"NUNAVIK 99" François Beiger's Arctic Expedition
				It is with great pleasure that I present you my "NUNAVIK 99" expedition, a meeting with the Inuit in dog sled,19 January to 9 April 1999, on a 2800 kilometers trip in the Quebec Artic with 16 of my best Siberian_Huskies and Inuit dogs of Canada. You will discover through this summary, an innovative expedition, which will be cultural, ethnological, humanitarian and pedagogical.

	1/ Brief history of NUNAVIK NUNAVIK : Inuit land. Located north of the 55th parallel in Northern Quebec; this territory expands on more than 500,000 Km2  and has been inhabitated for at least 4000 years. Its first inhabitants came from two very distinct directions. One group, came from Baffin Land, crossed the Hudson Strait and got established near Killiniq community. Thereafter they propagated towards South on the Labrador littoral and the east coast of Ungava Bay. Practically at the same time, another group arrived in NUNAVIK by crossing the extreme west coast of Hudson Strait and established themselves in the Ivujivik region. They then dispersed on the east littoral of  Ungava Bay and South along the coast of Hudson Bay. Since, these Inuit have lived in this rich land, full of a variety of natural ressources. During the twelth Century, a new wave of occupants, direct ancestors of the modern Inuit, arrived  from Alaska. During this era, these ancestors introduced the bow and arrow, the igloo, the kayak, and the quamutik (dogsled).  Sleigh (sled) is called "Qamutik" in the Inuktitut language. Over the centuries, this nomadic people evolved a technology perfectly adapted to their environment, a system of  values respectful of human life and nature, based on the sharing of ressources and the family network. The influence of the Qajlunaat (White man) started to be felt with the explorers looking for the North West passage during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. They were soon followed by the whalers, the missionaries and the fur traders of the nineteenth and twentieth century who created the  beginning of a series of dramatic changes in the life of the Inuit. Around the end of the 1950's, the Quebec Inuit race has been relocated in fifteen different locations along the coasts of Nunavik. This relocation has been the greatest change in this people life. But despite this move they kept their attachment to their territory and its ressources. To this day, the Nunavik Inuit live in 14 communities spred on the costs of Hudson Bay, Hudson Strait and Ungava Bay.

	François Beiger's expedition in 1999 start from Chisasibi, main village of the Cri Nation, located on the shore on James Bay on the South shore of Hudson Bay, to Ivujivik, an Inuit village located on the extreme North of this Bay, then to Quaqtaq travelling along Hudson Strait and to Juujjuaq on the South of Ungava Bay. Kuujjuaq is the largest community in the Nunavik country with 1450 inhabitants. A trip of approximately 2800 km -  82 days  -  Temperature : minus 58 degres 2/ Expedition goal François Beiger has four goals with this expedition: Cultural - Ethnological - Humanitarian - Pedagogical. Cultural.  François Beiger, will join the thirteen Inuit communities as the ancestral Inuit used to travel, the dog sled. As a solitary nomad, he will travel through floating ice, and land. In each village of the Nunavik territory, he will visit the Inuit communities, meet with their chief, the elder, the children, and the families. Ethnological. In less than one century, the Nunavik Inuit changed from a nomadic to a modern man. From the Winter Igloo and the fur skin and earth Summer House, they now live in modern houses with all the comfort; television by satellite, electronic games for children, computer, cellular telephone, Internet.  From the animal skin kayak, they now travel with motorized canoe, and fishing boats. The dog sleigh has been replaced by skidoo.  Upon the 21st Century, how the Inuit perceive their future ? With Internet already known to them, have they kept their hunting and fishing tradition ? At a time of world wide open markets, is their land  interior richness changing the Nunavik environment ? Going along in his expedition François will speak with the Inuit in each community. He will share their life, feel their apprehension and their hope.

Humanitarian.  The Inuit ancestors came from Central Asia, Mongolia. They were already a nomadic race. During the last ice age, as more sea water froze, the sea level dropped and exposed, in the Bering Strait,  a strip of land connecting Asia and North America. It is across this land bridge between Siberia and Alaska that the Inuit's ancestors are said to have crossed some 15 000 years ago. The Pre-Dorset culture is the name given to the earliest Inuit whose existence dated from about 3000 B.C. to 500 B.C.  They were the predecessors of the Dorset people. In prehistoric Canada the Dorset's period lasted from about 1000 B.C. to A.D. 1100. The Dorset people, it is believed, were the original architects of the snow house (igloo).

The Dorset were displaced by the Thule people which reign began 800 years after A.D. The Thule kept dogs and hunted whales. Whales in fact were the economic mainstay of the people. The Thule were the direct ancestors of the Inuit. The transition from Thule to Inuit culture took place about A.D. 1750. The Inuit ancestors are most probably Mongolians. We observe in the Inuit and Mongolian's morphology, round head and split eyes.  It is, this ressemblance that gave its name to children with  Trisomia 21, pejorative name Mongolian. I have, myself, a trisomic son. These wonderful children need help. They have to be integrated in our modern world. We have to listen to them. It is the reason why I associate my expedition to the "Fondation Perce-Neige" that takes care of these children. I decided to devote myself to this cause. I want to invite trisomic young children from France and Quebec to come and meet me in Kuujjuarapik,  which is the first Inuit community with 620 inhabitants located South of Hudson Bay where I will accomplish the first stop of my expedition. I will meet them with a group of Inuit children. A percentage of all financial income from this expedition, books, conferences, pictures, etc..will be given to the Foundation.

Pedagogical. Are today's children still have dreams ? Do they still have passions ? Going into the 21st Century, how many youths know what they want to accomplish during their life ? The environment and the nature are part of the Earth's motor. We have to protect our Earth. Let's give hope to our children. The fundamental element of the Inuit society is the family. In the Inuit culture, a child is never abandonned or alone. Adoption is an important part of family bonds. The learning of life was done within the family and the community.

Constantly living with their parents and other adults of the community, the children were learning everything they needed to fullfill their life. Upon my return from this expedition, I plan to give conferences in schools, for the children to share my expedition, my experiences,  to make them aware of the nature fragility, and the Fauna. To give them hope in the new century. 3/ The PERCE-NEIGE Association.   Perce-Neige has been created in 1966 by Lino VENTURA. His goal is to "bring his help to children with mental deficiency, by giving support, competence and tools to everyone interested in this problem". PERCE-NEIGE" obligation is deeply associated to the three character traits of its founder Lino VENTURA : efficiency, accuracy, discretion. Those qualities have been strictly applied since the creation of  the foundation which is fully dedicated to mentally handicapped adults and children. PERCE NEIGE mission is to help handicapped people to live their difference in an harmonious climate as they possibly can.

	4/ François Beiger schedule. First stop: Chisasibi-Kuujjuarapik.  Second stop : Kuujjuarapik-Umiujaq.  Third stop :Umiujaq-Inukjuak.  Fourth stop : Inukjuak-Povungnituk.  Fifth stop : Povungnituk-Akulivik.  Sixth stop : Akulivik-Ivujivik.  Seventh stop : Ivujivik-Salluit.  Eighth stop : Salluit-Kangiqsujuaq.  Ninth stop : Kangiqsujuaq-Quaqtaq.  Tenth stop : Quaqtaq-Kangirsuk.  Eleventh stop : Kangirsuk-Aupaluk.  Twelth stop : Aupaluk-Tasiujaq.  Thirteenth stop : Tasiujaq-Kuujjuaq.  Kuujjuaq is linked every day directly with Montreal by a Boeing 727 of First Air company. The Nunavik Inuit Kativik Regional Council administration offices are located here in Kuujjuaq. I would like to inform everybody. My goal  with "PERCE-NEIGE, NUNAVIK 99" expedition, a meeting with the Inuit in dog-sled, is primarly to help those children who are born with Trisomie 21. My son Xavier was born on December 7, 1973 with Trisomie 21. Xavier is now 27. He lives in Europe with his mother and is working in a specialized workshop for handicapped person. The first years were very difficult. How many unkind remarks in the street, in public places and how many rejections he went through !!!! That is why I am telling everyone, sponsors, medias and others, by helping me to succeed this expedition, you are  helping these handicapped children and adults. Also you are helping the Perce-Neige Foundation and all the people who work for those children with Trisomie. I decided to dedicate my work for this cause, the mentally handicapped children.
E-mail : info@frbeiger.com
	You will find soon the file of my next great Expedition "Objective Greenland", with always teaching and humane goal. To follow....