the mid-1900s when he used to travel and hunt with his team of Inuit dogs.
Thanks to Siu-ling, I also got to meet her highly respected dog-teaming friends in Iqaluit—arctic adventurers who travelled with their dogs on Baffin Island, Nunavut, and Greenland. Some even travelled to the North Pole and Antarctica with their dogs. These amazing people shared their stories and love for the Inuit dog with me, as did Siu-ling. Included in the book is an account of the 1,000+ kilometre dog-teaming trek Siu-ling did along the east coast of Baffin Island with three friends, to celebrate five cancer-free years.
It has taken years of intense research to write the book that delves into the dogs’ ancient beginnings, origin, physiology, morphology, taxonomy, pack structure, contributions to life in the Arctic, and what was a dark moment in their history that brought them to the brink of extinction.
A TRIBUTE TO SIU-LING
When cancer reared its ugly head once again after a ten-year remission, Siu-ling came back to Ottawa for treatment. Between chemo sessions, she still managed to go skiing with friends in the Rocky Mountains, as she did every February, and play ice hockey, a sport she loved since high school. Between treatments, Siu-ling continued to travel back and forth between Ottawa and her home in Iqaluit, where she was surrounded by the love and support of her many friends, the cool, serene beauty of the Arctic, and her lovable team of Inuit dogs. Every time she had new puppies, she would bring them to our home in Ottawa to be socialized. She also brought retired Inuit dogs to Ottawa for adoption. I adopted several retired dogs over the years. That’s how I learned to get to know these wonderful dogs up close.
It was during this time that I was spurred to finish my book and submit it for publication. I was lucky when I found Revodana Publishing, a small house specializing in ancient dogs. After I contacted them, they requested an interview and subsequently offered me a contract. I am grateful Siu-ling was still able to see my contract and hold it in her hands. It brought a smile to her face. She told me how happy she was, and how proud it made her. With a smile, she took me in her arms and patted my shoulder. After years of blood, sweat and tears, my book The Canadian Inuit Dog: Icon of Canada’s North was born, November 1, 2018.
This book is dedicated to my beloved Siu-ling, a wildlife biologist who lived and worked in Nunavut, to honour her love for the Arctic, its people, wildlife, environment and magnificent Inuit dogs. Now Siu-ling and her original team of Inuit dogs that passed before her are together in that great big tundra in the sky.
I am donating proceeds of my book to Qimmivut—our Dogs in Inuktitut—a landbased program of Ilisaqsivik, which is a community-based Canadian charity dedicated to promoting community wellness and healing. It organizes land-based mentoring programs for Inuit youth facilitated by recognized hunters, dog teamers and Elders, to boost mental, physical, and spiritual well-being while working with dogs, a cause that was close to Siu-ling’s heart.
To learn more, head to Kim’s website at www.thecanadianinuitdog.com.