The Hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk has announced the winners of this year’s community contest, held alongside the annual Beluga Jamboree celebrations in the Northwest Territories.
Veryl Gruben secured first place with 151 points. Debbie Raddi followed in second place with 137 points, and the team of Darlene and Jaylene finished in third place with 124 points.
The community contest was supported by three sponsors: the Government of Northwest Territories, E. Gruben’s Transport, and Tuktoyaktuk Northern. The event is part of the Beluga Jamboree, a tradition spanning over 50 years that celebrates the arrival of beluga whales and the return of spring to the Arctic coast.
The jamboree features various cultural activities and games, including snowmobile races, log sawing, harpoon throwing, drum dancing, igloo building, and square dancing. These celebrations mark a significant time of year for the local population in Tuktoyaktuk, an Inuvialuit hamlet located on Kugmallit Bay.
