Tusaayaksat Magazine – Spring 2018 by Tusaayaksat Magazine

TUSAAYAKSAT MEANS “STORIES AND VOICES THAT NEED TO BE HEARD.” WE CELEBRATE INUVIALUIT PEOPLE, CULTURE AND HERITAGE. OUR MISSION: To empower, celebrate, communicate, heal and bond. To bring you the best coverage of our news, vibrant culture and perspectives.

CONTENTS 4

A Light In Darkness

Shining Under The Spotlight

Moving With Our Ancestors

Shirley Steenberg

Inuvik’s Curling Queens

History Laid Bare

War For The Cup

Elite Prospects

Forum For The 42

Tuktoyaktuk’s First Rainbow Days

Young Leaders

My Life With Cerebral Palsy

No Place Like Home

Mastering The Craft

Treaty Declined

Our Games

LETTER FROM THE MANAGER:

PROMOTING OUR WAY OF LIFE ^ Aarigaa!

I feel extremely grateful for the opportunity to work in Northern media. We have the best jobs in the North, showcasing the Inuvialuit across Canada. It makes me happy to see the great accomplishments and achievements being met by people young and old all across the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. I get to speak with youth in our communities and it blows me away how they are reaching out to learn more about their culture. Northern games, Arctic sports, under any name these activities are integral to our people. Not just as a way to spend time together and play, but to keep active and healthy. I’m good at the muskox push but aside from that, I won’t be setting any records in the one-foot or two-foot high kick in my lifetime. Talking with students who are learning more about their families and the way life used to be in the Arctic is something special to see. The learning fairs at the local schools are a much-needed outlet for youth to connect to a life they never knew. One girl seemed dedicated to making her own iglu after researching the benefits and functionality of the design for her project. She could learn something from others in the community who are also keen on building traditional structures like iglus on the Mackenzie Delta outside of Inuvik. Every year I hear more and more about language programs starting up and gaining popularity across our region. I want to make it a journey of mine to learn more of the language, so at least I can confidently reply when someone waves hello and drops a “Qanuq Iqpit” on me. “Naqurunga,” I usually reply questionably.

Language is only one of the aspects of our traditions I want to learn with my daughter. I also want to start drum dancing, so hopefully by the next time this magazine comes out I put some effort into learning these awesome activities. I remember growing up here in Inuvik taking Mrs. Albert’s Inuvialuktun classes. Counting, learning words and playing Northern games. So many good memories from those classes. Napatchaq tournaments. I still owe those kids some Pogs for losing so bad. It wasn’t my fault the tip of that nail was so sharp. Someone was good with the dremel I guess. Thank you to everyone who works to keep our culture alive in any shape. If you speak the language, or just raise your eyebrows when you agree with something. Eh! But seriously, it takes a lot of effort to keep these things going and I see a lot of people putting in hard work to continue our way of life from long ago. Please show your appreciation to those people around us who are wearing our clothing, continuing to live healthy lives and promoting our culture. Without those hunters, dancers, stitchers and athletes, the old ways stay memories. We can all keep them relevant by taking part once in a while. Sing with your family, learn a new word this week! If we all put in a bit of effort, everyone benefits! Take care, everyone. See you online.

QUYANAINNI, Dez Loreen Manager, Inuvialuit Communications Society

READERS WRITE:

LEARNING HER HISTORY My name is Shayna Allen. I’m the mother to Kaycee Campbell, who is in Grade 6, attending East Three Elementary School. Currently, she and her classmates are working on some pretty neat projects for the heritage fair. She has been telling me about all the great topics her peers are covering, but is extra excited for her project, as she is doing her family name Campbell. In her research, she has discovered she has family who went to WW1, WW2 and one was even the mayor of Inuvik. The more research she has been doing, I can see how proud she is to carry the name Campbell. We are looking forward to her final project and are very proud of all the hard work she has been doing.

THANKS FOR YOUR TIME! Shayna Allen Inuvik

Letters from down south:

Ain’t like they used to be Winters nowadays sure are not like when I was growing up. Even for a young pup like me. I remember we used to have to wear our parkies from end of October right up until middle of March. And I didn’t have a zipper parky until Grade 7. I always had to use pullover. I was pretty proud when I got my first zipper parky.

WORDS BY DENNIS ALLEN

As cold as it was, we were used to it. We always had to play out after school while my mom cooked supper. She didn’t need us kids bugging her while she was cooking. We had no TV anyway, so we had nothing better to do. There was always a hill to slide down or a street hockey game going on. Boy, getting a slapshot in the shin with a frozen puck is no fun either. But we always entertained ourselves. You try to kick kids out nowadays, you damned near get sued. Back in our day, your mom’s word was the final say. Not even RCMP could have more power. So when your mom yelled at you to play out, you had no choice.

One good thing about our house was my brother Gerry had dogs. We used to have dog races in the middle road of Co-op Hill. We would each take one dog and let him pull us. Only my sister Judy had a little sled. I had a kicker hood, and your Uncle Ebun had a piece of cardboard. Only thing about kids, they could make fun out of anything. One of my jobs was to pick up the table scraps from Grollier Hall, where my mom worked as a cook. Then I would feed the scraps to Gerry’s dogs. But mixed in the scraps was garbage: tin cans, cardboard and coffee grounds. They must have been pretty damned hungry ‘cause they used to eat tins cans and all. There was a field across our house where all us kids on Co-op Hill would go sliding. I remember one time Foster Arey dragged his dad’s 12-foot toboggan from his house and all us kids piled into it. There must have been 20 kids in there ‘cause once we got going we couldn’t stop. I remember Foster was standing on the brake and yelling, “Whoa!” When we got going so fast that his toque flew off, he bailed on us and we took off down the hill and hit a big rock at the bottom. I don’t know how come it didn’t bust up his dad’s sled ‘cause we hit it so hard that the kids in the back flew over everybody and landed about 10 feet in front. I don’t remember who was in front but they got the wind knocked out of them and they were walking around trying to catch their breath. All I remember is Foster laughing so hard he couldn’t even stand up. I didn’t trust him after that. Still don’t. But my main job was sawing firewood with a Swede saw. Every day after school, I would suck somebody into coming with me to our house and then I would have a partner to cut wood. Timothy Gordon, Patrick Dick, Peter Lennie, Timothy Allen and your Uncle Ebun were my best friends in them days. After we filled the wood box, my brother Gerry would lend us his skidoo. But the only stipulation was that we had to start it ourselves. And when you weigh less than a sack of flour, it was hard to pull on the skidoo, and it would take two of us. Except Patrick, whom we used to call Sasquatch. I remember it used to be dark and cold on the way to school in the morning. We used to stop at Grollier Hall and buy penny candy from Father Reyant: Black Babies, Jujubes, caramels, Pep Chew, Double Bubble, all for a penny a piece. My aganakan Peter Smith showed us how to stick your hand up the pop machine and get free pop. But once we got caught, the gig was up. And we never used to have “cold days,” when they shut down the school ‘cause it’s too cold. I remember we always had to play out at recess, no matter how cold it was. I remember one time John Keevik told me to stick my tongue on the iron railing, so I did. I don’t know how the hell they got my tongue off but I just remember being stuck there for quite a while. So if John is ever looking for votes, ask him what he used to do to kids. Even when we got to be teenagers, we used to try to be tough and just use little jackets and no long-johns to go uptown. One time we came back from uptown and my legs were blue. It was about the same time Patrick bought a brand-new down jacket. But it must have been made with pretty cheap material ‘cause when he went to bend his arm to pull his pack of Export A out of his jacket, his jacket broke. Yeah, you can’t even get kids to go to the store to buy toilet paper anymore. They want a ride to go everywhere. Boy, we were damned lucky to even go for a taxi ride. Anyway, enough bitching about the old days. I’m sure our parents used to complain about how soft us kids were compared to their days. I’m getting soft in my old age. I just ran out of pipe tobacco and I just drove half a block to buy Borkum Riff. Anyway, take care and hope to see you fullas soon.

A Light in Winter may be the iconic season of the Arctic, but its bitter cold and consuming darkness can take a toll on even the hardiest veterans. Surviving the season, both physically and mentally, means involving oneself in meaningful activities and cherishing the things that truly matter in life. For Inuvialuit, it tends to be a time for celebration. Fireworks never pierce the night sky so brilliantly and the warmth of a bonfire never feels so good. Any reason to connect with friends and family, smile and be merry in the winter months is a good one.

D a rk n e s s

Photos are from the 2018 Inuvik Sunrise Festival and 2018 Sikiniq Nuimavia Katijvikput in Tuktoyaktuk. Thoughts are from Allysa Felix and Nadine Kuneluk.

Family by Heart by Nadine Kuneluk

ULUKHAKTOK, NORTHWEST TERRITORIES

70 degrees north and 117 degrees west, with a population of just around 450 people

•••

n small communities such as Ulukhaktok, it’s always good to keep close to your family and friends, especially in times of need.

hunting and fishing, and would provide food or shelter for the entire family. To this day, that tradition still lives amongst our people, the Inuit.

I grew up here, and I always had a place to go, whether it was my grandparents’, auntie’s, uncle’s, cousin’s or just a friend’s house. I knew I was going to be okay.

I am proud to be who I am because I know I’ve recognized and helped others in their time of need. It really is amazing how strongly tied families and friends can come together and form a bond like no other and expect nothing in return.

Living and growing up here has allowed me to connect with those who live here, who have faced the same problems that my family and I had, to find and pay for food, electricity, housing and all the other accommodations society has recently developed. We all share the same responsibilities. We all face hardships, and when one family member is going through an unfortunate time in their life and needs help emotionally, financially or would just like company, there is always someone right beside you. A long time ago, our ancestors would have gatherings when someone wasn’t having any luck with their

My dad taught me that you should always share what you have, and I’ve been following that lesson since I could remember, and will continue to practise it for the rest of my life. The traditions we have here will continue not only because they are successful, but because we are closer than one would think, because we are a family not by blood, but by heart. Koana.

Surviving the S.A.D. by Allysa Felix

he sun for me is really something special. She gives us life.

I will forever love the uniqueness it has in the Arctic, how it never rises in the winter and never sets in the summer, like it is sorry for being gone so long and trying to make it up to us. But the dark winter can cause Seasonal Affective Disorder, or S.A.D. – a common form of depression characterized by a lack of energy, sleepiness and overeating, the bleh feeling of no light. This particular disorder is descriptive of people who are affected by the decreasing amounts of sunlight and the colder temperatures as the fall and winter progress. There are those who suffer from this condition during the summer instead of, or in addition to, the fall or winter. Did you know that in some areas in Alaska the 24hour darkness can last for 60 days? I honestly think I’d get cabin fever from that.

S.A.D. is caused not by the cold, long months but the loss of light. While not everyone will experience this, a majority of the population does. Treatment includes the social aspect of your life but a new treatment is light therapy, such as sun lamps. But these lights are expensive and not often seen in small communities. Outside the bigger cities in the North, seemingly simple solutions to seasonal depression – eating right, getting out of the house to socialize, exercising during daylight hours – seem a greater challenge. This is why spring is my favourite: fishing in the warmth, the peace and tranquility of the quiet, untouched land, no bugs. If things didn’t cost money and the world wasn’t melting away, I’m sure I’d be out on the land somewhere living alone and providing for myself. The beauty of the sun makes the cold bearable. In places like Inuvik and its Delta neighbours, seasonal depression is likely to stick around, even if that famous Arctic 24-hour darkness isn’t quite all it’s cracked up to be.

Shining under the

spotlight Lights on, dead silent and all eyes on you: there was no hiding for actors in East Three Theatre’s performance of Complaint Department this February. Dozens of community members filled the seats enjoying dinner while the school’s performers put on a show that was heavy on dialogue and involved complicated roles for each cast member. Lexis McDonald, who had a bone to pick about the ratio of cream and cookie in Oreos, was glowing after nailing the show’s second night. “The first one, I feel like I kind of messed up a bit,” admitted the Grade 10 student. “I forgot pretty much a whole speech. I just kind of ad-libbed and made it look like it didn’t happen at all, and the audience really liked it. “Tonight, I am so impressed with myself. I thought I would have messed up so much. I’m just so happy it went well, because I have basically my entire family here.”

The show revolved around students taking turns bringing complaints to the Complaint Department and then staffing the department and handling other people’s gripes. In one sequence, McDonald informed a complainer that he might be too stupid to own a TV, because he couldn’t understand why it wouldn’t turn on when his side of town was in a power outage. “It was a very big challenge,” said McDonald. “There were big words that I did not know the meaning of until just before the show. I’d get confused with one sentence from a different paragraph. There were two different characters I had to be. It was pretty confusing at first.” But she nailed the final showing in front of her family, friends and classmates. “I’m really impressed with myself,” she said. “I’m happy and I’m proud of the other people in the play. They did a really good job.”

MOVING WITH OUR ANCESTORS Each movement in traditional Inuit Northern games carries on a piece of history and culture. From agility to pain resistance and laughing, Northern games merge life skills and having fun. Also known as Arctic sports, they transcend mere competition and weave together a story of camaraderie, personal development and survival. To this day, elders pass on their legacy through the games, connecting generations that never got a chance to meet in person. In the following pages, athletes young and old share what the cultural practice means to them.

Quotes have been taken, edited and condensed from interviews at the 2018 Arctic Winter Games trials in Inuvik. Photos are from the trials and 2018 Sikiniq Nuimavia Katijvikput.

DONALD KUPTANA Our Inuit games, they’re games of survival, but all of those games have a meaning and a purpose. If we look at our agility games, those help an athlete be quiet, fast and agile. Those are traits you need to have to be successful hunting. Looking at our strength and endurance games, those help build strength for families to travel from camp to camp. Our pain resistance games, those are games we play to deal with freezing cold weather conditions, freezing your face, your forehead, your ears, your feet, your hands. Those help an individual recognize that they’re getting in trouble.

What we want to pass on is for all of our athletes to walk away successful. Doesn’t matter what community you’re from, what nationality you are, Aboriginal, non‑Aboriginal. We encourage everyone to play our games. In the spirit of Northern games, it didn’t matter where you come from or who you are. You’re welcome and you’re welcome to play our games.

I’ve played the games, I’ve coached the games and I’ve been involved with the Northern Games Society members, our elders and all of our communities in the ISR to help organize a successful event for our youth. That’s what our elders have passed on to me, so I’m fortunate to be able to work with our elders to continue to pass on our cultural Inuit games.

A lot of our games are laughing games that help individuals get out of their silos and start talking with our elders and community members. We also have our good man, good woman events. Those are life skills that our mothers, fathers, daduks, nanuks bring to the games: tea boiling, bannock making, plucking geese, skinning seals and so much more. Within our culture, we also have our drum dancing. Drum dancing was a way to pass on stories of families, stories of great hunters, stories of whatever activities they were doing at the time.

The elders give you so much energy just from them being around and watching. The kids, when they see our elders watching them, they want to do good for them. We’re so fortunate to have our elders and we’re always passing on our knowledge. Me, I’ll never stop learning. As long as I have elders, I’ll never stop learning from them. Once we retire, we want to make sure there’s that next person, that next role model that will take the games and go with it.

NOEL COCKNEY A lot of it is just being able to stay in touch with my culture and being able to continue doing things they’ve done for generations.

Living up here in the Arctic, you have to help other people and be able to ask for help too, especially while you’re out on the land. If something goes wrong and people are around, they’re going to help you. That translates to these games really easily. We all want to continue to compete to the best of our abilities and that means bringing other athletes up to the best that they can be. It’s that transition piece between on the land and being able to have that fun.

MATTHEW ANIKINA It means a lot friendship, a lot of commitment. You’ve got to be healthy and strong. It gives you a lot of life skills, a lot of confidence. It’s one of the best sports you could ever play.

I coach the kids every Wednesday at the school in Tuk. They always have a hard time doing Alaskan high kick or one-hand reach. They’re pretty hard games to play. You’ve got to be in good shape. Got to hold yourself up on one arm. It’s pretty hard.

ROBERT GRUBEN It builds up your esteem and your will to finish what you’re doing, to survive.

My uncle Edward Lennie, he’s the one I look up to in these games.

JEMRA GRUBEN

It’s our heritage. It’s our culture. When everybody’s watching, you just block it out. We’re like one big family in the Arctic sports.

AGNES KRENGNEKTAK

It’s our culture. It’s been going on for a long time. It builds up confidence for each other.

ROY COCKNEY SR. When I was a young boy, must be about seven, eight years old, I used to watch these elders and youth playing our games. That was many years ago. Our games been on forever, way before my time. I heard a lot of stories, and from these stories we continue on with our sports.

Northern games were important to us because they’re the skills we used out on the land.

To this day, we’ve been teaching our kids Northern games, the rules and regulations, and now some of our games have gone to Arctic winter sports. It’s good in a way because it’s spreading our games all over.

Today it’s been perfected, ‘cause we know what’s wrong and what’s right in our game. It should be the way it is now. We know these rules ‘cause we played the games and we played them for a long time. We know the wrong and the right things to do. When we’re being called upon our mistakes, we know exactly why.

VERONICA MCDONALD My mother (Meika McDonald) was a big competitor growing up, and she’s held a couple of world records. She’s one of my greatest role models. She’s an amazing athlete and without her guidance I wouldn’t be in the position I’m in.

Arctic sports is a tough game. It’s physically challenging and increased my ability to play other sports.

Every little girl looks up to her mother, of course, but also the people that do it, like Donald (Kuptana) and Gerry (Kisoun). I’ve known them since I was eight years old. I know Donald’s son Kyle and every other person I’ve competed with that I’ll never forget. Everybody’s so kind. The thing about Inuit games is it’s not as competitive as every other sport is. It’s very friendly competition and you’re continuously trying to help one another out.

Shirley Steenberg

Crystal, Ruby, Jeremy, Shirley and Amber Steenberg.

My name is Shirley Steenberg. I am Inuvialuk. My maiden name is Cockney. I am the eldest of three children born to Ernest and Georgina Cockney of Tuktoyaktuk, where I resided with them until I was 21 years old. I completed a Grade 12 education at Mangilaluk School in Tuk. I was the first to graduate in their first year of high school. One of my special achievements before I moved away to attend college was winning our school logo contest, and to this day my logo continues to represent our students and their school. Many of you know Mangilaluk was a respected chief and founder of Tuk. He is my great-great-grandfather on my motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s side, and I have just learned that his photograph is located at the National Museum of Denmark. Next time I go to Denmark, I will go to this museum to see it. That is one of my goals, of many. It is important to have goals and dreams to work towards and achieve, and most important, never give up until you have it no matter how hard it seems.

I moved away from home to attend Aurora College in Fort Smith and graduated with a two-year diploma in management studies. It is not easy at age 21 to move away from family and friends, especially coming from a small town. I struggled with homesickness and adjusting to living in a totally different environment, food, people and traffic laws. It helped me to have some students from my hometown who attended the same year, so we kept in touch for support and encouragement. In addition to management studies, I acquired a Bachelor of Administration Degree with the University of Athabasca. It was done through courses in Fort Smith, and communication was done by teleconference, which allowed me to stay in the Northwest Territories instead of moving farther away from home. Through the years of college life, making new friends, keeping in touch with family, there were many challenges, ups and downs. During this chapter in my life I met my husband, Jeremy Steenberg from Brampton, Ontario. He grew up in Iqaluit, Nunavut, with his father, Jens, and sister Sonja since he was seven years old, so he had a total understanding of where I came from. We connected and have now been married 14 years and live in Calgary, Alberta, with three beautiful girls: Crystal, Amber and Ruby. We call them our “gem girls,” ages 12 going on 13 this summer, 11 and nine, respectively. My husband’s background is Danish. His mother, Elsa, moved to Canada with her family when she was eight years old, and his father when he was 21, so our daughters are half Inuvialuit and half Danish. I now call Calgary my home but Tuktoyaktuk will always be close to my heart. It is where my relatives are who continue to thrive in culture, traditions and way of life. My brother Steven Cockney lives there with four children and I know he will always be there to teach our way of life to his children, and our culture will continue on from this generation to the next and to the next, and it will live forever because we know where we come from and it is so important to never forget that.

With culture, language is a major tie. It is unfortunate I lost our Indigenous language at a very young age. I remember listening to my nanuk talking to me in our language and understanding her, but after she passed away when I was only six years old, I didn’t hear the language much after that. Before I settled in Calgary, I worked and lived in Iqaluit for five years as a senior finance officer and administrative assistant with the Department of Public Works and Services. I also experienced their way of life: tent camping, boating, fishing. It is very similar to ours in the west. Their food is a little different, like narwhales and Arctic char. Overall, my dedication to education, time, work experiences and community involvement are indicative of my commitment to hard work, excellent work ethic and goal achievement. Some other work experience I was involved in along the way are with the public sector as a secretary of Mangilaluk School, teacher assistant, tutor for the Inuvialuit Education Foundation, summer student constable and a guard for the RCMP in Tuktoyaktuk. Presently, I work for AKITA Drilling Ltd. in Calgary as an executive assistant, pension and benefits administrator, corporate services and have been proudly employed for 14 years with their company. In addition, I am a member for the Metis Women’s Economic Security Council. In conclusion and as I still pursue my goals and dreams, I am Inuvialuk living in the big city. It is not easy sometimes. It is fast‑paced and demanding. Some advice from my perspective: you must be on time for work, you must learn traffic laws and obey them, learn street safety and GPS will become your best friend when getting around the city. There isn’t much community-based support living in the city, so you must be prepared and find ways to deal with any problem you face day to day, and the outcome is worth your while when you achieve one goal at a time, one dream at a time. Reach for the stars and never give up.

I hope to visit him and take my family on the new Inuvik Tuktoyaktuk Highway soon and pick up my sister Joanne, who lives in Whitehorse, Yukon, along the way.

Photos courtesy of Shirley Steenberg.

INUVIKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CURLING QUEENS Remember their names before theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re Olympians: Tyanna Bain, Mataya Gillis, Pearl Gillis and Adrianna Hendrick are four Inuvialuit girls hitting the ice every night to take Team Bain as far in the curling world as they can.

SKIP

TYANNA BAIN

“I want to accomplish a lot while we’re still in the junior level, but to be in the big competitions like the Scotties (Tournament of Hearts), that would be pretty cool,” said Tyanna, 14, the team’s skip. She’s been playing for six years, four competitively. She thanks her mom for signing her up for the junior program. “I like curling because of the opportunities and all the experiences we get to have,” she said. “It’s just fun.” Already a young veteran, Tyanna has attended two national competitions as a junior curler. “We get to meet a lot of new people and learn new things,” she said, adding that the biggest challenge is staying focused and concentrated throughout the games, which can sometimes last more than four hours.

THIRD

MATAYA GILLIS

“Curling gives us so many opportunities,” said Mataya, 14. “We get to meet a lot of new people and make a lot of new friends.” In her four years of competitive curling, Mataya fondly remembers attending her first national U-18 tournament in 2017. “I got to go and experience my first (national tournament) with my friend Paris (Wainman), my best friend Tyanna and my best friend Adrienne (Gagnon). It was super cool. I think that’s what made me really want to stay in curling and keep going with it.” As the team’s main sweeper, Mataya’s been putting her muscles to work. “After three hours of sweeping, your arms start to become wobbly,” she said. She dreams of going to the Scotties someday and eventually the Olympics.

PEARL GILLIS

SECOND

Small in stature but big on the rink, Pearl is already a golden girl at only 13 years old, after winning the mixed doubles tournament in the Canadian Junior Curling Championships earlier this year. “It’s just nice to be on the ice and play with different teams all over the North,” she said. Pearl has been playing competitively for about two years, inspired mostly by her sister Mataya. She’s thankful for Inuvik’s support. “I want to win U-21s and go to the world juniors, and if we stay together that long I want to go to the Olympics one day.”

ADRIANNA LEAD HENDRICK Newcomer to the team, Adrianna just started curling this year. “It’s been really good,” she said, admitting that getting used to the proper sweeping technique has been a challenge. Mataya’s pumped to have her on the team. Adrianna, 12, looks forward to participating in some of the bigger competitions and hopes to attend the Scotties one day.

TEAM BAIN

The girls are at the Inuvik Curling Club every single day, usually for at least one hour each. They practise as a team three times per week and play every Friday. All four of them are extremely grateful for the time coach Nick Saturnino puts into polishing their skills and taking them to out-of-town events. They’re also thankful to the community at large for supporting their travel costs. “Our curling club supports us so much,” said Mataya. “Inuvik supports us so much with our fundraising. The only reason we get to go to these national competitions is our town’s support.”

History Laid Bare

Early Days of the IFA and COPE Eight influential elders gathered together this winter to talk about the development of the Inuvialuit Final Agreement (IFA) and the Committee for the Original Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Entitlement (COPE). Beyond the details of the deal, the discussions covered all aspects of each personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s upbringing and experience during that time. In more than 14 hours of raw videotape, they speak from the heart about a defining period in Inuvialuit history. Printed in the following pages is a selection of some of the most impactful words shared during the meeting. In no way can this encompass the breadth of knowledge exposed, but it can serve as a window into a different time. Quotes have been edited and condensed for clarity. Additional commentary has been added to provide context to some of the statements.

Peter Green “I’m one of about 18 siblings in my family. My late parents lived the life of an Inuvialuk all throughout their lives. I’m the newcomer.

subjected to and say I’m no good. I had to conquer all that and replace those with good values.”

When I left residential school in 1959, I went home for the first time in about seven years that I spent there. In those years I was subjected to the removal of my Inuvialuktun language. Now isn’t that something? And today I have the hardest time to try to speak it.

A discussion about the education system brought out raw emotion.

I’ve done it when I was at the age of seven years old. I spoke to Mom and Dad and my siblings in my language, and because of the residential school experience, that’s been wiped out. I couldn’t speak it and I have a tough time today trying to speak it to everyone. That kind of brainwashing that I received – that my language was of the devil. Isn’t that something? That’s crazy, and I’m just a little kid for goodness’ sake. With that kind of a background, I had a tough time throughout my life because I was termed as a nothing, as a nobody, less than the French people that were there teaching. They’re supposed to be my guardians, and look at what happened: nothing but misery throughout my life because they took away who I was and who I’m supposed to be. With that kind of treatment, it damaged me. It caused me misery and lots of it, all kinds. I’ve had a life that was distant from who I’m supposed to be. My mom and dad, they spoke the language and lived the life of the Inuvialuit. I had no part in that. And when it did come, I was an old person, so I missed out on a lot of things that I should have been taught. That chapter in my life I’d like to see behind me and that’s the way it’s going to stay. I have taken steps throughout my life to counter all the negatives that I have experienced and replace them with positive things. I had to speak for myself and manage to convince people that it’s true, I’m missing some social development parts of my life. I invested heavily on that and today I’m a better person for that. I’m also thankful that I took the steps that I did take to get out there and seek out the kind of stuff that was missing in my social development and personal upbringing. I had mixed messages when I was in the residential school that I’m still grappling with today. Why? That’s crazy. It’s the kind of stuff I was

“Not one word about who Mangilaluk was, what kind of leader he was. The Inuvialuit people were never mentioned. But here we are in school learning about some foreign king or queen that never came to our land. As a kid, they said fly the Union Jack up there on top of our school building. I had to go and hoist it up for goodness’ sake. I didn’t understand what that was all about. But that’s government for us. They impose things. What do I know about the Union Jack? Nothing. All I know is it’s a piece of cloth and oh yeah, hang it. But we were told that we are part of Canada, and that’s the flag that Canada has. Today I want to contrast with the flag that you have as Inuvialuit. See that, we’ve come a long ways in terms of being governed by people that don’t even live in the country. All those kind of things were done without our involvement, our knowledge, and they bypassed people. They’d gone ahead and made laws. 1921 is a good example. These laws impacted the people. There were game laws where you couldn’t even shoot a swan but people were taking it anyway because it’s a question of survival. It’s those kind of things that the government, our own government, was imposing on us that didn’t make sense anyway. My own people were deprived of getting the muskox even to eat, to survive. Those are the kind of stuff that my parents and my grandparents had to live through. You talk about what kind of impact there was. Well you’re hearing it. You couldn’t take certain kinds of food to live. It was against the law. What law? Laws that were made 500 miles away from here. They look good on paper and all that stuff and then they had the policemen controlling the country, the Arctic, making sure the laws were respected, but the laws were made by someone else, somewhere else for their own purpose. They didn’t respect the people that were living in the country on the land. It made it harder. People had to hide to get food to eat. Every time somebody says, oh what was the impact? You’re hearing it now.”

Robert Kuptana “I was born in an igloo. I took on the two worlds. I was born to William and Sarah Kuptana, and unfortunately both of them got TB (tuberculosis) and they had major operations, so I had to look after them at a very young age. That’s a reason why I never went to school. When my parents were able to start looking after themselves, I started doing hunting and trapping. Because I had to look after them at nine years old, I had to learn to shoot a caribou. When I did that and my dad gave me a .22, that rifle was so old that when I’d shoot, it shot only once in a while, maybe one out of every five shots.”

Robert talked about learning English from Archie comics and labels before he started to read the Bible. “With the negotiators, we also decided to include our Inuvialuit traditional knowledge in terms of the land, wildlife, environment and everything else that we used for survival. They don’t like it but they don’t know about traditional knowledge. We are very professional in that way. We have to be very proud of the people who are highly educated who were our negotiators.”

“When we teach our way of life, that we are equal participants of Canada, of Canadian people, there’s nothing stopping us. There’s no reason why we cannot do that.”

Randall “Boogie” Pokiak “Before they tried to assimilate me into the white culture, I was already assimilated into Inuvialuit culture, Inuvialuit history, Inuvialuit traditions, legends, even customs. The elders that stayed with the women while the men went hunting, (I) would listen to them, they’d tell stories. That was my start in life as an Inuvialuk and nothing has changed for me.

are retired but they had a long life of experience. These are deep thinkers. It’s not just like you go out there and trap and hunt and do these things seasonally. There are issues that are pressing on you because you’re being impacted by legislation, wildlife acts, and it’s just like as a harvester, each year goes by, five years go by, and just like they put a straitjacket on you.

The land and the wildlife made us who we are today. Without it, I wouldn’t be here. Without the land and the wildlife, I’d starve eating beef and chicken, because it don’t fill you. The land was very important and I learned in the early age about a lot of historical aspects of our people because I come from the coast. Our people have been in here for thousands and thousands of years. We have a lot of history. We had our own governance.”

Every year that passed by right until the final agreement, that straitjacket’s straps were pretty tight.

Boogie shared some advice he received at the time from his elders.

“I always imagined us playing king of the hill. We’re at the bottom of the hill and these guys are up there and every time we climb up, they push us back down. But every time we climb up, we learn a little bit more before we get pushed down, so they had a little harder time to push us down. Pretty soon with the IFA, we’re at the same playing level as the federal government and any government. We came to that place.”

“Follow their footsteps, learn from them, follow them and then after a while you’re going to be walking beside them, and then later on you’re going to be leading them. I think this is what the claim is — we followed in their footsteps, learned about them, got educated about how they behaved, what their interests are, and then we walked beside them during negotiations and dealing with all this. The government people look at us (like), ‘I don’t think you guys are ready for anything, you don’t know nothing about government, you don’t know nothing about oil company, you don’t know nothing about the white man way of life.’ But you know what, we stuck to our guns, we kept talking about what we knew, the land and the wildlife.”

“The backbone of the IFA are the harvesters, elders who

That’s my perspective on what we actually went through emotionally. The government was putting those straps on. And we had a chance here to take a lot of those straps off.”

“When you’re a harvester, you’re active, active, active and you’ve got your own mind and you’re deep thinkers. When you become an elder and you’re not trapping and moving around and being active, still your mind is going. They know they’re going to die but they always say okay, well we brought our people this far, let’s talk to these active people and say you can bring your Inuvialuit way of life a lot further. That’s my mental attitude of getting involved. I know what they wanted to do. We were just young people like an arrow. They had the bow, the elders. We were the arrows.”

Nellie Cournoyea “The common theme through everything was a concern that we would lose the ability to make decisions for ourselves. Prior to Aklavik being moved, there was very little social assistance, very little government involvement in our lives.” Nellie talked about the condescending attitude government officials had toward Inuvialuit, saying they didn’t have qualifications or certificates. She referenced an alleged comment from then-Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development Jean Chretien that the houses in Sachs Harbour weren’t worth living in. “Those people built those houses themselves. Government didn’t help them. They made their own life. That was a real insult.”

Renie Arey

Gilbert Thrasher “You grew up very quickly. We had no houses at that time. We had tents that were covered in caribou skin for insulation, and later in the winter that would be covered right over (with snow). As it got thicker, you could hear your dog team passing over your tent. In those days, you had to learn very quickly to hunt, trap and to survive. I have the blessing of good uncles that educated me that way. We were brought up very strongly to believe and respect your elders. That’s something that has been in my heart and still is today. I started working with COPE in the early days and I got to spend a lot of time working with Nellie at times in the Paulatuk area. I have always felt blessed that we had the right people at the right place at the right time that started the negotiating days and the COPE days. I also felt very blessed that we had a great number of elders that shared their time in shaping the land selection and the big support that we had received from them in every community. They were, in my young days, a very strong group of people. During our land claim days, it never changed. They were still a very strong group of people. And today we are that group, that age, and I’m very happy to have been asked to be part of this group.”

WAR FOR THE CUP Players from across the region and beyond battled it out for four gruelling days during the 30th Inuvialuit Regional Corporation Native Hockey Tournament. A raucous stadium kept their adrenaline running right up until the last buzzer of the final game. In the following pages are scenes from the Beaufort Deltaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s iconic hockey tournament, the IRC Cup.

Aklavik

Gwich'in Flames

Hustlers

K&D Outlaws

LJ's Sabres

Mackenzie Delta Ducks

Malena Selects

McPhoo Lightning

NDN Army

2018 IRC Cup Results

A Division 1st K&D Outlaws 2nd Malena Selects 3rd Rocky’s Canadians

B Division 1st Slyck Stars 2nd Tuk Bulldogs 3rd LJ’s Sabres

Top Goalie Mitchell Jacobson Top Scorer Sean PoItras MVP Elton Ruben

Top Goalie Josh Tetlichi Top Scorer Charlton Wolki MVP Kendall McDonald

Old Dogs

Oldtimers 1st Aklavik 2nd Old Dogs

Paulatuk Storm

PCM Pros

Rocky's Canadians

Slyck Stars

Tuk Bulldogs

Ulukhaktok

ELITE PROSPECTS THE NEXT CROP OF HOCKEY GREATS

After the IRC Cup, hundreds of youth from the region gather for the Inuvik Minor Hockey Association’s annual Gwich’in Cup. Organizers put players onto teams depending on their skill level, forcing them to build some quick chemistry on the ice. For most, it’s as much about the hockey as seeing old friends and making new ones. But the competition is still intense. Look out for some of these stars appearing in a future IRC Cup.

LYNX LIGHTNING

NORTHERN LIGHTS

PERMAFROST WARRIORS

2018 Gwichâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;in Cup Results novice 1st Delta Dynamos

Atom 1st Wolverine Warriors

Peewee 1st Arctic Eagles

Bantam 1st Beaufort Braves

Midget 1st Polar Predators

NORTHERN WOLF PACK

DELTA RAPTORS

MACKENZIE HAWKS

POLAR PREDATORS

ARCTIC EAGLES

GLACIAL KNIGHTS

DELTA DYNAMOS

POLAR BEARS & BELUGA WHALES

ICE STARS

WOLVERINE WARRIORS

BEAUFORT BRAVES

ICE BANDITS

BOREAL BRUINS

DELTA HEAT

FORUM FOR THE 42

Directors from across ISR gather for state of the union Directors from every Inuvialuit Settlement Region community corporation united for a week of discussions in Inuvik this February.

Patrick “Dang” Gruben

It was a chance for community leaders to catch up with each other and devise better ways they can serve their people’s needs. For some, such as Patrick “Dang” Gruben, chair of the Inuvialuit Development Corporation, it was one of many meetings about a similar subject. For others, such as Chukita Gruben, a director with the Tuktoyaktuk Community Corporation, it was an early foray into politics. We collected thoughts from the above two about their perspectives on what’s needed in the ISR.

Chukita Gruben

Chukita Gruben My name is Chukita Gruben. I am 23 years old and I come from Tuktoyaktuk. I sit on the Tuktoyaktuk Community Corporation board as a director. As a young adult who was born and raised most of my life in the ISR, I experienced many barriers and knew because of so many setbacks that taking every opportunity and working to gain experience was an advantage to help me leave home to go to school in the south. Little did I know then as a youth that all these opportunities and chances I took would lead me to where I am today. Sitting on the TCC board now for a little over a year has taught me a lot about being in a political role and how important it is to be the voice for your people to make a change, but also to know your staff, what they do, know the Inuvialuit Final Agreement and oversee the big picture of our goals and mission to ensure we as a board are steering the community corporations and the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation in the right direction. Currently from my perspective, as a new leader who observes and takes all point of views into respectful consideration, yet also a resident who experiences the day-to-day and hears out her people and strongly feels for their struggles, I’m led to believe we need to engage ourselves more with the residents and especially youth, to include them more in our field of work, as we are the ones in power, to see what is and what’s not working.

It’s always great to see a young upcoming leader (Chukita Gruben) come out of her shell and start speaking out at a big meeting like the 42 Directors. It takes a lot of courage for a youngster. She hit a lot of points that we’re actually working on. I just want to encourage her to keep it up. We know a lot of the issues that the youth are having, especially at her age. What she talked about yesterday is we have to showcase some of our successes as Inuvialuit. As a leader of the IDC, I am a strong believer in that. I really want to promote our own beneficiaries who have made a career and some of the challenges that they had. I always say that we’re the ones that have to come out and motivate our youngsters. I was just a young man, old enough to vote when we were voting for the land claim. The question I asked was what is in it for me? The answer they gave me was it’s going to

As a leader and role model, I find it essential to take that first step to hear them out and understand what their needs are in order to work with them, to find where are the gaps and how we can help them in our power to make change, because the people in the ISR need more supportive role models and people to encourage them, to showcase their successes as Inuvialuit and build their self-confidence. At the meeting, for the first time youth were included and had a voice, which spoke of these exact things, and spoke of more mental health and wellness support, and proper support in resources, which means education is key and to have a more Northern approach to our unique way of living for programming. Change and speaking up is not easy. It takes courage and work, but if we empower our people and make them realize we’re not stuck and limited, but capable of so much (thanks to our IFA), we Inuvialuit people can work together with what we have, use our voice and flourish with the big backyard of land and country that we live in, which is rich in resources and can be used to fit our modern yet traditional lifestyle. That means to never forget our cultural values with the land, water, wildlife and people, but to also build capacity, develop the economy and invest more in our Inuvialuit people.

Patrick “Dang” Gruben

make it better for me when I grow up. I always took that to heart and said let’s make it work. The biggest message is education. You want to get more involved, you want to learn, education is key. It makes you understand what we’re talking about, the goals we’re trying to achieve. Someone with education understands it more easily than just picking it up on your own. There are some words and some terms that you have to understand in the business world, where I come from, and it’s not easy. On the way, you’ve got to ask questions so you understand yourself. Also, get to know and understand the Inuvialuit Final Agreement. Don’t let peer pressure get to you. A lot of times people in the younger ages, when they’re going into something new, their peers say, “Oh, you think you’re too good.” No, if you want to make an improvement for yourself and others you represent, go for it.

TUKTOYAKTUK’S FIRST

RAINBOW DAYS

WORDS BY ALLYSA FELIX PHOTOS BY JANA KASPAROVA

When I was sailing through the Arctic in the summer on a Students on Ice expedition, I was deeply inspired by all of the amazing people on that ship. There are so many people to be inspired by on such a trip, but this particular moment in time I was inspired by two wonderful ladies looking to make a change. I saw a presentation about explaining the alphabet soup that is LGBTQI2S+ and I thought, “Hey I want to do that back home.” I didn’t know how I was going to, but then it was announced there was an opportunity to apply for a grant to do stuff like this. Change is especially hard in the Arctic because we are so set in our ways. Let’s talk about change for one minute. It’s often said that change is the only constant in life. Yet humans are evolutionarily predisposed to resist change because of the risk associated with it. Despite this resistance to change, it is more important than ever. Mother Teresa once said, “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” In today’s society, the pace of change is immensely faster, and it will only continue to accelerate. People fear change. Everyone does, but change is inevitable. If we are to grow as a species, it must happen and must happen now. When I thought of this I didn’t know it would turn into something this grand. I was honestly doubtful when I was planning this. I was nervous of the feedback. I thought no one would come or support me. But if you think something is right, you must follow your heart of hearts. I understand that nothing might change right away. In fact, change might only be felt 20 years from now. But if I didn’t do this, who would? Because there are LGBTQI2S+ people in the Arctic, in the reservations, in the tiny towns, and they must be heard.

Chelsea Thacker, Thomas Gagnon-van Leeuwen and Allysa Felix

On the first day of the event, there were some setbacks. A blizzard warning cancelled the morning of the events and members of the Gay Straight Alliance club I’m in couldn’t make it. Weather is something we cannot control and it turned out even better in the end. Luckily our guest speakers, Thomas Gagnon-van Leeuwen and Chelsea Thacker from the Rainbow Coalition in Yellowknife, were able to make it in. That led to a wonderful afternoon filled with workshops, stories, cupcakes and, most of all, love. The lower grades decorated cupcakes and read a story about Elmer the Elephant, who taught it is okay to be different and unique. The older grades had the option to do a creative writing workshop with Thomas or an educational workshop with Chelsea. Allysa Felix

The following day we worked with the foods class for the Europe trip our teacher is preparing for. They prepared a big lunch for the community, which was a hit. Following that there was a screening of the excellent movie Two Soft Things, Two Hard Things. Then just like that, after two quick days, months of preparation, it was over. As of right now, based on geography, it is the highest pride/educational event that has happened in the North. Without my team of wonderful people standing behind me, I wouldn’t be able to do this at all. Without the people who create these grants for people who want to do positive things. Without Geoff Green, who created Students on Ice. Without the people who work hard for Students on Ice. Without Thomas and Chelsea, who were a big part of this. Of course without Jana Kasparova, who does so much for people and doesn’t get a lot of credit. With that being said, I give my biggest thanks to the Students on Ice foundation. This ground-breaking foundation does amazing things for science, students, youth, the Arctic and more. My hope for the future with this is that Rainbow Days gets continued yearly even after I venture off into the world. Quyanainni.

YOUNG LEADERS We asked members of the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation Regional Youth Advisory Group what they want to do for their communities and what they’ve learned throughout life. BRIANNA WOLKI 20, Paulatuk

How do you want to improve your community? An opportunity like this is a great example of how to get youth together to learn and observe what each believe can be done for the community. I think (we need to) reach the youth of our communities through either social networking or getting events together to inform them of what they can do or how we can support them to make a difference for the community.

What is the most important lesson you’ve learned? To obtain patience. That’s valuable.

What is the biggest challenge that you’ve had to go through? Losing a loved one. During high school that took a big impact on me, but then I strived to get my Grade 12 diploma.

LANITA THRASHER 31, Paulatuk

How do you want to improve your community? The best possible way that I can.

What is the most important lesson you’ve learned? Take in the moments.

What is the biggest challenge that you’ve had to go through? My biggest challenge was being away from home without native food and missing the land. I guess everyone’s challenge is wanting to learn Inuvialuktun.

CALYSTA KUDLAK 18, Sachs Harbour

How do you want to improve your community? I want to get more support for the youth, for furthering their education and activities for the younger kids so they could stay out of trouble.

What is the most important lesson you’ve learned? Always be kind, even if everyone pisses you off.

What is the biggest challenge that you’ve had to go through? Probably coming here (Inuvik) for school. It’s been challenging but at least I’m getting it done.

JERRY RUBEN-BENNETT 22, Paulatuk

How do you want to improve your community? I want to give a voice to the youth who feel silenced and feel like they don’t have a voice.

What is the most important lesson you’ve learned? That things won’t go your way every time.

What is the biggest challenge that you’ve had to go through? Learning to accept that things won’t always go my way.

TIANNA GORDON-RUBEN

22, Tuktoyaktuk

How do you want to improve your community? Trying to enhance the awareness of our youth, of our culture, to bring this drive to practise all of our traditions no matter how old or young you are.

What is the most important lesson you’ve learned? Treat people how you want to be treated. It’s pretty obvious – you want to be treated nice, you have to treat people nice.

What is the biggest challenge that you’ve had to go through? It would probably have to be growing up in such a small community. When you leave your community, you’re leaving your home, your land, your family and all of the traditions that you have. It’s hard to leave that to try to better your life when you enjoy your home so much.

CASSANDRA PAUL 17, Aklavik

How do you want to improve your community? By helping the students achieve their education and learn about the land.

What is the most important lesson you’ve learned? Treat people the way you want to be treated.

What is the biggest challenge that you’ve had to go through? Overcoming my shyness for meeting new people and experiencing new things.

TYLER SITTICHINLI 16, Aklavik

How do you want to improve your community? Help out at all the community events, do volunteer work.

What is the most important lesson you’ve learned? To stay positive and do what you want to do.

What is the biggest challenge that you’ve had to go through? Probably with all the stuff I do outside school and school (itself). I don’t really have much time for anything now.

DAVONNA KASOOK 22, Inuvik

How do you want to improve your community? That’s the whole reason of developing this board, to bring all of us youth together from all the other communities and share our issues, concerns and insights on what kind of problems we’re facing in our communities. Right now we’re trying to develop ways to make life easier for youth in remote communities and communities in the North in general.

What is the most important lesson you’ve learned? The most important lesson I’ve learned is to have patience and don’t procrastinate.

What is the biggest challenge that you’ve had to go through? Getting my education, just getting through high school and now I’m in college trying to get good grades. It’s pretty tough. It’s stressful and takes a toll on you.

SHELBY LUCAS 20, Sachs Harbour

How do you want to improve your community? I would like to see more programs happening, because all the other communities have a lot of programs. In Sachs, there are only about two. I’d like to see more activities in my town.

What is the most important lesson you’ve learned? Being positive and taking all the chances that you could take.

What is the biggest challenge that you’ve had to go through? It was probably leaving home to go to school.

TOPSY BANKSLAND 20, Ulukhaktok

How do you want to improve your community? In all aspects – health-wise, physically. I want activities and everyone to have a healthy mind. I want to see a healthier community. There’s always something to improve on, especially more awareness for your language loss, that there are programs out there for you.

What is the most important lesson you’ve learned? Don’t wait. I noticed I started waiting for little things to happen, but especially for school to start learning something. You don’t need to wait. You can do it on your own. You’re not helpless.

What is the biggest challenge that you’ve had to go through? Gathering the courage to start something. Starting something is the hardest part, especially if you want to get into a healthy habit.

SYDONE OKHEENA

my life with

CEREBRAL PALSY Hi, my name is Sydone Okheena and I’m from Ulukhaktok. I was born with cerebral palsy, which is a group of permanent movement disorders that appear in early childhood. I didn’t really notice that I was different until I was about five to seven years old. At a young age, I started speech therapy to help me talk better, which helped a lot.

I have my bad days and good days just like everyone else. A few times I felt like I wanted to end my life because I was hurting and I just wanted to end the pain, but I always got the help I needed from a family member, a friend or a health specialist. I now not only struggle with cerebral palsy but with a mental illness. The first time I was on my own was the summer of 2015, when I did Northern Youth Abroad. I travelled on my own across the country, which was scary, but I enjoyed the trip experiencing the world on my own.

Cerebral palsy affected my ability to do things on my own, such as cutting my own food, fixing my hair and handling small items. My parents and friends still have to help me with these kinds of When I was out, I felt things to this day. It isn’t easy when you’re double jointed. I also have I like to consider myself a lucky problems with shaking when I have a person, as I can do things glass of water or when I am carrying something. on my own and I’m a strong,

“

independent woman who loves to

for the first time that I was normal like everyone else, that my disability didn’t matter. I felt that way because there are so many different types of people out there that everyone is considered normal. I also found it easier to be myself, because when you are out in the big cities, no one knows who you are and nobody cares who you are.

Growing up with cerebral palsy has made others see me differently in my travel and experience new things. class. I was bullied my whole life and it’s hard when you have soft feelings and everything gets to I like to consider myself a lucky person, as I can do things on my you. I was bullied so much in my life that it has affected me own and I’m a strong, independent woman who loves to travel mentally. and experience new things.

”

A month before I graduated last June, I was struggling with depression and anxiety. I was crying so much every day to a point where I had to go on antidepressants. I’ve been on them ever since and they seem to help me a lot.

My message to those people struggling with cerebral palsy is never give up. You are stronger and smarter than you think. The road won’t always be smooth, but if you promise to never give up, I promise you that you will make it through life.

A K L AV I K

NO PL ACE LIKE HOME Though they may love the sport too, those who competed in January’s co-ed volleyball tournament in Aklavik seemed most interested in any reason to spend time in the community many call home. “It brings back great memories from living here,” said Clinton Gordon, now an Inuvik resident. “I enjoy the atmosphere with the people here. I like the spirit of the people.” Petra Arey, 15 years old, has spent her whole life in the community.

“Everyone’s always nice here,” she said between matches, adding that she loves being involved in traditional activities. Her family often hunts and she gets to cut the meat. She also picks berries and sews with sealskin. The views of the Richardson Mountains resonate with her as the identity of the town she’s grown up in. A full house came out to Moose Kerr School for the tournament. Children and families cheered from the stands while teams played off through the weekend. For Jeffrey Amos, whose family seems present in every volleyball event in the region, coming to Aklavik is truly a trip home to his birthplace, where he spent the first three years of his life before moving to his grandparents’ camp in the Delta.

“

I enjoy the atmosphere with the people here. I like the spirit of the people.” - CLINTON GORDON

“It’s family, friends, just lots of fun. A lot of laughter, fair play, kids playing, adults playing,” he said. He’s always happy to come home and see multiple generations of his family on the court. Few are more expressive during matches than Gord Papik, 16, whose intensity can be read from his every leap for the ball or preparation for a set. He was born in Inuvik but was raised and lives in Aklavik. “The people are really nice,” he said, still catching his breath after a game. “Everyone has fun at all times. It’s isolated from everyone and there’s not much commotion.” He plans to keep circling back to Aklavik throughout life and hopes to pursue a teaching career. Jessi Pascal, who’s taking college classes in Inuvik, is something of a spokesperson for Aklavik. Her passion for the land and people seems to find its way into every conversation. “There’s a lot of history here,” she said. “There’s always something to do and we all work together.” But the competitive aspect is still a big part of the fun, and for those keeping score, Patrice Stuart’s team came out on top. The team was composed of Patrice Stuart, Tanya Gruben, Corinne Cormier, Gerald Stuart, Wes Wolki, Brent Wolki, Morris Nogasak II and Cheryl Day.

MASTERING THE CRAFT ULUKHAKTOK ARTISTS SHARE THEIR PASSIONS WORDS AND PHOTOS BY TOPSY BANKSLAND

ith pieces ranging from prints, carvings and sewing, Ulukhaktok is home to many talented artists.

Known for her prints, Elsie Klengenberg was first introduced to drawing, then printmaking, by Father Henri Tardy, who lived in Holman (now called Ulukhaktok) from the 1940s to 1980s. Her art is influenced by the stories her parents told. Her prints portray culture of the land, animals and people. Printmaking is a process. She starts out by drawing first, thinking about the placement of people and animals, and how to draw out the figures. Once that is all set, she moves onto cutting the stencils. As an artist herself, it can be difficult at times to create a print, but as long as “you keep trying, trying, it’s going to be easier,” she advises anyone who is starting out. Though he’s made more than 1,300 ulus and a hundred knives already, Adam Kudlak is still busy creating carvings, jewellery and tools.

ILINAALUK SAVAUYARNIKUN ULUKHAKTUUM SAVAUYAQTINGIT UQAQTUT AGLAKTANGIT AGLIUTIYAILLU TOPSY BANKSLAND

lukhaktuuqmiut inugiaktut savauyalguyut. Aglauyarnikun, sanauyarnikun, miqurnikunlu.

Elsie Klengenberg ilisimagikput aglauyamigun. Father Henri Tardym aullaqipgaga aglaayauqtigun. Father Tardy Ulukhaktok nayupaga 1940min 1980munaglaan. Elsie-m aapanganlu amaamanganlu quliaqtuangit aglauyaqpagait. Nunam, niryutit, inuillu pitqusinginnik. Aglauyaaqsigami Elsie, inuillu niryutillu pitqusingit ismagiblugit aullaqivaktuaq. Tajvangaaniin allamun nuutpaktuaq. “Ilaani sapirnaraluaqtuq aglauyaqtuni uuktuataqtuni sapirnaiqpaktuaq.” Adam Kudlak 1,300 sippiqlugu ululiuqtuq qangmunungaglaan. Tajva aglaan nutqayuittuq savauyaamigun.

Adam started right after high school and learned from watching his father create traditional tools and other items. Inspired by his culture and father, he uses materials such as metal, copper, wood, muskox horns, bones and whatever he can find from the land. His advice to people who want to start creating art is that “you’re probably not going to like the first stuff you make, but if you stay at it, you’re going to get better.” Adam enjoys and prefers going at his own pace and found, when taking orders, he started disliking going by a deadline. He points out, “Don’t take criticisms too closely to the heart and do what makes you happy.” His creations can be found in hotels, art shops and many people’s homes. Laverna Klengenberg remembers she made her first pair of mitts when she was 15 years old for her granny Nigiyok. Her sewing includes embroideries, mitts, kamiks (boots) and purses. Before doing projects for adults and taking orders, she mainly sewed for her children. She learned about the different textures of hides and skins she prefers to work with. For example, beaver for cuffs on mitts is more durable than rabbit fur, which can wear out quickly. Fox fur is best for the looks of it, “fluffiness” and warmth. Since each order is custom made, Laverna educates her customers about what materials are used and the creation process. She can finish a project within a day or a few hours. “I use it as a form of meditation, especially when I’m going to create something. It’s therapy.” Sewing is soothing for her, just as it is for those who go out on nature walks or do photography to zone out. These artists share their creativity. They encourage you to keep trying, go at your own pace and express what makes you happy.

Laverna Klengenberg

Adam Kudlak

Adam isagutiyuaq ilisaruirami. Aapani nautchiuqlugu sanayuaq atuaksanik. Aapani maliklugu makuat savisungnik, kannuyaq, qiyungnik, umingmait nagyuinnik, saunirniklu sunikliqa nunamin paqitaminik atuqpagait. Inungnun sanauyaruktuanun uqaqtuq tajva, “sivulliq sanayan narruginiakkanluuniin tajva aglaan nutqangitkuvit naukurumun iliniaqtuat.” Adam inmiguataqluni savakkami nakuugitqiga. Qilamik iniquyaugami quviagingitka. “Narrutuyuat qaunakkunagit. Ilipkun sanalutin quviagiyarnik.” Adam savaangit tukkuvingni, niuvirvingni, inuit iglunginilu takunaqtut. Laverna Klengenberg puiguyuittuq pualuliuqtaminik 15nik ukiuniklunilu anaanangminun Nigiyok. Laverna sanavaktuaq qupagiktunik, pualunik, kamingnik, maniliqpingniklu. Allanun savaktinani nutaqqami anuraaksainik miquqpaktuaq sivulliublugit. Niryutit amingit atuaksat qanuq itilaangit ilitchurigamigit. Imana, kigiat amingit mitquiqsiriituat nakuutqiyat ukkallinin. Ukallit mitquilangayut. Tiriganniam aminga takkumasiritqiyaq, tujruyut, nirumiktut. Inuit iluariyainnik sanasuuyuq. Imitchiyuat quliutivagait suutilaanginik sanayat qanurllu sanayait. Iniqsilayuq ubluinarmiluuniin ilaanni. Ilaanni sivikitumik. Miquqtuni quyalitauvialuktuq isumamun. “Miquraangama isumamnun ikayuutigivagara. Sanauyaaqsiyarangama sunikliqa. Quyaliyauyuq.” Laverna miquuyarami ikayuutauvialuktuq. Nunamun pisuuyaqtuni taimannaptuaq. Taapkuat sanauyaqtit ikayuruuyut. Uuktuqublugit nutqaqsimaittumik. Inmiguataqublugit isumatik malirullugit alianaigigupku.

Elsie Klengenberg

TREATY DECLINED HOW INUVIALUIT CHOSE REINDEER OVER PAYMENTS ALMOST 100 YEARS AGO WORDS BY Charles Arnold PHOTOS FROM the Anglican General Synod Archives, Inuvialuit Regional Corporation and O.S. Finnie/Library and Archives Canada

When the Inuvialuit Final Agreement (IFA) was signed in Tuktoyaktuk on June 5, 1984, one of the people who proudly signed his name on the document was Mark Noksana, the Committee for Original People’s Entitlement’s negotiator for Tuktoyaktuk. The ‘Western Arctic Claim – Inuvialuit Final Agreement’ is a ‘modern’ or ‘comprehensive’ land claim that stands in contrast to ‘historic’ treaties that include the socalled ‘numbered’ treaties between the Crown and First Nations in some other parts of Canada. However, according to Mark Noksana and others of his generation, the negotiations that led to the IFA were not the first time that government and the Inuvialuit discussed entering into a treaty. Originally from Alaska, Mark Noksana had come to Canada when he was hired to help drive a herd of reindeer that had been purchased by the Government of Canada to the Mackenzie Delta area. The reindeer and the herders left Alaska in December 1929, and after many delays arrived in the Delta in March 1935. During a stopover at Shingle Point on the Yukon coast, Mark Noksana heard from people there about William Mangilaluk, and about his role in having the reindeer brought to the Delta. In testimony that he gave in 1976 to the Berger Commission, which was surveying people’s opinions on a pipeline, Mark Noksana recalled through an interpreter: “I used to ask [people] around […] Shingle Point, ‘What you guys ask for reindeer for?’ Well, some of them told me [about a] man in Tuktoyaktuk by the name of William Mangilaluk, [a] chief […]

“I happened to meet that man there before he died, chief William Mangilaluk. […] he told me [people from the] government came down [to Whitefish Station and to Tuktoyaktuk] and [asked] him if he want [treaty] money, like Indians. […] He says he didn’t say nothing. He just going to think about it. “[Mangilaluk had] heard of some reindeer in Alaska […] There was no caribou at all here in Tuktoyaktuk […] No caribou at all at that time. So the chief […] asked the government if he could get the reindeer for the Eskimos. […]. He says money’s no good to him. That’s what he told me. He said he’d rather get reindeer so he can have meat all the time for the new generation coming, so they can have reindeer meat all the time in Tuk area here. […] So the government back in Ottawa decided they would go to Alaska, buy […] reindeer and drive them from there. I was one of them, four years with them. That’s what happened.” (Thomas Berger, Northern Frontier, Northern Homeland, 1977).

The passage of time obscures memories, and the paucity of detailed written records in official archives makes it difficult to verify some of the things Mark Noksana talked about. What we can say is that the treaty William Mangilaluk referred to was Treaty 11, which the Government of Canada and the Dene residing in the territory “along the Mackenzie River and the Arctic Ocean in the Dominion of Canada” entered into in 1921. Although the understanding of the intent and the legitimacy of the treaty continues to be debated, it was the government’s position that, in return for the Dene surrendering their rights to land both in the treaty area and elsewhere in Canada, the government was to make payments each year of $25 to each ‘chief,’ $15 to each ‘headman’ and $5 to others.

The inclusion of areas traditionally occupied by Inuvialuit in which Dene were eligible to accept treaty payments has puzzled historians; it is clear, however, that Inuvialuit were not signatories to Treaty 11, and that it did not apply to them and did not surrender their rights to their land. Once Treaty 11 went into effect, the government was obliged to send officials north each year to pay the annuities and conduct business relating to it. For some years, this task fell to Oswald Sterling Finnie, who was the director of the government’s Northwest Territories and Yukon branch from 1921 to 1931. Although official government records appear to be silent on this issue, on some of his annual trips north Finnie may have asked Inuvialuit if they wanted to be covered under Treaty 11. Since the Government of Canada initiated a search for a suitable reindeer range in 1926, if Mark Noksana was told correctly that Mangilaluk was in part responsible for the decision to bring a reindeer herd to the Delta, the meeting he refers to would have occurred prior to that time.

Mark Noksana signing the Inuvialuit Final Agreement.

In his comprehensive book on the history of Treaty 11, “As Long As This Land Shall Last,” Rene Fumoleau suggests that discussions with Inuvialuit about treaty might have taken place as early as 1925 – thus supporting Mark Noksana’s story – when Lord Byng, the Governor General of Canada, accompanied Oswald Finnie on a trip by paddle-wheeler down the Mackenzie River to Aklavik. From there they went farther north to the mouth of the Mackenzie River on a smaller boat. A photograph taken during that trip shows William Mangilaluk and several other Inuvialuit. This may be one of the photographs that Laura Raymond referred to many years later in an oral history interview: “… when they had big meeting in Whitefish [Station] … they [even took] their pictures. That’s the time Peter Qarlik (Kaglik) was interpreter. They [the government] ask that chief of Tuk, Mangilaluk, what he want …” Also in the photograph is Bob Cockney, who wrote in his autobiography, ‘I, Nuligak,’ about another meeting with Oswald Finnie, this one in Aklavik in 1929:

Reindeer herders having coffee on the last day of the drive, March 1935. Mark Noksana may be in this photo.

“We were there when the white chief Mr. Finnie arrived. There was a meeting for the purpose of giving the Inuit money such as the [Dene] were receiving. The white chief asked me if I had anything to say. I asked him what would be the amount we would receive for twelve months. He answered, ‘five dollars’. I asked the Inuit if it was worth disturbing ourselves for the amount of five dollars [Bob Cockney may have translated for some of the others

who were present]. They answered, ‘We don’t want it’. I said to the white chief: ‘We have no business to do with you. Keep your five dollars. Instead of distributing it to everyone, put that money to some purpose. Everything costs so much here, and five dollars will not help us. It would be better to feed those who are in misery, the widows, the blind, the sick.’ “Chief Finnie answered that I was right, and that the Inuit would not receive the treaty.”

Oswald Finnie’s report on his August 1929 trip to Aklavik at Library and Archives Canada doesn’t mention discussions about treaty, but he did note that he met with a delegation of Inuvialuit in Aklavik, consisting of “Louis Coglick (Kaglik), Bob Caulkney (Cockney), Esau Abingukpuk (?), Johnny Komick (?), Cyril Coglick (Kaglik), Lucas Ernatuna (?), Bertram Pokiak and Joseph Simon,” about their concerns with the NWT and Yukon Game Regulations and the Migratory Birds Act.

of the Northwest Territories Council in December 1929, the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories stated that Inuit should not be classed with Indians in government policies.” Many things that took place over the next 40 years convinced Inuvialuit that seeking a land claim was in their best interests. But one of the messages we can learn from the earlier decision to refuse treaty is that despite the population reductions and dislocations resulting from foreign diseases that periodically spread through Inuvialuit communities, and being impacted by other forces of change during late 1800s and early 1900s, the strength and resiliency of Inuvialuit culture was in full display when Inuvialuit leaders chose reindeer over a treaty.

According to Finnie’s report, they “wanted permission to kill caribou out of season when urgently in need of food. […] These natives also spoke of [...] not being able to secure ducks and geese as they had all left before the season opened ...”

This story and others like it are part of the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation’s IFA 101 Project, which is intended to help people learn about the history, content and application of the Inuvialuit Final Agreement.

At the time, under the NWT and Yukon Game Regulations, the season for hunting ducks and geese was closed from 15 December through August, and the season for hunting caribou was closed from March through August.

Information sources:

The 1929 meeting in Aklavik may have been the last time treaty was discussed, and Finnie appears to have reported back to Ottawa that the Inuvialuit had declined the invitation to sign Treaty 11. According to Rene Fumoleau, “at a session

A group of Inuvialuit possibly at Nalruriaq (Whitefish Station), 1925.

“As Long As This Land Shall Last” (by Rene Fumoleau, 1973) “I, Nuligak” (by Bob Cockney, edited by Maurice Metayer, 1966) “Yellow Beetle Oral History and Archaeology Project” (by Elisa Hart and Cathy Cockney, Inuvialuit Social Development Program, 1999) Oswald Finnie records at Library and Archives Canada

OUR GAMES ARCTIC SPORTS CAPTURE HEARTS AT 2018 ARCTIC WINTER GAMES

They say records are made to be broken. That could hardly have been more true than at the 2018 Arctic Winter Games, where athletes from across the North gathered and faced off at the highest level of Arctic sports in the world. Six AWG records were taken down, topped off by Stuart Towarak’s launch into the stratosphere in the one-foot high kick, which many consider the games’ marquee event. Despite the intense competition – rife with yells of passion and moments of dead silence followed by eruptions of cheers – the games stayed true to their history, as athletes did not just compete with each other, but encouraged, helped and celebrated with one another, no matter where their competition was from. Records were broken, new friends were made, some new and some old names were scribbled into the history books and the spirit of Arctic sports shone brightly for five days this March in Fort Smith, Northwest Territories.

THE UNALAKLEET SPACE AGENCY STUART TOWARAK SMASHES AWG RECORD FOR ONE-FOOT HIGH KICK

9’7” Stuart Towarak brought the house down when he eclipsed a long-held one-foot high kick record at the 2018 Arctic Winter Games, hitting 9’7”. He put the Towarak name back in the record books, after Ike Towarak, his father, set the one-foot high kick record in 1982. “I feel amazing right now,” said Stuart, who couldn’t wipe the mile-wide smile from his face afterward. “I feel proud of myself, all the hard work and just being here, just living in the moment. I had a great time, an amazing time here so far. Words can’t explain the feelings that I went through and what I’m going through right now. Just being in the moment, kicking, by myself, in the zone, just me and the ball. I really had to find that one, find it in me to push it that hard.” His father’s record in 1982 was 8’10”. Stuart beat Brian Randazzo’s 1988 record of 9’6”, which had been matched only once since, by Jesse Frankson in 2002. The 24-year-old began competing at age 14 and is proud to put the Towarak name back in the record books. “Making my family proud is the goal right now,” he said. “I’m trying to do everything my best in competing, in life, just everything all around.” A few officials at the games had told Stuart he reminded them of his father. What’s more, Stuart wasn’t even supposed to make Team Alaska – he had been assigned as an alternate until a teammate broke his foot. He might have an easier time making the team in the 2020 games. Stuart not only broke the record, but he smashed the ball – it wasn’t barely grazed. His yell as he came down signalled eruption in the crowd. In three attempts, he did not succeed in pushing the record to 9’8”, but the young man from Unalakleet, Alaska, couldn’t stop smiling about how his tournament went.

RECORD

DREW BELL

TEAM NUNAVUT

Open male one-hand reach record: 5’7” Previous record: 5’6”

NATHAN SAVIADJUK

TEAM NUNAVIK

Junior male kneel jump record: 4’11.5” Previous record: 4’9”

STUART TOWARAK

TEAM ALASKA

Open male one-foot high kick record: 9’7” Previous record: 9’6”

BREAKERS

IULIIA IUDINA

TEAM YAMAL

Open female sledge jump record: 300 sledges Previous record: 225 sledges

LARRY THOMASSIAH

TEAM NUNAVIK

Open male airplane record: 56.83s Previous record: 46.69s

VERONICA MCDONALD

TEAM NORTHWEST TERRITORIES

Open female triple jump record: 8.61 metres Previous record: 8.55 metres

GOLDEN FOCUS Team Alaska’s Andrew Kashevarof shows the transition from intense concentration to jump and jubilation, finishing proudly with a gold ulu around his neck for hitting 8’5” in the two-foot high kick.

OUR SPORTS

MARK YOUR TARGET ARCTIC WINTER GAMES RECORDS AS OF 2018 EVENT

Tusaayaksat Magazine – Spring 2018

Articles inside

Young Leaders

Tuktuuyaqtuuq's First Rainbow Days

Forum for the 42

History Laid Bare: Early Days of the IFA and Cope

Inuvik's Curling Queens

Shirley Steenberg

Moving with Our Ancestors

Shining Under the Spotlight

A Light in Darkness

Letters From Down South

Readers Write: Shayna Allen

Letter From the Manager

Treaty Declined

Mastering the Craft