Healing the Land in Arctic Bay, Nunavut -- August 1-7, 2008

The Canada Awakening Ministries Healing the Land Team was in Arctic Bay, Nunavut from August 1-8, 2008.
Arctic Bay is Canada's third most northern community, at the very top of Baffin Island.

The Arctic Bay region has been occupied by Inuit nomads in successive waves of migration from the West from time immemorial, or about 5,000 years. The Inuit had their own names for the sites, the settlements and the mountains in this region.

The English name of "Arctic Bay" derives from the visit of the Whaling Vessel "Arctic" commanded by Captain William Adams Sr. who came to the area in 1872.

The Dendee Whaler "Arctic" sailed in North Baffin waters until 1874, at which time was was crushed by sea ice not far from present-day Arctic Bay. The Government of Canada declared its interest in including the Arctic islands within the Dominion of Canada on October 10, 1874. It was considered a necessity due to the increasing entry of American and European explorers and whalers into the Arctic regions..

The whalers overhunted the whales, particularly the bowhead whale, in the North Baffin region during the 1800's. By 1840, the whale population had become so diminished in North Baffin that many whalers went further south to the Cumberland Sound area (near present-day Pangnirtung) where they continued to overhunt.

Ignoring the original names given by the Inuit in the region of northern Baffin Island, the British imposed their own names on the sites, settlements and mountains. Not only was "Arctic Bay" named after the Whaling Vessel "Arctic" commanded by Captain William Adams Sr., but the sound adjacent to Arctic Bay was eventually named "Adam's Sound" in the same captain's honour.

Mountains like this one adjacent to Arctic Bay used to be named after the Inuit traditional lamp, the "qulliq," fuelled with seal oil, which was the only traditional source of heat and light for the Inuit. The British renamed it after their monarch, in honour of King George V. Notice the "crown" at the top of the mountain.

Under the command of Captain Joseph E. Bernier in 1904, the CGS Arctic patrolled whaler activity in the Hudson Bay, and established a divisional police headquarters at Churchill. Captain Bernier extended the surveillance of the CGS Arctic into the North Baffin region by 1906.

Captain Bernier (second from left) is here formally taking possession of Bylot Island in North Baffin at a flag-raising ceremony at Canada Point in August, 1906. The name of the ship (CGS Arctic) and the date (August, 1906) were chiseled into the stone.

Here Captain Bernier is claiming all of Baffin Island for the Dominion of Canada in the presence of Inuit and officers during a ceremony on November 9, 1906.

In 1910-1911, Captain Joseph Bernier's third expedition with the CGS Arctic wintered at Arctic Bay.

Between 1904 and 1911, Captain Joseph E. Bernier did more than any other person to solidify Canada's claim to the Arctic Islands.

The Canadian Government produced a special postage stamp in his honour, and named Bernier Bay on the north end of Baffin Island in his honour as well. Although a school at Chesterfield Inlet (Igluligaarjuk) was also named to honour him, it was closed in disgrace.

Between August 1 and 8, 2008, the Canada Awakening Ministries Healing the Land Team went to Arctic Bay, Nunavut, to deal with some of the root issues that have left a hurtful legacy, and to repent of the sins of our forefathers, both before and after the coming of European immigrants to this High Arctic region. Notice King George V Mountain adjacent to Arctic Bay in the picture above.

It is important that we separate what is precious from what is worthless from the legacy of our forefathers, whether our forefathers were indigenous to the land, or were from Europe. Not everything that our forefathers passed along was bad, and we want to affirm everything righteous in our roots, but to break with any legacy that has left hurt, pain, misunderstanding, fear or confusion.
On Sunday afternoon of August 3, 2008, a ceremony was held right on the land of one of the original settlements where the remnants of original sod houses still remain some two miles from present-day Arctic Bay.

Here Tommy Tatatuapik, the representative of the Elder's Committee for the community of Arctic Bay, is kneeling down and identifying with his own sins, and the sins of his forefathers, that have brought a defilement and a generational curse on to the land--sins that included idolatry, witchcraft, shamanism, child sacrifice and the shedding of innocent blood.


It was an absolutely "powerful" and "electric" moment as the heavens opened up! When the Holy Spirit comes down, then walls that have divided us also come down, and relationships are reconciled.
The leaders and gatekeepers gathered around Tommy Tatatuapik to pray and to seal this holy moment. The prophetic word came forth, "Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders...let the priests who minister to the LORD weep between the porch and the altar...
"Let them say, 'Spare Your people, O LORD, and do not give Your heritage to reproach, that the nations should rule over them. Why should they say among the peoples, "Where is their God?"...

"THEN the LORD will be zealous for His land, and pity His people. The LORD will answer and say to His people...

"'Behold, I will send you grain

"and new wine

"and oil, and you will be satisfied in them. I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations...

"Fear not, O land! Be glad and rejoice, for the LORD has done marvellous things...

"Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field, for the open pastures are springing up...Be glad, then, you children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God..." (Joel 2:16-23).

Here is David and Dorothy Aglukark with Arctic Bay Elder Tommy Tatatuapik after the ceremony in which they had partaken of Communion with one another, and with the land, and set up a stone memorial in order for future generations to remember this day. "When your children ask in time to come, saying, 'What do these stones mean to you?'...These stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever" (Joshua 4:6, 7).

At the end of the ceremony on Sunday afternoon of August 3, 2008, Mayor Andrew Taqtu shared that the Hamlet Council of Arctic Bay would be passing an official motion in their next council meeting to mark this day as a turning point in the community, a day when they had repented of the sins of their forefathers, and turned with all of their hearts to recognize the supremacy of the living God in the community of Arctic Bay.

Subsequently, with the blessing of the mayor, the elders, and the community gatekeepers, one of the Fijian brothers (Semisi Naqica) and six of the young people from Arctic Bay climbed to the top of the King George V Mountain, and in line with its original name referring to the Inuit traditional lamp (the "qulliq"), the scriptures were planted that God's word "is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path" (Psalm 119:105).

From the top of this mountain, and with the blessing and under the covering of the local gatekeepers, these young people (who are the future of this region) proclaimed that there is a King far higher than George V ever was, "the King of kings and Lord of lords" (Revelation 19:16), who has come to bring us healing, reconnecting us to our ancient roots, and restoring our future destiny as a people free to be who we were created to be!

These youth were not moving in pride or rebellion, or with an independent spirit, but in humilty, and with a respect for their elders and leaders, the descendants of the original gatekeepers of this region. After the climb, and looking back on the mountain, nobody is here suggesting that the Canadian government has officially changed the name of this mountain, but in the spirit realm, and in the eyes of the local elders and gatekeepers of Arctic Bay, this mountain is now symbolic of a much higher authority than that of King George V. It speaks to them of Jesus, "the Light of the world" (John 8:12) which the "qulliq" foreshadowed.

Many of the homes in Arctic Bay opened up their doors to the Healing the Land Team to further the work of reconciliation between family members, both between gender (husband and wife), and between generations (parents and children).

Here you see Mayor Andrew Taqtu of Arctic Bay (holding the staff) along with elders and leaders from all three churches--Anglican, Roman Catholic and Full Gospel--after they had repented to one another for past divisions between the churches.

With Mayor Andrew Taqtu holding the staff, they all knelt down together to humble themselves before the God of Heaven, and to ask Him to redeem and to restore everything from their past that was good, but to uproot and to remove anything from that past that had brought a curse into their community, and that had affected future generations adversely.

That night, the elders of Arctic Bay had stood on one side of the auditorium (see above) facing the next generation of youth and adolescents on the other side of the auditorium (see below). They began to repent to one another for having allowed a generation gap to come between them. The older generation repented for not being a good example to the next generation, and for not releasing them to go further in their generation like a bow releases an arrow.


The youth repented for not honouring the older generation, including their elders and their parents, and for an independent spirit that had cut them off from their family roots and their family's inheritance.

Here, Roger is praying over the Elder's Committee according to Jeremiah 15:19, praying that they might have the discernment to separate "the precious from the worthless" in their past tradtions and culture. Like Jeremiah, God would them give them a voice, and make them His mouthpiece before the nations, a voice that will be 100% Inuit and yet 100% in worship to Jesus, the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords.

God would release ancient sounds and ancient songs to release ancient anointings that will bring down ancient strongholds.

This was followed up by the Fijians doing one of their redeemed cultural and spiritual warfare dances in which the Inuit youth got fully involved, with the full blessing and even participation of their elders. What had just been prayed was that the Inuit would also redeem their songs and dances to the glory of Almighty God, and to pull down spiritual strongholds, just like the Fijians had role-modelled this with their traditional dances.


The key for every tribe and nation to be released into their future destiny where they can be exactly who God has created them to be is to re-connect with something ancient, something that goes back many generations, to the promises that God gave to their forefathers to give them a land that they and their children could inherit.

Reconciliation and unity are very much key to enter the Promised Land. Mayor Andrew Tatqu stated on the closing night that he had welcomed previous Bible Conferences in Arctic Bay, but that there had always been something missing, in that the churches had continued to be divided afterwards. This time, all churches were full participants, and no one congregation or sphere of the community laid any exclusive claim to this Gathering. It was truly a community event with involvement from all spheres of the community.

Here, Tommy Tatatuapik, the Elder's representative, is sharing on the last night, on August 7, 2008. He also did a lengthy interview on the CBC North in Inuktitut (which was heard by Inuit in all of the communities of Nunavut and Nunavik).

He boldly declared the great and mighty works that God had done in his community of Arctic Bay, and of the intention of the local elders and gatekeepers to continue this healing process at more ancestral sites. The CBC must have liked the interview, because they played it two days in a row!

After the healing the land process, Philip Kalluk of Arctic Bay wrote, "I will always cherish what God did this past week. So many testimonies were on the local radio today. So many were blessed."

Sam Willie, the hamlet foreman, and main organizer who had prepared the community for the healing the land process, wrote: "We are very thankful for what happened during the week that you visited us. Many people have gotten on the local radio to express their gratitude since you left Arctic Bay. For one, Tommy Tatatuapik has shared many wonders that he has realised that he had never seen before."

As long as the elders who knew of detestable practices that were done secretly and under the cover of darkness, and kept quiet and silent about it, Arctic Bay remained in spiritual darkness. And unless and until those things are brought to the light, they only worsen in each generation until a community becomes desperate for healing.


Today, however, there is the dawning of a new day as the elders and people of Arctic Bay are opening up their hearts, and bringing the secret works of darkness into the light so that the glory of God can rise upon them brighter and brighter (Isaiah 60:1; Proverbs 4:18).

The things hidden from the past for many generations are being disclosed and revealed so that they can be forgiven, cleansed and healed!

Since Arctic Bay is at the northern "ends of the earth," the following prophetic scripture is significant: "The Gentiles shall come to You from the ends of the earth, and say, 'Surely our fathers have inherited lies, worthlessness and unprofitable things.' Will a man make gods for himself, which are not gods?' (Jeremiah 16:19-21).

"If My people, who are called by My Namewill humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, THEN I will hear from Heaven, I will forgive their sin, and I will heal their land" (II Chronicles 7:14).

It's a covenant promise!