• ACTUALITÉs

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When the Hudson's Bay Company had arrived in Puvirnituq in the beginning of the 1950's, Juani POV, Tamusi Qumak, and Peter Murdoch would climb to the roof of the storehouse and throw candies and other stuff to the people on the ground. This become the norm in those early days, at least until Father Steinmann arrived from Quaqtaq, Salluit, and Ivuyivik.

Father Steinmann arrived in 1956, in a boat carrying building supplies for his home and the Mission Hall. When every Christmas arrived and as long as he was in Puvirnituq, he would also have a candy free-for-all in his Mission but the floor used to be so dirty and here were the candies with no wrappers. After Father Steinmann left in the early 1970's, the Puvirnituq Co-op would have a free-for-all during New Year's Day with the co-op directors - climbing on the roof of the old carving shop. They would throw all kinds of things to the people on the ground: materials, clothes, and candies. This has become the practice since then and this tradition of the free-for-all is still being carried on today. And I expect that this tradition will be around for a long time.