APTN’s Go North! depicts real northerners mixing tradition and modernity

Terry Uyarak is an Igloolik musician, tourist outfitter and the star of the first episode of a new APTN docuseries on the lives of Indigenous people in the Arctic.

“I’m all about advocating for my village, my community here,” said Uyarak.

“We have a really long history of doing the same traditional seasonal hunting routines that we have here and I thought I could portray that to the world.”

Go North! premiered on Thursday and the complete series will comprise of six episodes.

APTN said the show “follows remarkable people using traditional and modern approaches to keep culture, knowledge and connection alive.”

In Uyarak’s episode, he takes the APTN crew walrus hunting and fishing in his mother’s ancestral territory. He said he wanted to show “how we think it’s important to continue those methods of knowing sea ice, icebergs, and the tide system and all that part of the nature.”

The TV show is narrated by Inuk creator Shina Nova who got involved as soon as she heard of the project.

“When I saw who the production was working with & recognized some faces, I just knew it was a project I wanted to be part of,” said Nova.

“I got to see an episode of Go North! before getting involved. I knew these were our stories being shared authentically by our people.”

Nova said this was a bigger project than the ones she’s worked on in the past, and she felt a responsibility to narrate the episodes with the right tone and voice.

“We spent many hours in the studio recording one episode. Making sure we’re pronouncing names and locations correctly, especially in Inuktitut. It takes time and patience but it’s really fulfilling,” said Nova.

While Go North! focuses on stories of “true northern living in all its complexities,” Uyarak also invites people visiting the North and Igloolik to share their stories over tea or coffee and “the best food we have to offer.”