Arctic Moment: Diggin’ It

In the autumn, when the tides are at their lowest, Iqaluit residents—including elders and children—head out to their favourite clam-harvesting spots. One of those places is Aupalajaaq, meaning “island of reddish colour,” near the city. As the tide retreats, the clammers allow their boats to settle in the mud. Then they have about three hours to get to work. They look for small air holes that indicate where the bivalve mollusks have burrowed in the mud, then begin digging with a trowel. But they need to move quickly or else the shellfish will burrow deeper. When the tide returns, the clam diggers climb back in their refloating boats and, armed with buckets and bags full of their prizes, return home.