Aahana Swrup
In ‘North of North,’ the central Nunavut town sports an ongoing rivalry with its neighboring Tuktukalik. This rivalry is stoked mainly by the unofficial competition between Siaja’s boss, Helen, and the other town’s very own community center manager, Ellen. The latter woman has a way of steering all community funding that arrives in Nunavut to come into the treasury of Tuktukalik. Therefore, when the shortlisting for an upcoming Research Center officially pitches Siaja’s hometown, Ice Cove, with its neighbor, it sparks an intense rivalry between the localities. As such, it isn’t long before Tuktukalik becomes a crucial part of the show’s world-building, presenting a realistic depiction of regular life for the Inuk community in Nunavut. Naturally, this brings the on-screen town’s connection to reality under questioning.
Tuktukalik is a Fictional Town That Propels Ice Cove’s Narrative Forward
Although ‘North of North’ remains authentic to reality in the depiction of the Inuit community’s socio-cultural themes and narrative, the show deliberately takes a break from reality when it comes to geographic details. As a result, it invents the primary small town wherein Siaja’s storyline unfolds. Similarly, Tuktukalik, Ice Cove’s neighboring area, remains a work of fiction credited to the imaginations of Stacey Aglok MacDonald, Alethea Arnaquq-Baril, and their team of creative writers. It’s possible that the town’s name is a reference to Tiktaalik, a genus of extinct fish whose fossils were first found in Nunavut, Canada, on Ellesmere Island. Nonetheless, apart from that possible link, the place holds no other real discernable connections in reality.
When it comes to the story’s setting, the creators were intentional about equipping a fictional town at the narrative center so that they could represent the overarching experiences of the Inuit community, regardless of regional distinctions. As such, despite Ice Cove’s fictionality, the on-screen town remains ripe with elements of realism that highlight its authenticity as an Inuk community. Consequently, Tuktukalik’s addition allows the story to bring in plotlines revolving around neighboring communities in the Canadian Arctic and how their differences and similarities affect their way of life. Furthermore, the rivalry between the two towns also highlights the prevalent issue of funding that communities in Nunavut and other Indigenous places are facing.
In 2023, a report from Statistics Canada showcased that a lack of proper funding has resulted in long-term infrastructure complications for many Inuit residents. Additionally, the Canadian territory of Nunavut also faces the highest rate of child poverty and food insecurity among any Canadian province or territory. This issue only stands to worsen under the yet uncertain future of the ICFI (Inuit Child First Initiative). Even though Tuktukalik’s contribution to the world-building around Ice Cove doesn’t directly underline these issues, the nod to funding problems serves as a subtle reflection of the socio-economic problems plaguing the Inuit community. Still, ultimately, the town and its minimal influence on the plot remain fictitious, without any firm roots in real life.
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