In The Breathing Hole, stories of the Canadian Arctic intersect in this epic five-hundred-year journey led by a one-eared polar bear. In 1535, Hummiktuq, an Inuk widow, has a strange dream about the future. The next day, she discovers a bear cub floating on ice near a breathing hole in the eastern portion of the Kitikmeot Region of Nunavut, traditional homelands of the Nattilik Inuit (Nattilingmiut). Despite the concerns of her community, she adopts him and names him Angu’ruaq. In 1845, Angu’ruaq and his mate Ukuannuaq wander into a chance meeting between explorers from the Franklin Expedition and Inuit hunters. Later, when the explorers are starving, the bears meet them again. By 2035, entrepreneurs are assessing degrees of melting ice for future opportunities. Angu’ruaq encounters the passengers and crew of a luxury cruise ship as it slinks through the oily waters of the Northwest Passage. Humorous and dramatic, The Breathing Hole is a profound saga that traces the paths of colonialism and climate change to a deeply moving conclusion. This play is based on a traditional story ('The One Who Adopted a Polar Bear') and also examines colonial exploration, expansion and climate change from 1550 and into the future yet begins at the breathing hole. The originating story as told by Nilaulaaq Aglukkaq, an Elder from Gjoa Haven, Nunavut, who learned the story through the oral tradition, is included in this book. Colleen Murphy, a screenwriter, film director and playwright wrote this play with Siobhan Arnatsiaq-Murphy as co-author and who has performed traditional Inuit drum dance and is also a lawyer. Janet Tamalik McGrath, who grew up in Nattilik culture in the 1970s and who did  the book’s translation referring to this oral version, has also been in continuing consultations with the Nattilingmiut community to ensure her translation work is faithful and has led to changes in the English text. The Qaggiavuut Society (a performing arts society based in Nunavut with a focus on Inuit work) was consulted and through this work developed a new drama term: Inuit Cultural Dramaturge.The play is written in both English and Inuktut.