The Day is Finally Here!
I have made a handful of trips to Labrador over the course of my career, and each one has been very special. You simply cannot visit "The Big Land", as Labrador is affectionately known, and not leave with an imprint on your psyche. This particular trip has long been anticipated. Why? Because its purpose was to share in the celebration around the opening of Illusuak, Nain's breath-taking, jaw-dropping new cultural centre. So what exactly is "Illusuak" all about? It is an Inuttitut word referring to the summertime sod dwellings built in centuries past by the Labrador Inuit. Nain's cultural centre was destroyed by fire over a decade ago. Nanatsiavut, which is the Labrador Inuit self-governing region formed after a successful land claims agreement in 2005, conceived the reconstruction of this centre in 2010 and decided to create something to celebrate the culture of all Labrador Inuit. Todd Saunders, who designed the now-iconic Fogo Island Inn,...