Above & Beyond | Canada's Arctic Journal Jan-Feb 2013

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2013 • $ 5.95

CANADA’S ARCTIC JOURNAL

1989

2013

INUKSUIT

OF THE SKY

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Jobie Tukkiapik / JW bexW4 President, Makivik Corporation & Chairman, First Air xzJ6√6, mr=F4 fxS‰nzk5 x7m w4y?sb6, {5 wsf8k5 Président, Société Makivik et président du conseil, First Air

Thank you for flying First Air The beginning of the New Year is a time for many to make New Year’s resolutions; we begin 2013 with a recommitment to our mission — to provide safe, reliable and efficient air transportation across our vast route network that spans Canada’s Arctic.

First Air, Qikiqtani First Aviation (QFAL) and Sakku First Aviation (SFAL) will continue to build on the successes of this past year. We continue to work with the beneficiaries of the regions we serve throughout Nunavik, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories. With special fares and cargo rates, and through sponsorship of key community activities including sporting, educational and cultural events, we demonstrate our commitment to the people in the communities we serve.

As the largest driver of the distribution of country food in the North, we are pleased to play a key role in Arctic food security and we expect to move over 1 million pounds of country food in 2013.

We are proud to be such an integral part of the North and to be the air carrier of choice. With a renewed focus, we will work hard to earn your choice for all of your air transportation needs.

Thank you for your continued support. Together with our partners, we remain focused on strengthening our operation and customer service levels to maintain our position as The Airline of the North.

ᕗᔅ ᐃᐊᒃᑯᓐᓂ ᖃᖓᑕᒐᕕᑦ ᖁᔭᒋᕙᑦᑎᒋᑦ

ᐱᒋᐊᕐᓂᖓ ᓄᑖᑉ ᐊᕐᕌᒎᑉ ᐊᒥᓱᓄᑦ ᐋᖅᑭᒃᓯᒍᑎᐅᓲᖑᒻᒪᑦ ᐊᑐᕈᒪᔭᒥᓂᒃ; ᐱᒋᐊᖅᐳᒍᑦ 2013−ᒥᒃ ᐱᒋᐊᒃᑲᓐᓂᕈᒪᓪᓗᑕ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᒐᕆᔭᑦᑎᓐᓂᒃ − ᐊᑦᑕᓇᐃᖅᓯᒪᔪᒃᑯᑦ, ᑐᕌᒐᕆᔭᔅᓴᖃᕐᓂᒃᑯᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᐅᓚᓂᖃᑦᑎᐊᖅᑐᒥᒃ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᒃᑯᑦ ᐃᖏᕐᕋᖃᑦᑕᕐᓗᑕ ᑕᒫᓂ ᐊᖏᔪᐊᓗᒻᒥ ᐃᖏᕐᕋᕕᒋᔭᐅᕙ ᑦᑐᒥ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᒃᑯᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑑᑉ ᐅᑭᐅᖓᓂ.

ᕘᔅᑎᐅᒃᑯᑦ,ᕿᑭᖅᑕᓂ ᖃᖓᑕᓱᓕᕆᔨᒃᑯᑦ (QFAL) ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓴᒃᑯ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᓕᕆᔨᒃᑯᑦ (SFAL) ᑲᔪᓯᑎᑦᑎᓂᐊᖅᐳᑦ ᑕᒫᓂ ᐊᕐᕌᒎᒥ ᐊᑐᖅᑕᐅᑎᐊᖅᓯᒪᔪᓂᒃ. ᐱᓕᕆᖃᑎᖃᓐᓂᐊᖅᐳᒍᑦ ᐃᓚᒋᔭᐅᔪᓂᒃ ᓄᓇᓕᓐᓂ ᐱᔨᑦᑎᑕᖅᑎᓐᓂ ᓄᓇᕕᓗᒃᑖᒥ, ᓄᓇᕗᒃᒥ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓄᓇᑦᑎᐊᕐᒥ. ᐱᑕᖃᑦᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᐊᑭᑭᓪᓕᒋᐊᖅᓯᒪᔪᓂᒃ ᖃᖓᑦᑕᐅᑎᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐅᓯᔭᐅᔾᔪᑎᓄᑦ ᐊᑭᖏᓐᓂᒃ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᑐᐃᖃᑦᑕᓂᒃᑯᑦ ᓄᓇᓕᓐᓂᒃ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᒃᓴᖃᑦᑐᓂᒃ ᓱᕐᓗ ᐱᓐᖑᐊᓂᒃᑯᑦ, ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕐᓂᓕᕆᔨᒃᑯᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᓕᖅᑯᓯᓕᕆᔨᒃᑯᑦ ᖃᓄᐃᓕᐅᖅᑐᖃᑦᑎᓪᓗᒍ, ᐊᖏᖅᓯᒪᓂᑦᑎᓐᓂᒃ ᐃᓄᓐᓄᑦ ᐃᑲᔪᕈᒪᓪᓗᑕ ᓴᖅᑭᔮᖅᑎᑦᑎᖃᑦᑕᖅᐳᒍᑦ ᓄᓇᓕᓐᓂ ᐱᔨᑦᑎᑕᖅᑎᓐᓂ.

ᐊᖏᓂᖅᐹᖑᓪᓗᓂ ᐊᐅᓚᑎᑦᑎᖃᑦᑕᖅᑐᑦ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᓂᕿᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ, ᖁᕕᐊᓱᑉᐳᒍᑦ ᐃᓚᐅᓂᖃᕆᐊᔅᓴᖅ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᓂᕿᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᐸᖅᑭᔨᐅᓪᓗᑕ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓂᕆᐅᑉᐳᒍᑦ ᓄᑦᑎᕆᓂᐊᕐᒥᒐᑦᑕ ᐅᖓᑖᓄᑦ 1 ᒥᓕᐊᓐ ᐸᐅᓐᑯᑦ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᓂᕿᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᐊᕐᕌᒎᐊᓂ 2013.

ᐅᐱᒍᓱᑉᐳᒍᑦ ᐃᓚᒋᔭᐅᓪᓚᑦᑖᕋᑦᑕ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓂᕈᐊᕆᔭᐅᖃᑦᑕᖅᑐᑕ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᒃᑰᕆᐊᖃᑦᑐᓄᑦ. ᑕᐅᑐᒋᐊᒃᑲᓂᕐᓗᑕ, ᐱᓕᕆᓇᓱᓐᓂᐊᖅᐳᒍᑦ ᐊᒃᓱᕈᓪᓗᑕ ᐃᓕᒃᓯ ᓂᕈᐊᕋᒋᓯᒪᔭᖓᓂᒃ ᐃᓘᓇᖏᑎᒍᑦ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᒃᑯᑦ ᐃᖏᕐᕋᖃᑦᑕᓂᒃᑯᑦ ᐱᔪᒫᕆᔭᔅᓯᓐᓄᑦ. ᖁᔭᓐᓇᒦᒃ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᑐᐃᖏᓐᓇᕋᑦᓯ. ᐱᓕᕆᖃᑎᖃᓪᓗᑕ ᐱᓕᕆᖃᑎᒋᔭᑦᑎᓐᓂᒃ, ᓴᓐᖓᑦᑎᕆᓇᓱᐊᖏᓐᓇᓂᐊᖅᐳᒍᑦ ᐊᐅᓚᓂᕆᔭᑦᑎᓐᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᓄᓐᓂᒃ ᐱᔨᑦᑎᕐᓂᕆᔭᑦᑎᓐᓂᒃ ᐋᖅᑭᐅᒪᑦᑎᐊᖁᓪᓗᒍ ᐃᓂᒋᔭᕗᑦ ᐃᒫᒃ ᖃᖓᑕᓲᖓ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑑᑉ.

Merci d’avoir choisi First Air Pour beaucoup de gens, le Jour de l’An est une occasion de prendre de bonnes résolutions pour la nouvelle année. De notre côté, nous amorçons l’année 2013 par le renouvellement de notre engagement à notre mission, celui de fournir un transport aérien sécuritaire, fiable et efficace dans l’ensemble de notre réseau qui recouvre l’Arctique canadien.

First Air, Qikiqtani First Aviation et Sakku First Aviation continueront de miser sur les réussites de l’année dernière. Nous collaborerons avec les communautés dans les régions que nous desservons dans l’ensemble du Nunavik, du Nunavut et des Territoires du Nord-Ouest. Nous faisons preuve de notre engagement aux personnes dans les collectivités desservies par nos forfaits et tarifs de fret spéciaux, et le parrainage d’activités communautaires clés, y compris des activités sportives, éducatives et culturelles. À titre de plus important distributeur de nourriture traditionnelle dans le Nord, nous sommes heureux de jouer un rôle clé dans la sécurité alimentaire de l’Arctique puisque nous prévoyons transporter plus d’un million de livres de nourriture traditionnelle en 2013.

Nous sommes fiers de faire partie intégrante du Nord et d’être votre compagnie aérienne de choix. Avec un objectif renouvelé, nous travaillerons ardemment à mériter d’être le premier choix pour tous vos besoins en transport aérien.

Merci de votre appui continu. Ensemble avec nos partenaires, nous visons à renforcer nos opérations et le niveau de notre service à la clientèle afin de maintenir notre titre de Ligne aérienne du Nord.

ᐱᒻᒪᕿᐅᑎᑦᑕᕗᑦ ᐃᑲᔪᖃᑦᑕᕐᓂᓯ ᐊᒻᒪ ᖁᔭᓐᓇᒦᖅᑐᒍᑦ ᕘᔅᑦ ᐃᐅᒃᑯᑦ,ᖃᖓᑕᔫᖁᑎᖓᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᑕᖅᑐᒥᑦ.

We value your support and thank you for making First Air, THE AIRLINE OF THE NORTH. Nous apprécions votre soutien et vous remercions de votre appui à First Air, LA LIGNE AÉRIENNE DU NORD.

ᕗᔅ ᑎᐊᒃᑯᓐᓂ ᑕᑯᒋᐊᕐᓂᖅ

ᐱᒃᑯᒋᔭᖃᓪᓚᕆᑦᓱᑕ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᓯᔪᒍᑦ ᒪᒃᑯᑦᑐᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓄᓇᓕᓐᓂ ᐱᓐᖑᐊᕐᓂᕐᒨᖓᔪᓂᒃ ᐱᔨᑦᓯᖅᑕᑎᓐᓂ.

Proudly supporting youth and local sporting events in the communities we serve.

13th Annual Inuvik Hockey School

2nd Annual World Girls Hockey Weekend

For 13 years, Doug Russell, a former junior hockey player and a scout for the WHL's Medicine Hat Tigers with 20 years of coaching experience, has been bringing his “Hockey Development Systems” program to Inuvik. This 6-day hockey school, designed for boys and girls ages 6 to 17 years, is built on the philosophy of creating a positive learning environment for all participants by using structure, discipline and encouragement while promoting creativity and confidence.

On October 13 & 14, 2012, Iqaluit hosted the 2nd annual World Girls Hockey Weekend. This event, sponsored by the IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation) and Hockey Canada is an international celebration of female hockey and is a great way to introduce girls and women to the game in a positive, safe and supportive environment. Similar events were held simultaneously across Canada and around the world.

From November 7th-12th, Russell was joined by fellow coaches Daryl Baxandall, former junior and college hockey player; Dennis Polonich, former Detroit Red Wings Captain and player agent with CMG sports; and Barry Prins, a scout for the Medicine Hat Tigers. With over 50 years of combined coaching experience, these coaches focus on basic techniques and game play to help players build on their already strong hockey skills foundation.

The Iqaluit weekend event attracted close to 45 female players between 12 and 15 years of age from the Baffin, Kivalliq & Kitikmeot regions of Nunavut, who participated in skills sessions and activities. Players and Nunavut coaches alike, were privileged to have Debbie Strome, Kevin Bathurst, Jessica Cox and Tamara Pickford as guest instructors from Hockey Canada amongst the coaching staff.

Inuvik Novice 2 team. This hockey school is organized by the Inuvik Minor Hockey Association and made possible thanks to local corporate sponsors.

ᐃᓅᕕᒃ ᓈᕕᔅ ᒪᕐᕉᒃ ᑕᐱᕇᒃ.ᑖᓐᓇ ᕼᐋᑭᕐᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕐᕕᒃ ᐋᖅᑭᓱᖅᑕᐅᓲᖅ ᐃᓅᕕᒻᒥ ᕼᐋᑭᖅᑎᕋᓛᓄᑦ ᑲᑐᔾᔨᖃᑎᒌᓄᑦ ᐊᔪᕐᓇᓐᖏᑦᑎᑕᐅᑦᓱᓂᓗ ᖁᔭᓐᓇᒦᒃ ᑎᒥᒻᒪᕆᐅᔪᓄᑦ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᑐᓄᑦ.

13-ᒋᓕᖅᑕᖓᑦ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᑕᒫᑦ ᐃᓅᕕᒻᒥ ᕼᐋᑭᕐᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕐᓂᐅᑉ

ᐊᕐᕌᒍᓂᒃ 13-ᓂᒃ,ᑕᒡ ᕋᓱᓪ,ᕼᐋᑭᖅᑎᐅᖃᑦᑕᖅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᐱᓐᖑᐊᖅᑎ-ᐅᖃᑦᑕᖅᓯᒪᑦᓱᓂᓗ ᓄᓇᕐᔪᐊᕐᒥ ᕼᐋᑭᖅᑎᓄᑦ ᒪᑕᓴᓐ ᕼᐋᑦ ᑕᐃᒐᔅ-ᑯᓐᓄᑦ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᓂᒃ 20-ᓂᒃ ᑲᒪᔨᐅᖃᑦᑕᖅᓯᒪᑦᓱᓂ, “ᕼᐋᑭᕐᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐱᕙᓪᓕᐊᓂᐅᔪᓂᒃ” ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕋᑦᓴᒥᒃ ᐃᓅᕕᓕᐊᕈᔾᔨᖃᑦᑕᖅᓯᒪᔪᖅ. ᑖᓐᓇ ᐅᓪᓗᓂᒃ 6-ᓂᒃ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕐᓂᖅ ᕼᐋᑭᕐᓂᕐᒥᒃ, ᐋᖅᑭᑦᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᓱᕈᑦᓯᓄᑦ ᓂᕕᐊᖅᓯᐊᓄᓪᓗ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᓕᓐᓄᑦ 6-ᓂᒃ 17-ᒧᑦ,ᐋᖅᑭᑦᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᐃᓱᒪᒋᔭᐅᑦᓱᓂ ᓴᖅᑮᓂᖅ ᐃᓕᒍᒥᓇᑦᓯᐊᕐᓂᖅᑕᓕᒻᒥᒃ ᐱᖃᑕᐅᔪᓕᒫᓄᑦ ᐊᑐᕐᓗᑎᒃ ᐋᖅᑭᑦᓯᒪᓂᕐᒥᒃ, ᐃᓂᖅᑎᕆᒋᐊ-ᕈᓐᓇᕐᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᐃᓇᑦᓯᓂᕐᒥᓪᓗ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᔭᐅᑎᑦᓯᓯᓐᓈᑦ ᓴᓇᑐᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᐱᔪᓐᓇᕐᒥ-ᓂᓪᓗ ᐅᔾᔨᕆᓂᕐᒥᒃ.

ᓅᕙᐃᕝᕙ 7-ᒥᒃ 12-ᒧᑦ, ᕋᓱᓪ ᐃᓚᖃᓕᔪᔪᖅ ᑲᒪᔨᐅᖃᑎᒥᓂᒃ ᑎᐅᕈᓪ ᕚᒃᓴᓐᑖᓪ, ᕼᐋᑭᖅᑎᐅᖃᑦᑕᖅᓯᒪᔪᖅ; ᑕᓇᔅ ᐳᓗᓂᒃ, ᕼᐋᑭᖅᑎᖅᔪᐊᓄᒃ ᑎᑐᕈᐃᑦ ᕋᑦ ᕕᖕᔅ-ᑯᓐᓄᑦ ᑳᐱᑕᕆᔭᐅᑦᓱᓂ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐱᓐᖑᐊᖅᑎᓄᑦ ᑭᒡᒐᖅᑐᐃᔨ CMG ᐱᓐᖑᐊᕐᓂᓕᕆᔨᒃᑯᓐᓄᑦ; ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᕕᐅᕆ ᐳᕆᓐᔅ, ᐱᓐᖑᐊᖅᑎᐅᒻᒥᔪᖅ ᒪᑕᓴᓐ ᕼᐋᑦ ᑕᐃᒐᔅ-ᑯᓐᓄᑦ.ᐊᕐᕌᒍᐃᑦ 50ᐅᖓᑖᓅᖅᑐᑦ ᑲᑎᑦᓱᑎᒃ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᐃᑦ ᐱᓕᒻᒪᓐᓂᕆᔭᖏᑦᑎᒍᑦ ᑖᒃᑯᐊ, ᑖᒃᑯᐊ ᑲᒪᔩᑦ ᑐᕌᒐᖃᓲᑦ ᐊᐅᓚᓂᓪᓗᐊᑕᐅᒋᐊᓕᓐᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐱᓐᖑᐊᕐᓂᐅᔪᒥᒃ ᐃᑲᕈᑕᐅᑦᓱᑎᒃ ᐱᓐᖑᐊᖅᑎᓄᑦ ᓴᓐᖏᔫᕙᒌᕋᓗᐊᖅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᑐᓐᖓᕕᒋᔭᖏᑦ.

World Girls Hockey Weekend 2012 brought to Iqaluit by The Hockey Nunavut Zone in collaboration with the Hockey North Branch (Hockey Nunavut and Hockey NWT), Sport Nunavut and the Iqaluit Minor Hockey Association. ᓄᓇᕐᔪᐊᕐᒥ ᐊᕐᓇᐃᑦ ᕼᐋᑭᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕈᓯᐅᑉ ᓄᓐᖑᓐᖓᑦ 2012ᐃᖃᓗᓐᓂ ᐊᑑᑎᑎᑕᐅᔪᖅ ᕼᐋᑭᖅᑐᓕᕆᔨᒃᑯᓐᓄᑦ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ ᑲᑐᔾᔨᖃᑎᖃᖅᓱᑎᒃ ᕼᐋᑭᖅᑐᓕᕆᔨᒃᑯᓐᓂᒃ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᕼᐋᑭᖅᑐᓕᕆᔨᒃᑯᓐᓂᒃ ᓄᓇᑦᓯᐊᕐᒥ,ᓯᐳᐊᕐᑦ ᓄᓇᕗᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᖃᓪᓗᓂ ᕼᐋᑭᖅᑐᓕᕆᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᑲᑐᔾᔨᖃᑎᒌᓂᒃ.

2ndᐊᕐᕌᒍᑕᒫᖅᓯᐅᑦ ᓄᓇᕐᔪᐊᕐᒥ ᐊᕐᓇᐃᑦ ᕼᐋᑭᕐᓂᖓᓄᑦ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕈᓯᐅᑉ ᓄᓐᖑᐊᓂ

ᐅᑦᑑᕝᕙ 13 ᐊᒻᒪᓗ 13, 2012-ᒥ, ᐃᖃᓗᓐᓂ ᐊᐃᑉᐸᒐᓂ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᑕᒫᖅᓯᐅᑎᒥᒃ ᓄᓇᕐᔪᐊᕐᒥ ᐊᕐᓇᐃᑦ ᕼᐋᑭᕐᓂᖃᔪᔪᑦ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕈᓯᐅᑉ ᓄᓐᖑᐊ.ᑕᒪᓐᓇ ᐊᐅᓚᓂᐅᔪᖅ,ᑲᔪᓯᑎᑕᐅᔪᖅ (ᓄᓇᕐᔪᐊᕐᒥ ᓯᑯᐊᕐᒥ ᕼᐋᑭᕐᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᑐᓐᖓᕕᒃᑯᑦ) ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᕼᐋᑭᖅᑐᓕᕆᔨᒃᑯᓐᓄᑦ ᑲᓇᑕᒥ ᓄᓇᕐᔪᐊᕐᒥ ᓇᓪᓕᐅ-ᓂᖅᓯᐅᕈᑎᖃᕐᓂᐅᔪᖅ ᐊᕐᓇᐃᑦ ᕼᐋᑭᕐᓂᖓᓐᓂᒃ ᖁᕕᐊᓇᖅᓱᓂᓗ ᓇᓗᓇᐃᔭᕆᐊᖓ ᐊᕐᓇᓄᑦ ᐱᓐᖑᐊᕐᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᖁᕕᐊᓇᕐᓗᓂ,ᐊᑦᑕᓇᓐᖏᓪᓗᓂ,ᐃᑲᔪᖅᑎᖃᑦᓯᐊᕐᓗᓂ.ᑕᐃᒫᑦᓴᐃᓐᓇᖅ ᐊᐅᓚᓂᐅᔪᓂᒃ ᐃᖏᕐᕋᑎᑕᐅᔪᖃᖅᓱᓂ ᐊᑕᐅᓯᒃᑯᑦ ᑲᓇᑕᓕᒫᒥ ᓄᓇᕐᔪᐊᕐᒥᓗ.

ᐃᖃᓗᓐᓂ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕈᓯᐅᑉ ᓄᓐᖑᐊᓂ ᐊᐅᓚᓂᐅᔪᖅ ᐅᐸᑦᑕᐅᔪᔪᖅ ᑕᒫᓂ 45 ᒥᑦᓵᓃᑦᑐᓄᑦ ᐊᕐᓇᓄᑦ ᕼᐋᑭᖅᑎᓄᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᓕᓐᓄᑦ 12-15 ᐊᑯᕐᖓᓐᓂ ᕿᑭᖅᑖᓘᒻᒥᒃ, ᑭᕙᓪᓕᕐᒥᒃ ᕿᑎᕐᒥᐅᓂᓪᓗ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥᒃ, ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᖃᑕᐅᑦᓱᑎᒃ. ᐱᓐᖑᐊᖅᑏᑦ ᑲᒪᔩᓪᓗ, ᑎᑭᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᔪᑦ ᑎᐊᕕ ᔅᑐᕉᒻ,ᑭᐊᕙ ᕚᖢᔅᑦ,ᔭᓯᑲ ᑳᒃᔅ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑕᒪᕋ ᐱᒃᕗᐊᕐᑦ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᑎᑦᓯᒋᐊᖅᑐᖅᓯᒪᑦᓱᑎᒃ ᕼᐋᑭᖅᑐᓕᕆᔨᒃᑯᓐᓂᒃ ᑲᓇᑕᒥ ᐃᓚᒋᔭᐅᑦᓱᑎᒃ ᑲᒪᔨᓄᑦ.

First Air was pleased to support these programs with air transportation requirements and we look forward to continuing our community initiatives.

ᕘᔅᑦ ᐃᐊᒃᑯᑦ ᖁᕕᐊᓱᓪᓚᕆᑦᓯᒪᕗᑦ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᑐᕆᐊᑦᓴᖅ ᑕᒪᒃᑯᓂᖓ ᐊᐅᓚᓂᐅᔪᓂᒃ ᐃᖏᕐᕋᔾᔪᑎᖃᖅᑎᑦᓯᓂᒃᑯᑦ ᓂᕆᐅᓐᓂᖃᑦᓯ-ᐊᖅᐳᒍᓪᓗ ᑲᔪᓯᑎᑦᓯᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᓄᓇᓕᓐᓂ ᐊᐅᓚᔾᔭᒋᐊᕈᑎᓂᒃ.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

23 David F. Pelly Publisher & Editor Tom Koelbel Contributing Editor Teevi Mackay Advertising Doris Ohlmann (Ottawa) 613-257-4999 Circulation Patt Hunter Design Robert Hoselton, Beat Studios Inuktitut Translations Innirvik Support Services email: editor@arcticjournal.ca Toll Free: 877-2ARCTIC (227-2842) PO Box 683, Mahone Bay, NS B0J 2E0 Volume 25, No. 1

January/February 2013 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2013 • $ 5.95

CANADA’S ARCTIC JOURNAL

1989

2013

INUKSUIT

OF THE SKY

above&beyond Contributor Honoured for Oral History Work Our longest-standing contributor, David Pelly, was recently awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal “for dedication to the preservation of Inuit oral history and traditional knowledge [and for his] many works to help increase Canadians’ understanding of the North” among other contributions to Nunavut.

— above&beyond

31 Inuksuit of the Sky Bringing Arctic Communities Together Last year marked the 40th anniversary of the launch of Anik A, which made Canada the first country to employ a geosynchronous satellite whose orbit placed it over the same part of the earth at all times. Suddenly, the Arctic population was no longer limited by the uncertainties of broadcast signals bouncing in the atmosphere, regularly disrupted by the aurora borealis.

Instead, large amounts of information could now be exchanged digitally via this orbiting way station. — Tim Lougheed

Preserving Inuit Oral History

37

above&beyond Contributor Honoured

Arctic Journeys, Ancient Memories

Arctic Journeys, Ancient Memories:

Sculpture by Abraham Anghik Ruben

Focus on Education

PM40050872

Sculpture by Abraham Anghik Ruben at the Smithsonian o

“In November 1970, I went for a tour to the University of Alaska.

As I wandered off to the fine arts building and to the art studios, I looked through a small studio window where I could see the students working at their various workstations. I knew at that moment that this was where I wanted to be.” — Rocco Pannese

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above&byeond message

Canada’s Arctic Journal above&beyond Celebrates 25 years

1989 ur January/February 2013 issue is the first

O

of six that will in total by the end of the year

2013 media and the world-wide web into millions upon millions of homes and businesses and now delivers

represent above&beyond’s 25th year publishing as the Inflight

virtually instantaneous communications to us all share

magazine for First Air, The Airline of the North.

much of the credit for this wider, still growing audience we are

Over the past two and a half decades,what began primarily

experiencing.

as a seatback publication geared to a relatively small (in 1989)

Amidst all of the change in Canada’s Arctic and the now

northern travel, business and government audience, has in

global interest it attracts, it continues to be a privilege for

leaps and bounds expanded in its reach and scope to now

above&beyond to present our very own, unique window on

claim an interested and fully engaged 21st Century worldwide

the North (just one of the many you the reader has access to)

audience eager for more and more information on all things

to feature positive material that speaks of its rich history and

Arctic.

traditions, its fascinating cultures, its unique communities and

The advantages of time and the rapid evolutionary change

the magnificently spirited people that live, work and play

and positive strides forward in all aspects of northern living

there. On occasion we may even provide a peek through

experienced by Canada and by our Arctic neighbours, and the

that window this year to view the vast circumpolar Arctic in

digital age revolution that brought high speed communications

relative context to our own northern regions.

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NORTHERN YOuTH

ᓕᓐᓂᐊᕐᕕᒡᔪᐊᕐᒥ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᖅᑕᓐᓂᒃ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᓄᑦ ᑕᓪᓕᒪᑲᓴᖕᓄᑦ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᖅᐸᓪᓕᐊᓯᒪᓕᕋᒪ. ᑕᒪᐅᖓᕋᓱᐊᖅᑎᓪᓗᖓ ᖄᒌᔭᕆᐊᖃᖃᑦᑕᓚᐅᕐᒥᒐᒪ ᐊᒃᓱᕈᕐᓇᖅᑐᓂᒃ. ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕐᕕᖕᒥ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᖅᑎᓪᓗᖓ ᐃᓕᓴᐃᔨᒪ ᐃᓚᖓᓐᓄᑦ ᐅᖃᐅᔾᔭᐅᒻᒪᕆᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᔪᖓ ᐱᔭᕇᖅᓯᔪᓐᓇᔾᔮᖏᓐᓂᓐᓂᒃ. ᑕᐃᑲᓂ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᑕᐅᔭᕆᐊᖃᕐᓂᖅᐸᐅᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᔪᖓ,ᑐᓴᕈᒥᓇᖏᑦᑐᒥ ᐃᓕᓴᐃᔨᓐᓄᑦ ᐅᖃᐅᔾᔭᐅᑐᐃᓐᓇᕆᓪᓗᖓ. ᐱᖏᒐᒍᑎᒋᓚᐅᖅᑕᕋ ᑕᐃᒪᐃᓐᓇᓗ ᐅᖃᐅᔾᔨᖃᑦᑕᖁᔨᒐᔭᕈᓐᓃᕋᓗᐊᖅᑐᖓ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕐᓂᐅᑉ ᐃᓗᐊᓂ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ. ᒪᒃᑯᒃᑐᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᐆᒻᒪᑎᖃᕐᕕᒋᓪᓚᕆᒃᑲᒃᑭᑦ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕐᓂᓕᕆᕐᓗ ᐱᖃᓯᐅᑎᓪᓗᒍ. ᐃᓕᓴᐃᔩᑦ ᓇᒥᓕᒫᖅ ᓇᐅᒃᑯᓕᒫᕐᓗ,ᒐᕙᒪᒃᑯᓐᓂᐅᒃᐸᑕ ᑎᑎᕋᕐᕕᖕᒥᓗ ᑲᒪᔨᐅᒃᐸᑕ ᐱᓕᕆᐅᔨᐅᒃᐸᑕᓘᓐᓃᑦ ᑕᐃᑯᖓ ᐃᓕᓴᐃᔨᐅᔪᓄᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ, ᐊᐳᕈᑎᒃᓴᖏᓐᓂ ᐱᑕᖃᕐᕕᐅᓪᓚᕆᖕᒪᑕ. ᐱᓗᐊᖅᑐᒥᒃ ᒫᓐᓇ,ᒪᒃᑯᒃᑐᑦ ᐃᓯᖅᐸᓪᓕᐊᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᐃᑳᖅᐸᓪᓕᐊᓇᓱᒃᑐᒧᑦ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕐᓂᕐᒧᑦ. ᐊᕐᕌᒍᖓᓐᓂ ᑎᓴᒪᖓᓐᓃᓕᖅᑐᖓ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᖅᑕᓐᓂ ᑳᕈᑕᓐ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕐᕕᒡᔪᐊᖓᓐᓂ ᐊᑐᕚᒥ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕇᕐᕕᒃᓴᖃᖅᑐᖓᓗ ᐸᐃᑉᐹᖅᑖᕈᑎᖃᓕᖅᑐᒃᓴᒪᐅᑕᐅᓪᓗᖓ ᐱᕙᓪᓕᐊᔪᓕᕆᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᑐᓴᒐᒃᓴᓕᕆᓂᕐᒧᑦ (ᐱᖁᔭᓕᕆᓂᖅ ᐃᓕᐊᓃᖃᓯᐅᑎᓪᓗᓂ) ᐊᕐᕌᒍᓛᖅᑐᖅ ᑎᓕᐅᕆᒃᑲᓐᓂᕈᒪᕗᖓᓗ ᒪᒃᑯᒃᑐᓂ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᖅᑕᖏᓐᓂ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᑦᑎᐊᖃᑦᑕᖁᔨᓗᖓ,ᐃᓛᓐᓂᒃᑯᑦ ᐃᒃᐱᖕᓇᖃᑦᑕᕋᓗᐊᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᑲᔪᓯᑦᑎᐊᖂᔨᖏᓐᓂᕐᒥᒃ,ᐊᔪᖂᔨᒐᓗᐊᖅᑎᓪᓗᒋᓪᓗ.

have been on my post-secondary schooling journey for almost five years now. I did not get here without having to jump over quite a few hurdles. There actually was a time in high school when a teacher told me that I would not graduate. A time when I needed support the most, discouragement was this teacher’s response.

That worries me and I hope this attitude is no longer prevalent in the North’s education system. I have a lot of heart for young people in the North and I have a lot of heart for education. Educators at all levels, from government and administration through to frontline teachers in the North, are facing huge systemic challenges. Especially so now, with so many young people entering a system that is still very much in transition.

I am enrolled as a fourth year student at Carleton University in Ottawa and set to graduate with a Bachelor of Journalism Honours degree (with a minor in Law) next year and want to encourage young people to try their best in school, even if some may personally feel like they are failing, or are incapable.

I

Focus on

EDuCATION

There is hope and opportunity.

All of us are capable of achieving success if that is what we desire.

“Success” is measured by working hard, trying your best, setting goals and following through on them.

I took the Nunavut Sivuniksavut Training Program (NS) before going to university and this really helped prepare me for my further education.

The NS program taught me about myself and my identity as an Inuk from Nunavut. It also taught me that I am able to do well, meet challenges and achieve the goals I desire.

We live in a fast-paced, always changing, sometimes complicated, techno-age society and the need for gaining an education or skills has taken on a greater importance. Young Inuit need to know that pursuing an education in whatever field they choose is one of the keys, not only to financial security, but also to acquiring a life filled with quality.

I have been part of an ArcticNet research team for a few years now for the project, Improving Access to University for Inuit and have taken part in focus groups with other Inuit who have pursued, or are pursuing post-secondary learning in the North and down South. I’ve also interviewed Inuit about their individual experiences and know from what they've told me that they face many challenges, some that are atypical, others that are unique.

Many Inuit pursuing higher education in the North are facing tremendous financial difficulties. Most have chosen to study there because they do not want to move too far away from home and family.

While they do receive the same amount of funding support as their January/February 2013

ᑐᕌᖓᖃᕐᓂᖅ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕐᓂᓕᕆᓂᕐᒥ

© iPHONE PHOTO, COURTESY COLLEEN MACKAY

ᑎᑎᕋᖅᑐᖅ ᑏᕙᐃ ᒪᑲᐃ

by Teevi Mackay

ᓂᕆᐅᖕᓂᖅᑕᖃᕐᒪᑦ ᐱᕕᒃᓴᖅᑕᖃᕐᒪᓪᓗ.ᐃᓘᓐᓇᑕ ᐱᔪᒪᔮᕆᔭᑦᑎᓐᓂ ᑎᑭᑦᑎᔪᓐᓇᖅᑐᒍᑦ ᐱᔪᒪᓂᖃᑐᐊᕈᑦᑕ. “ᑲᔪᓯᑦᑎᐊᕐᓂᖅ” ᐱᔭᒃᓴᐅᖕᒪᑦ ᐊᒃᓱᕈᖃᑦᑕᕐᓂᒃᑯᑦ, ᐱᔪᓐᓇᕐᓂᓕᒫᒃᑯᑦ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᓂᒃᑯᑦ, ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕈᒪᔭᕐᓂᓗ ᐋᖅᑭᒃᓯᖃᑦᑕᕐᓂᒃᑯᑦ ᑖᒃᑯᐊᓗ ᐱᔪᒪᔮᕆᔭᑎᑦ ᑐᕌᑦᑎᐊᕐᓗᒋᑦ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᖃᑦᑕᕐᓂᒃᑯᑦ. ᓄᓇᕗᑦ ᓯᕗᓂᒃᓴᕘᒥ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᖄᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᔪᖓ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕐᕕᒡᔪᐊᕐᒨᓚᐅᖄᖅᑎᓐᓇᖓ ᖃᐅᔨᓯᒪᓕᖅᐳᖓᓗ ᐅᐸᓗᖓᐃᔭᖅᑕᐅᑦᑎᐊᓚᐅᕋᒪ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᒃᑲᓐᓂᕈᑎᒃᓴᓐᓄᑦ. ᓄᓇᕗᑦ ᓯᕗᓂᒃᓴᕗᑦ ᑭᓇᐅᓂᓐᓂ ᓇᓗᓇᐃᒃᑯᑕᕆᔭᓐᓂᓗ ᐃᓅᓪᓗᖓ ᓄᓇᕗᒥ ᑐᙵᕕᒃᑖᕈᑎᒋᒃᑲᓐᓂᓚᐅᕋᒃᑯ. ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᖅᑎᑕᐅᔪᓐᓇᓚᐅᕆᕗᖓᓗ ᐱᓕᕆᑦᑎᐊᕈᓐᓇᕐᓂᓐᓂᑦ, ᐊᒃᓱᕈᕐᓇᖅᑐᓂᒃᓗ ᐊᓂᒍᐃᔪᓐᓇᕐᓂᓐᓂ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐱᔪᒪᔭᒃᑲ ᐋᖅᑭᒃᑯᒃᑭᑦ ᐱᔪᓐᓇᕐᓂᓐᓂ. ᓱᑲᑦᑐᒋᐊᓪᓚᖕᒥ, ᐊᓯᔾᔨᐸᓪᓕᐊᖏᓐᓇᖅᑐᒥ, ᐃᓛᓐᓂᑯᓪᓗ ᐱᔭᕆᐊᑐᔪᒥ, ᖃᕋᓴᐅᔭᑎᒍᑦ ᐃᕐᖐᓐᓈᕈᑎᓕᖕᒥ ᐃᓅᓕᕋᑦᑕ ᑕᐃᒪᖓᓪᓗ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᖅᓯᒪᒋᐊᖃᕐᓂᕐᒥ ᐊᔪᕈᓐᓃᖅᓯᒪᒋᐊᖃᕐᓂᕐᒥᓗ ᐱᔭᕆᐊᖃᕐᓂᖅᓴᐅᕙᓪᓕᐊᑐᐃᓐᓇᖅᑐᑕ. ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᒪᒃᑯᒃᑐᑦ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᒃᑲᓐᓂᕆᐊᖃᓪᓚᕆᒃᑐᑦ ᓇᐅᒃᑯᑐᐃᓐᓇᖅ ᐱᓕᕆᕕᒋᔪᒪᔭᖓᓂ ᐊᖅᑯᑎᒃᓴᑑᓕᖅᑐᓂᓗ,ᑮᓇᐅᔭᖃᕈᑎᑐᐊᖑᔾᔮᖏᒻᒪᑦ,ᑭᓯᐊᓂᓕ ᐃᓅᓯᑦᑎᐊᕆᕈᑎᒃᓴᐅᓗᓂ ᐱᓪᓗᕆᒃᑐᒥ. ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᑭᒡᓕᓯᓂᐊᖅᑎᑦ ᖃᑐᔾᔨᖃᑎᒌᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᐱᖃᑕᐅᓯᒪᓕᕋᒪ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᓂ ᒫᓐᓇᒫᖑᔪᓂ, ᐊᑐᐃᓐᓇᖃᕐᓂᕐᒥ ᐱᐅᓯᒋᐊᖅᑎᑦᑎᓂᖅ ᐃᓄᖕᓄᑦ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕐᕕᒡᔪᐊᕐᓄᑦ ᐱᖃᑕᐅᕕᒋᖃᑦᑕᖅᓯᒪᕙᒃᑲ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᕕᒋᖃᑦᑕᖅᓯᒪᕙᕋᓗ, ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᒃᑲᓐᓂᖁᔨᓪᓗᖓ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕐᕕᒡᔪᐊᖅᑎᒍᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᖃᓪᓗᓈᓪᓗ ᓄᓇᖓᓐᓂ. ᐃᓄᖕᓂ ᐊᐱᖅᓱᖃᑦᑕᖅᓯᒪᕗᖓ ᖃᓄᕐᓕ ᐊᑐᖅᓯᒪᖕᒪᖔᑕ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑖᒃᑯᓇᖓᑦ ᑐᓴᖅᓯᒪᔭᓐᓂ ᐊᐳᕈᑎᓂ ᐊᒃᓱᕈᕐᓇᖅᑐᓂᒃᓗ ᐊᖅᑯᓵᖅᓯᖃᑦᑕᖅᓯᒪᖕᒪᑕ, ᐃᓚᖏᑦ ᐊᑐᖅᑕᐅᒐᔪᖏᑦᑐᑦ, ᐃᓚᖏᓪᓗ ᑕᐃᒪᖓᓕᒫᖅ ᐊᐳᕈᑎᐅᖏᓐᓇᔭᑦᑑᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᒃᑲᓐᓂᕋᓱᒃᑐᓄᑦ. ᐃᓄᒐᓴᐃᑦ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᒃᑲᓐᓂᕋᓱᒃᑐᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᑮᓇᐅᔭᓂ ᐊᒥᒐᖅᓯᓪᓚᕆᒃᐸᖕᒪᑕ. ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥᓗ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᖔᕈᒪᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᐃᓚᒥᓂᒃ ᐱᖃᑎᖏᓐᓂᓗ ᕿᒪᐃᔪᒪᒐᑎᒃ. ᑕᐃᒫᑦᓴᐃᓐᓇᖅ ᖃᓪᓗᓈᓃᑦᑐᑐᑦ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕈᑎᒃᓴᓂ ᐱᑎᑕᐅᖃᑦᑕᖅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ, ᐃᓅᔾᔪᑎᒃᓴᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᑮᓇᐅᔭᖅᑐᕈᑎᒋᒋᐊᓕᖏᑦ ᐹᓂᐊᓘᕐᓂᖅᓴᐅᖃᑦᑕᕐᒪᑕ. ᐃᓄᐃᓪᓗ ᖃᓪᓗᓈᑦ ᓄᓇᖓᓐᓂ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᖅᑐᑦ ᐃᓅᓯᖏᑦ ᐊᓯᔾᔨᕐᔪᐊᕆᐊᖃᖃᑦᑕᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐱᐅᓯᖏᑦᑕᓗ ᐃᓱᒪᒍᓯᖏᑦ ᐊᓯᕈᕆᐊᖃᖃᑦᑕᖅᓯᒪᒋᓪᓗᑎᒃ. ᐃᓱᒪᒋᒋᐊᕐᓗᒍ, ᖃᐅᔨᒪᑎᑕᐅᒃᑲᓐᓂ-

above & beyond

11

NORTHERN YOuTH contemporaries studying in the South, their costs of living are much higher.

Inuit students in the South have to adapt to radically different lifestyles and cultural mindsets. Cognitively, they need to be made aware about what they are experiencing and be given the necessary tools to deal with the pressures and stresses of post-secondary education. There is today, a real need for more services or programs to support these students mentally, socially and financially during that very critical period of adjustment.

More support I believe will provide students with a good foundation and the necessary building blocks to succeed.

Academic stresses, of course, are universally common, affecting students from all cultures and regions. But add the impact of radical cultural change (culture shock) to the inevitable homesickness many Inuit experience and the necessity for adequate support and positive, workable approaches and solutions becomes even greater.

New program initiatives similar to Nunavut Sivuniksavut, new and enhanced mentorship services for Inuit students adjusting to life in the South, and more focus groups to help develop meaningful frameworks that assist Northern students to succeed at the post-secondary school level in the South would all make a positive difference.

Through my journalism work I have learned that some Nunavummiut already living down South, who want to go back to school, face financial challenges too. While they have already overcome one of the biggest hurdles — having proved they can live independently and successfully in the South — they unfortunately do not have access to all funding assistance programs open to Nunavut beneficiaries, because living in Nunavut for at least one year is a current requirement.

A post-secondary funding agency created specifically to aid those Nunavut beneficiaries living in the South while pursuing higher education [or advanced skills and career training] would help so many more to achieve higher levels of education, life satisfaction, and success.

Exciting new learning opportunities and appealing career options continue to widen in scope and overall accessibility. Good post-secondary education programs and some funding supports for Inuit living in the North and South are in place too. These all must continue to grow [and improve] however, to meet growing demand and if we hope to responsibly nurture future generations and develop even more strong, capable leaders for our people and our land.

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arcticjournal.ca

ᕆᐊᖃᖅᑑᔮᖅᑐᑦ ᖃᓄᐃᑦᑐᒃᑰᕐᑐᒃᓴᐅᖕᒪᖔᑕ ᓂᕆᐅᒋᐊᖃᕐᓂᐊᕐᒪᖔᑕᓗ ᖃᓪᓗᓈᑦ ᓄᓇᖓᓃᓕᕈᑎᒃ ᐱᓕᕆᔪᓐᓇᐅᑎᒃᓴᖏᓐᓂᓗ ᐊᐃᑦᑐᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᓂᖅᓴᐅᒋᐊᖃᖅᑑᔮᖅᑐᖁᑎᒋᕙᒃᑲ ᓇᕿᑕᐅᓯᒪᔾᔪᑎᒃᓴᑦ ᐊᒃᓱᕈᕐᓇᕈᑎᐅᔪᓪᓗ ᐅᖁᒪᐃᓪᓕᐅᕈᑕᐅᓕᕈᓐᓇᕐᓂᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᒃᑲᓐᓂᕋᓱᖕᓂᐊᖅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ. ᐅᓪᓗᒥᓗ, ᐃᑲᔪᖅᑕᐅᔾᔪᑎᒃᓴᑦ ᐱᑕᖃᕆᐊᖃᒃᑲᓐᓂᖅᑑᔮᖅᐳᑦ ᐃᓱᒪᒃᑯᑦ, ᐃᒃᐱᖕᓇᐃᔭᖏᑎᒍᑦ, ᐃᓅᖃᕈᑎᒃᑯᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑮᓇᐅᔭᑎᒍᑦ ᐃᑲᔫᑎᒃᓴᖏᓐᓂ ᐃᓅᓯᖏᑦ ᐊᓯᕈᑲᓪᓚᒡᔪᐊᖅᐸᓪᓕᐊᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᐃᓂᓪᓚᒐᓱᖕᓂᖏᓐᓂ.ᐃᑲᔪᖅᑕᐅᒃᑲᓐᓂᖅᐸᑕ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕆᐊᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᑐᙵᕕᖃᑦᑎᐊᕐᓂᖅᓴᐅᖃᑦᑕᕋᔭᖅᑐᑦ ᐊᓪᓗᕈᑎᒃᓴᖃᕐᓂᖅᓴᐅᔪᓐᓇᖅᓯᒐᔭᖅᐳᓪᓗ ᑲᔪᓯᑦᑎᐊᒃᑲᓐᓂᖁᓪᓗᒋᑦ. ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᖅᑕᕐᓄᑦ ᐊᖑᒻᒪᑎᒋᐊᓖᑦ ᐱᔭᕇᕆᐊᖃᖃᑦᑕᖅᑐᓪᓗ ᑕᒪᒃᑯᐊᖑᒐᓗᐊᖅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ, ᑕᒪᓐᓇᐅᖏᓐᓇᐅᔭᕐᓂᐊᕐᒪᑦ, ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᖅᑐᓕᒫᑦ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕐᕕᒡᔪᐊᕐᒥ ᖃᓄᐃᑦᑐᒥ ᐃᓕᖅᑯᓯᖃᕋᓗᐊᖅᐸᑕ ᓇᑭᖔᖅᓯᒪᒐᓗᐊᖅᐸᑕᓗ. ᑭᓯᐊᓂ ᐃᓚᓕᐅᑎᒍᕕᐅᒃ ᐃᓕᖅᑯᓯᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᐃᓅᓯᕆᓯᒪᔭᖓᓗ ᐊᓯᐊᓅᑲᓪᓚᓗᐊᕐᓂᖅ ᐊᖏᕐᕋᖅᓯᕐᓂᕐᓗ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᓅᔾᔪᑎᒃᓴᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᑭᙴᒪᔭᐅᖏᓐᓇᓲᑦ ᐃᓄᖕᓄᑦ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕆᐊᖅᑐᓄᑦ ᐊᖅᑯᓵᖅᑕᐅᖑᔭᐃᓐᓇᕐᒪᑕ,ᐱᕙᓪᓕᐊᔾᔪᑎᒃᓴᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᐱᑕᖃᕆᐊᓕᒃ ᐋᖅᑭᒋᐊᕈᑕᐅᒋᐊᓕᒃᓗ ᐱᕚᓪᓕᒃᑲᓐᓂᖁᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕆᐊᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ. ᓄᑖᑦ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᒐᒃᓴᑦ ᓲᕐᓗ ᓄᓇᕗᑦ ᓯᕗᓂᒃᓴᑎᑐᑦ, ᐱᓕᒻᒪᓴᒃᓴᐃᔨᖃᑦᑎᐊᕐᓗᑎᒃ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᖅᑎᐅᔪᑦ ᑕᓯᐅᖅᑕᐅᑦᑎᐊᖃᑦᑕᖅᐸᑕᓗ ᖃᓪᓗᓈᑦ ᓄᓇᖓᓂᒥᐅᑕᐅᑲᐃᓐᓇᕐᓂᐊᖅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ, ᐊᕙᑎᑦᑎᓐᓂ ᓲᕐᓗ ᖃᓇᓕᐊᑦᑎᐊᕐᓂᖅᓴᐅᔪᓐᓇᕋᓗᐊᖅᑐᒍᑦ ᐱᒋᐊᕐᕕᐅᔪᓐᓇᖅᑐᓂ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᓄᓇᖓᓐᓂᖔᖅᑐᑦ ᑲᔪᓯᓂᖃᑦᑎᐊᕐᓂᖅᓴᐅᔾᔫᒥᖁᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕆᐊᖅᓯᒪᓂᕆᔭᖏᓪᓗ ᐊᑑᑎᖃᑦᑎᐊᖁᓪᓗᒋᑦ. ᐱᕙᓪᓕᐊᔪᓂᒃ ᑐᓴᒐᒃᓴᓕᕆᔨᒃᓴᐅᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᖅᐸᓪᓕᐊᑎᓪᓗᖓ ᐃᓕᙵᓕᖅᑐᖓ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥᐅᒐᓴᐃᑦ ᖃᓪᓗᓈᓃᑦᑐᑦ ᐅᓄᕐᒪᑕ, ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᒃᑲᓐᓂᕈᒪᔪᑦ, ᑮᓇᐅᔭᓂ ᐱᔾᔪᑎᒃᓴᓂᒃᓗ ᐊᔪᖅᓴᐃᓐᓇᖃᑦᑕᖅᑐᑦ. ᐊᒃᓱᕈᕐᓇᕐᓂᖅᐹᒥ ᐊᓪᓗᕆᐊᖅᓯᒪᒐᓗᐊᖅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ — ᐃᒻᒥᓂᖅᓱᕐᓗᑎᒃ ᐃᓅᓯᖃᕈᓐᓇᑦᑎᐊᕐᓂᖏᓐᓂ ᖃᓪᓗᓈᑦ ᓄᓇᖓᓐᓂ — ᑕᐃᒫᑦᓴᐃᓐᓇᖅ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒦᑦᑐᑐᑦ ᑮᓇᐅᔭᑎᒍᑦ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᑕᐅᑎᒋᖃᑦᑕᖏᒻᒪᑕ ᓄᓇᕗᒥ ᓄᓇᑖᖃᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᓄᓇᕗᑦ ᐃᓗᐊᓂ ᐱᔪᓐᓇᓲᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᓲᖃᐃᒻᒪ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕆᐊᕈᓯᐅᖃᑦᑕᖅᑐᑦ ᓄᓇᕗᒥᐅᑕᐅᖃᑦᑕᕆᐊᖃᕐᒪᑕ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᓕᒫᕐᒥ ᐱᓇᓱᖄᓚᐅᖏᓐᓂᕐᒥᓂ. ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕆᐊᒃᑲᓐᓂᖅᓯᒪᔪᓄᑦ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕐᕕᒡᔪᐊᕐᓂ ᓯᓚᑦᑐᖅᓴᕐᕕᖕᓂᓗ ᑮᓇᐅᔭᖃᖅᑎᑦᑎᔨᐅᔪᒥ ᑎᒥᕈᖅᑐᖃᖅᐸᑦ ᓄᓇᕗᒥᖔᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᖃᓪᓗᓈᓃᑦᑐᑦ ᐱᓪᓗᒋᑦ (ᐱᓕᕆᔨᖑᖅᓴᕙᓪᓕᐊᔪᓪᓘᓐᓃᑦ) ᐊᒃᓱᐊᓗᒃ ᐊᑑᑎᒐᔭᖅᐳᖅ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᒃᑲᓐᓂᖁᓪᓗᒋᑦ, ᐃᓅᓯᖏᓐᓂᓗ ᓈᒻᒪᖕᓂᖅᓴᒥ ᐃᓅᓯᖅᑖᖁᓪᓗᒋᑦ,ᑲᔪᓯᑦᑎᐊᒃᑲᓐᓂᖁᓪᓗᒋᓪᓗ. ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᒐᒃᓴᐃᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᕝᕕᒃᓴᐅᔪᓪᓗ ᓱᓕ ᒪᑐᐃᖅᐸᓪᓕᐊᑐᐃᓐᓇᖅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᓇᐅᒃᑯᓕᒫᕐᓗ ᐱᕕᒃᓴᕈᖅᐸᓪᓕᐊᑐᐃᓐᓇᖅᑑᒐᓗᐊᖅ. ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᒃᑲᓐᓂᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕐᕕᒡᔪᐊᕐᒥ ᑮᓇᐅᔭᖃᕈᓐᓇᖅᑎᑕᐅᓂᕐᓗ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕆᐊᖅᓯᒪᓗᓂ ᐃᓄᖕᓄᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᖃᓪᓗᓈᓪᓗ ᓄᓇᖓᓐᓂ ᐱᑕᖃᕆᐊᓕᐅᒍᓗᐊᖅ. ᑕᒪᒃᑯᐊ ᓱᓕ ᐱᕈᒃᑲᓐᓂᕆᐊᓖᑦ (ᐱᐅᓯᒋᐊᒃᑲᓐᓂᕐᓗᑎᒃᓗᖃᐃ) ᑭᓯᐊᓂᓕ, ᐊᖑᒻᒪᑎᒋᐊᒃᑲᓐᓂᕆᐊᖃᒻᒪᕆᒃᐳᑦ ᓯᕗᓂᒃᓴᕆᓂᐊᖅᑕᕗᑦ ᐱᕈᑦᑎᐊᖁᓂᐊᕈᑦᑎᒍᑦ ᓴᖏᓂᖅᓴᐅᖁᓂᐊᕈᑦᑎᒍᓗ, ᐊᔪᖏᑦᑎᐊᖅᑐᓂᒃᓗ ᓯᕗᓕᖅᑎᖃᕈᒪᓂᐊᕈᑦᑕ ᐃᓅᖃᑎᑦᑎᓐᓄᑦ ᓄᓇᒋᔭᑦᑎᓐᓄᓪᓗ.

January/February 2013

Deh Cho Bridge Northwest Territories

ermanent year-round road transportation and economic development opportunity in the North Slave Region of the Northwest Territories (NWT) both received a major boost forward in 2012.Mere days before the expected annual freeze-up, the near one and a half mile long,nine years in the making,Deh Cho Bridge Project linking the southern Fort Providence, NWT, side of the Mackenzie River with communities to the North, officially opened to traffic on November 30 amidst fanfare and a sense of pride and accomplishment.

More significantly, the completion of the bridge, showed what could be accomplished

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when groups, in good faith and common purpose work together using the public/ private project investment model.Though the idea for the bridge had been seeded several years before, the agreement signed in 2007 between the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation partners and the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) started the process in earnest.

Before the Deh Cho bridge became reality, commercial trucking and road passenger traffic heading toward or coming from Yellowknife had to cross the Mackenzie here.

During the summer months, the two-way flow

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January/February 2013

Š GNWT/BILL BRADEN (4)

Above: The GNWT Premier and an excited community prepare to walk the bridge November 30.

Opposite: The Merv Hardie during one of her last crossings lies off the new bridge; The bridge opening called for celebration.

North or South was entirely dependent upon the free GNWT-run ferry service that was provided by the by now beloved, Merv Hardie.

She had served reasonably well over the years, but having long done her duty entirely with distinction, she is now retired to coincide with the bridge opening.

Every northern winter previous (typically entailing a sometimes unpredictable three to four month freeze-up period) during which the ferry could not operate, the two-way flow of goods and people through the region was reliant upon the Mackenzie River Ice Crossing link — on occasion a tenuous crossing in terms of safety under heaviest loads and inconsistent seasonal transitions.

With a life expectancy of 75 years estimated, the new Deh Cho Bridge, ringing in at the expected cost of close to $200 Million, will play an important economic role in facilitating the year-round operation of existing businesses and undoubtedly encourage new investment.

Commercial traffic will pay a toll, passenger traffic will not.

With the estimated revenue from the toll and the estimated $2 Million per annum savings realized from not having to maintain the ferry service and ice-crossing, it is anticipated that the Deh Cho Bridge will over time pay for itself and improve life for the people in the region and throughout the NWT. For more on this good news story visit: www.dehchobridge.info or the Government of the Northwest Territories website at: www.gov.nt.ca

January/February 2013

above & beyond

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January/February 2013

A BOLD NEW WORLD | ᑖᓂᖅᑐᔪᖅ ᓄᓇᕐᔪᐊᖅᑖᖃᐅᒃ

Playing to the Strength

ARCTIC YOuTH

ᐱᙳᐊᖃᑕᐅᓂᖅ

ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᑐᒥ ᒪᒃᑯᒃᑐᑦ ᓴᙱᓂᖓᓐᓄᑦ e’ve all heard the expression, ‘those kids today — they’re in another world.’Indeed you may have said it yourself, I know I have, but when I say it now, it’s in an entirely new context.The fact is that today’s youth really do function in another world — the new digital and technological world and it is high time the rest of us joined them.

The new digital age is now a given — a constant in the minds, hearts and hands of the youth of the Arctic, just as it has engulfed youth the world over.The Arctic Children and Youth Foundation (ACYF), of which I have the honour of serving as a voluntary chairman, believes that this continually advancing new techno-age is the one area where Arctic youth are on the same playing field as kids elsewhere and that is a fortuitous strength which we must take advantage.

As a result, ACYF has launched Playing to Strength an initiative that we believe will make a difference in the lives of Arctic Children and Youth,and the Northern community in general.

Playing to Strength is a moderated, fully accountable Arctic-wide on-line youth discussion forum — designed and operated upon the knowledge that in terms of today’s internet technology and mindset, Arctic youth are very “tuned in”. The Foundation believes this is a strength that we can and must build on to make a real difference in the lives of Arctic Children and Youth, and the North in general.

The goal is to give ArcticYouth a voice in the social and economic challenges and cultural clashes confronting Aboriginal Youth across Northern Canada.We all recognize these issues are complex; from inadequate housing, to employment, education and training, a high school dropout rate of up to 80 per cent in some areas, and most painful of all, a suicide rate that is shockingly 11 times the national average. It is a crisis complicated further by January/February 2013

© MARY SIMON

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Voluntary ACYF Chair, Whit Fraser, poses for a 2012 Students On Ice (SOI) expedition photo with Mercedes Rabesca from Rae Edzo, NWT, during SOI’s visit to Greenland.

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ᓴᖅᓯᒪᔭᐃᓐᓇᕗᑦ ᐅᖃᐅᕈᓯᖅ ᐃᒪᐃᓕᔪᖅ,‘ᒪᒃᑯᒃᑐᖁᑎᕗᑦ ᐅᓪᓗᒥ — ᓄᓇᕐᔪᐊᑉ ᐊᓯᐊᓃᒻᒪᑕ.’ ᐃᒻᒪᖃᓘᓐᓃᑦ ᐃᕝᕕᑦ ᓇᖕᒥᓂᖅ ᐅᖃᖅᓯᒪᔭᐃᖃᐃ,ᐅᕙᖓᓕ ᐃ,ᑭᓯᐊᓂ ᐅᓪᓗᒥᐅᔪᖅ ᑕᐃᒪᐃᓕᒐᐃᒐᒪ, ᐊᓯᐊᓂᑦᑎᐊᒻᒪᕆᒃ ᑐᑭᖃᖃᑦᑕᓕᖅᑐᖅ. ᐅᓪᓗᒥᐅᓕᖅᑐᖅ ᒪᒃᑯᒃᑐᖁᑎᕗᑦ ᐊᐅᓚᓂᖃᓕᕐᒪᑕ ᐊᓯᑦᑎᐊᒻᒪᕆᖓᓂᒃ — ᐊᑲᕐᕆᔮᕈᑎᑦ ᓄᑖᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᔾᔪᑎᓪᓗ ᑐᓴᐅᒪᔾᔪᑎᒃᓴᑦ ᓄᑖᒡᒍᑎᐅᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᐅᕙᒍᖔᖅ ᑭᖑᕙᓯᓕᕋᑦᑕ ᐊᙳᑎᒋᐊᕆᐊᖃᓕᖅᑐᒍᑦ. ᖃᕋᓴᐅᔭᑎᒎᖅᑐᑦ ᐃᕐᖐᓐᓈᖅᑕᐅᑏᑦ ᓇᒥᓕᒫᓕᕐᒪᑕ — ᐃᓱᒪᒋᔭᐅᖏᓐᓇᖅᑐᖅ, ᐆᒻᒪᑎᒥᐅᑕᒋᔭᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᑎᒍᒥᐊᖅᑕᐅᖏᓐᓇᓕᖅᑐᕐᓗ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᒪᒃᑯᒃᑐᓄᑦ, ᓇᒥᓕᒫᖅ ᓄᓇᕐᔪᐊᕐᒥ ᒪᒃᑯᒃᑐᓄᑦ ᑎᒍᒥᐊᖅᑕᐅᓕᖅᑐᖅ. ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᓄᑕᖅᑲᓄᑦ ᒪᒃᑯᒃᑐᓄᓪᓗ ᑮᓇᐅᔭᑎᒍᑦ ᑐᙵᕕᐅᔪᑦ (ACYF), ᐃᒃᓯᕙᐅᑕᕆᔭᐅᕝᕕᒋᔭᒃᑲ ᐊᑭᓕᖅᓱᖅᑕᐅᓇᖓ ᐱᔨᑦᓯᖅᕕᒋᔭᒃᑲ, ᐅᒃᐱᕈᓱᖕᒪᑕ ᑕᒪᓐᓇ ᖃᕋᓴᐅᔭᒃᑰᖅᑐᑦ ᐊᑲᕐᕆᔮᕈᑎᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᒪᒃᑯᒃᑐᓄᑦ ᐊᖅᑯᑎᒃᓴᓪᓚᕆᐅᓕᕐᒪᑦ ᓇᒥᓕᒫᕐᓗ ᐊᑐᐃᓐᓇᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᓲᖑᔪᒻᒪᕆᐅᓪᓗᓂᓗ ᐅᕙᒍᑦ ᐊᑲᐅᓈᕈᑎᒋᒋᐊᕐᓗᒍ ᐊᑐᕆᐊᖃᓕᖅᑕᕗᑦ. ᑕᐃᒪᐃᓐᓂᖓᓄᑦ, ᓄᐃᑎᑦᓯᓚᐅᖁᒍᑦ ᓴᙱᓂᖓᓂᒃ ᐱᙳᐊᖃᑎᖃᕐᓂᖅᒥ ᐊᐅᓚᔾᔭᐃᒋᐊᕈᑎᒥ ᐊᑑᑎᖃᕐᓂᐊᖅᓱᕆᒐᑦᑎᒍᑦ ᐊᓯᕈᐃᖃᑕᐅᔪᓐᓇᕋᓱᒋᒋᐊᖓ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᓄᑕᖅᑲᑦ ᒪᒃᑯᒃᑐᓪᓗ ᐃᓅᓯᕆᔭᖏᓐᓄᑦ,ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥᐅᓄᓪᓗ ᓇᒥᓕᒫᖅ. ᓴᙱᓂᖓᓂᒃ ᐱᙳᐊᖃᑎᖃᕐᓂᖅᒥ ᐊᐅᑦᑎᔨᖃᖅᑐᓂ, ᑕᑯᒃᓴᕈᐃᑦᑎᐊᐸᑦᑐᖅ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᓕᒫᒥ ᒪᒃᑯᒃᑐᑦ ᐅᖃᖃᑎᒌᒃᕕᒋᔪᓐᓇᖅᑕᖓ ᑎᑎᕋᕐᕕᒃᓴᐅᓪᓗᓂᓗ — ᐋᖅᑭᓱᖅᓯᒪᔪᖅ

above & beyond

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© COURTESY ITK

A BOLD NEW WORLD | ᑖᓂᖅᑐᔪᖅ ᓄᓇᕐᔪᐊᖅᑖᖃᐅᒃ

the vast distances and often-remote isolation associated with Arctic living.

Our message and invitation to Arctic youth is clear, and straightforward.Through“Playing to Strength” we want to encourage you to participate and speak out on the critical issues that you confront in your daily lives.Moreover, we will record, analyze and disseminate your views and ideas to others, including Governments and potential employers, to ensure that your voices are heard and considered.

To get the program started,The Government of Canada through the Department of Human Resources and Skills Development has provided a $500,000 contribution over the next three years. The agreement calls for a private sector sponsorship, equal to one dollar in five that can be on the basis of either cash or in-kind.

ACYF is a registered Charitable Foundation and donations are tax deductible.

I am most encouraged by the positive response we’ve received from a number of Northern businesses and individuals I have approached about sponsorship, which can be cash,or in kind.First Air responded immediately providing the program participants air travel valued in excess of $15,000 in 2013.

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arcticjournal.ca

ᐊᐅᓚᓂᖃᖅᑐᓂᓗ ᐅᓪᓗᒥ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᔾᔪᑎᐅᓕᖅᑐᑦ ᐊᑲᕐᕆᔮᕈᑎᓪᓗ ᖃᕋᓴᐅᔭᒃᑯᑦ ᐃᓱᒪᔾᔪᓯᐅᓕᖅᑐᓪᓗ ᐊᑐᖅᑐᒋᑦ, ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᒪᒃᑯᒃᑐᖁᑎᑦᑕ “ᐊᑕᕕᒋᓪᓚᕆᒃᑕᖓ”. ᑐᙵᕕᒋᔭᕗᑦ ᐅᒃᐱᕈᓱᖕᒪᑦ ᓲᖑᔫᓂᕆᔭᖓᓂ ᐱᒋᐊᕐᕕᒋᔭᕆᐊᖃᕐᓂᑦᑎᓐᓂᓗ ᐊᓯᕈᐃᔪᒪᓂᐊᕈᑦᑕ ᐊᑑᑎᖃᑦᓯᐊᖅᑐᒥᒃ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᓄᑕᖅᑲᑦ ᒪᒃᑯᒃᑐᓪᓗ ᐃᓅᓯᕆᔭᖏᓐᓂ, ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥᐅᓂᒃᓗ. ᑐᕌᒐᕆᔭᕗᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᒪᒃᑯᒃᑐᑦ ᓂᐱᖃᓕᕈᓐᓇᖁᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᐃᓅᓯᓕᕆᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᑮᓇᐅᔭᓕᐅᕈᑎᒃᓴᓄᓪᓗ ᐊᐳᕈᑎᒋᕙᒃᑕᖏᓐᓂ ᐃᓕᖅᑯᓯᓕᕆᓂᕐᒧᓪᓗ ᐊᐳᕈᑎᐅᕙᒃᑐᓄᑦ ᓄᓇᓕᑐᖃᐅᔪᑦ ᒪᒃᑯᒃᑐᑦ ᑕᑯᖃᑦᑕᖅᑕᖏᓐᓂ ᑲᓇᑕᐅᑉ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᖓᓂ. ᐃᓕᓴᕆᓯᒪᔭᐃᓐᓇᕆᓕᕋᑦᑎᒍᑦ ᑕᒪᒃᑯᐊ ᐃᓗᓕᑐᔫᖕᒪᑕ ᓂᒐᕕᓴᕋᐃᑦᑑᓪᓗᑎᒃᓗ; ᐃᒡᓗᖃᑦᑎᐊᖏᓐᓂᕐᒧᑦ, ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔮᒃᓴᖃᑦᑎᐊᖏᓐᓂᕐᓗ, ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕐᓂᓕᕆᓂᖅ ᐱᓕᒻᒪᒃᓴᖅᓯᒪᖏᓗᐊᕐᓂᕐᓗ, ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕇᖅᓯᒪᖃᑦᑕᖏᑦᑐᓪᓗ ᐅᓄᖅᓯᕙᓪᓕᐊᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᐃᓚᖏᓐᓂ 80-ᐳᓴᓐᑎᒦᒻᒪᕆᖕᒪᑦ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᖅᑕᒥᓂ ᓄᖅᑲᑐᐃᓐᓇᖃᑦᑕᖅᑐᑦ, ᐋᓐᓂᓇᕐᓂᖅᐹᖑᓪᓗᓂᓗ, ᐃᓅᓯᕐᒥᓂ ᑭᐱᓯᖃᑦᑕᖅᑐᑦ ᖁᐊᖅᓵᓇᒻᒪᕆᖕᒪᑦ ᑲᓇᑕᓕᒫᖅ ᑕᑯᓗᒍ 11-ᖏᖅᓲᑎᓪᓗᐊᒥ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᐅᓄᕐᓂᖅᓴᐅᖕᒪᑕ ᐃᒻᒥᓂᒃ ᐃᓅᓯᕐᒥᓂ ᑭᐱᓯᖃᑦᑕᖅᑐᑦ. ᖃᓄᐃᓕᐅᕈᑕᐅᒋᐊᖃᕐᓂᖓ ᓱᓖᓛᒃ ᐅᓚᕕᔾᔪᑕᐅᒋᐊᓪᓚᒍᑎᖃᖅᐳᖅ ᓄᓇᓕᐅᔪᑦ ᐅᖓᓯᒌᒃᑑᑕᐅᓂᖏᑦ ᐃᓄᑑᔾᔨᖃᑦᑕᕆᐊᖃᕐᓂᖏᓪᓗ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥᐅᑕᐅᓪᓗᓂ. ᐅᖃᐅᓯᒃᓴᕗᑦ ᐃᓇᑦᑎᓂᕗᓪᓗ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᒪᒃᑯᒃᑐᓂ ᑲᑭᐊᒃᑑᕗᖅ, ᓯᕗᒧᐊᒍᑎᑦᑎᐊᕙᐅᒐᓱᐊᖅᑐᓂᓗ. ᐊᖅᑯᑎᒋᓪᓗᒍ “ᓴᙱᓂᖓᓂᒃ ᐱᙳᐊᖃᑎᖃᕐᓂᖅ“ ᑎᓕᐅᕆᑦᑎᐊᕈᒪᒐᑦᑕ ᐱᖃᑕᐅᖁᓗᒋᑦ ᓂᓪᓕᖃᑦᑕᖁᓗᒋᓪᓗ ᑕᒪᒃᑯᓄᖓ ᐱᒻᒪᕆᐅᔪᓄᑦ ᐱᔾᔪᑎᒋᔭᐅᖏᓐᓇᐸᒃᑐᓄᑦ ᖃᐅᑕᒫᑦ ᐃᓅᓯᖏᓐᓂ. ᓱᓕᒃᑲᓐᓂᖅ,ᑎᑎᕋᖅᐸᓪᓕᐊᓂᐊᖅᐸᕗᑦ,ᐸᐸᓪᓗᒋᑦ,ᕿᒥᕐᕈᓗᒋᑦ ᐊᕕᒃᑐᖃᑦᑕᕐᓗᒋᓪᓗ ᑕᑯᖃᑦᑕᖅᑕᖏᑦ ᐃᓱᒪᒋᔭᖏᓪᓗ ᐊᓯᖏᑦᑕ, ᐊᓪᓛᒃ ᒐᕙᒪᒃᑯᑦ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖅᑎᒃᓴᖅᓯᐅᖅᑐᓪᓗ,ᓂᐱᓯ ᑐᓴᖅᑕᐅᖁᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᐃᓱᒪᒋᔭᐅᒃᑲᓐᓂᖁᓪᓗᒋᓪᓗ. ᐅᐊᕈᑎᒋᖁᓪᓗᒍ (ᐃᖏᕐᕋᓯᒋᐊᕈᑎᒋᖁᓪᓗᒍ), ᑲᓇᑕᐅᑉ ᒐᕙᒪᖓᑦ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖅᑐᓕᕆᔨᒃᑯᑦ ᐱᓕᒻᒪᒃᓴᖅᑐᓕᕆᔨᒃᑯᓪᓗ ᐱᓕᕆᕕᖓᑎᒍᑦ ᑐᓂᓯᓯᒪᕗᑦ $500,000-ᒥ ᐃᑲᔫᑎᒃᓴᒥ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᓄᑦ ᐱᖓᓱᓄᑦ ᐊᑐᕐᓂᐊᖅᑐᓂ. ᐊᖏᕈᑎᖓ ᐃᓚᐅᒋᐊᖃᖅᑎᑦᑎᓯᒪᖕᒪᑦ ᓇᖕᒥᓂᖅᓱᖅᑐᓂᒃ $1 ᑕᓪᓕᒪᐅᔪᓕᓗᒋᑦ ᑕᐃᒫᒃ ᑮᓇᐅᔭᑎᒍᑦ ᑮᓇᐅᔭᑎᒎᖏᑦᑐᖔᕐᓗ ᐃᑲᔪᕐᓂᖃᖁᓪᓗᒋᑦ. ᑎᒥᐅᒐᑦᑕ ᑮᓇᐅᔭᓕᐅᕋᓱᒃᑎᐅᒐᑕ ᑕᐃᒫᒃ ᐊᐃᑦᑐᖅᑕᐅᔪᓐᓇᖅᑐᒍᑦ ᐊᐃᑦᑑᓯᐊᕗᓪᓗ ᑮᓇᐅᔭᑦ ᐃᓐᑲᒪᑖᒃᓯᔭᕈᑎᑎᒍᑦ ᓇᓕᖃᖅᑖᕈᑕᐅᔪᓐᓇᖅᑐᑦ. ᑕᑯᒥᓇᕆᑦᑎᐊᖅᑕᕋ ᐱᔪᒥᒋᒃᑲᓐᓂᖅᐸᕋᓗ ᐱᐅᒋᔭᐅᓪᓗᓂ

January/February 2013

Even more exciting than the supportive participation of the northern business community is the positive reaction received from youths themselves. We have hired two staff members at our small Ottawa office to begin developing the program: Jess Tagoona, will develop the design format and web support and Stephanie Etuangat will be doing many of the administrative functions, as Project Assistant.

At every opportunity I’ve asked young people for their views and in all cases they are excited and encouraging,especially the twenty or more students at the unique Nunavut Sivuniksavut education program in Ottawa.

This is the school where some of the best and brightest of Nunavut’s youth come to study for one or two years in a unique program that reinforces Inuit cultural values within the context of the social, economic and political challenges of the ‘southern world.’

Not only are the NS students excited about the concept of ‘Playing to Strength’but many want to know more about the part-time jobs we will be offering as moderators and facilitators, an indication they see technology as a potential employment force across Arctic regions.

I know they have strong and constructive views on a lot of other matters — we just need to give them a forum to speak from their strength. We also need to listen.

Whit Fraser

ᓂᓪᓕᖃᑦᑕᕐᓂᖏᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᓇᖕᒥᓂᖃᖅᑎᐅᔪᑦ ᐃᓄᐃᓪᓗ ᐃᑲᔪᕈᒪᔪᑦ, ᑮᓇᐅᔭᑎᒎᔪᓐᓇᕐᒪᑦ, ᑮᓇᐅᔭᑎᒎᖏᑦᑑᒐᓗᐊᕐᓗ. ᕗᔅᑎᐊᒃᑯᑦ ᑭᐅᑦᓴᐅᑎᒋᔪᖕᒪᑕ ᐱᖃᑕᐅᔪᒃᓴᓂ ᐊᑭᖃᖏᑦᑐᓂᒃ ᖃᖓᑦᑕᐅᑎᒃᓴᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᐊᑐᖅᑕᐅᔪᓐᓇᕋᔭᖅᑐᓂᑦ $15,000ᐅᖓᑖᓂ ᐊᑭᖃᓪᓗᐊᕋᔭᖅᑐᑦ 2013ᐃᓗᐊᓂ. ᖁᕕᐊᓇᒻᒪᕆᒃᑭᕗᖅ ᐃᑲᔪᕈᒪᔪᑦ ᐱᖃᑕᐅᔪᒪᓂᕆᔭᖏᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᓇᖕᒥᓂᖃᖅᑎᐅᔪᑦ ᒪᒃᑯᒃᑐᓪᓗ ᓇᖕᒥᓂᖅ ᐱᔪᒪᓂᕆᓯᒪᔭᖏᑦ. ᒪᕐᕉᖕᓂᒃ ᐱᓕᕆᔨᒃᓴᓂ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖅᑎᑖᖅᓯᒪᕗᒍᑦ ᐊᑐᕚᒥ ᑎᑎᕋᕐᕕᕋᓛᑦᑎᓐᓂᑦ ᐋᖅᑭᒃᓱᐃᕙᓪᓕᐊᓂᐊᖅᑑᖕᓂᒃ: ᔨᐊᔅ ᑕᒍᕐᓈᖅ, ᐃᓕᐅᖃᒐᒃᓴᓂ ᐋᖅᑭᒃᓱᐃᔨᐅᓂᐊᖅᑐᖅ ᖃᕋᓴᐅᔭᒃᑯᓪᓗ ᐃᕐᖐᓐᓈᖅᑕᐅᑎᓂ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᑎᐅᓂᐊᖅᑐᖅ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓯᑕᕙᓂ ᐃᑦᑐᐊᖓᑦ ᑎᑎᕋᕐᕕᖕᒥ ᐊᐅᓚᑦᑎᔨᐅᖃᑦᑕᕐᓂᐊᕐᓗᓂ,ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖑᔪᓄᑦ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᑎᐅᓗᓂ. ᐱᕕᖃᓕᕐᓂᑕᒫᑦ ᒪᒃᑯᒃᑐᑦ ᖃᓄᕐᓕ ᑕᐅᑐᖕᒪᖔᑕ ᐊᐱᖅᓱᖃᑦᑕᕋᒃᑭᑦ ᑕᐃᒪᖓᓕᒫᕐᓗ ᖁᕕᐊᑉᐸᒃᑐᑦ ᑲᔪᖏᕐᓇᑦᑎᐊᓲᖑᓪᓗᑎᒃᓗ, ᐱᓗᐊᖅᑐᒥᒃ ᐊᕙᑎᐸᓗᐃᑦ ᐅᖓᑖᓂᓘᓐᓃᑦ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᖅᑎᐅᔪᑦ ᓄᓇᕗᑦ ᓯᕗᓂᒃᓴᖓᓂ ᐊᑐᕚᒥ. ᑕᕝᕙᓂ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕐᕕᖕᒥ ᐱᒃᑲᐅᓂᖅᐹᑦ ᐃᓱᒪᑐᓂᖅᐹᖑᔪᓪᓗ ᓄᓇᕗᒥ ᒪᒃᑯᒃᑐᑦ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕆᐊᖅᐸᖕᒪᑕ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᒧᑦ ᒪᕐᕉᖕᓄᓪᓘᓐᓃᑦ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐃᓕᖅᑯᓯᖏᑦᑕ ᐱᒻᒪᕆᐅᓂᕆᔭᖏᓐᓂ ᑐᙵᕕᒃᑖᑦᑎᐊᒃᑲᓐᓂᓲᖑᓪᓗᑎᒃᓗ ᐃᓂᓪᓚᒃᓯᒪᓂᖅᓴᐅᔾᔪᑎᒋᓕᖃᑦᑕᕐᒪᒍᓗ ᐃᓅᓯᓕᕆᓂᕐᒧᑦ, ᑮᓇᐅᔭᓕᐅᕋᓱᖕᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᓂᕈᐊᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᕕᒃᑎᒍᓪᓗ ᐊᒃᓱᕈᕐᓇᕈᑎᒋᔭᖏᓐᓂ “ᖃᓪᓗᓈᑦ ᓯᓚᕐᔪᐊᖓᑎᒍᑦ”. ᑖᒃᑯᐊ ᓄᓇᕗᑦ ᓯᕗᓂᒃᓴᖓᓂ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᖅᑎᐅᔪᑦ ᖁᕕᐊᑐᐃᓐᓇᖏᑦᑐᑦ ᐱᖃᑕᐅᒋᐊᒃᓴᒥᓂᒃ “ᓴᙱᓂᖓᓂᒃ ᐱᙳᐊᖃᑎᖃᕐᓂᖅᒥ” ᖁᕕᐊᒋᑎᒋᓯᓐᓈᕆᕙᖏᑦ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᑲᐃᓐᓇᖃᑦᑕᕈᑎᒋᔪᓐᓇᕐᓂᐊᕐᒪᔾᔪᒃ ᐊᐅᓚᑦᑎᔨᐅᓗᑎᒃ ᑲᑎᒪᑎᑦᑎᖃᑦᑕᕐᓂᒃᑯᓪᓗ ᑕᒪᐅᓇᓗ ᐃᕐᖐᓐᓈᖅᑕᐅᑎᓕᕆᓂᒃᑯᑦ ᖃᕋᓴᐅᔭᒃᑯᑦ ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔮᖃᕈᑎᒋᔪᓐᓇᒃᑲᓐᓂᓕᓛᕐᒪᔾᔪᑎᒃ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᓄᓇᓕᐅᔪᓂ. ᖃᐅᔨᒪᒐᒪ ᓲᖑᔪᒥ ᐋᖅᑭᒋᐊᕈᑎᒃᓴᓂᓗ ᑕᐅᑐᖕᓂᖃᕐᒪᑕ ᓇᐅᒃᑯᓕᒫᖅ ᐱᒻᒪᕆᐅᒋᔭᖏᓐᓂ — ᐱᕕᖃᖅᑎᑐᐃᓐᓇᕆᐊᓕᕗᑦ ᓂᓪᓕᐊᖃᑦᑕᖁᓗᒋᑦ ᓴᙱᓂᕆᔭᖏᓐᓂ ᐱᓯᒪᔪᓂᒃ. ᐅᕙᒍᑦᑕᐅᖅ ᓈᓚᒋᐊᖃᕆᕗᒍᑦ.

A BOLD NEW WORLD | ᑖᓂᖅᑐᔪᖅ ᓄᓇᕐᔪᐊᖅᑖᖃᐅᒃ

ᕕᑦ ᕗᕋᐃᓱ

© ISABELLE DUBOIS

Rewarded for his talents

Etua Snowball accepts his award at the first night of the Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards.

January/February 2013

Sinuupa’s latest album Culture Shock, released in January 2012 and featured in our July-August 2012 issue, won the Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Award (APCMA) for Best Rock CD, in Winnipeg last November. The Kuujjuaq singer-songwriter known as Etua Snowball to his peers is the first Inuk from Nunavik, and all of Canada, to take home such an award since the Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards were launched in 2006.

Snowball, who teaches Inuktitut to high school students at the Jaanimmarik School in his hometown of Kuujjuaq, Nunavik, was also presented this fall with a Prime Minister’s award for teaching excellence in recognition for outstanding and innovative efforts to keep his native language alive and well. His musical talents and culturally sensitive interpersonal skills are both inspired and inspirational and worthy of all the recognition he is receiving.

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LIVING ABOVE & BEYOND

Pinnguaq, an Inuktitut-first gaming provider based in Pangnirtung, Nunavut, will launch its new app in March that will help those interested in learning the Inuktitut language and have some fun along the way. Its first original game, “SongBird,” has the user learning traditional and original songs by Inuit musicians. Singing the lyrics helps improve pronunciation of Inuktitut words and phrases.

“SongBird” will also provide a useful tool for Nunavut and Nunavik parents, daycares and schools who wish to complement their Inuktitut and cultural lessons with an interactive element.

Pinnguaq is also working on an Inuktitut version of the game “Osmos,” also to be released this spring. Both mobile apps will be available for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch.

For more information, check out http:// pinnguaq.com

© above&beyond/PIERRE DUNNIGAN

© PINNGUAQ.COM

How do you learn Inuktitut?

Four Organizations Share Arctic Inspiration Prize The first (annual) Arctic Inspiration Prize of one million dollars made possible by a generous endowment from the S. and A. Inspiration Foundation (co-founders Arnold Witzig and Sima Sharifi) will be shared amongst four Canadian organizations identified for projects that advance the betterment of life and, or, make contributions to enhance education opportunities in Canada’s North. The award was announced at a special December 13th event held in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Witzig was quoted as saying,“The motivation behind creating the prize was to recognize excellence and encourage collaboration amongst diverse groups in both Canada’s North and South.”

Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, (Inuit traditional knowledge and societal practices) received 20

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$240,000 for its book development project titled, What Inuit Have Always Known to be True.

The Nunavut Literacy Council will receive $300,000.The Northwest Territories,Thaidene Nene Initiative (a proposed 33,000 km2 national park reserve) on Lutsel K’e Dene First Nation lands, received $100,000. The Arctic Food Network was awarded $360,000, by the Foundation, which is voluntarily managed by Laval University’s ArcticNet. Martin Fortier, Executive Director of the Arctic Inspiration Prize and of ArcticNet, added that, “The winning teams have developed comprehensive plans for the benefit of the Canadian Arctic, its inhabitants and therefore Canada as a whole.We look forward to seeing these projects excel further and come to life.”

January/February 2013

© a&b FILE/JERRY KOBALENKO

Specialists in individual and group travel to the Arctic regions for over thirty years.

1.800.661.3830 greatcanadiantravel.com

Peary Caribou range across the Canadian Arctic Islands.

Species Under Threat and of Special Concern Not as dramatic an announcement as some environmentally conscious persons might have wished, but certainly heartening news for all those who continue to warn of the link between the increasing impacts of climate change and human-caused disturbances to the potential detriment (and survival) of Arctic species. Mid-December 2012, the Northwest Territories (NWT) Species At Risk Committee announced several determinations related to NWT caribou and polar bears.

Two caribou species were assessed as “Threatened” by the committee. The smallest of all caribou, existing only in Canada’s Arctic Islands, Peary Caribou have diminished to a mere 7,250 animals (estimated) following a steady 20-year decline, making them all the more susceptible to the ravages of climate change and over-harvesting.

Boreal caribou, numbering 6,500 or so in the NWT were also identified as a“threatened species”as natural habitat continues to shrink due to growing human intrusions that now include the expansion of oil, gas and mining exploration activities in the NWT and newly emerging forestry uses.

Polar bears were named a“Special Concern” by the committee as melting ice continues to wave its two-edged sword at the species: diminishing sea ice therefore declining availability of their dietary mainstay, seals.

Polar bear numbers in the NWT are considered stable at the moment (in the range of 2,000) and current harvest practices seem to be well enough managed to sustain that number.

January/February 2013

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RANKIN INLET cq6Oi6 (Kangiqliniq)

Rankin Inlet, or Kangiqliniq (“deep bay/inlet� in Inuktitut), is one of the largest communities in Nunavut. It is the business and transportation hub of the Kivalliq region and the gateway to Nunavut from Central and Western Canada. Due to the large volume of traffic through the area, as well as a history of regional government, mining and exploration, Rankin Inlet has developed a strong taskforce of entrepreneurs. Freight expediters, equipment suppliers and outfitters provide tourists and businesses in the area with a wide variety of services.

The Iqalugaarjuup Nunanga Territorial Historic Park is a favourite spot for hiking, fishing and bird watching. Archaeological sites, such as the European whaler shipwreck near Marble Island and the Thule site in the Ijiraliq River area offer an historical perspective. Come take a Walking Tour and you will see where an ancient past borders on a vibrant present.

The community includes various recreational facilities such as a hockey arena, curling arena, baseball diamond, recreational volleyball, basketball, soccer, badminton and hockey, an outdoor beach volleyball court and soccer field, an 18-hole golf course, and playgrounds. A variety of events are planned throughout the year such as arts and crafts shows, square dances, bingo, Pakalluk Time (town festival), Avataq Hockey Tournament, Christmas activities and many more.

With the welcoming attitude of the people, mining development, hotel construction, and opening of the Wellness Facility in 2013, Rankin Inlet is a great place to live, visit, work or start a business. Rankin Inlet is a growing community with great potential.

867-645-2895

info@rankininlet.ca

www.rankininlet.ca

Elders recording stories and traditional knowledge at Ukkusiksalik, 1996 ᐃᓐᓇᑐᖃᐃᑦ ᐅᒃᑯᓯᔅᓴᓕᒻᒥᑦ, 1996 © DAVID F. PELLY

DAVID F. PELLY | ᑕᐃᕕᑦ ᐱᓕ

above&beyond Contributor Honoured for Oral History Work ᐃᓕᑕᕆᔭᐅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᐅᐊᑦᑎᐊᕈᓐᓂᓴᕐᓂᒃ ᑎᑎᕋᖅᑎᐅᔪᖅ “Although the Inuit didn’t have pen and paper like the Qallunaat, I guess we have a natural pen and paper in our heads. Although it’s from ancient history, we don’t forget it.”

— Mariano Aupilarjuq, Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, 1991

“ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᑎᑎᕋᐅᑎᖃᓚᐅᖏᒃᑲᓗᐊᖅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᐸᐃᑉᐹᓂᓪᓘᓐᓃᑦ ᖃᓪᓗᓈᑎᑐᑦ. ᐃᓱᒪᑦᑎᓐᓂᖃᐃ ᑎᑎᕋᐅᑎᖃᖅᑐᒍᑦ ᐸᐃᑉᐹᒥᓪᓗᓕ, ᑭᓯᐊᓂ ᐅᐊᑦᑎᐊᕈᕐᓂᓵᓘᒐᓗᐊᖅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ. ᐳᐃᒍᔾᔮᖏᑕᕗᑦ.”

— ᒥᐅᕆᐋᓄ ᐊᐅᐱᓛᕐᔪᒃ, ᐅᒃᑯᓯᒃᓴᓕᒃ, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ, 1991

W

e are celebrating at above&beyond because one of our own has been recognized for his valuable contribution to the northern community and to the country. Our longest-standing contributor, David Pelly – his work has appeared regularly, starting with the first edition of this magazine in 1989 – was recently awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal “for dedication to the preservation of Inuit oral history and traditional knowledge [and for his] many works to help increase Canadians’ understanding of the North” among other contributions to Nunavut. To mark the occasion, we asked David to sit down and answer a few questions.

January/February 2013

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ᕕᐊᓲᑎᖃᕋᑦᑕ ᑕᕝᕙ ᓂ above&beyond ᐱᑦᔪᑎᒋᓪᓗᒍ ᐱᓕᕆᔨᖁᑎᕗᑦ ᐃᓕᑕᕆᔭᐅᓯᒪᓂᖓᓄᑦ ᐱᒻᒪᕆᐅᔪᒥᒃ ᐃᑲᔫᑎᖃᖃᑦᑕᕐᓂᖓᓄᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᓄᓇᓕᓐᓄᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓄᓇᓕᕐᔪᐊᓄᑦ. ᐊᑯᓂᐅᓂᖅᐹᖅ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᑎᐅᖃᑦᑕᖅᓯᒪᓕᖅᑐᖅ, ᑕᐃᕕᑦ ᐱᓕ − ᐱᓕᕆᐊᕐᖓ ᓴᖅᑮᓐᓇᐅᔭᖃᑦᑕᖅᑐᖅ, ᐱᒋᐊᖅᑐᓂ ᓯᕗᓪᓕᖅᐹᑦᑎᐊᒥ ᑎᑎᕋᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᔭᖏᑦ ᑕᕝᕙ ᓂ ᐅᖃᓕᒫᒐᕐᓂ 1989-ᖑᑎᓪᓗᒍ − ᑐᓂᔭᐅᕋᑖᖅᑐᖅ ᑖᒃᓱᒥᖓ ᑯᐃᓐ ᑕᐃᒪᓐ ᔫᐱᓖ ᓂᕕᖓᑖᒥᒃ “ᐱᓕᕆᓂᕆᓯᒪᔭᖓᓄᑦ ᔭᒐᑎᑦᑎᑦᑕᐃᓕᒪᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐅᓂᒃᑲᐅᓯᐅᔪᓂᒃ ᐅᐊᑦᑎᐊᕈᓐᓂᓴᕐᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐱᖅᑯᓯᑐᖃᕐᓂᒃ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᓂᕆᔭᐅᔪᓂᒃ [ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᒥᓱᓄ] ᐱᓕᕆᐊᕆᓯᒪᔭᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᑐᑭᓯᔭᐅᕚᓪᓕᑎᑦᑎᓇᓱᒃᑐᓂ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥᒃ” ᐊᓯᖏᓪᓗᒃᑕᐅᖅ ᑐᓂᕐᕈᑎᒋᓯᒪᔭᖏᑦ ᓄᓇᕗᑦᒧᑦ. ᓇᓗᓇᐃᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᖁᓪᓗᒍ, ᐊᐱᕆᓚᐅᕋᑦᑕ ᑕᐃᕕᑦᒥᒃ ᐊᐱᖅᓱᕈᒪᓪᓗᒍ ᐊᒥᓲᖏᑦᑐᓂᒃ.

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Patrick Qaqqutaq, 1915-2001 | ᐹᑐᕇᒃ ᖃᖁᖅᑕᖅ,ᑰᒑᕐᔪᒃ, 1915-2001

a&b: What does this award mean to you?

DFP: It’s nice to have one’s work highly thought of, or even to be noticed at all, to be sure. Who would not feel honoured? I should point out here that above&beyond has been instrumental in my being able to publish much of this work, having featured my writing on many occasions over the past 24 years. Many of those articles formed the basis for my larger, national and international, publishing projects.

There is, however, a much deeper sense of satisfaction beyond the personal recognition, and that comes from knowing that somehow a mysterious selection committee somewhere judged collection and use of Inuit oral history and traditional knowledge as sufficiently important in its own right to warrant such recognition. This has little or nothing to do with me, in particular – I hope the satisfaction, in that sense, is shared by the handful of others who have been engaged for many years in similar work.

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a&b: ᖃᓄᖅ ᑖᓐᓇ ᑐᓂᕐᕈᑎ ᑐᑭᖃᑉᐸ ᐃᓕᓐᓄᑦ ?

ᑕᐃᕕᑦ: ᐱᐅᔪᖅ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᕆᔭᐅᓇᓱᐊᖅᑐᖅ ᐃᓱᒪᒋᔭᐅᑦᑎᐊᑎᓪᓗᒍ, ᐅᕝᕙ ᓘᓐᓃᑦ ᐅᑦᔨᕆᔭᐅᖑᐊᑕᖅᓯᓇᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ.ᑭᓇ ᐅᐱᒍᓱᒃᑲᔭᓐᖏᓚᖅ?ᓇᓗᓇᐃᖅᓯᓗᖓ ᑖᒃᑯᐊ above&beyond ᐱᕕᖃᑦᑎᑦᑎᓯᒪᒻᒪᑕ ᓴᖅᑭᑎᑦᑎᔪᓐᓇᖅᓯᒪᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᐅᕙ ᖓ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᕆᖃᑦᑕᖅᑕᖏᓐᓂᒃ, ᑎᑎᕋᖅᓯᒪᔭᒃᑲ ᐊᒥᓱᐊᖅᑎ ᓴᖅᑭᑕᐅᓯᒪᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᐊᒥᓱᓄᑦ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᓄᑦ 24-ᓄᑦ.ᐊᒥᓱᑦ ᑎᑎᕋᖅᓯᒪᔭᒃᑲ ᑐᓐᖓᕕᒋᓯᒪᒐᒃᑭᑦ ᐊᖏᓂᖅᓴᐅᔪᓄᑦ, ᑲᓇᑕᒥ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓄᓇᕐᔪᐊᕐᒥ, ᓴᖅᑎᑕᐅᓂᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᒃᓴᐅᓯᒪᔪᑦ. ᑕᐃᒪᓕ, ᑭᓯᐊᓂ, ᖁᕕᐊᓇᕐᓂᖅᓴᐅᒋᕗᖅ ᐅᖓᑖᓄᑦ ᓇᒻᒥᓂᖅ ᐃᓕᑕᕆᔭᐅᓂᕐᒧᑦ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑕᒪᓐᓇ ᑕᕝᕙ ᖔᖅᑐᓂ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᖃᓄᑭᐊᖅ ᓂᕈᐊᖅᑎᐅᔪᑦ ᑲᑎᒪᔨᕋᓛᑦ ᓂᕈᐊᖅᑎᐅᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᑲᑎᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᑐᖅᑕᐅᓂᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᑐᖃᖏᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐱᖅᑯᓯᑐᖃᓂ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐱᒻᒪᕆᐅᒋᐊᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᐃᒻᒥᒃᑯᑦ ᐃᓕᑕᕆᔭᐅᔪᓐᓇᕐᓗᑎᒃ. ᑕᒪᓐᓇ ᐅᕙ ᓐᓂᒃ ᐱᑦᔪᑎᖃᓗᐊᖏᑦᑐᖅ,ᐱᓗᐊᖅᑐᒥᒃ − ᐃᓱᒪᕗᖓ ᑕᒪᓐᓇ ᖁᕕᐊᒋᔭᖃᕐᓂᐅᔪᖅ ᑲᑐᔾᔭᐅᔪᓐᓇᖅᑐᖅ ᐊᓯᓐᓄᑦᑕᐅᖅ ᐱᓕᕆᓯᒪᔪᓄᑦᑕᐅᖅ ᐊᒥᓱᓄᑦ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᓄᑦ ᑕᒪᑐᒪ ᐊᑦᔨᐸᓗᐊᓂᒃ.

January/February 2013

a&b: Can you describe how you started working with oral history?

DFP: Sure, it’s a good story. When I was living in Baker Lake in the early ’80s, one day I was having tea with my good friends Ruth and Hugh Tulurialik, when out of the blue Ruth said to me: “You’re a writer, will you help me with a book?” She went to her bedroom, came back with a stack of coloured pencil drawings, and put them on the kitchen table, with the direct question: “Is that enough for a book?”

Every one of those drawings, plus a few more, appeared in our book Qikaaluktut, published by Oxford University Press in 1986. The stories in the book derived from the drawings; Ruth’s drawings came first. She invited an elder or two to her house to look at each drawing with us, to tell us stories or explain the traditional ways which the drawing brought to mind for them. Based on their input, I created a short vignette, in Ruth’s voice, to go with each drawing.

That was my first experience of recording and publishing oral history. It quickly expanded from there; I found myself travelling to other Kivalliq communities to record the elders’ stories for one project or another.

It was really the heyday of oral history collection in Nunavut, when you think of who was still alive then. Many of those elders were already middle-aged adults before they moved off the land into a community, so their accounts were drawn from a way of life that has all but disappeared from living memory today. I was very lucky with my timing.

The world is moving on.

a&b: ᓇᓗᓇᐃᖅᓯᒍᓐᓇᖅᑮᑦ ᖃᓄᖅ ᐱᒋᐊᓚᐅᕐᒪᖔᖅᐱᑦ oral history?

ᑕᐃᕕᑦ: ᐄ,ᐅᓂᒃᑳᑦᑎᐊᕙ ᒃ.ᖃᒪᓂᖅᑐᐊᕐᒥᐅᑕᐅᑎᓪᓗᖓ ᐱᒋᐊᓕᕋᑖᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ 80−ᖏᓐᓂ, ᑏᑐᖃᑎᖃᑦᑎᓪᓗᖓ ᐱᖃᓐᓂᕆᔭᒃᑲᓂᒃ ᕉᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᕼᐃᐅ ᑐᓗᕆᐊᓕᒃ, ᑖᓐᓇ ᕉᑦ ᐅᕙ ᓐᓄᑦ ᐅᖃᔾᔪᒥᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᒻᒪᑦ: “ᑎᑎᕋᖅᑎᐅᒐᕕᑦ, ᐃᑲᔪᕈᓐᓇᐱᓐᖓ ᐅᖃᓕᒫᒐᓕᐅᖅᑎᓪᓗᖓ?” ᐃᓪᓗᕈᓯᕐᒥᓅᖅᑐᓂ, ᐅᑎᖅᐳᖅ ᑎᑎᕋᐅᔭᖅᓯᒪᔭᒥᓂᒃ ᐊᒥᐊᓕᓐᓄᑦ ᑎᑎᕋᐅᑎᑐᐃᓐᓇᕐᓄᑦ ᑎᒍᒥᐊᖅᑐᓂ,ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᓕᓪᓗᓂᒋᑦ ᓂᕐᕈᕆᕕᐅᑉ ᖄᖓᓄᑦ, ᐊᐱᕆᓪᓗᓂ: “ᓈᒻᒪᑉᐹᑦ ᐅᖃᓕᒫᒐᕐᒧᑦ.” ᐃᓘᓇᑦᑎᐊᑎᒃ ᑎᑎᕋᐅᔭᖅᓯᒪᔭᖏᑦ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗᒃᑲᓐᓂᖅ ᓱᓕᒃᑲᓐᓂᖅ, ᓴᖅᑭᔮᖅᐳᑦ ᐅᖃᓕᒫᒐᖁᑎᑦᑎᓐᓂ ᕿᑳᓗᒃᑐᑦ, ᐅᖃᓕᒫᒐᓕᐊᖑᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᑖᒃᑯᓇᓐᖓᑦ Oxford UniversityPress1986−ᒥ.ᐅᓂᒃᑳᑦ ᐅᖃᓕᒫᒐᕐᒦᑦᑐᑦ ᑎᑎᕋᐅᔭᓂᓐᖓᖅᓯᒪᕗᑦ; ᕉᑦ ᑎᑎᕋᐅᔭᖅᓯᒪᔭᖏᑦ ᓯᕗᓪᓕᐅᓚᐅᕐᒪᑕ.ᖃᐃᖁᔨᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᐃᓐᓇᓪᓚᕇᓐᓂᒃ ᐃᓪᓗᒥᓄᑦ ᑕᑯᓇᖃᑕᐅᓂᐊᕐᒪᑎᒃ ᑎᑎᕋᐅᔭᖅᑕᒥᓂᖏᓐᓂᒃ,ᐅᓂᒃᑳᕐᓗᑎᒃ ᐅᕝᕙ ᓘᓐᓃᑦ ᓇᓗᓇᐃᖅᓯᓗᑎᒃ ᐱᖅᑯᓯᑐᑎᖃᐅᔪᓂᒃ ᑎᑎᕋᐅᔭᖅᓯᒪᔪᑉ ᐱᑦᔪᑎᖓᓂᒃ. ᒪᓕᒃᑐᑕ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᐅᔪᓂᒃ, ᓇᐃᑦᑐᑯᓗᒻᒥᒃ ᑎᑎᕋᓕᓚᐅᖅᐳᖓ, ᕉᑦ ᓂᐱᖓᑎᒍᑦ, ᐱᖃᓯᐅᑎᓂᐊᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᑎᑎᕋᐅᔭᖅᓯᒪᔭᖏᓐᓄᑦ.

DFP: The oral history is a cultural asset that can not be replaced. It underpins the sense of identity for all Inuit, and offers the rest of us a rich historical insight. Without this knowledge record, Inuit today and more so in future would be diminished, less sure of who they are or from where they come. The body of knowledge represented by the oral history also serves to illustrate the profound relationship people had with their environment.

In a sense, Inuit are fortunate to have made the transition from the traditional way of life to a contemporary lifestyle at a time when the technology of the 20th century enabled them to document their traditions and the elders’ memories even as the process of transition was underway. One thinks of the wonderful tape recordings of elders made during the CBC’s early days in the North, in the 1970s – imagine the life experiences of those who were elders at that time. Those recordings are veritable treasures. a&b: What about the state of those and other oral history records? What is happening in Nunavut with them?

DFP: One might better direct that question to the Government of Nunavut’s Department of Culture & Heritage and/ or Inuit Heritage Trust. I know the GN has made some efforts to address this urgent need. For example, I’m told

January/February 2013

© DAVID F. PELLY (2)

a&b: The digital age is now the new global reality. How is the oral history from the past relevant to this modern world?

Mikitok Bruce with David Pelly, recording stories at Wager Bay, 1996 ᓯᑭᑦᑐᖅ ᐳᕉᔅ,ᐅᒃᑯᓯᒃᓴᓕᒻᒥ, 1996

ᑕᕝᕙ ᓯᕗᓪᓕᖅᐹᑦᑎᐊᕐᒥ ᐱᓕᕆᓂᕆᓚᐅᖅᑕᕋ ᑎᑎᕋᖅᑐᖓ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐅᖃᓕᒫᒐᓕᐅᖅᑐᖓ ᐅᐊᑦᑎᐊᕈᓐᓂᓴᕐᓂᒃ. ᑕᐃᑲᓐᖓᓂᒃ ᐱᒋᐊᐸᓪᓕᐊᓯᑦᑕᐅᑎᒋᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ; ᐊᐅᓚᖃᑦᑕᓕᖅᑐᖓ ᐊᓯᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᑭᕙ ᓪᓕᕐᒥ ᓄᓇᓕᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᓂᕆᓕᐅᖃᑦᑕᕆᐊᖅᑐᖅᑐᖓ ᐃᓐᓇᓪᓚᕇᑦ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᐱᔭᒃᓴᕆᓪᓗᑎᒍ ᐊᓯᐊᓄᓪᓘᓐᓃᑦ. ᑕᐃᒃᓱᒪᓂ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᓂᒃ ᓂᐱᓕᐅᖃᑦᑕᖅᑐᓂ ᐊᒃᓱᐊᓗᒃ ᐱᔪᒥᓇᑦᑎᐊᓚᐅᕐᒪᑦ ᓄᓇᕗᑦᒥ, ᐃᓱᒪᒋᓪᓗᒍ ᑭᓇ ᑕᐃᒃᓱᒪᓂ ᓱᓕ ᐃᓅᓚᐅᕐᒪᖔᑦ. ᐊᒥᓱᑦ ᐃᓐᓇᓪᓚᕇᑦ ᑕᒫᓃᓚᐅᕐᒪᑕ ᐃᓐᓇᓪᓚᕆᓐᖑᖏᑦᑐᑎᒃ ᓱᓕ ᓅᓚᐅᖏᓂᕐᒥᓂ ᓄᓇᒥᑦ ᓄᓇᓕᓐᓄᑦ, ᑕᐃᒪᐃᒻᒪᑦ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᖏᑦ ᐃᓅᓯᕆᓚᐅᖅᑕᖓᓃᓐᖔᖓᓚᐅᖅᐳᑦ ᒫᓐᓇᐅᔪᖅ ᐱᑕᖃᓗᐊᕈᓐᓃᖅᑐᖅ ᐊᑐᖅᑕᐅᓗᐊᕈᓐᓂᕐᒪᑦ ᐃᖅᑲᐅᒪᔭᐅᓂᑐᐃᓐᓇᐅᓕᖅᑐᑦ ᐅᓪᓗᒥ. ᓈᒻᒪᓈᕆᑦᑎᐊᖅᑐᐊᓘᓚᐅᕋᒪ. ᓄᓇᕐᔪᐊᖅ ᐃᖏᕐᕋᒻᒪᑦ.

above & beyond

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a&b: ᖃᕋᓴᐅᔭᒃᑰᓕᕐᓂᖅ ᒫᓐᓇᐅᔪᖅ ᓄᑕᖑᓕᕐᒪᑦ ᓄᓇᕐᔪᐊᕐᒥ. ᖃᓄᖅ

ᑕᒪᓐᓇ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᓂᒃ ᐅᐊᑦᑎᐊᕈᓐᓂᓴᕐᓂᒃ ᓯᕗᓕᕆᓚᐅᖅᑕᑎᓐᓂᒃ ᑐᕌᖓᓂᖃᑉ ᐸᑦ ᐅᓪᓗᒥᐅᔪᖅ ᓄᓇᕐᔪᐊᕆᓕᖅᑕᑎᓐᓄᑦ ?

the old Inuit Cultural Institute reel-to-reel tape recordings, all quite fragile, have been digitized and organized into a database. I’m equally sure that more must be done. The hundreds of cassette tapes out there, while perhaps somewhat more stable, also need to be digitized, starting with those old CBC recordings, and including local collections sitting in various communities; there are lots of them.

Private collections like mine and others who have done similar work are looking for a permanent home too, I’d expect. Of course, the Nunavut archives already have some of these in its collection, so a database for present (and future) holdings is needed and I believe the GN has that in its plan. The sooner the better.

In the end, the entire collection of Nunavut’s oral history should be digitized and documented in a central database.

It would be most satisfying to know that the oral history collected during the critical years, basically 1970 to 1999, is preserved for the future – priority for digitization should be given to that material. In February 2000, the Nunavut Social Development Council recommended creation of a Nunavut Research and Resource Centre to be responsible

ᑕᐃᕕᑦ: ᐅᓂᒃᑳᑦ ᐅᐊᑦᑎᐊᕈᓐᓂᓴᐃᑦ ᐃᓕᖅᑯᓯᖅᑎᒍᑦ ᐱᖁᑎᒋᔭᐅᕗᑦ ᐊᓯᔾᔨᖅᑕᐅᔪᓐᓇᖏᑦᑐᑦ. ᓇᓗᓇᐃᖅᓯᔪᖅ ᐃᓕᓴᕆᔭᐅᔾᔪᑎᖓᓂᒃ ᐃᓄᓕᒫᑦ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐱᑕᖃᑦᑎᑎᓪᓗᓂ ᐅᕙ ᑦᑎᓐᓄᓕᒫᑦ ᐅᐊᑦᑎᐊᕈᓐᓂᓴᕐᓂᒃ ᖃᐅᔨᕚᓪᓕᓂᕐᒥᒃ. ᐱᑕᖃᖏᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᓂᕆᔭᐅᔪᑦ ᓂᐱᓕᐅᖅᑕᐅᓂᒃᑯᑦ, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐅᓪᓗᒥᐅᔪᖅ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐅᓄᖅᑐᐃᑦ ᓯᕗᓂᒃᑎᓐᓂᐅᓂᐊᖅᑐᖅ ᐱᑕᖃᕈᓐᓃᓂᐊᖅᑐᑦ, ᖃᐅᔨᒪᖏᓂᖅᓴᐅᓕᕐᓗᑎᒃ ᑭᒃᑰᒋᐊᔅᓴᒥᓂᒃ ᓇᑭᓐᖔᓂᕐᒪᖓᕐᒥᓂᓪᓗ. ᑕᒪᓐᓇ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᓂᖅ ᑭᒡᒐᖅᑐᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᑎᒍᑦ ᐅᐊᑦᑎᐊᕈᓐᓂᓴᕐᓂᒃ ᐊᑐᖅᑕᐅᒻᒥᔪᖅ ᐊᒃᑐᐊᓂᕆᔭᖓᓂᒃ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐊᕙ ᑎᒧᑦ,ᓄᓇᒧᑦ. ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐃᓅᓯᕆᓚᐅᖅᑕᒥᓂᒃ ᐊᓯᐊᓅᓐᓂᕆᓚᐅᖅᑕᖓ ᐅᓪᓗᒥᐅᔪᒧᑦ ᐃᓅᓯᖃᓕᖅᑐᑎᒃ ᓱᕐᓗ ᓈᒻᒪᓇᕆᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᑕᒪᒃᑯᐊ ᓄᑕᓐᖑᐸᓪᓕᐊᔪᑦ ᐊᔪᕈᓐᓃᑎᑦᑎᒻᒪᑕ ᑎᑎᕋᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᒍᓐᓇᓯᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᐱᖅᑯᓯᖏᑦ ᐃᓕᖅᑯᓯᖏᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᓐᓇᐃᑦ ᐃᖅᑲᐅᒪᔭᖏᑦ ᓱᓕ ᐊᓯᕈᓐᖑᐸᓪᓕᐊᒐᓗᐊᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᒫᓐᓇᐅᔪᖅ. ᐃᓱᒪᒍᓐᓇᖅᐳᒍᑦ ᑕᒪᒃᑯᓂᖓ ᓂᐱᓕᐅᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᓂᒃ ᐃᓐᓇᕐᓂᒃ ᓰᕖᓰᒃᑯᑦ ᐱᒋᐊᓂᕋᑖᖅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ, 1970-ᖏᓐᓂ − ᑕᑯᓐᓇᖑᐊᕐᓗᒍ ᐃᓅᓯᖏᓐᓂ ᐊᑐᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᑖᒃᑯᓄᖓ ᐃᓐᓇᕐᓚᕆᓐᓄᑦ ᑕᐃᒃᓱᒪᓂᐅᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ. ᑖᒃᑯᐊ ᓂᐱᓕᐅᖅᑕᐅᓂᑯᐃᑦ ᐊᒃᓱᒻᒪᕆᐊᓗᒃ ᐊᓐᓂᓇᖅᑐᑦ.

© DAVID F. PELLY (2)

a&b: ᑖᒃᑯᐊᓕᑭᐊᖅ ᖃᓄᐃᑦᑑᓕᕐᓂᖏᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᓯᖏᑦ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᑦ ᐅᐊᑦᑎᐊᕈᓐᓂᓴᐃᑦ ᓂᐱᓕᐅᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᑦ? ᖃᓄᐃᓕᐅᕐᓂᐊᖅᐸᑦ ᑖᒃᑯᓄᖓ ᓄᓇᕗᑦᒥ?

David Pelly with Ruth Annaqtuusi Tulurialik, Baker Lake, 1984 ᑕᐃᕕᑦ ᐱᐊᓕ ᐊᒻᒪ ᕉᑦ ᐊᕐᓇᖅᑑᓯ ᑐᓗᕆᐊᓕᒃ,ᖃᒪᓂᑦᑐᐊᖅ, 1984

for “collecting, archiving and distributing Inuit traditional knowledge from all regions of Nunavut.” Something along those lines is still needed. a&b: For young people today, including young Inuit, education is rooted to a large extent in the new computer technology. So how can the oral history fit into the new learning model?

DFP: This is outside of my expertise, to be sure. But it seems to me that these developments in educational technology just add to the importance of getting all of Nunavut’s existing oral history and traditional knowledge recordings digitized,

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ᑕᐃᕕᑦ: ᐊᐱᕆᔪᖃᕋᔭᕐᒪᑦ ᑖᒃᓱᒥᖓ ᐊᐱᖅᑯᑎᒥᒃ ᓄᓇᕗᑦ ᒐᕙ ᒪᕐᑯᖏᑕ ᐃᓕᖅᑯᓯᓕᕆᔨᒃᑯᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ/ᐅᕝᕙ ᓘᓐᓃᑦ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐱᖁᑎᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᐸᖅᑭᔭᐃᔨᒃᑯᑦ.ᖃᐅᔨᒪᔪᖓ ᑖᒃᑯᐊ ᓄᓇᕗᑦ ᒐᕙ ᒪᒃᑯᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖃᕋᓱᐊᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᑕᒪᑐᒥᖓ ᐱᒻᒪᕆᐅᔪᒥᒃ. ᐆᑦᑑᑎᒋᓗᒍ, ᐅᖃᐅᔾᔭᐅᓯᒪᕗᖓ ᑕᐃᒃᑯᐊᑐᖃᐃᑦ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐃᓕᖅᑯᓯᓕᕆᔨᒃᑯᖏᑦ ᓂᐱᓕᐅᖃᑦᑕᖅᓯᒪᔭᖏᑦ ᐱᑐᖃᐃᑦ, ᑕᒪᕐᒥᒃ ᐊᑦᑕᓇᒻᒪᕆᑦᑐᑦ ᓱᕋᔅᓴᕋᐃᓐᓂᖏᓐᓄᑦ,ᖃᕋᓴᐅᔭᒃᑯᑦ ᐃᓕᔭᐅᓯᒪᓕᖅᑐᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐋᖅᑭᓱᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᑦᑎᐊᖅᑐᑎᒃ ᑎᑎᕋᖅᕕᖁᑎᖏᓐᓄᑦ.ᓇᓗᖏᓚᖓ ᓱᓕ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᔅᓴᖅᑕᖃᒃᑲᓂᖅᑐᖅ. ᕼᐊᓐᓇᓚᖏᓐᓃᑦᑐᑦ ᓂᐱᒃᓴᐃᑦ ᑕᖅᑳᓃᑦᑐᑦ, ᐃᒻᒪᖃᓗ ᐊᑦᑕᓇᓐᖏᓂᖅᓴᐅᔪᓪᓕ, ᖃᕋᓴᐅᔭᒧᑦ ᐃᓕᔭᐅᔭᕆᐊᓖᑦ, ᐱᒋᐊᕐᓗᓂ ᐱᑐᖃᖁᑎᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᓰᕖᓰᒃᑯᑦ ᓂᐱᓕᐅᖃᑦᑕᖅᓯᒪᔭᖏᓐᓂᒃ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐱᖃᓯᐅᑎᓗᒋᑦ ᓄᓇᓕᓐᓂ ᓂᐱᓕᐅᖅᑕᐅᓂᑯᐃᑦ ᓇᒥᑐᐃᓐᓈᖅᑐᑦ ᓄᓇᓕᓐᓂ;ᐊᒥᓱᐊᓘᒻᒪᑕ. ᓇᒻᒥᓂᖁᑎᒋᔭᐅᔪᓪᓕ ᓲᕐᓗ ᐅᕙ ᖓᑎᑐᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᓯᒃᑲ ᑕᐃᒫᔅᓴᐃᓐᓇᕈᔪᒃ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖃᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᕿᓂᖅᑐᑎᒃ ᐃᓂᒃᓴᕆᔭᐅᔪᓐᓇᓂᐊᖅᑐᒥᒃ,ᑕᐃᒫᒃ ᐃᓱᒪᕗᖓ. ᓲᖃᐃᒻᒪ, ᓄᓇᕗᑦᒥ ᐃᑦᑕᕐᓂᓴᐃᑦ ᐱᖁᑎᒋᔭᐅᔪᑦ ᐸᐸᑦᑎᕕᒃ ᐱᑕᖃᑉᐸᒌᖅᑐᖅ ᑖᒃᑯᓂᖓ ᓄᐊᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᓂᒃ, ᑕᐃᒪᓕ ᑎᑎᕋᖅᕕᒻᒥᒃ ᑲᑎᖅᓱᐃᕕᒻᒥᒃ ᐅᓪᓗᒥᒧᑦ (ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓯᕗᓂᒃᑎᓐᓄᑦ) ᐱᓯᒪᑦᑎᕕᐅᓂᐊᖅᑐᒥᒃ ᐱᑕᖃᕆᐊᖃᑉᐳᖅ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐅᑉᐱᕈᓱᑉᐳᖓ ᓄᓇᕗᑦ ᒐᕙ ᒪᒃᑯᑦ ᐃᓄᐊᓃᑦᑐᖅ ᐸᕐᓈᕆᔭᖓᑕ.ᐱᐅᓂᖅᓴᐅᒐᓗᐊᖅ ᒫᓐᓇᒫᒃᑯᑦ. ᐃᓘᓐᓇᑎᓪᓕ ᓄᐊᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᓄᓇᕗᑦ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᖏᑦ ᐅᐊᑦᑎᐊᕈᓐᓂᓴᐃᑦ ᖃᕋᓴᐅᔭᒧᑦ ᐃᓕᔭᐅᓯᒪᔭᕆᐊᓖᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑎᑎᕋᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᑦᑎᐊᕐᓗᑎᒃ ᑎᑎᕋᖅᕕᖓᓂ ᐃᓘᓐᓇᐃᓄᑦ. ᖁᕕᐊᓇᕋᔭᕐᒪᑦ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᓗᓂ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᑦ ᐅᐊᑦᑎᐊᕈᓐᓂᓴᐃᑦ ᑲᑎᖅᓱᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐊᕐᕌᒎᓚᐅᖅᑐᓂ ᐱᒻᒪᕆᐅᔪᓂ, 1970 ᑎᑭᓪᓗᒍ 1999, ᐸᖅᑭᔭᐅᔪᑦ ᓯᕗᓂᒃᑎᓐᓄᑦ − ᓯᕗᓪᓕᐅᔾᔭᐅᓗᓂ ᖃᕋᓴᐅᔭᒧᑦ ᑎᑎᕋᖅᑕᐅᒋᐊᖃᕐᓂᖏᑦ. ᕖᕝᕗᐊᓕ 2000-ᖑᑎᓪᓗᒍ, ᓄᓇᕗᑦᒥ ᐃᓅᓯᓕᕆᔨᒃᑯᑦ ᑲᑎᒪᔨᖏᑦ ᓴᖅᑮᔪᒪᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᓄᓇᕗᑦ ᖃᐅᔨᓴᖅᕕᒃᓴᒥᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐱᓕᕆᔾᔪᑎᓄᑦ ᑐᑦᑕᖅᕕᒻᒥᒃ ᑲᒪᒋᔭᖃᕐᓂᐊᕐᓗᓂ “ᑲᑎᖅᓱᐃᓂᕐᒥᒃ,ᑐᖅᑯᐃᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓯᐊᒻᒪᖅᑎᕆᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᔭᑐᖃᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᑕᑭᑐᐃᓐᓈᓗᒃ ᓄᓇᓕᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᓄᓇᕗᑦ.” ᑕᐃᒪᓐᓇ ᓱᓕ ᐱᑕᖃᕆᐊᖃᑉᐳᖅ.

a&b: ᐅᓪᓗᒥ ᐃᓅᓱᒃᑐᓄᑦ, ᐱᖃᓯᐅᑎᓗᒋᑦ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐃᓅᓱᒃᑐᑦ, ᐃᓕᓐᓂ-

ᐊᕐᓂᖅ ᑐᓐᖓᕕᖃᒻᒪᕆᓕᕐᒪᑦ ᐊᑐᖅᑕᐅᒻᒪᕆᓕᕐᒪᑦ ᖃᕋᓴᐅᔭᓕᕆᓂᕐᒧᑦ. ᑕᐃᒪᓕ ᖃᓄᖅ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᑦ ᐅᐊᑦᑎᐊᕈᓐᓂᓴᐃᑦ ᐃᓕᑦᑎᐊᕈᓐᓇᕋᔭᖅᐸ ᓄᑖᒧᑦ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕐᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐆᑦᑐᕋᐅᑎᐅᓗᓂ?

January/February 2013

Saviarkjuk Usuarjuk, 1997, Ivujivik | ᓴᕕᐊᕐᔪᒃ ᐅᓱᐊᕐᔪᒃ, 1997, ᐃᕗᔨᕕᒃ

archived, and documented in a central database. Once that is done, individual teachers and students across Nunavut, and indeed people everywhere, could be given access directly to the rich Nunavut material. a&b: Is there a high point of your career in oral history collection that you could tell us about?

DFP: That would have to be the publication of Sacred Hunt

by Douglas & McIntyre/Greystone in 2001. The publisher told me at the time that he believed it was the first general trade book in Canada to be based largely on Inuit traditional knowledge, what The Honourable Peter Irniq at the time called “the real stuff.” In assembling that material on the relationship between Inuit and seals, I interviewed people all across Nunavut and Nunavik and even Greenland. It was fascinating work. Because the book is so deeply rooted in Inuit testimony, I believe it provides a cultural insight unlike January/February 2013

ᑕᐃᕕᑦ: ᑕᒪᓐᓇᓕ ᐱᓕᕆᔪᓐᓇᓂᕐᒪᑦ ᓯᒪᑖᓃᑦᑐᖅ. ᑭᓯᐊᓂᓕ ᐃᓱᒪᒋᕙ ᕋ ᑕᒪᒃᑯᐊ ᐱᕙ ᓪᓕᐊᓂᐅᔪᑦ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᖅᑐᓕᕆᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᓄᑖᓐᖑᖅᐸᓪᓕᐊᔪᓄᑦ ᐃᓚᓕᐅᑎᑐᐃᓐᓇᖅᑐᑦ ᐱᒻᒪᕆᐅᓂᖓᓄᑦ ᐅᓪᓗᒥᐅᔪᖅ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᑦ ᐅᐊᑦᑎᐊᕈᓐᓂᓴᐃᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐱᖅᑯᓯᑐᖃᑦᑎᒍᑦ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᓂᕆᔭᐅᔪᓂᒃ ᓂᐱᓕᐅᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᖃᕋᓴᐅᔭᒨᖅᑕᐅᓗᑎᒃ, ᑐᖅᑯᖅᑕᐅᓗᑎᒃ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑎᑎᕋᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᑦᑎᐊᕐᓗᑎᒃ ᑐᑦᑕᖅᕕᐅᓂᐊᖅᑐᒥᒃ ᑎᑎᕋᖅᕕᒃᒥ. ᑕᐃᒪᓐᓇ ᐃᒻᒥᒃᑯᑦ ᐃᓕᓴᐃᔩᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᖅᑏᑦ ᐊᑐᕈᓐᓇᖃᑦᑕᓂᐊᕐᒪᑕ ᑎᑎᕋᖅᓯᒪᔪᓂᒃ ᓄᓇᕗᓕᒫᒥᑦ.

a&b: ᐅᖃᐅᑎᒍᓐᓇᖅᐱᑎᒎ ᐱᓗᐊᓐᖑᐊᖅᓯᒪᔪᒥᒃ ᐱᓕᕆᓂᖃᑦᑎᓪᓗᑎᑦ ᐅᐊᑦᑎᐊᕈᓐᓂᓴᓕᕆᓪᓗᑎᑦ?

ᑕᐃᕕᑦ: ᑕᐃᓐᓇᐅᒐᔭᖅᑐᖅ ᐅᖃᓕᒫᒐᓕᐊᕆᓯᒪᔭᕋ ᐊᑎᓕᒃ Sacred Hunt ᑖᒃᑯᓇᓐᖓᑦ Douglas & McIntyre/Greystone 2001-ᒥ. ᐅᖃᓕᒫᒐᓕᐅᖅᑏᑦ ᐅᕙ ᓐᓄᑦ ᐅᖃᓚᐅᖅᑐᑦ ᑕᐃᒃᓱᒪᓂ ᐅᑉᐱᕈᓱᓐᓂᕋᖅᑐᓂ ᓯᕗᓪᓕᖅᐸᖑᒋᐊᖓᓂᒃ ᐅᖃᓕᒫᒐᖅ ᑲᓇᑕᒥ ᑐᓐᖓᕕᖃᓗᐊᓐᖑᐊᖅᑐᖅ ᑕᒪᕐᒥᒃ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐱᖅᑯᓯᑐᖃᖏᑕ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᓂᖓᓂᒃ, ᑖᒃᓱᒪ ᐱᒃᑯᓇᖅᑑᑉ ᐲᑕ ᐃᕐᓂᖅ ᑕᐃᓚᐅᖅᑕᖓ “ᐱᓪᓚᑦᑖᑦ.” ᑲᑎᖅᓱᖅᑐᒋᑦ ᑖᒃᑯᐊ ᑎᑎᕋᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐊᒃᑐᐊᓂᕆᔭᖓᓂᒃ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓇᑦᑏᑦ, ᐊᐱᖅᓱᖃᑦᑕᓚᐅᖅᑐᖓ ᐃᓐᓄᓐᓂᒃ

above & beyond

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Macki Kaosoni, David Pelly and Frank Analok, at Iqaluktuuq, 2000 | ᒪᑭ ᑲᐅᓱᓐᓂ,ᑕᐃᕕᑦ ᐱᐊᓕ ᐊᒻᒪ ᕗᕌᓐᒃ ᐊᓇᓗᒃ,ᐃᖃᓗᑦᑑᒥᑦ, 2000

most popular ethnographic works before it, as well as publicly celebrating Inuit traditional knowledge in an unprecedented manner. I wish all the European parliamentarians who voted for the EU’s ban on seal imports could read it, in order to better understand the relationship they are tampering with. a&b: What’s next?

DFP: I’m at work right now on a new book, the history of Ukkusiksalik (Wager Bay), which will be based primarily on the vast amount of oral history material collected from two dozen elders whose families once lived in that area. Most of that recording was done in the 1990s and a number of those elders have since passed away, but I expect the families will be very happy to see their relatives’ stories published. I’m hoping the book will appear in 2014. a&b: Could you talk about the power of oral history?

DFP: The powerful nature of oral history never ceases to amaze me. People sometimes question the accuracy of accounts from generations past. I never do. Many of the

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© DAVID F. PELLY

ᓇᑭᑐᐃᓐᓈᓗᒃ ᓄᓇᕗᑦᒥ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓄᓇᕕᒃᒥᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᓪᓛᑦ ᐊᑯᑭᑦᑐᒥᐅᓂᒃ. ᖁᕕᐊᓇᓪᓚᕆᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᕐᕆᓪᓗᒍ. ᑖᓐᓇ ᐅᖃᓕᒫᒐᖅ ᑐᓐᖓᕕᖃᓗᐊᕐᓂᖓᓄᑦ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᖏᓐᓂᒃ, ᐅᑉᐱᕈᓱᒃᑐᖓ ᐱᑕᖃᑦᑐᖅ ᐃᓕᖅᑯᓯᐅᑉ ᐱᒻᒪᕆᐅᓂᖓᓂᒃ ᓴᖅᑭᑕᐅᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᖏᑦᑐᓂᒃ ᓯᕗᓂᐊᒍᑦ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗᒃᑕᐅᖅ ᓴᖅᑭᔮᖅᑐᒃᑯᑦ ᖁᕕᐊᓲᑎᖃᕐᓂᖅ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐱᖅᑯᓯᑐᖃᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᔭᐅᒐᔪᓐᖏᑦᑐᓂᒃ. ᑕᕆᐅᑉ ᐊᑭᐊᓃᑦᑐᑦ ᑕᐃᒪᑐᖅ ᒐᕙ ᒪᓕᕆᔨᖏᑦ ᓂᕈᐊᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᓄᖅᑲᑎᑦᑎᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᓇᑦᑎᕋᔭᓂᒃ ᓂᐅᕐᕈᑎᖃᕐᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐅᖃᓕᒫᓕᕐᓕᑦ, ᑐᑭᓯᑦᑎᐊᓂᖅᓴᐅᓂᐊᕐᒪᑕ ᐊᒃᑐᐊᓂᕆᔭᖓᓂᒃ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᓇᑦᑎᓄᑦ ᓱᕋᑦᑕᐅᓇᓱᐊᖅᑐᖅ ᑕᐃᒃᑯᓇᓐᖓᑦ.

a&b: ᑭᓱᓕᕆᓂᐊᓕᕆᕕᓪᓕ?

ᑕᐃᕕᑦ: ᒫᓐᓇᐅᔪᖅ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖃᑦᑐᖓ ᓄᑖᒥᒃ ᐅᖃᓕᒫᒐᕐᒥᒃ, ᐅᒃᑯᓯᒃᓴᓕᒃ ᖃᓄᐃᓐᓂᕆᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᔭᖓ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᖅ (ᐅᒃᑯᓯᒃᓴᓕᒃ), ᑐᓐᖓᕕᖃᓗᐊᕐᓂᐊᖅᑐᖅ ᓄᐊᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᑦᑕᐅᖅ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᑦ 12-ᖑᓗᐊᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᐃᓐᓇᕐᓂᒃ ᐃᓚᒌᑦ ᓄᓇᖃᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᑕᒫᓂ ᐅᒃᑯᓯᒃᓴᓕᒻᒥ. 1990−ᖑᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᓂᐱᓕᐅᖅᑕᐅᖃᑦᑕᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᒥᓱᑦ ᐃᓐᓇᓪᓚᕇᑦ ᐃᓅᒍᓐᓃᖅᓯᒪᓕᖅᑐᑦ, ᑭᓯᐊᓂᓕ ᓂᕆᐅᑉᐳᖓ ᐃᓚᖏᑦ ᖁᕕᐊᓱᓐᓂᐊᕐᒥᔪᑦ ᑕᑯᔭᕆᐊᔅᓴᖅ ᐃᓚᖏᑕ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᐅᖃᓕᒫᒐᓐᖑᖅᑎᑕᐅᑉᐸᑕ.ᐃᓱᒪᒐᓗᐊᖅᐳᖓ ᐅᖃᓕᒫᒐᖅ ᓴᖅᑭᕈᓐᓇᓂᐊᖅᑐᖅ 2014-ᖑᓕᖅᑲᑦ.

January/February 2013

stories that were recorded in the 1970s and ’80s came from elders who had learned those stories from their grandparents early in the 20th century. At that time, they were living in camps on the land, where long hours were passed engaged in story-telling. Grandparents repeated over and over again the old stories they had learned as children. I often had an elder tell me with confidence that the story he or she had related was true, citing their own elders in turn as the source. So if we accept the validity of just that single transition, we know right away that we have accurate stories dating back to perhaps the mid-19th century. I’m equally certain that the same theory extends back over several more generations. Why wouldn’t it? The oral history served as a cultural repository.

Perhaps even without knowing it, that’s why people told and retold the old stories.

One time, as Tuinnaq Kanayuk Bruce finished up a long oral account of events near Ukkusiksalik, the telling of which took several hours, she leaned over the recorder, looked me straight in the eyes, and said softly but emphatically: “This is true. I have told you in the same words that my grandmother used.” I believe her: in the same words. That is how stories from the land have been transmitted through the generations for centuries.

January/February 2013

a&b: ᐅᖃᐅᓯᖃᕈᓐᓇᖅᐲᑦ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᐅᓰᑦ ᐅᐊᑦᑎᐊᕈᓐᓂᓴᐃᑦ ᓴᓐᖏᔫ-

ᓂᖏᓐᓂᒃ?

ᑕᐃᕕᑦ: ᓴᓐᖏᔫᓂᖓ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᑦ ᐅᐊᑦᑎᐊᕈᓐᓂᓴᐃᑦ ᑕᐸᐃᕈᑎᒌᓐᓇᐅᔭᖅᐸᒃᑲ. ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐃᓛᓐᓂᒃᑯᑦ ᐊᐱᖅᓱᓱᖑᒻᒪᑕ ᓱᓕᑦᑎᐊᕐᓂᖓᓂᒃ ᐊᑐᖅᑕᐅᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᖃᓄᐃᒍᑎᒥᓃᑦ ᓯᕗᓪᓕᐅᓚᐅᖅᑐᓄᑦ. ᐊᐱᖅᓱᖃᑦᑕᖏᓐᓇᒪᓕ. ᐊᒥᓱᑦ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᑦ ᓂᐱᓕᐅᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᑦ 1970-ᖏᓐᓂ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ 80−ᖏᓐᓂ ᐃᓐᓇᓪᓚᕆᓐᓃᖔᖓᔪᑦ ᑕᒪᒃᑯᓂᖓ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᓂᒃ ᐃᓕᓚᐅᖅᑐᑦ ᓂᖏᐅᒃᑯᒥᓂᑦ ᐃᑦᑐᒃᑯᒥᓂᑦ ᓯᕗᓂᐊᓗᐊᒍᑦ. ᑕᐃᒃᓱᒪᓂ, ᓄᓇᖃᖃᑦᑕᓚᐅᖅᑐᑦ ᓄᓇᓕᕋᓛᓂ ᓄᓇᒥ, ᐊᒥᓱᓂᒃ ᐃᑲᕐᕋᓂ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᖃᑦᑕᓚᐅᖅᑐᑦ. ᐃᑦᑐᕆᔭᐅᔪᑦ/ᓂᖏᐅᕆᔭᐅᔪᑦ ᐅᓂᒃᑲᐅᓯᖃᐃᓐᓇᖃᑦᑕᓚᐅᖅᑐᑦ ᑖᒃᑯᓂᖓᑦᓴᐃᓐᓇᖅ ᑐᓴᖅᓯᒪᔭᒥᓂᒃ ᓱᕈᓯᐅᓪᓗᑎᒃ. ᐅᖃᐅᔾᔭᐅᒐᔪᓚᐅᖅᑐᖓ ᐃᓐᓇᕐᒧᑦ ᓇᓗᖅᑯᑎᓐᖏᑦᑐᓂ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᖓ ᓱᓕᔫᔭᕆᐊᖓᓂᒃ, ᐃᓐᓇᕆᓚᐅᖅᑕᖓᑕ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᖓᓂᒃ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᖅᑐᓂ. ᑕᐃᒪᓕ ᓱᓕᓂᕆᔭᖓ ᓱᓕᔪᕆᒍᑦᑎᒍ ᑕᐃᒃᑯᐊ ᐱᑕᖃᕈᓐᓃᕋᓗᐊᖅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ, ᖃᐅᔨᒪᕗᒍᑦ ᑕᕝᕙ ᑲᐅᑎᒋᑦ ᓱᓕᔪᓂᒃ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᖃᑦᑐᒍᑦ ᐅᐊᑦᑎᐊᕈᓐᓂᓵᓗᓐᓂᒃ ᐃᒻᒪᖃ ᑭᑎᖏᓐᓂ 1900. ᓇᓗᓐᖏᑦᑐᖓᓗ ᓯᕗᓂᐊᓗᐊᒍᑦᑕᐅᖅ ᐱᔭᐅᖃᑦᑕᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ. ᖃᓄᐃᒻᒪᑦ ᐱᔭᐅᒐᔭᓐᖏᓚᑦ?ᐅᓂᒃᑳᑦ ᐅᐊᑦᑎᐊᕈᓐᓂᓴᐃᑦ ᐊᑐᖅᑕᐅᖃᑦᑕᖅᑐᑦ ᐃᓕᖅᑯᓯᕐᒧᑦ ᑐᖅᑯᐃᕕᐅᓪᓗᓂ. ᐃᒻᒪᖃ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᖏᑦᑐᑕᓘᓐᓃᑦ, ᑕᐃᒪᓐᓇ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᓲᖑᕗᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᕆᔭᐅᑦᑕᐃᓐᓇᓕᖅᑐᑎᒃ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᑐᖃᐃᑦ. ᑕᐃᒪᑦᑕᐅᖅ, ᑐᓐᓇᖅ ᑲᓇᔪᖅ ᐳᕉᔅ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᐊᑯᓂᕈᓗᒃ ᖃᓄᐃᒍᓯᒥᓂᐅᔪᓂᒃ ᖃᓂᒋᔭᖓᓂ ᐅᒃᑯᓯᒃᓴᓕᐅᑉ,ᐅᖃᐅᓯᕆᔭᖓ ᐊᑯᓂᕈᓗᒃ ᐃᑲᕐᕋᓄᑦ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᑦᑐᓂ, ᓂᐱᓕᐅᕈᑎᐅᑉ ᐅᖓᑖᓄᑦ ᐅᑯᔫᒥᓪᓗᓕᓂ, ᐃᔩᒃᑲ ᑕᑯᓐᓇᑎᐊᖅᑐᓂᒋᒃ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐅᖃᑦᑎᐊᖅᑐᓂ: “ᓱᓕᔪᑦ. ᐅᖃᐅᑎᕙ ᒋᑦ ᐊᓈᓇᑦᑎᐊᒪ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᕆᓚᐅᖅ-ᑕᖏᓐᓂᒃ.” ᐅᑉᐱᕆᓚᐅᖅᑕᕋ: ᐅᖃᐅᓯᕆᓚᐅᖅᑕᖏᑦ. ᑕᐃᒪᓐᓇ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᑦ ᓄᓇᒦᓐᖔᖅᑐᑦ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᐅᖃᑦᑕᖅᓯᒪᕗᑦ ᓯᕗᓕᖅᑎᓐᓂᑦ ᑭᖑᕚᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᑕᐃᒪᓐᖓᓂᑐᖄᓗᒃ.

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INUKSUIT OF THE SKY

© BOEING IMAGE

The TDRS J series Tracking and Data Relay Satellite built by Boeing for use by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

BRINGING ARCTIC COMMUNITIES TOGETHER oung people have grown up in a world where every weather forecast includes a picture from space, where satellites guide drivers through urban mazes, where very nearly, every one of us can check out our neighbourhood on Google Earth. These same young people could rightly wonder how we managed to run the planet without these orbiting helpmates, and nowhere is that sense of wonder better directed than Canada’s Arctic. One might say that the recent history of this region has been completely rewritten by high flying telecommunications nodes. And while the course of environmental or political events has surrounded the future of the North with many questions, there is little doubt that this technology will continue to play a prominent role.

Y January/February 2013

by Tim Lougheed

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Left: Artist’s concept of the Anik A1 Satellite, launched on November 9, 1972.

Seeking a bottom line in orbit Four decades after Anik began providing telecommunications services, the practical advantages of satellite communications technology are abundantly clear. In Canada’s North, however, those advantages have not grown up in the same commercial setting as other parts of the country and the industry is struggling to keep pace.

With just over 100,000 people scattered across an area the size of India or Western Europe, the vast, highly remote and logistically difficult region has yet to build a self-sustaining market. Subsidies are the norm and, to date, a single company — the Bell Canada Enterprises subsidiary Northwestel — has emerged the only choice for most business and residential customers.

That situation began to change in 2012, as the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) took more than a somewhat dim

Last year [November 9, 2012] marked the 40th anniversary of the launch of Anik A, which made Canada the first country to employ a geosynchronous satellite whose orbit, some 36,000 km overhead, placed it over the same part of the earth at all times. Suddenly, the Arctic population was no longer limited by the uncertainties of broadcast signals bouncing in the atmosphere, regularly disrupted by the aurora borealis. Instead, large amounts of information could now be exchanged digitally via this orbiting way station.

Much of the initial information stream that aired in 1972 amounted to the sharing of news as simple as that seen and heard on television or radio stations in southern Canada. Yet it was more than enough to begin nurturing a commonality and sense of community among small settlements scattered thousands of kilometres apart, which had previously shared little.

“There was a recognition that radio, and more particularly television, was not simply a luxury,” explains Whitney Lackenbauer, an historian at St. Jerome’s University in London, Ontario. “This was the way the world was going.”

He has spent much of his career considering Canada’s identity as a Northern country, and in a keynote speech to a joint conference in Ottawa last fall [September 24, 2012], he examined the important role satellites have played in shaping that identity. Although the event was largely a gathering of engineers discussing the technical intricacies of satellite technology, it included an opening colloquium,“Meeting the Communications Requirements of a Changing Arctic”.

Lackenbauer set the stage for this topic, tracing the evolution of communications in this part of Canada, and the especially profound impact that satellites have had.

“Aboriginal politics is underpinned by traditional values, but the broadening of aboriginal political networks beyond individual communities — even beyond regions — is facilitated by telecommunication broadband systems,” he noted. “And to have decentralized governance and administration, you need to have reliable communications.”

Such communications are a late addition to Arctic life, which was defined by distance and isolation until well into the 20th century, when radio brought almost any place within reach. Prior to that point, there was nothing to bind the many groups of Inuit that could spend all their time traversing this vast territory without having anything to do with one another. Indeed, one of the few cultural features they all would have recognized was the use of Inuksuit to mark the land.

view of the current levels of infrastructure and systems providing internet, telephony, and wireless communications services to northerners spread across the North from the Yukon and the Northwest Territories in the west all the way to the eastern most reaches of Nunavut. The CRTC made itself clear in its statement taking the industry to task, “for failing to maintain its northern network to the same standards as systems in southern © COMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH CENTRE (2)

Canada, so that an unrealistically expensive “digital divide” now splits these parts of the country.”

By the end of the year, the CRTC had scheduled further hearings for June 2013. These will review improvements proposed by Northwestel, along with other initiatives to enhance the availability and affordability of telecommunications in the North.

“Canadians expect to have a choice of high-quality telecommunications services, regardless of where they

Microwave repeater station in the far North,1979. Location unidentified.

live,” said Jean-Pierre Blais, the regulatory body’s chairman.

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arcticjournal.ca

January/February 2013

© DAVID BARLOW

TACSATCOM atmospheric fading trials,1974.

© COURTESY ITK / ISABELLE DUBOIS

L-R: Nunavimmiut, Allison May, Nellie Cain Snowball and Maggie Angnatuk enjoy using new technology to check out online publications and resources.

Lackenbauer recounted how the introduction of radio in the 1930s began to add more depth to this cultural landscape, if only for the purposes of saving lives during medical emergencies or allowing prospectors to seek mineral wealth. As the Cold War ramped up in the 1950s, radio became the backbone of the elaborate Distant Early Warning (DEW) radar network that brought unprecedented numbers of people into all corners of the North.

“In many respects the DEW line was the point of transition in the Canadian Arctic in terms of social, political, economic organization,” he says, comparing the effect to that of the railroad in the south, so that wage employment provided by this undertaking created an incentive for individuals to abandon their nomadic lifestyle, live in houses, and take advantage of local services.

“And like a railroad, once a track is laid it’s really difficult to undo,” he adds. “By the end of the 1960s, nearly every Inuit group had moved into settlements. With settlement did come important changes, such as the emergence of community councils. Northern residents began to reassert local political control.”

Anik (Inuktitut for “little brother”) accelerated this progress in the 1970s. Soon it was practical to draw on the resources of larger centres to the south for services such as telemedicine and distance education.

January/February 2013

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© JANICE LANG, DRDC/DND

Such services were standard by the 1990s, by which time the established capabilities of satellite communications positioned the region to cope with fresh challenges as they have arisen. Today, even as the looming threat posed by the Soviet Union fades from memory, it has been replaced by an even more ominous threat in the form of fundamental changes to climate.

According to Peter Harrison, Director of Queen’s University’s School of Policy Studies, the current threat is already hitting much closer to home for Canada than the Cold War ever did.

“Unlike most nations of the world, the challenges and opportunities of the Arctic are very much a domestic issue,” he told the same colloquium where Lackenbauer was speaking. As the extent of ice covering the Northern ocean shrinks summer after summer, what had been an inaccessible wilderness is on the way to become a strategic body of water that has captured the attention of many different countries.

It may be no coincidence that the end of the Soviet Union in 1991 also marked the creation of the Arctic Council, which Harrison regards as a highly successful model of cooperation amongst the eight sovereign states that border this ocean. He pointed to the prominent participation of Inuit as an outstanding aspect of the council’s success.

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arcticjournal.ca

© COMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH CENTRE

Satellite dish and antennas at Resolute Bay, Nunavut. 2010 (TBC)

Cable TV Operator and Manager John Emmans at Geraldton, Ontario, with an Anik B pilot project satellite receiving antenna.

January/February 2013

© PETER HARRISON

Along the coast of the Northwest Passage summer 2009.

“This is the only multinational organization in the world where indigenous people in the area have representation,” said Harrison.

Such representation, as well as the very concept of the Arctic Council, would be unimaginable without satellites. And as ever greater numbers of cruise ships and freighters plying channels belonging to Canada, even more will be demanded of this technology for this country to respond to any sort of accidents or unauthorized incursions.

For this reason, Harrison urged the Canadian government to press on with the development of the RADARSAT Constellation, a network of three satellites that should provide uninterrupted coverage of the North with sophisticated monitoring systems that can track the movement of vessels and ice, along with human hazards like oil spills or natural disasters like floods and forest fires. Planning for this network began in 2005, but the expected launch of the satellites was recently postponed to 2016 or 2017.

In the meantime, concluded Lackenbauer, the need for such surveillance continues to evolve with Canada’s growing responsibility for the region. He insisted that as Canada continues to define the parameters of its sovereignty in the North,

Canada’s Leading Retailer of Inuit Arts & Crafts

what is needed goes far beyond simply providing military muscle to repel outsiders. It includes overseeing how resources are found and extracted, so that the local population benefits directly And, just as traditional Inuksuk served as key instruments of communication and survival in a harsh land, their orbiting successors should do just as much to secure the fate of Canada in an increasingly complex Arctic.

“Sovereignty isn’t boundary lines on a map,” he said. “It’s everything that goes on inside those boundaries. Northern peoples provide that for us, and they say sovereignty begins at home.”

Tim Lougheed

“Grazing Caribou”

by Esa Kripanik, Igloolik, Nunavut

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Arctic Journeys, Ancient Memories: SCULPTURE BY

ABRAHAM ANGHIK RUBEN AT THE SMITHSONIAN

by Rocco Pannese

© KIPLING GALLERY

Abraham working at his studio on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia. The unfinished sculpture is titled, Thor’s Story.

Media: Brazilian soapstone, Size: 100.0 x 77.6 x 51.0 cm.

Photo: Lou Ruffolo

January/February 2013

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ARCTIC JOURNEYS, ANCIENT MEMORIES: Sculpture by Abraham Anghik Ruben was presented at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian from October 5, 2012 to January 2, 2013. Notably, Abraham Anghik Ruben is the first contemporary Inuit sculptor to be given a one-man show at this institution.

The exhibition was curated

by Bernadette Driscoll Engelstad and contributed a scholarly essay for the exhibition catalogue. The exhibition featured 23 large sculptures that have never been seen outside Canada.

The sculptures are created in soapstone, ivory and whalebone.

Shaman’s Dream 2011 Bronze 1/9 78.5 x 36.5 x 51cm Private Collection, Toronto

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The Artist orn into a nomadic Inuvialuit family, Ruben’s early years were spent among the many small camps that were scattered along the coast, where game and trapping was plentiful. These encampments consisted of ten or so families subsisting on hunting for caribou, moose, muskox, game birds and waterfowl.

His father William Ruben, whose Inuinnaqtun name was Esoktak, was a great hunter and trapper, able to supplement his family income in order to buy goods at the Paulatuk [formerly Letty Harbour] trading post in the Northwest Territories run by the Roman Catholic Missions in the 1930s. To the east at Cape Parry, another outpost was managed by the Hudson Bay Company.

Ruben’s mother, Bertha Thrasher, gave birth to sixteen children, of which fifteen (nine boys and six girls) survived — a remarkable 94 per cent survival rate for that time in so remote a place. She raised the children in the Christian faith, but also passed on to them Inuit beliefs and traditions. Both of Ruben’s parents were instrumental in ensuring these beliefs were integral to their children’s upbringing, for they felt that since Inuit’s beliefs are based on how humans and nature interact with each other in order to survive the nomadic way of life, it was very important to keep them alive and forever present.

Ruben’s parents were responsible for his education. He was taught Inuit myths and legends, the land and its subtle rhythms and its animal life. At the age of 12, a boy was traditionally initiated into the skills needed for hunting and trapping, while young girls assumed training from their mother and aunts. Even children’s games were designed to develop their capabilities, strength and powers of observation to function adequately in their environment.

All life skills in an Inuit camp were learned by watching and mimicking the activities of the elders and older siblings, thus honing what neuroscientists describe as mirror neurons, which current research in the field purports to demonstrate to be the starting block for all thinking processes in the human mind: something that may shed some light on how a nomadic community, in less than one generation, could produce a staggering number of accomplished sculptors.

Ruben’s memories of these early years left an indelible mark in his psyche and are eloquently expressed in this insightful recollection.

B

Into the New World 2011 Oregon Soapstone, Brazilian Soapstone 50 x 102 x 30.5 cm Collection of PowerOne Capital Markets Ltd.

© KIPLING GALLERY (4)

My earliest memory as a child was the day I became fully conscious of being alive. It happened on the beginning of my second spring. I had walked away from our tent and had gone to a nearby pond fed by a small spring. I had crouched down on my knees and looked into the pond. As I stared into the pond, the whole area within my sight of vision seemed to become crystal clear and bright with light and colour. The sound of spring birds also came into focus. It seemed that a heavy shroud of fog had been lifted from me.

I became at that point aware of being alive. This memory was to be forever etched into my conscious being. Throughout my childhood I had similar experiences and always the most vivid of dreams, dreams of being in other worldly places and meeting people and being in the dream world.

Abraham putting the final touches to Beckoning the Skies, downstairs at the Kipling Gallery. Media: Brazilian soapstone, Size: 82.0 x 74.0 x 23.0 cm. Photo: Lou Ruffolo

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National Resources in 1953, to replace the former Ministry of Resources and Development (1950-53), in its benevolent intention to provide an education to all Canadian citizens, [read: civilizing primitive native Canadians] removed Ruben and his younger brother to a residential school from 1959 to 1970.

They were not very pleasant years and left indelible emotional and cultural scars.

They may have been institutions of learning, but the backing of an educational system based on the principle of “spare the rod and spoil the child” was not too congenial for these Inuit youngsters who had been raised within a culture that believed children were reincarnated elders, be it as the father, the mother, or loved ones; therefore to be treated with love and reverence — a concept incomprehensible and generally alien to the colonizers at that time.

Upon leaving, or rather, upon running away from the residential school, the North Star directed his way a little further westward to Fairbanks, to the University of Alaska.

© KIPLING GALLERY (4)

I had the good fortune to be at the right place at the right time... In November 1970, I went for a tour to the University of Alaska. As I wandered off to the fine arts building and to the art studios, I looked through a small studio window where I could see the students working at their various workstations. I knew at that moment that this was where I wanted to be.

His Work

The powerful and suggestive forces of nature, particularly as they are expressed by that unique and incomparable Arctic landscape, mingled with that human expression ethnographers and anthropologists have described as animism, or the infusion of spiritual elements in all things in nature.

Surely they were enthralling and everlastingly engraved in this youngster’s mind.

The emotions evoked by natural events, coupled with the oral tradition of Inuit culture, a culture emerged from their dependence on the animal life and the shaman as guardian for the well-being of the vulnerable community, were surely as equally vivid and powerful as those evoked by the legends of the early Christian martyrs to a Mediaeval child.

These emotions came alive, as in a shamanic vision, when Ruben discovered, during his stay at the University of Alaska, his Alaskan ancestral roots. His great-grandparents had been keepers of the ancient shamanic tradition, and his grandparents, Akapark and Kagun were renowned Alaskan shamans.

My mother was given initiations at an early age and this continued throughout her life. She was able to integrate the best of her shamanic upbringing with the best that Christianity had to offer to her life and circumstances. My father became to me the essence of what is known in the West as ‘the salt of the earth’.

He had an innate understanding of all life within and without. People sought his advice and company. My parents’ influences still have a potent impact on my life, both on my personal and artistic level. They have been the pathway to my past and the light to my future.

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But carving and printmaking at Paulatuk had not been very strong activity in the 1950s. The Distant Early Warning Line project (DEW LINE), intended to dissuade Russian intentions of attacking the NorthAmerican Continent, brought to the Western Inuit ommunities a marginal income, which, as in the past, upplemented their traditional way of life.

Art icon James Houston’s project of teaching printmaking to the Inuit and embellishing their carvings for possible southern market, did not find as receptive a ommunity in Paulatuk as it did elsewhere. Neverheless, though carving was barely a marginal activity p call was to become a professional artist. He had tried his hand in making small tourist carvings for cash since he was on his own and had to make a living, but the allure of the studios and the work produced by the students captured his ancestral imagination. After inquiring into who was responsible for the department, he was informed that Ronald Senungetuk was the artist in charge.

He found Senungetuk in his office, introduced himself and expressed his interest in what he viewed happening in the studio. Ruben was informed that all the students were from Alaska and had received previous training in their respective fields. This previous training was a must before becoming one of his students.

They came to an agreement that resulted in Ruben’s permission to attend studio sessions. Ruben’s formal training began in the summer months of June and July of 1971, and again from August 1974 to July 1975. His primary interest and training was in design and the use of tools, the integration of old and new materials and techniques and styles.

Under the tutelage of his teacher he developed as an individual, and his life became meaningful, both in his artistic endeavours and personal relevance. Senungetuk had a tremendous and lasting influence on his artistic and personal life. “He took a gamble on me as a lost 19 year old looking for himself,” remarks Ruben. The pupil did not repay his teacher poorly for his efforts: as he did not remain a pupil only. They became friends and today they continue to share their respect for one another.

In the spring of 1977, at the age of 25, six years after he had stepped into Senungetuk’s office, Ruben was given a solo show at Pollock Gallery in Toronto. Both in presence and versatility he captivated Jack Pollock’s and Eva Quan’s interest with carvings that in Ruben’s hands had become sculptures.

There was something unusual and refreshing in Ruben’s work: its unmistakeable cultural elements, the presence of an historical past and the sheer scale of his work. For January/February 2013

Opposite page:

Thor 900 AD 2009 Bronze 1/9 81 x 58.5 x 46 cm Collection of Nick and Elaine Tsimidis

Odin’s Story 2009 Brazilian Soapstone 76.5 x 53 x 45 cm Collection of Mark Beggs

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I have always been keen to understand the people who inhabit the far flung northern reaches of the world, their ancient cultures, artistic traditions, hunting technology and migration. Prior to creating a new work, I find it necessary in some instances to do due diligence on the theme or character that I’m trying to portray or tell a story about. This is true of the Old Norse and earlier Germanic myths and legends. I find the required background material from books, lecture materials and often from Internet sources that lead me to books and written studies on my subject of interest. This information gives me historical timelines, artistic and cultural material information relevant to my research.

Then I can commence on the best course of action and direction that the new work can take me. I have no particular preference on the type of material to work with. Each material has its uses and its innate qualities nd drawbacks. I am always keeping at the back of my mind the potential or making bronze castings of the images that I am working on.

© KIPLING GALLERY (2)

Ruben has been commissioned to execute large-scale stone murals, bronze castings and limestone and plaster works for public installations.

The stone murals installed in Vancouver, British Columbia, were made with outh African wonderstone, Portuguese marble and Mexican onyx. An mpressive [16 by 14 foot] limestone sculpture commissioned by Glaxo/ mith/Kline Pharmaceuticals, in Mississauga, Ontario, was created from 2 tons of Indiana limestone. He has also cast outdoor bronze sculptures that integrate with the environment in which they are installed.

Seeing Ruben in action chipping away at an inert, rigid block of stone, regardless of its size and configuration, or carving the legends of his people on a massive whale bone spanning over five or six feet, and then thinking of this little boy at the fringes of our globe caught in the immense expanse of ice and an infinite sky, leaves me in awe and makes me contemplate the mystery of art.

Celtic Monk: Keeper of Light 2007, Bronze 1/9, 88 x 39 x 30 cm, Collection of Larry Kubal

the next five years, these two curators introduced his work to private, corporate and public collections.

Fully bilingual and intrigued by that adamant and persevering Inuit curiosity, like the hunter in pursuit of his prey, Ruben’s sculptures began to incorporate his unique artistic style that interpreted the historical past he absorbed from his research and related readings.

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I feel that I have found a place for myself within the arts community because I have come to a time and place in my own life where I am comfortable with who I am and how I do what I do. I see the full impact and potential in the things that I do leave no borders in what I feel I can do as an artist.

Kipling Gallery is the exclusive world representative of Ruben’s work and negotiated with the collectors who so generously agreed to lend the sculptures that were included in the Smithsonian’s exhibition. Rocco Pannese is the Director/Curator of Kipling Gallery.

January/February 2013

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ENTERPRISE NORTH

© BAFFINLAND IRON MINES 2012

Baffinland Exploration Camp Mary River. Deposit 1 in the background.

Photographer: Marc Pike.

Baffinland Mary River Mine Receives Green Light Good economic news for the Qikiqtani or a region chronically short on job opportunities, the news that Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada has given the go-ahead to the Baffinland Iron Mines Corporation plan to develop its rich iron-ore Mary River site (south of Pond Inlet) was welcomed by many in the region.

Though there are still several formal processes and licensing agreements that Baffinland will need to complete including one with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, one with the Nunavut Water Board and the Inuit Impacts and Benefits Agreement with the Qikiqtani Inuit Association, the overall reaction by those living in the area is very positive, the general feeling being that the mine points to a much brighter economic future.

Federal approval for the estimated $4 Billion project to go ahead was given based on the recommendation of the Nunavut Impact Review Board. Still in the very early stages of development, there is a great deal of supporting infrastructure development that will need to occur before the company will be able to move the iron ore from the Mary River open-pit mine to smelters offshore.

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Third Annual Kivalliq Trade Show Guiding mining and exploration in Rankin rganizers of the third annual Kivalliq Trade Show held in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, November 19 to 22, are commended for providing delegates with an interesting mix of seminars, tradeshow and entertainment despite the blizzard conditions which delayed the Trade Show by a day.Nonetheless,the show went ahead as planned and, in celebrating small business in Rankin,talks included tourism successes in the area, visions for the mining sectors, and highlights of the Carvingstone Project.

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© DOUG MCLARTY

Tourism

© DORIS OHLMANN

Associate Deputy Minister Pauloosie Suvega welcomes Trade Show delegates to the evening’s activities, which included a silent auction, dinner and entertainment by Esther Powell and the Rough Cuts band.

Just west of Rankin, the hamlet of Arviat of 2,500 people has made great inroads in providing cultural experiences for tourists to this northern destination.The Trade Show was an opportunity to recognize Arviat’s success with the announcement that it won third place at The National Tourism Awards for their cultural program. Quite an achievement for a small locale that has only been offering the program for the last three years.

Explore Magazine has also designated the G Adventure trip to Arviat in the summer of 2012 as one of the top new adventure products in Canada.With more cruise ships expected to

take in the cultural experiences in Arviat in the summer of 2013, more travelers will be able to experience this award-winning destination.

Mining Andrew Berry, COO, from Kivalliq Energy Corp., spoke about advancing a uranium resource in the Kivalliq Region. He told delegates that the Angilak property is partnering with Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. to develop the Lac Cinquante Uranium Deposit.This is Canada’s highest-grade uranium deposit outside the Athabasca Basin.

Kivalliq Energy Corp. is the first company with the rights to explore uranium on privately held Inuit owned land in Nunavut. Rankin is used as their transportation hub and many of the workers to Angilak come from Arviat. Fifty million dollars has been spent on exploration so far and the future is expected to hold a high rate of discovery and resource expansion.

The Kiggavik Project is continuing exploration until 2017. Many of the services utilized in the exploration are supplied by local Inuit owned suppliers, such as catering, core boxes, jet fuel, helicopters, expediting, groceries, construction and environmental services.

Once the mine is built, everything else to develop the mine will need to be built as well, which will involve more than 60 million litres of fuel and 80,000 tonnes of goods to be transported each year. It is predicted that $1 million dollars from the development of this mine would go to local contractors.

With three open pits, The Meadowbank properties move 90,000 tonnes per day and 63 per cent of their employees are Inuit.Meadowbank’s two main objectives are to stabilize gold production and develop synergy between departments and employees.In the near future, they hope to install GPS in their trucks, focus on the Vault project and extend the airstrip so they can use Boeing 737s.Speaker Dominique Girard said, “If there is gold at Meadowbank, we will find it!”

At the Meliadine Mine 30 per cent of the manpower on site in 2012 was Inuit, with the majority of them living in Rankin. Meliadine’s future prospects include completing the road

by April 2013, finishing the feasibility study at the end of 2013 with their sights on targeting production by 2017.

The Sakku First Aviation booth was exceptionally popular with attendees.

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© DORIS OHLMANN

ENTERPRISE NORTH

The Kiyuk Project involves climate and water monitoring as well as hydrology studies.

It is expected the first gold production will occur in 2027, assuming the project is found viable.

© DOUG MCLARTY

The Carvingstone Project booth included samples of stone that could be mined if future development plans go forward. Here, Mike Beauregard shows Trade Show attendees the different types of stone, while encouraging those who stopped by to support the Carvingstone Project in Rankin.

The Carvingstone Project

Doris Ohlmann January/February 2013

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The Carvingstone Project began in 2010, with its name meaning appropriately enough,“the place where we find stone”. Its priority is to find more stone. So far 45 deposits have been found in south and north Baffin with plans to go to Kitikmeot in 2013.The Repulse Bay Naujaut Deposit has 50 feet of good quality hard stone.The deposits have been confirmed outside Cape Dorset.The west end of Baker Lake still has more untouched carvingstone. Mike Beauregard, Resident Geologist with GN-EDT Minerals and Petroleum Division, and speaker at the Trade Show, advised attendees that the North Rankin Nickel Mine has a hidden carvingstone mine that needs to be developed and encouraged participants and local community residents to support the development of the Mine to city developers.

The summaries of these projects provided Trade Show delegates with a sense of future opportunities available in Rankin in mining and exploration.With many companies joining together to provide data, a bigger picture of the geological information is now available and will help guide exploration in the region, which is sure to be of economic benefit to the local companies and residents of Rankin.

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ARTS & CULTURE hroughout Canada’s North, First Nations, Métis and Inuit organizations, large and small, grapple with similar imperatives: how best to preserve the stories and traditions of generations past; how to maintain their rich cultural heritage and language to benefit the generations that follow; and how to nurture the modern-age advancement and betterment of their communities and people within a broader, diluting global context.

Avataq Cultural Institute, headquartered in Inukjuak, Nunavik, addressed precisely those questions when it was formed in 1980. Its mandate then, and now, is to protect, develop and promote the Inuit identity within and beyond the Nunavik region of northern Quebec.The Institute is guided by an elected Board of Directors and the significant input of Elders representing each of the 14 uniquely Inuit communities that dot the meandering coastlines of the region. The Elders meet every two years at the Inuit Elders Conference to discuss Avataq initiatives.

Though its primary mission is to disseminate the wealth of knowledge contained in its archives amongst Nunavimmiut first, Avataq’s Documentation and Archival Centre also serves the information needs of researchers and media at home and from around the world. The Centre’s library holds more than 4,000 publications primarily concerning Nunavik’s Inuit origins, materials on other Arctic regions and indigenous peoples, and encourages the establishment of local libraries and resource centres in Nunavik communities.

January/February 2013

© above&beyond/PIERRE DUNNIGAN (2)

T

AVATAQ

Cultural Institute Protecting, developing and promoting Inuit identity in Nunavik and beyond

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ARTS & CULTURE

Top left: One of the closing ceremonies entertainers was well-known Nunavik songstress, Elisapie.

Top right: Representatives from Avataq and the evening’s supporting business community sponsors were delighted with the results of the fundraiser. L-R are: Marie-Hélène Caron, Public Relations National; Yvan Loubier, Senior Consultant and Economist, National; Jean-François Arteau, Société de l’Habitation du Québec; Charlie Arngak, President, Avataq Cultural Institute; Nunavik performer Taqralik Partridge; Donat Savoie, Senior Consultant in the Office of the President of the Makivik Corporation; Danielle Cyr, Avataq; Michel Poulette, Producer/Director, Productions Nuit Blanche Inc.; Robert Frêchette, Communications, Avataq, and kneeling, Léandre Gervais, Vice-President, Mining Québec Genivar. Not present, Guy St-Julien, Senior Consultant, Arqutitt Mamu Construction.

Bottom right: Modern dance performers, the PivallianiqKMHB Hip-Hop Club entertained the Elders.

Amongst its many culture and heritage achievements, two stand out: Avataq’s Genealogical Research Program and its Archaeological Department.Since 1987,the Research Program has amassed and documented Inuit genealogical data for Nunavik.Over 22,000 individuals are now linked and their ancestries recorded,including

updated information on new births and lineage.

Avataq’s Archaeological division to date has recorded over 1,000 sites of particular importance and benefit to Nunavimmiut that encompass some 4,000 years of history in the region.

Avataq also maintains a large collection of invaluable recordings of Inuit oral history and manuscripts,historical documents and anthropological archives, including thousands of historical photographs.

Avataq’s extensive endeavours in museology include archival repatriation,where warranted; an active publishing arm that produces factual and culturally relevant reading and visual materials for use by Nunavimmiut;Aumaaggiivik — Inuit Art Secretariat supporting all arts disciplines; the development of local cultural committees at the community level and an Inuktitut Language Department.

As a result of all of these initiatives, the Institute continues to grow in capability, value and relevance not only for the Nunavik Inuit

© above&beyond/PIERRE DUNNIGAN (4)

The Avataq Cultural Institute Fundraiser held in Montreal on December 5, 2012 was a resounding success.

it is mandated to serve, but also for a much wider, more information-hungry audience than has ever been experienced before.

To learn more about Avataq Cultural Institute visit: http://avataq.qc.ca and http://publications nunavik.com

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AVERY COOPER FINANCIAL CORP

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NORTHERN BOOKSHELF

Great read for all ages Hunters, Carvers, and Collectors: The Chauncey C. Nash Collection of Inuit Art

Above: “Bird Humans,” by Kenojuak Ashevak, 1960.

Right: “Hunters Signal,” by Joseph Pootoogook, 1961.

Below: “Man with Sear and Polar Bear,”

by Lucasi Ukusirala Anauta, 1959. Photo by Mark Craig.

January/February 2013

In the late 1950s, Chauncey C. Nash started collecting Inuit carvings just as the art of printmaking was being introduced in Kinngait (Cape Dorset), Nunavut. Nash donated some 300 prints and sculptures to Harvard’s Peabody Museum—one of the oldest collections of early modern Inuit art.The Peabody collection includes not only early Inuit sculpture but also many of the earliest prints on paper made by the women and men who helped propel Inuit art onto the world stage.

Author Maija M.Lutz draws from ethnology, archaeology, art history, and cultural studies in her new book, Hunters, Carvers, and Collectors, to tell the story of this collection that represents one of the most vibrant and experimental periods in the development of contemporary Inuit art.Maija M.Lutz is an ethnomusicologist specializing in the musical traditions of the Labrador coast Inuit, is an Associate of the Peabody Museum, and former Librarian of Tozzer Library at Harvard University.

The foreword to this volume is by Leslie Boyd Ryan, director of Dorset Fine Arts in Toronto, Ontario.

Lavishly illustrated, Hunters, Carvers, and Collectors presents numerous never-before-published gems,including carvings by the artists John Kavik from Kangiqliniq (Rankin Inlet), Johnniebo Ashevak originally from the Panniqtuuq area, and Peter Qumalu POV Assappa who was a Puvirnituq Inuit. This latest contribution to the award-winning Peabody Museum Collections Series fills an important gap in the literature of important early modern Inuit art.

For more information, visit www.peabody.harvard.edu or www.hup.harvard.edu.

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© THE PRESIDENT AND FELLOWS OF HARVARD COLLEGE. REPRODUCED WITH PERMISSION OF DORSET FINE ARTS. (3)

Maija M. Lutz, Peabody Museum Press, Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, 2012

INUIT FORUM

Fighting the Good Fight don’t get to go ice fishing as often as I’d like, and I’m more likely,these days, to be leading international discussions on seals and polar bears than hunting them. Still, in many ways, moving to Ottawa has brought me closer to the issues that unite us as Inuit.

I’m happily engaged, and happy to be in the nation’s capital fighting the good fight on behalf of the Inuit of Canada. I’ve never felt so privileged. Yet, the threats to our way of life drive me to fight harder. I want the world to understand that we are fighting for no less than the same opportunities as everyone else.

Living in Ottawa also helps me see how others see the Arctic.

After only a few weeks at her new Ottawa high school,my daughter asked me one evening, “Are polar bears endangered?”

“No,” I responded.“Why do you ask?”

“Because that’s what we’re learning in geography class.”

Clearly there is much work still to do. And that work starts right here in our own country.

So I have been on television and on the radio, in magazines and newspapers speaking about the importance of hunting in our communities.

We don’t manufacture car parts in the Arctic. We don’t engage in investment banking or so many of the industries that sustain families in the South. A great number of us still earn our living from the land.

I have taken this message to international leaders, as well, in defence of our right to live off the Earth’s bounty and to pursue our livelihoods free of the moral judgments of foreign governments.

It doesn’t end there.The New Year will bring even greater consciousness-raising efforts.We will continue to oppose the European Union seal ban on every front,and we will plow forward in our international lobbying on polar bears.

© ITK ARCHIVES

© ITK

I

National Inuit Leader Terry Audla hit the ground running in Washington DC in September.

The coming year will see us host Inuit leaders in Ottawa for “A Taste of the Arctic,” and Inuit youth in Nunavik for the National Inuit Youth Summit. We will assume the chairmanship of the Arctic Council and prepare to host the next Inuit Circumpolar Council general assembly in Nunatsiavut.

Education remains a core element of ITK’s work. We will bring our message to families throughout Inuit Nunangat and engage them in our efforts to transform education systems and to work together to keep our kids in school.

I had the pleasure of attending ITK’s 40th anniversary conference“From Eskimo to Inuit in 40 Years” in November 2011, and I have used the knowledge recorded during that event as the foundation for a strategic plan for ITK’s next 40 years.This kind of planning is an ongoing process, as you can imagine, but I am

very happy to be able to draw from the wisdom of my predecessors.

We have also welcomed some new faces around the boardroom table in the past year.

In January 2012, Jobie Tukkiapik became the new president of Makivik Corp. Sarah Leo was elected in June as the new president of the Nunatsiavut Government.Rebecca Kudloo and Anguti Johnston have stepped up as acting presidents of Pauktuutit and the National Inuit Youth Council,respectively.I look forward to reconnecting with them in 2013.

I still miss the quiet, the darkness and the satisfying cold of the Arctic, but Ottawa is a key link in our network of communities, and I am proud to represent Inuit here,and wherever our voices carry.

Terry Audla

Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami 75 Albert Street, Suite 1101 Ottawa, ON K1P 5E7 t. (613) 238.8181

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ᖃᐅᑕᒫᑦ 1 000 ᐃᖅᑲᓇᐃᔭᖅᑎᕗᑦ

ᐊᖏᖅᓯᒪᑦᑎᐊᖅᑐᑎᒃ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᒃ ᓯᕗᓪᓕᐅᑎᑦᑎᕗᑦ

ᐱᔨᑦᑎᕈᒪᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᐱᐅᓂᖅᐹᖑᔪᒥᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᐊᑲᐅᓂᖅᐹᖑᔪᒥᒃ ᖃᖓᑕᖃᑦᑕᓂᒃᑯᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᔪᒪᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᓄᓇᓕᓐᓄᑦ 3 0- ᓄᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒦᑦᑐᓄᑦ.

Hay River Team: Left to right: Brent Townend, Tracy Cross Gauthier, Kandee Froese.