In the daily life of an Inuit community in the Canadian Arctic

Published on : 06/15/2021 – 2:20 PM

He says the idea of ​​getting started on TikTok came to him quite by accident, and that he never imagined getting nearly 30,000 subscribers in just over a year. On his account, our Observer Lenny Aqigiaq Panigayak (@aqigiaq) wants to allow everyone access to his hamlet, Taloyoak.

“People usually don’t have the opportunity to see this part of the world, so I want to allow them to discover it,” he explains, noting that people have never even seen the snow that in Talayoak , melts competently only a few months from May.

In his videos, he responds to his subscribers, who can ask him if the sun goes down in summer or if he can find fresh products in stores.

Many of his videos show him on an expedition on snow-covered lands or the frozen Arctic Ocean, where he tracks seals, sometimes a polar bear, caribou … The Inuit practice hunting, but with respect for animals, as their command is. culture, he explains: the animal must not suffer, and there is no overhunting or overfishing.

If it takes a little of the surrounding fauna, it is also because the prices are exorbitant, in this region which is several hours’ flight from the first food factories. Videos from our Observer show for example a pack of Coca-Cola Zero at 52 dollars (34 euros), a pack of chaos at 10 Canadian dollars (about 7 euros).

Does his growing success on TikTok give him other desires? He replies that he wants above all to make as many people as possible aware of Inuit culture. And that he enjoys being now recognized in the streets of Taloyoak or other localities, by children impressed to meet someone they have seen on their phone beforehand.