Author  Alix Whitfield
Illustration by  Doug Penhale
Translator  Lyn Joncas, 2002

The Owl and the Hawk, by Alix Whitfield, lets us see into the joys and tragedies of life for the adolescent Inuits of today. In this story, you will glimpse a truly Northern culture of cold winds and glacial terrain that many of us would find uninhabitable. Yet, there are people who have adapted well to this environment. In fact, they have thrived there, at least, until the coming of the modern age. You will witness here, some of the conflicts that exist between a traditional, and very effective way of life, and the continuing encroachment of the ways and technologies by white people and contemporary society.

This book celebrates the indomitable spirit of the Inuit People and illuminates their lives near a remote outpost of the Northwest Territories.

Alix Whitfield was born in Toronto, but has passed her adult life in the Canadian Arctic. Her life in the Inuit villages of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, as teacher and principal of local schools, allowed her to experience, first hand, the work, the hunt and the survival skills of the Inuit Peoples. This is Mrs. Whitfield's first book, based on her own observations and experiences with young adults of the region. She explores their values and how they change in the face of losing their traditional cultures and languages.