Tusaayaksat Magazine – Winter 2019/20

UKIUQ WINTER 2019

STORIES THAT NEED TO BE HEARD

QILALUKKAT! How one family's beluga hunt found its way to Ottawa p.69

NUTAAT INUIT celebrating our youth p.7

free brand-new Nipaturuq youth Magazine included NUTAAT INUIT YOUTH Cover1

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BELUGA HUNT GOES TO OTTAWA

QILALUKKAT!

Myrna Pokiak

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 Cover2 coverage of our news,UKIUQ WINTER 2019 vibrant culture, and perspectives.

MAKPIRAAM ILUANI TABLE OF CONTENTS

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INTRODUCTION

NUTAAT INUIT; NEW PEOPLE

PROFILE

Melody Teddy, Guest Editor

MAKING A MARK IN ULU

FASHION SPOTLIGHT

Mona Kudlak

WINTER MUST-HAVES Erica Lugt, Fashion Reporter

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SELFPORTRAITS

ARCTIC SNOW to OUTER SPACE

OPINION

TANINGNAQ Christina King (Taalrumiq)

ART FEATURE

Youth from Inuvik Youth Centre

PROFILE

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EARLY CHILDHOOD

HEADSTART Maria Storr

81 HISTORICAL

PROJECT SURNAME Charles Arnold

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CONVERSATION

A BLOODY JERSEY & MORE

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ICRC RESOURCES

CLASSIC STORYBOOKS

Inuvialuit Cultural Centre (ICRC)

FROM TUK TO THE GLOBAL STAGE

CREATIVE

ALL ABOUT FUR Nikita Larter; Lena Kotokak

Chris Church & Steve Dagar

Tyee Fellows

Dana Bowen

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CLOSING THOUGHTS

HEART KNOWLEDGE Randal "Boogie" Pokiak

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Students tell their story of how climate change is “happening to us”

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LETTER FROM THE BOARD

Shine a Light UKIUQ WINTER 2019 NUTAAT INUIT YOUTH ON THE COVER: Myrna Pokiak and her girls, Kara, Launa, and Mya, at their Nanuk's smokehouse in Tuktoyaktuk, NT. (Photo submitted by Myrna Pokiak/Alappaa) Publisher Inuvialuit Communications Society (ICS) ics@northwestel.net Editor-in-Chief Jason Lau tusaayaksat@northwestel.net Guest Editor Melody Teddy mteddy@inuvialuit.com Collaborator Regional Youth Advisory Group (RYAG) bselina@inuvialuit.com ICS Manager Dez Loreen Office Administrator Roseanne Rogers EDITORIAL Storytelling Deena Allum, Charles Arnold, Ryan Binder, Dana Bowen, Kai Oasis Cardinal, Alyssa Carpenter, Jordan Carpenter, Chris Church, Steve Dagar, Tyee Fellows, Shalina Gully, Isabelle Hendrick, Davonna Kasook, Christina King (Taalrumiq), Mona Kudlak, Catherine Kuptana, Nikita Larter, Jacob Lennie, Calysta Lucas-Kudlak, Mariah Lucas, Erica Lugt, Janice McNutt, Tyson Mistaken-Chief, Stephanie Nigiyok, Alisa Nogasak, Myrna Pokiak/Alappaa, Randal "Boogie" Pokiak, James Rogers, Maria Storr, Cynthia Teddy, Angela Voudrach, Cameron Wolki-Jacobson Translation Beverly Amos, Albert Elias Art Canadian Museum of Nature, Nate Campbell, Karis Gruben, Helena Kalvak, Jaro Malanowski/Avatar Media, Weronika Murray, Chad Pokiak, Olivia Pokiak, Logan Ruben, Jolene Thrasher, Jolie Wolki SPECIAL THANKS Shayna Allen/IYC, Holly Carpenter, Maeva Gauthier, Ethel-Jean Gruben/ ICRC, Lema Ijtemaye/Pauktuutit, Lena Kotokak/ICRC, Shauna Kayotuk/ Headstart, Danielle LaBrash/Pauktuutit, Cloé Maisonneuve, Megan McCaffery/ East Three School, Jay Okpik-Cutten, the TukTV team, Alice Wilson/ARI BOARD OF DIRECTORS President, Inuvik Lucy Kuptana VP, Tuktoyaktuk Debbie Raddi Treasurer, Ulukhaktok Joseph Haluksit Aklavik Director Colin Gordon Paulatuk Director Jody Illasiak Sachs Harbour Director Jean Harry BUSINESS OFFICE Inuvialuit Communications Society 292 Mackenzie Rd. P.O. Box 1704 Inuvik, NT X0E 0T0 SUBSCRIPTIONS Email icsfinance@northwestel.net or phone +1 (867) 777-2320 to renew or start your subscription. You can also mail us at the address above. As of this issue, a 1-year subscription is $20 CAD and a 2-year one is $36 CAD. Prices may vary internationally.

FUNDING Inuvialuit Regional Corporation GNWT (Education, Culture and Employment)

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RECENT EDITION of Tusaayaksat is focused on Inuvialuit youth—their passions and many talents.

I often enjoy reading articles of people and their success stories; understanding their background and struggles helps us realize that we all struggle. No one has a perfect life— we all have personal struggles. But, as an Elder once told us: we all are great at some things—it’s just finding that greatness. We can’t be great at everything, but we can celebrate the success of one or two things.

Many people are not aware of their talent as they haven’t experienced it or been exposed to it yet. But this is what Tusaayaksat can do for our readers—by bringing engaging stories to you. By reading about someone’s successes or struggles, maybe we can identify with it.

Many take that leap of faith towards success and either sink or swim. I believe that the supports available to Inuvialuit should help you swim, so don’t hesitate to ask for those supports—and keep asking. Let others know; advocate and question.

The Inuvialuit Corporate Group holds tours to every ISR community each year—attend, ask questions, and become involved. Information can empower you.

In my younger years, I never really thought much of the Land Claim.

I left it to the politicians. But once I knew that I could help improve the lives of families and individuals in our communities, I became engaged and

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never looked back. In the 35 years since the signing of the Inuvialuit Final Agreement, we are all the executors of the Claim.

Our remarkable history as Inuvialuit tells us the story of independent and hardworking nomadic people who thrived in a harsh environment.

Colonialism, residential school, industry, and government have greatly affected us. Instead of cheering on and celebrating each other’s successes, we still tend to be envious rather than congratulatory. This colonialistic behaviour was taught by settlers.

But if you find you are getting caught up in negative behaviour towards someone else, place yourself in that other person’s shoes. Try to practice mindfulness—be humble and kind.

I realize that Inuvialuit culture now has a gap—our language, Inuvialuktun. It feels like the soul of the people is becoming extinct. Our parents didn’t teach us Inuvialuktun—they only promoted English, as many of them were punished or ostracized for speaking it. With the resources available now, I think we all need to take a bit of responsibility—be uncomfortable in using the language until we become comfortable.

Most of all, as we walk in the footsteps of our ancestors, shine a light and be the leaders of today.

ANAQANLU—SEE YOU AGAIN,

LUCY KUPTANA PRESIDENT, INUVIALUIT COMMUNICATIONS SOCIETY

NUTAAT NUTAAT NUTAAT NUTAAT NUTAAT NUTAAT NUTAAT

NUTAAT INUIT NEW PEOPLE The Regional Youth Advisory Group and ICS are incredibly excited to bring you the Winter 2019 issue of Tusaayaksat Magazine—a special issue all about the incredible, heartbreaking, loving, and inspiring stories of Inuvialuit youth from far and wide.

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The Inuvialuit Regional Corporation established a Regional Youth Advisory Group (RYAG) in late 2017 to advise and advocate on behalf of Inuvialuit youth concerns and wellbeing to the IRC board and other relevant boards and committees. RYAG is made up of two Inuvialuit youth from each of the six Inuvialuit communities. Themes that the Regional Youth Advisory Group has noted and advocates for include: mental health, suicide prevention, education, housing, sport, hunting, culture and language, politics, climate change, arts and culture—just to name a few.

Youth bring forward the traits taught to them into their adulthood. They learn from skills, traditions, and lifestyles choices that they witness throughout their first stages of life. As Indigenous people—and more specifically, Inuvialuit—resilience has always been passed down from our ancestors. We as young Inuvialuit come from a strong group of Inuvialuit who lived and survived in one of the coldest habitats on earth and are still here today. Though, our society is always changing and progressing in every aspect including the environment, ways of making a living, and society as a whole. Children and youth are a very important aspect in the progression of society.

We believe this because children and youth generally bring out honesty towards those in authority through curiosity of how decisions are being made, or have been made in the past.

From the evidence of history, young Inuvialuit have always been advocating for the betterment of their overall wellbeing. In 1970, the Committee of Original People’s Entitlement (COPE) was established to protect the rights of Indigenous peoples of Canada’s Western Arctic. COPE was established by a group of youth in partnership and with direction from Inuvialuit Elders. In 1976, COPE’s main mandate was to negotiate what is now known as the Inuvialuit Final Agreement (IFA).

As stated above, our society is constantly changing, and our way of life is now different from what our ancestors grew up doing. I was told once that, “If a culture does not adapt with society, then the culture will be lost. In

order to survive, we have to adapt—yet keep our traditions and beliefs in today’s world.” We as Inuvialuit youth are still being taught and still exercising our Inuvialuit culture and traditions—but in a much modern style that fits our needs or desires today. Through beading, sewing, carving, printmaking and photography— we celebrate the ups and downs we as Inuvialuit have. Today, we are still thriving with our culture, our traditions, arts and crafts and most importantly—as Inuvialuit. Today, we are still practicing our cultural activities with what we have. Today, we are still advocating for our future, our kids’ and grandkids’ future.

In the North, we generally consider youth to be 0-30 years old, but in this issue, you will find stories about youth from Inuvialuit of all ages, from those in their early years to Elders who reminisce about their early years.

Through these pages, we attempt to answer what it means to be a young Inuvialuk in the past, present, and future. We hear about the kinds of experiences that have made an imprint on the early lives and formative years of many Inuvialuit inside and outside of the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. Through this issue, we have worked to bring forth the voices, ideas, thoughts, wishes, dreams, and expressions of Inuvialuit youth to truly shine in this issue.

It is with no doubt that youth are an important pillar to our society and communities, and that their voices should not simply be heard—but pondered deeply, broadcasted, and integrated into larger social initiatives. We hope this issue will be a reminder of that.

Please enjoy this issue! We hope you stay young forever at heart, and keep believing in the infinite possibilities our world has to offer—never be afraid to ask questions and strive for better.

Quyanainni, Quyanaq, Koana, Thank You, Merci,

MELODY TEDDY RYAG CHAIR

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ATNURAAQ FASHION

MUST-HAVE WINTER PIECES I am from Tuktoyaktuk, NT. My love of fashion began at a very young age growing up in Tuk; I always dreamed of being on the runway one day, and I still do! Today I find myself actively involved in the Indigenous Fashion world with my own brand #SheWasAFreeSpirit, as well as promoting other Indigenous designers. I have been blessed to have this opportunity to showcase our beautiful Inuvialuit fashion from across the region! For this issue, we decided The Christmas Craft Fair (Midnight Sun Complex, November 15–17, 2019) was a great way to gather Inuvialuit designers hands-on from across the Inuvialuit Settlement Region.

We all know it is an earring world out there, so naturally I was taken away by the unique designs of Karlyn Blake, Don Gruben, O.D. Hansen, and Stanley Ruben. An earring, to

MY NAME IS ERICA LUGT.

ERICA LUGT FASHION REPORTER

| GRANNY HANKY MOSS BAG. LASKA NERYSOO, Inuvik. $125. } MOCCASINS. LENA WOLKI, Sachs Harbour. $400 (red/green); $300 (pink/purple).

me, completes every outfit! Also featured is the edgy bustier created by Sharon Firth! That bold red blended with the natural seal can funk any outfit! Plaid is trending, so you will enjoy the cute mitts created by Esther Wolki of Paulatuk. Thinking outside of the box, we have Laska Nerysoo with her modern take on the beautiful granny hanky moss bag. Last but not least, we came across the beautiful Lena Wolki who has been an inspiration for many through the years.

She was so cute and giggly, and it is Inuvialuit like herself that we the younger generation find our inspiration to continue on with our traditions. There is a designer in every Inuvialuit family. It makes me very proud to promote this month’s designers and their amazing traditional and modern fashion!

} FISHING HOOK EARRINGS, MOOSE & IVORY. DON GRUBEN, Tuktoyaktuk. $130.

} SHOTGUN EARRINGS. KARLYN BLAKE, Aklavik. $70.

QUYANAINNI,

} MAMMOTH IVORY WHALE TAIL EARRINGS. O.D. HANSEN, Aklavik. $125.

YOUTH (FEMALE) BLUE COVER. WILMA DOSEDEL, Inuvik. $60.

} RED SEALSKIN BUSTIER. SHARON FIRTH, Inuvik. $200.

~ DRUM EARRINGS. STANLEY RUBEN, GordonRuben Designs (Ningaksak), Paulatuk. $75.

} PLAID WHITE FOX MITTS. ESTHER WOLKI, Paulatuk. $60.

| HARD-BOTTOM GOWAKS. MARY AKOAKSION, Ulukhaktok. $400.

^

HANARUQ ART FEATURE

SELF-PORTRAITS Young artists at the Inuvik Youth Centre show us pictures of who they are and who is important in their lives.

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}

OLIVIA POKIAK, 6 years old

}

NATE CAMPBELL, 5 years old

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JOLIE WOLKI, 9 years old

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CHAD POKIAK, 10 years old

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PHOTO by PAT KANE

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INUUSIT / PROFILES

Alyssa Carpenter EMPOWERING MYSELF

BY EMPOWERING YOUTH

PAARUTIT (GREETINGS). Atira (my name is) Alyssa Jeanne Carpenter. I am shy of turning 30 years old and embracing all that comes my way. I am a new mother. I am in a healthy loving and supportive relationship. I am an emerging community leader and mental health advocate. I am a northern social worker. I am re-connecting with my Inuvialuit and Dene cultures and languages. Most importantly, I am heavily invested in selfcare; however, it took years to love myself and accept that I am enough.

I was born in Inuvik, but I lived between Inuvik, Calgary, and Sachs Harbour until I was seven years old, as my parents attended schooling in Inuvik and Calgary. We settled in Sachs Harbour for a few years as my mother worked for the Hamlet and my father worked for the NWT Housing Corporation. My brothers Dwight and Will were born in 1992 and 1996; my sister Marie was born later in 2004.

We moved to Inuvik in 1997, where my mother worked for Municipal and Community Affairs and my father was promoted within the Housing

Corporation. I went to Sir Alexander Mackenzie School and Samuel Hearne Secondary School. There, I actively volunteered in the community with Northern Games, hamper programs, fundraisers, and traveled for speedskating, soccer, hockey, and volleyball tournaments throughout the year. I was fortunate to have attended the Arctic Winter Games, National Aboriginal Hockey Championships, Canada Summer/Winter Games, and North American Indigenous Games. I have also represented my community and region at youth conferences over the years.

I had many early experiences on the land with my family and it has shaped me in ways I didn’t understand until it was no longer a part of my life. As a child in Sachs Harbour, I remember exploring Banks Island on a quad or skidoo, geese hunting in the spring, and fishing in the warmer months. I remember doing this with my family in the community and appreciating that we would gather to support one another. In Inuvik, we went up the river to my grandparents’ cabin, or

drove up the Dempster to hunt caribou and pick berries. However, as I got older, I did not realize how much I would miss being on the land. I reminisce and hold on to those experiences greatly. Today, I crave them and hope that readers with those opportunities take them.

Community-based activities and on-the-land experiences were my social outlet and safety net; however, I have also seen what happens when these opportunities are not available.

Life has exposed me to stories of sadness, neglect, abuse, addictions, and

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loss. I remember moving between my grandparents' homes before finding our own, and when my parents, my two brothers and I were all living in a single room. Like many Northern families—thankfully—we had support around us. However, there were still moments of being indirectly exposed to toxic behaviours, coping with substances, and unhealthy relationships.

Community helpers with empathy and compassion raised me, but it took me years to understand why some people I love experience challenges in their life.

Fast forward years later—I graduated high school, then moved to college and university. Being away from home showed that intergenerational trauma was real, and being hopelessly disconnected from identity, culture, and language was a negative impact of ongoing colonization. In a classroom surrounded by more than 100 students, too often I was the only Indigenous one. I sometimes felt tokenized or targeted by assumptions, judgment, and stereotypical information, and could not relate meaningfully with my peers. I felt simply alone and lost, asking why I was there. My early traumas caught up to me when I left my support system for another that could not support me. I coped the best I could with their resources, but still experienced severe depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts as I isolated myself and minimized the seriousness of it all.

At the age of 21, I came home for Christmas and could no longer hide that I was suffering. I had tried asking from help from campus counsellors, RAs, or nurses when I was able to leave my apartment—let alone eat or shower. I had tried to smile and pretend that it was just stress, but I needed serious help. I could no longer suppress the emotions that have built up for so long. I had to ask for help because I

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had a plan to end my life after months of negative thoughts, behaviours, and neglect to my health and wellbeing.

That year, I explored counselling (in-person and online), life coaching, restorative yoga, daily exercise, healthy eating, boundary-setting, elimination of alcohol, traditional medicine, and connecting to land and culture. It was not easy, but it was necessary—otherwise I would not be here. To this day, I continue to prioritize my wellness even though I still experience depression and anxiety, but I have learned to better care for myself. Instead of having escalating thoughts and behaviours, I have the strength to acknowledge that I need help. If I can do this, others can too.

Today, I am a Northern social worker—since I was born and raised in the North and studied at Aurora College and Yukon University. Most of my work is done within the non-profit sector with governments, and primarily with Indigenous people and Northern youth. My personal upbringing

meaningful ways when working with Northern youth. It has also pushed me to continue my western and traditional education, and become a safeTALK instructor to help communities become suicide-alert. I grew up where conversations on mental health, bullying, sexual health, depression, suicide, trauma, assimilation, and colonization were not openly discussed, and social issues were normalized in our communities. My life’s work so far in community involvement, engagement, and leadership can help reverse the effects of the illness, anger, hopelessness, and toxicity seen in Northern communities.

My major goal is to break the cycle of normalizing harmful behaviours in our families and our communities. I am starting with myself, by challenging the status quo to create spaces of acceptance, inclusion, passion, empathy, and love.

I was recently accepted for the Jane Glassco Northern Fellowship for 2020-2021, where I will continue advocacy, development, and policy work

Go beyond your comfort zone to learn and connect with others that cross your journey—travel to another continent, learn a language, publish that poem, #beadthisinyourstyle, take that photography class, go hunting, or have a child. has also provided valuable insight within this profession that is truly needed among our Northern helping professions. I currently work for BYTE: Empowering Youth as a Community Outreach Manager, where I help create spaces for youth to lead. It is a dream job as I am helping youth in a way I needed when I was younger; it is truly rewarding and fulfilling.

This organization has allowed my skills and knowledge to be utilized in

UKIUQ WINTER 2019

focused on life promotion and suicide prevention. This work requires commitment if we are to address the reality of mental health, suicide, and lack of appropriate or accessible resources in the North. I am eager for the next two years and the connections I will form with other like-minded allies.

I will continue creating spaces for youth to have those much-needed conversations on what resonates with them—whether it be climate action,

INUUSIT / PROFILES

QUICK QUESTIONS

PHOTO by SHAWNA MCLEOD

Raised By: Franklin Carpenter and Yvonne Nakimayak; my Grandparents (Frank and Florence Carpenter, George and Violet Doolittle) Siblings: Dwight, Will, and Marie Biggest Role Model: My mother Pets: Ashe and Luna (kitties) Dream Job: Creating my own travelling wellness programming

language revitalization, mental health, or simply talking about what it means to be a young person today.

Nowadays, I am on this new adventure of motherhood. I had promised myself that I would feel safe, be educated, have job security, and have a loyal partner before this; I saw how hard my parents worked to create a safe environment for their kids to grow up in. My daughter Scarlett was a lovely surprise. There is honestly no word to describe the love you have for another person until you have your own child—it was instant and overwhelming. It has been incredible to watch this little person grow, but postpartum depression was a real reminder for me to slow down, ask for help, and be gentle on myself. I will try creating an environment of openness, encouragement, and kindness—values that my family promoted. I am now reconnecting to my cultural identity, so creating that space for her to explore our land, cultures, and languages is what I want for her. I want her to have supporters who accept and believe in her, and ultimately to have a safe and loving space to grow into the

person she is meant to be—whatever she decides to be.

Lastly, whoever needs to hear this: I want you to explore who you are.

Push yourself to find yourself and persevere because you are stronger than you think. Go beyond your comfort zone to learn and connect with others that cross your journey—travel to another continent, learn a language, publish that poem, #beadthisinyourstyle, take that photography class, go hunting, or have a child. If you need to make that change to improve your situation, do it—leave that relationship, stop numbing with substances, turn off social media, move, or be honest with those who matter to you.

There will be times when you may feel alone, upset, angry, lost, hopeless, or overwhelmed by life’s choices; it is okay to not have everything figured out. Please do not give up on yourself when that happens and remember that it will pass. Moments can change us when we need it. Individuals like myself are here for you and believe in you because you make the world a better place by being here.

Dream Vacation: Bush (always); Greenland!

FAVOURITE…

Inuvialuktun word?

Quviahuktunga (I am happy) Favourite Country Food: Dry meat and ukpik Northern Sport? Muskox Push Traditional Clothing? Slippers that belonged to my grandma mother Florence Carpenter—I wear them when I need more “support" Northern Animal? Wolf Quote? “Be who you needed when you were younger.”

Vehicle? My first vehicle I bought named Stitch (Blue Yaris Hatchback) Northern Plant? Labrador tea Colour? Army Green and Burgundy Song? You Don’t Seem to Miss Me, Patty Loveless/George Jones Tusaayaksat Cover? Winter 2018.

A young mother with her daughter drum dancing—INSPIRING! Childhood memory? At my grandparents' cabin and Middle Lake in Sachs Harbour WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE NOT KNOW ABOUT YOU?

I consider myself an introvert as I need my own time to recharge in my own space to do the socializing I do in my life.

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Janice McNutt FINDING MY IDENTITY AND RECLAIMING MY CULTURE

MY NAME IS JANICE MCNUTT. I did not have the privilege to grow up in the community my anaanak Mamie Peffer was born in the Delta region.

She did not pass down her culture or language to my mother and her siblings, who did not have the privilege of growing up in Mamie’s community either.

I often wonder if I would be accepted in what I consider my homelands if I were to go up. It was difficult growing up being that my father and grandfathers are not Inuit, leaving me with white skin and some Inuk features. When I would try to be friends with the other Indigenous students, all through grade school— and even today—it creates challenges because I look different than they do, but in my heart, I am like them.

With the loss of culture and language growing up, as a 30-year-old adult today, I now know how impor-

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tant it is to be immersed in the rich culture we are born from. It would have been great to have learned about my heritage as a child. To some Inuit, I may be frowned upon for saying this, but I do identify as an Inuk and it makes me feel proud.

I currently live in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In early 2019, a new Inuit program started up in my community. The program in Halifax is the Atelihai Inuit Program, which started up a few months ago.

So far, we have had Labrador dialect language classes, and currently have ongoing Inuktutit language classes. The language classes have been amazing because I can speak some of the language now and I can read fairly well. The program even has country food such as caribou, ‘nikku’ (dried meat), and Arctic char. We had a gathering this past summer in Antigonish and it was unbelievable—nearly 100 Inuit from across the Maritimes came for the 2-day event!

During that event, there were activities including sealskin mitten-making, wood carvings, ‘kulik’ lightings, and even Elder stories.

Some other things I’m grateful for from the program are the craft classes. I have learned to bead, and it

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was unbelievable how well I took to it—now I cannot stop. My favourite feeling is when somebody is wearing a sealskin pendant that I made.

If it was not for this program, I wouldn’t have been able to learn what hasn’t been passed down to me from the last 2 or 3 generations—I wouldn’t have found my sense of identity and my soul. I am happy and proud to pass on what I am learning to my two children. In my community of Halifax, when I go to the Inuit and Aboriginal programs, I feel accepted and acknowledged when they call me an Inuk. I think about how proud my great-grandmother and grandmother would be if they knew what I was doing to learn about my heritage. It will be a difficult task to learn everything as an adult, but it gives me a really great sense of pride in bringing the culture back and passing it on to my children. I can’t wait to see where we end up in the future ! Most of all, I’m forever grateful to learn all of this and be able to teach my children what has been lost on my side of the family for two generations—it is a powerful thing.

I would like to thank the Atelihai Inuit Program from the bottom of my heart and all of the volunteers who have taught us so far. Thank you for listening to my story. Nakumeek!

Koana!

INUUSIT / PROFILES

Catherine Kuptana CRAFTING CULTURE AND CARE

hook, they say to start off with bulky yarn and bigger hooks. That way, you can see your work if you make a mistake and can identify it and fix it.

When I first started off with qiviuq I thought I had to use a smaller hook size. It would have taken me months to finish a scarf ! I double my yarn so I'm able to use at least a 5mm hook size instead of a 3mm one. Crocheting is fun if you have the patience for it and if you're willing to learn how to do it.

My advice for youth: Always follow your heart and make sure to finish school because education is important!

MY NAME IS CATHERINE KUPTANA.

I am from Sachs Harbour, NT (also known as Ikahuk). I've lived here most of my life and attended high school in Inuvik. I also lived in Whitehorse for several years. I met a lot of unforgettable friends and great teachers during that time.

The greatest mentor in my life was my father, Roger Kuptana, who still to this day reminds me of all the things he has taught me, even if he is in another world. He has taught me how to hunt, fish and travel on the land. My parents owned a small bed and breakfast here in Sachs, which led our family to take tourists out sightseeing and camping. It is very

important for an individual to have mentors in life, to guide you and teach you.

At the moment I work for the Sachs Harbour Development Corporation as the hotel manager at the PolarGrizz Hotel. I have two young children, Sarah and Roger, who are just as eager to go out hunting, fishing and camping. Having my two children is like having two little best friends!

I learned how to crochet from YouTube tutorials. I started off with odd wools and yarns. Then once I got brave enough, I started using qiviuq.

It is the inner wool found in muskox.

It's like the down found in a goose, to keep them warm. It's one of the most expensive and luxurious of wools.

The muskox shed this each spring, it is very soft and delicate once spun, and you can mix it with silk, merino and other fibers. 100% qiviuq is the most delicate but the warmest of the blends. I also learnt how to sew from my mother and was inspired by her.

She was taught by numerous ladies in Sachs, and because she knits with qiviuq, that is how I was introduced.

I like sewing because it's a big part of my culture. Fur is green; it goes back to the earth (it's biodegradable)!

For those interesting in crocheting: pick up or find some yarn and a

FROM THREAD TO PERFECTION. Above, Kuptana shows her process of crocheting from beginning to end. The blue hook pictured is a 6mm-sized one.

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Tyee Fellows FROM ARCTIC SNOW TO OUTER SPACE

AT 29 YEARS OLD, I FINALLY MADE IT TO SPACE CAMP. >>

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PHOTO by ANDREA STENSON

INUUSIT / PROFILES

PHOTOS SUBMITTED by TYEE FELLOWS

The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) and their affiliates like the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) offers a four-week course—Principles of Aviation and Space Medicine—that brings together fellow space enthusiasts from around the world for hands-on experiences in the field of aerospace medicine. We received daily lectures from flight surgeons and astronauts, partook in their training (like entering their elevation/dive chambers), and gave a presentation on an aerospace medicine topic of our choosing.

The most memorable moment for me was meeting our very own Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques, a physician himself, who has devoted part of his medical career to the Arctic communities of Nunavut.

Being chosen for this course was personally momentous. Since I was very young, space has always gripped my imagination and is what fuels my curiosity. It is what led me to take astronomy courses at university, wake up at three o’clock in the morning to stargaze, and ultimately apply to

UTMB’s aerospace medicine course in my final year of medical school.

After sharing this exciting news with our Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, I was grounded by their invitation to be one of the contributors to this Tusaayaksat issue celebrating the accomplishments of our Inuvialuit community. I want to congratulate the other contributors of this issue and emphasize that their achievements are notable and deserving.

I have chosen to answer the question, “What does it mean to be Inuvialuk”, because I believe the answer reflects our role as Inuvialuk people: teachers of resiliency. I want to share an experience with my nephew, Keaton Cockney, that exemplifies this clearly.

Some April ago, my aunt and uncle invited me out to their camp at Husky Lakes. As they were already at the camp, they asked Keaton to guide his urban uncle out to their cabin and back. Without hesitation, this 15-year-old Inuvialuk took on the challenge to navigate his 21-year-old uncle three hours outside of town, across the Arctic tundra.

Ski-dooing to Husky Lakes was exciting. From the moment we turned off Inuvik’s Industrial Road to rounding the final hill before Husky Lakes, my senses were overwhelmed.

The Arctic snow blinded my eyes, numbed my face, froze my fingers, deafened my ears, cut my smell— and it was awesome. The return trip, however, was different. It was not the Arctic snow that overwhelmed me, but the Arctic people. Here I was, a ‘city-boy’ in the powdered wake of my 6-year-younger nephew, who was tenaciously searching for our path home. Each time I looked ahead, I

was awed by the Inuvialuk bounding up and down atop of an oversized skidoo in the distance, pressing on into an ostensible void of the Arctic tundra. Just as concern started to arise as evening approached and the elements intensified, something special happened; as if it were magic, a clear path forward materialized from the white void. When I returned my gaze back to my nephew, I realized he could see what I couldn’t the entire time—a way forward.

Whether you look to our ancestors conquering the Arctic or to my ambitious nephew for taking on challenges bigger than himself, the Inuit people have and will continue to show the world what amount of resiliency we are capable of.

Last year, amid medical school, I was diagnosed with a learning disability. Translating directly to difficulty (‘dys-‘) with languages (‘-lexia’), dyslexia is what slows my reading, scrambles my spelling, frustrates my writing, and is what made learning in our current school system feel like climbing Mount Everest. Yet, this did not stop my drive to learn. By drawing strength from my heritage and seeking inspiration from remarkable individuals like Keaton, I was given the resiliency to overcome my learning disability and follow my curiosity to pursue Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Animal Biology and Zoology at the University of British Columbia, as well as a medical degree at the University of Toronto. Being diagnosed at this stage in my academic career, this matured perspective taught me that our potential is always greater than we can fully appreciate. Whether it’s to my communities—Indigenous, non-Indigenous, disability, and medical—or those around me, I want to emphasize that our potential is not determined just by what we see within, but also by what we see beyond.

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Mariah Lucas NOURISHING STOMACHS AND NOURISHING MINDS

QUICK QUESTIONS Inuvialuktun name: Paniguk (Bah-nee-gook) Parents: John Lucas Sr. & Samantha Lucas Grandparents: Wallace and Ruth Lucas and for my mothers side is Burtrum and Lena Pokiak.

Siblings: (sisters) Kimberley Lucas, Lisa Lucas, Shelby lucas, Calysta Sky Lucas-Kudlak and Casydie Kudlak. (brothers) John Lucas Jr. Tony Lucas Sr, Trevor Lucas, Ryan Lucas, Ry-Ry Lucas Pets: 4 dogs and 2 puppies Dream job: to become a hunter Dream vacation: to be able to drive at the end of Banks Island with a quad during summer times, as it is beautiful BIGGEST ROLE MODEL?

My dad, John Lucas Sr. He is an amazing hunter and a very amazing person. He has taught and helped me become who I am.

FAVOURITE…

Inuvialuktun word? Una Kiinara (this is my face) Country food? No doubt—drymeat Northern Sport? Muskox pull Traditional clothing? ugyuk bottom shoes, mother hubboard parka Animal? nanook Hobby? travelling Vehicle? truck (aqsaliaq) Colour? purple Song? Sign of the Times, Harry Styles Team? Tuk Hockey Quote? "For long you live and high you fly. For thoughts you give and tears you cry. For all you touch and all you see, is all your life will ever be."

ANY HIDDEN TALENTS?

Most people know I can draw.

Others see me sewing!

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FOR A VERY LONG TIME, our communities have been in pain, through our ancestors and our healings through the generations. I am a resilient Inuvialuit woman who had lost her voice to communicate with her ancestors. I strongly believe that our mental health is at its best when we are out on the land—living and learning about who we used to be. We must get youth gathered with Elders and unite to hear stories of long ago.

We must also learn to survive and support ourselves: camping, filleting fish, making dry meat, sewing, flushing skin, fishing, and experiencing the outdoors in our own land. I am privileged today to say my parents were able to give me all of these things growing up.

Drum dancing should also be a part of all youth’s lives in the six Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR) communities, in order for them to be able to gather together and dance.

We can help support each community with good time gatherings, where we (as the community) gather together to host dances, feasts and

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The more our youth learn about who they can become, the more they will be encouraged and motivated to practice their culture and spark new beginnings of our ways. traditional games. The more our youth learn about who they can become, the more they will be encouraged and motivated to practice their culture and spark new beginnings of our ways.

Each community in the ISR has different difficulties to face. Our main goal should be to nourish our minds and fill our stomachs with good laughs and dependable caregivers. I think those who are not able to go hunting (like our Elders) should be able to get a chance to experience an old memory again.

They should be able to go to a cabin for a day and show us (the Youth) how to cook, clean, and more importantly, how to understand our language. These Elders are our last strands of knowing our language, and us Youth should be able to learn as much as we can so we can keep passing it on to future generations.

INUUSIT / PROFILES

Stephanie Nigiyok WE ARE NEVER ALONE

IT TOOK ME 20

to finally be able to talk about what has happened to me.

I was seven years old when I first started talking to someone; being bullied and navigating childhood trauma took a toll on how I reacted and addressed certain things. Being a young child and being sexually assaulted affected how I lived my life. Everyone told me ‘it’s just a game,’ and I knew it was wrong.

Nobody ever came out as a “winner” in this “game”. It’s really strange that something like lighting or a certain smell can bring me back—and then I break down and ask myself: “why me?” I’m 27 years old now, and to this day I’m still talking to someone, mostly about depression, past trauma, and postpartum depression (PPD), since I became a mother at the mere age of 16. I rather enjoy these sessions because I get to let out what’s bothering me and not be judged for doing so.

I believe that mental illness is something that latches itself onto YEARS

Mental illness in youth is rising— and I think if you address it sooner rather than later, then it’s a good thing.

your brain and your mind and can be your greatest enemy. As someone who is diagnosed with depression, I know the symptoms—and unfortunately, I also see a lot of it in today’s youth. And while these signs of depression are kind of hard to see, if they trust you good enough to talk about it, you get a glimpse—even if it’s a small window—of what’s going on in their lives. Usually, I see a lot of acting out, and increased drug/alcohol use in teens.

Mental illness in youth is rising— and I think if you address it sooner rather than later, then it’s a good thing. I think kids today suffer in silence because they don’t want to be viewed as “weak” or “unworthy”, and because they do not want to be “outed” as the “weird kid”. But I think it’s a good thing to diagnose mental illnesses early on because it would make it easier to handle, and we could work together with a professional to ease the symptoms. If we work closer with youth, I really think that, as a community, we can address these issues and get them the help and resources they need to thrive and grow into someone that they are comfortable being. We could do more gatherings for youth to come together and build each other up—instead of tearing each other down.

My experiences with expression or coping with my depression used to be heavy drug and alcohol use, until I saw that it caused more prob-

lems than solutions. Today, I usually sleep, clean, listen to music, or take nice warm baths to make myself feel better. The steps I’m taking today are also continuing to talk to a counsellor weekly. Whenever I get overwhelmed or suicidal, I go to a nurse— immediately. Taking antidepressants also helps me throughout the day.

Remember: we are not alone.

IT'S OKAY TO TALK. MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES FOR YOUTH:

CANADA-WIDE RESOURCES:

Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 686868 https://www.crisistextline.ca/ Crisis Services: +1-833-456-4566 Text START to 45645, from 4pm–12am EST NWT RESOURCES:

NWT Help Line: 1-800-661-0844 Kids Help Line: 1-800-668-6868 Child Abuse Hotline: 1-880-661-6868 Canadian Suicide Response: 1-833-456-4566 Residential School Support and Counselling: 1-800-464-8106 Beaufort Delta Legal Services: 1-800-666-0704 Crisis Line: 1-877-872-5925 For a full directory of mental health and crisis resources, please visit: www.suicideprevention.ca/need-help/

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THE FACE OF STRENGTH. Mona Kudlak was recently nominated to be a role model for Pauktuutit's (Inuit Women of Canada) national campaign geared towards engaging men and boys to end violence against women.

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Mona Kudlak YOUNG LEADER MAKING HER MARK IN THE COMMUNITY

THE MEANING OF BEING A YOUNG

to me means going through the ‘ups and downs’ of life, letting your feelings flow, and enjoying the chaos of all the obstacles in life. No matter if it’s good or bad, you learn as you go. Showing the children how great it feels to have confidence and great self-esteem to get through anything that life throws at you.

Some of the challenges are losing friends because of accusations—mutual friends can have hate against you and their friends follow them and hate on you too. It all depends on how ‘popular’ you are, I guess. A lack of support—this is one of many reasons you feel so alone, because your friends all go their own ways as they figure out who they are, and what they want to do in life. You will lose friends, you will lose hope. But there will always be people there for you, to support you and stick by your side— you just need to find the right people to stay with. These are some of the most exciting years of your life, when PERSON

you start to realize things in your life, and how well you live your life is up to you. Losing someone so close in your life may feel like it’s the end of the world, but it’s not. It’s the start of a crazy fun life you will build for yourself. Self-respect for your mind and body from the start is much easier than learning to as you go through life. Always set your mind to be the best person you can be, ‘cause you’re a child’s peer.

Our young people will be our future—support them, teach them your tradition, and most of all, love them, because they will be passing it on to the next generations. Listen to them and teach them to stand tall with everything they choose in life. The special thing about being a young person is that you are just learning how to be an adult or adjusting your life to prepare for your older years, and you figure out who you are and who you’re going to be. Educate and motivate our young people to create their own unique life.

Our young people will be our future— support them, teach them your tradition, and most of all, love them, because they will be passing it on to the next generations.

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THREE GENERATIONS OF PRIDE AND LOVE. From left to right: Mary Kudlak, Emily Kudlak,

and Mona Kudlak sharing their traditional tattoos at the Ulukhaktok Community Hall.

To our youth and young people: never be scared to speak your mind, and always try something new, even if its scares you. It’s normal to feel that way when it’s about a change in your lifestyle. No matter how many mistakes you make, you can amend your mistake; learn from it and better yourself after. Be young, do your thing. Just be sure it’s the right thing for you. Stand up for yourself.

Change whatever you are doing that makes you unhappy. Life’s too short to spend it unhappy, even if it means letting go of that toxic relationship or friendship. One day in your life, you will feel like your life is worthless and

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you are stuck and don’t know where to get help, but there is always someone who can help!

Don’t ever feel like your goal is never reachable. You can figure it out—I believe in you guys.

I live in Ulukhaktok. I am 22 years young, and still face a lot that a young person does at this point. You start noticing either you and your friends are too busy with each other's lives to always be with each other or to keep in touch every day. Some will be getting married if they are not already; friends are in different communities, or in a city going to school. No matter who you are, you are important to

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One day in your life, you will feel like your life is worthless and you are stuck and don’t know where to get help, but there is always someone who can help! this world you will make a difference in this world.

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Calysta Lucas-Kudlak SUPPORTING YOUTH IN SACHS HARBOUR AND BEYOND

MY CHILDHOOD WAS VERY INTEREST-

ING AND FUN—I was always outside playing with my friends or bothering my 3 sisters to play with them. There was a lot of people here growing up, but as the years went on, everyone moved away for school, work, or just to get out of Sachs. I also moved away at the age of 9 because my parents went back to school at Yukon College. I lived in Whitehorse until I was 13. It was hard at first—getting used to living in a way bigger town than Sachs. Having more kids in your school than your hometown was very overwhelming at

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first. My younger sister and I got bullied almost all of the years of living in Whitehorse as well. We had each other’s backs and would always stick up for one another, but after they got to know us, they wanted to be our friends.

My dad and younger sister moved back about 6 months before my mother and I did. After we moved back to Sachs Harbour in 2013, I finished grade 8 and 9. I had a part-time job at the Coop in Sachs Harbour as well. I scored that job with my older sister’s help.

When everyone was going to Inuvik to school, the manager needed workers and my sister mentioned my name.

I started working in 2013 and I finally quit in 2015 when my boss moved back to his hometown. I did lots working at Ikaahuk Co-op—I worked for the gas station, helping with offloading planes and unloading it into the store, and in the office as well. I worked almost every day and every summer up until 2015, and everyday at the store.

I moved to Inuvik for high school in 2015. It took me 4 years to finish high school. I always felt so horrible for being held back a grade, but my dad always told me, "It's not a race, take your time and do your work as best as you can". During this time, I tried to stay

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connected with my family in every way possible. I would phone, text, message, ‘Facetime’ them whenever I needed help with anything. My favourite moment was when they would come to Inuvik for trips. I would go see them right away—sometimes even wait at the hotel for them. It was very hard to be away from home for most of the year and not come home to your parents every day after school, but I needed to get my education. I think that is where our youth struggle—when they go off to the mainland to finish high school. They get homesick, feel alone, and think nobody is there for them because their family is a 2-hour plane ride away. Or, they get mixed up in the wrong group of people, so one of the biggest things our youth from Sachs struggle with is bullying. So much of the kids have come back home because of it. Sometimes, the schools and cops don’t do anything about it and they feel so alone. They harm themselves and their parents don’t even know about it until something bad happens. Personally it has never happened to me, but I have seen it happen to some of the kids from here, and my heart breaks for them. I wish I was able to help everyone.

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Having a positive support system is the key to achieve great things. That's what all youth need—and I am here for them if they ever need help with anything.

weighs out. There are 12 kids in the school in total, but 5 of them are in middle school. It's not that bad—I enjoy working one on one with kids and helping them understand things in their own way. Being the support assistant, I work one-on-one with some of the kids, and I am there whenever they need help or their teacher is busy. The teacher position is very different than the support assistant. The teacher is constantly teaching, and I am just there whenever the kids need help with work, or if the teacher is busy working with another student and they need help with a question.

I know for a fact that these kids are capable of so much if they put their minds to it. They are all smart, bright young kids, and having a positive support system is the key to achieve great things. That's what all youth need— and I am here for them if they ever need help with anything.

In the future, I plan on going to college and studying early childhood and care. I want to become a primary teacher or a daycare owner. One of my dreams is coming back to Sachs Harbour when I am done my schooling to open my own daycare or something to do with the youth.

PHOTOS SUBMITTED by CALYSTA LUCAS-KUDLAK

But there are still many more reasons why going to Inuvik for school is the hardest thing our youth have to go through.

I graduated in January of 2019, but waited until June to get my diploma with everyone else. The first few months, I didn’t go out as much—just to go to the store or out visiting but that was very often. I started babysitting for my younger sister’s homestay parents and that kept me on my toes.

I babysat until June. I moved back to Sachs Harbour in the middle of July.

I was only supposed to come home for a visit and go back to Inuvik, but I stayed for a few months more than planned. I heard that the school here needed some help with staff, so I went up to the school and asked the Principal if they needed workers—he helped me with all of the paperwork and talked me through it. I've been working since the middle of September. I think it's very important for the kids to get educated so they can use that in their future career, or in everyday life.

I think that it helps them get prepared to go to Inuvik for high school as well.

Working with middle school kids is a rollercoaster. Some days are good and some days are bad, but everything

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PHOTOS SUBMITTED by RYAN BINDER

BETTER SERVICE THAN FEDEX. Coast Guard Ryan Binder onboard the Terry Fox after successfully delivering two hydrography survey boats, the Whisky Jack and True North, with the crew of the Sir Wilfrid Laurier. The Terry Fox set up the transportation of the boats from the North back to their base in Victoria.

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INUUSIT / PROFILES

Ryan Binder THE WORLD IS YOUR OYSTER

I'VE LIVED IN INUVIK MY WHOLE LIFE.

24-hour sunlight in the summertime, and the darkness in the wintertime—I wouldn't have it any other way. It's a great place to grow up and live, with a lot of great people and a wonderful community.

My interest in being on water started when I was young. Every summer, we would make our way to our camp at the coast and we would travel to other communities around the delta.

In 2007, when I was working with the Fisheries Joint Management Committee (FJMC), we got to do different placements like bird-monitoring out on the Taglu Site within the Kendall Island Bird Sanctuary. I’ve also been on a few different vessels as a marine mammal observer for Kavik Axis such as the Western Patriot and the Viking Vision as well as a couple others.

One of the most memorable placements was working on a Coast Guard icebreaker—the Amundsen. FJMC flew me down to Quebec City where I stayed on the ship. We travelled out through the St. Lawrence seaway up the east coast to a few different fjords for scientific research. It was just amazing to travel through those

A lot of my family have been to sea…

I want to say that it just runs in the family. inlets. There were walls around you that reach pretty high, and it was the first time I'd ever been in those environments. It was just amazing, the stuff I got to see—even the zooplankton, phytoplankton there. We had nets onboard the Amundsen (tucker net, monster net), and would pull up some of the biomass before sorting through them. I got to learn their Latin names! I had scientists beside me, showing me exactly what to do, what they were and what they would be doing with it. We stopped in Sanikiluaq, around the middle of Hudson Bay. There, I acted as a tour guide for people of the community that came onboard the vessel. The voyage ended in Churchill, Manitoba and after that

began my interests in joining the Canadian Coast Guard.

I was a stay-at-home dad just over a year ago. My youngest—he was going off to kindergarten. So, there I was at home, thinking: 'Geez, I really gotta do something.' I’d seen a program being offered on Facebook with the Marine Training Centre out of Hay River. It said, 'Start your new Marine Career!' And they were offering the first part of the Bridge Watch Rating program in partnership with Aurora College in Inuvik. I figured this was my chance to really do something I’m good at.

A lot of my family members have been to sea—we're out on the boats all the time and go out to a whale

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camp every year. My parents (Richard and Olive Binder), my uncles, and my Daduk Alec Gordon influenced me in terms of going to sea. I want to say that it just runs in the family.

So, I thought, since I have a little bit of a history in going to sea—let's give it a shot!

And after being a stay-at-home dad for a while, I thought this might be just what I was looking for! I enjoy going to sea. I've been to it before and I know what to expect, so I took the opportunity. They had the first part of Bridge Watch Rating training in Inuvik, so I didn’t have to leave my kids yet. There were a bunch of us students who were interested in a life at sea. For the second part, they flew us out to Hay River, where we finished off the rest of the eight weeks of the program. That was just to get

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us familiarized with what to expect in the marine industry. After that, they took us to Stevenville, Newfoundland for our STCW (Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers) and Marine Firefighting training, then to Iqaluit with the NFMTC (Nunavut Fisheries and Marine Training Consortium) to train on their new simulators, like emergency lifeboat simulations, and FRC (Fast Rescue Crafts). They were beautiful, brand new machines that can give you an idea of what can really happen at sea, and what to do in a dire situation.

MTC reached out to a few places for employment saying that we had some young up-and-coming Aboriginal students with all the necessary training, who would love to experience a life at sea. One of them was the Coast

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Guard. So, they flew somebody up to Inuvik to meet with a few of us students. After passing a standard test, we did our interview and a few of us got call-backs—some to work on the Eckaloo, and the Dumit. I myself got to work on an ice-breaker out of the west coast, the Sir Wilfred Laurier.

Onboard the Laurier, I'm a quartermaster, or a deckhand. As a quartermaster, my duties are to steer the vessel as a helmsman and be a lookout on the bridge when visibility is low. I also to do my rounds every hour around the ship when it's late at night or early in the morning. I have to use all of my senses (like sight, hearing, touch, and sight) to see if there are any dangers onboard, like a fire, flood, loose cargo or anything that can cause damage to the vessel.

We're constantly walking around

INUUSIT / PROFILES

PHOTO by KURT WESSLE

the ship—climbing the stairs, going through hatches, checking every level from the lower hold to the monkey’s island. It gets pretty tough through repetition, but it's mandatory, and you never know what you might find that just might save the day.

On our work cycle, we work 12 hours a day, seven days a week, for about five weeks at a time. It is never a dull moment and there is always something to do, like ship maintenance through chipping, grinding, painting, greasing, and splicing. We even have a wood shop on board for woodworking! If something on board is broken, we fix it. If we don’t know how, someone can teach us—it’s on-the-job training and we are always learning new things. We also do emergency drills to become more efficient for Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS). As a deckhand, we do buoy tending, maintain land markers for navigational purposes, and run helicopter operations in which we resupply lighthouses and other aids to navigation. These are also used for scientific operations, search and rescue, and many other things.

During the Arctic Expedition a few months ago, we got to go to Cambridge Bay, Kugluktuk, Taloyoak, and a few other places. We assisted in the Polar Bike Project in Cambridge Bay. I'd never been there before, but I found out I had some family there, and I got to meet some family I'd never seen! We helped the Polar Bike Project bring over 100 bikes to the north. A lot of the kids in the community got to have their own bikes, where it's a tough place to ship bikes.

Just meeting family I'd never met before and being in all these new places I've gotten to see was memorable.

I would love to get into more community outreach with youth in the future of my career. I would love to give back what they taught me and

I would love to get into more community outreach with youth. I would love to give what they taught me and spark some other youngster's interest in living life at sea. spark some other youngster's interest in living life at sea, because once you've figured out it's for you—it's got you! I'd love for my kids to come see the vessel that I work on, too. It's just amazing and I am sure they would have a great time exploring on there.

It's a big boat with lots of interesting equipment. My kids do come out to the whale camp every year, just like I did when I was a kid. I loved it—and I'm happy they love it as well. They really get excited about the freedom of it all.

My advice for youth is: ‘the world is your oyster.’ If I can express it another way, I would. There are so many opportunities given to our people, and I would just say: jump on any one of them. You never know what might spark your interest in anything. And that's what did it for me—working for the Coast Guard. A lot of doors are being opened, and the possibilities are endless. In the future, I can expect to see a lot more Indigenous people pursuing a career with the coast guard, or just getting out there!

Try to find something that you're passionate about, and take any new opportunities—just traveling, seeing new things will broaden your horizons.

The Coast Guard is one way to go to do that. They'll take you places. You're constantly learning every day on the job. For me, I found something that I was passionate about and I chased it. It was like a dream to me, and just being there is very fulfilling.

YOUTH OPPORTUNITY

STUDENTS ON ICE (SOI) Discover – Understand – Connect – Inspire – Change What is Students on Ice? SOI is a two week educational expedition in either Antarctica or the Arctic. SOI’s expeditions aim to educate the world's youth about the importance of the polar environment, land, wildlife, and people, through scientists, biologists, Indigenous knowledge keepers, and many more experts.

Eligibility/Requirements: • Be between the ages of 14-24 years old • Have a valid passport from the country of your residency • Have a mentor assist you through the application process • Provide two references Website: www.studentsonice.com/ expeditions/apply

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Davonna Kasook LEADING THE NEXT GENERATION INTO POLITICS—AND THE FUTURE

MY NAME IS DAVONNA KASOOK. I was born in Inuvik, where I spent the majority of my 24 years. For about 4 years in my early childhood, I lived in Aklavik, until the passing of my late grandmother Pauline Kasook. During the time I lived in Aklavik, I grew up in poverty and was surrounded by drug and/or alcohol abuse on an almost daily basis. As a result of this, I experienced physical and verbal abuse quite often and in some cases I experienced what I would consider neglect. There were days where my brother and I would have cereal for breakfast with milk that was months past the expiry date but still tasted fine, or when there was absolutely nothing to eat for supper, we would eat just crackers alone.

I was raised by a single mother, so there definitely were a lot of struggles we faced together as she was raising me. I have to give a lot of thanks to

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my friends’ mothers and fathers, who, despite being single parents themselves, supported and took care of me when I was in need.

During my time in Aklavik, I experienced a lot of bullying. I’m fairskinned with coloured eyes, so to come into a small indigenous community looking different from everyone else made me a target. Despite the negative experiences I faced as a kid, those experiences gave me the opportunity to be alone in my thoughts and teach myself how to fend for myself when no one else was there, but also how to be humble and kind because I knew what it felt like to be singled out. These experiences blessed me with my independence.

I had what I would call the “best of both worlds” growing up. When my stepfather and my mom separated in

next meal was going to come from; I was shown love and affection and taught to work for what I wanted.

The other was a life with little to no structure or discipline, one filled with alcohol and drug abuse, physical and verbal abuse, neglect, and constant searching for my next meal. But on the bright side, I was free to do what I wanted when I wanted and able to explore my surroundings.

I think back about how dangerous this freedom could’ve been for me and all the unsafe situations I was put in, but I’m thankful for every single one of those experiences because they shaped who I am today. My life experiences showed me how important education and hard work are to success. I learned by example how important education was. My mom constantly reminded me of how important it was to go to

I’m fascinated by how much of an impact one voice can make. Once I learned how strong my voice was, I wanted to be a voice for my peers, my fellow youth. my early childhood, I was constantly moving back and forth between the two, up until my early teens. The reason why I say I had the 'best of both worlds' was because I lived two lives. One of them was a life that was structured and disciplined, where I was never wondering where my

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school every day and that if I didn’t finish my education, I would struggle to raise my future kids the way she did. She also led by example and went back to school while working parttime to provide for me.

I ended up making it through high school and college, and eventually

INUUSIT / PROFILES

decided to pursue a career with the Inuvialuit organization I am currently employed with. I plan to continue my post-secondary studies again in the future to further my knowledge and skills, and inspire others to continue their education, because I do believe it is the number one key to success.

Advice I would share with a young Inuvialuk would be to stay true to yourself and your beliefs, be proud of your individuality, speak your mind whether it’s good or bad, always work hard, and never give up on anything— especially yourself.

I would also tell a young Inuvialuk the same thing I tell all my friends, family members and peers when it comes to education: “better late than never,” and “finish/go back to school when you are physically and mentally ready; don’t let anyone else determine your future."

When it comes to politics, I’m fascinated by how much of an impact one voice can make. Once I learned how strong my voice was, I wanted to be a voice for my peers, my fellow youth. As soon as I seen the advertisement for RYAG I knew this was something I wanted to be apart of. I wanted to learn more about what I could do as a young person to help educate and guide other Inuvialuk youth, and even just youth in general, to pursue things that are bene-

ficial to them. I never had this sort of guidance from my peers growing up.

I was always mentored by the adults in my life and I knew that peer-topeer influences were meaningful and impactful­—and I wanted to lead by example. I never knew what I was getting myself into—I just had this thirst for knowledge that needed to be quenched.

The only advice I can give to those wanting to do the same thing I did and get more involved in politics (or just more involved in general) is to be ready for the learning curve. Be ready for the challenges and the hurdles, and be open-minded and willing.

Have an open ear and an open mind and you’ll succeed in whatever it is that you choose to do. I never realized how important all this knowledge was until I obtained it.

I think it’s important that us young people get a better understanding of the different policies and legislation that exist in our territory and our region because these are the principles that govern our people, our wildlife and our environment. In my opinion, the only way to make politics more engaging and open for us youth is for it to be youth-driven and youth-led with assistance and guidance from our leaders. We’re the next generation of leaders and the only way we will be equipped to succeed as leaders is by practice. Practice does not make 'perfect', but it does make 'better'—and that’s something our leaders and us as youth need to strive for when it comes to politics and leading the next generation of youth into the future.

(LEFT) Kasook was awarded a NWT Outstanding Volunteer Award in the Youth category in 2019—only one of two territory-wide honours she took home this year!

YOUTH OPPORTUNITY

REGIONAL YOUTH ADVISORY GROUP (RYAG) Mission: To provide ongoing consultation and recommendations on issues that improve and enhance programs relevant to the cultural well-being and quality of life of Inuvialuit youth within the framework of the Inuvialuit Final Agreement (IFA).

What is RYAG? The Regional Youth Advisory Group (est. 2017) is a youth board under the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation made up of 12 Inuvialuit Youth from the ISR. There are two youth from each of the six Inuvialuit communities, all ranging from 1630 years-old.

The Manager for Youth Programs under IRC’s Health and Wellness Division oversees and coordinates the board’s daily communications, finances, and facilities. They also select the youth based on an application process and their history of community involvement.

Eligibility to apply for RYAG: • Inuvialuit youth beneficiaries between the ages 16-30 • An active advocate for Inuvialuit youth • Must submit one page letter of interest to the Health and Wellness Division at IRC What are the responsibilities of a RYAG Member?

• Engage and conduct outreach regularly with the youth of the ISR • Offer insights, opportunities, and concerns to IRC • Participate in quarterly conference calls, face-to-face meetings, youth opportunities, and the Youth Facebook Page • Follow and respect the Code of Conduct and Terms of Reference if selected For more info, please contact: Britney Selina — Manager, Youth Programs Office: 867-777-7098 Mobile: 867-620-0593 BSelina@inuvialuit.com

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WORDS BY TYSON MISTAKEN-CHIEF

Naokah MistakenChief

Naokah (Ny-O-Ka) Mistaken Chief was born on November 3rd, 1979 in Inuvik, Northwest Territories. Her parents soon moved to Yellowknife, NT, where she was raised by her parents (Les Roth and Irene Roth). Naokah had a fairly normal childhood in Yellowknife but had frequently gone on the land with her parents. She said some of those memories of her on the land were the best. From junior high to the end of high school, she played volleyball. A year after she graduated, she spent a year in Spain for college.

After that, she moved to Lethbridge, Alberta to finish off her college diploma in general studies; she also got a certificate in travel, tourism, and print journalism. That is when she met my dad (Dickie Mistaken

PROFILES WRITTEN

BY ELA 30-2 STUDENTS AT EAST THREE SECONDARY SCHOOL

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Chief)—while she was attending Lethbridge College.

A few years later, my mom had her first child, which was me (Tyson Mistaken Chief ). By then she was living in Edmonton, AB, where her dad was living at the time with his new wife. 7 months later, I was born. They moved to Inuvik, NT, where they settled down to raise their child. 3 years later, she wanted another kid, so she they tried to conceive one but were unlucky. After a couple of months they decided to adopt. Lucky for Naokah, one of her distant cousins was pregnant and was unsure if she wanted to keep it. In July 2006, they were able to adopt the child, and on the 19th of July they welcomed their new baby daughter (Tatum Mistaken Chief—my sister).

After she had children, she went to work with the department of lands as a lands officer (federal) in Inuvik. Naokah was married for around 13 years from 2001 to 2014. A few years later, Lands was turned into Territorial from Federal and her pay was cut.

In 2017, she was offered a transfer to Yellowknife from the Lands Department, and in mid-summer of that year she accepted

the offer. By September, she and her two kids moved into her mother’s house by Great Slave Lake.

The transfer was two years, but they offered an extension the summer of 2019— and she declined the offer.

She was given her old job back in Inuvik and is currently working at Lands again. She is also helping me—her eldest child—as I am graduating this year.

The reason why I did an interview with my mom is because she is one of the best people I know. I think her experiences of the North are pretty interesting. She is very active— going out on the land with her parents and kids. She goes visiting with people in town as much she can.

When she is in a small town with a lot of her relatives, she does the most she can to visit them. That’s one of my favourite things about my mom—she tries so much to connect with the people in the communities and with the Elders to connect herself to the land. My mother is also very loving; she is never mean unless need be. This is why I picked my mom.

She is very kind and respectful I could never ask for a better mother.

INUUSIT / PROFILES WORDS BY JAMES ROGERS

Jacob Lennie was born in Inuvik on April 29th, 2002. His full name is Jacob Richard Daniel Lennie Blake. He is now seventeen and is going to East Three Secondary School. Jacob is also graduating this year.

Jacob’s parents are Dan Blake and Melissa Lennie.

Jacob has seven siblings by the names of: Darrien (oldest), William, Jaxson, Iona, Max, Delma, and

Sam (youngest).

Jacob is the second oldest after Darrien. I thought Jacob was the oldest child in the family, but apparently not—in the interview I had with him, he told me he was the middle child.

His siblings ages range from four to eighteen.

Jacob has quite a few siblings. One of his biggest hobbies is hockey. He plays goalie. Jacob is the only goalie of his age, and the best, in my opinion.

He just is. Another hobby Jacob is into is trucks, because he grew up working on them. He likes lots of different types of trucks, or even just vehicles for that matter. He told me that he

wants to be a heavy-duty mechanic. Sometimes I think that’s why he likes trucks so much. It’s kind of like an exposure to what being a mechanic even is and that type of thing can really help in the future with what he wants to do. He also likes to hunt almost anything from the traditional lands.

I have a lot of respect for Jacob. I learned only now that Jacob has a lot of siblings and that he is the middle child, and I’ve known him for what has felt like the longest time (6-7 years). Jacob and I have made a lot of memories in the past couple years; it’s one of the main reasons why I chose him to do this interview with me.

I know a lot of things about him—but, apparently, I didn’t know everything about him.

After sitting down and chatting with Cynthia, I learned that she has a very strong connection to her family. She was born in Inuvik, NT, but was raised in Tuktoyaktuk, NT with her family. She is the youngest of ten siblings; she has three brothers and seven sisters. Through her whole life, she looked up to both of her parents and her older sisters.

While growing up in Tuk, Cynthia enjoyed hanging out with her friends. They did fun activities like going sliding, and going out on the land

together for school trips.

While being on the land for school, they went hunting, fishing and were taught new survival skills, like putting up a tent and cleaning and cutting animals they hunted. In the summers, Cynthia would enjoy going out to summer camps where she got the chance to set nets, go hunting and play games. One year, she got to learn how to make bannock and build a fire.

She remembers

getting stranded at camp for one week because the weather was too bad to travel in. Cynthia believes that being young means having fun by doing whatever you want without worrying about the consequences that come along with your decisions.

Jacob Lennie

WORDS BY DEENA ALLUM

Cynthia Teddy

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WORDS BY KAI OASIS CARDINAL

Karen McDonald

My name Kai Oasis Cardinal. I am 17 years old and I’m getting ready for graduation from East Three Secondary School in Inuvik. I chose to interview my grandma Karen Mcdonald because I was interested in what it was like for her to be young. She is 71 years old now and it was so cool to interview her. I never took the time to talk about her life before I was born and I learned something new about her—that she had a pilot’s license when she was younger!

Karen’s younger brother was very interested in flying, he ended up getting his commercial license as soon as he could, around 16. In the summer of 1969, a flying school came up here and her dad bought her pilot lessons for her birthday. She did fly a plane across the country when her flight schooling was

over with her instructor to Edmonton, Alberta. It took two days to fly from Inuvik to Edmonton. In a Cessna 150, she went through Norman Wells, Rigley and overnighted in Hay River.

To get a license, she had to learn a lot about weather, and about how the plane works, but she said it’s not that difficult if you have an interest in it.

I always respected her as I grew up because of the person she is; she is always nice. Now that I have learned something new about her I have even more

My mom is Shauna Gully.

When she was growing up she and all her sisters and brothers were raised on the land by my Nanuk and Daduk. At a very young age my Mom and all of her siblings were taken from the

land and had to attended Residential school, she attended Residential school for six years. She doesn’t like to talk about the horrific experiences she endured while attending Residential school. After she and her sisters and brothers got out of Residential school they went whaling and continued doing all of the things they loved to do on the land. When they returned back to town for the Spring Carnival my Mom met my dad when she was eighteen and they fell in love. My dad lived

WORDS BY SHALINA GULLY

Shauna Gully

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respect for her. She’s brave and has achieved a lot in her time such as starting her and my grandfather’s business McDonald Bros Electric. That’s why I look up to her as a role model and good parent. I’m glad I had this opportunity to share her story with the readers. Doing the interview made me inspired to try and interview more of my grandparents so I can share their stories. I hope that one day my grandkids think I’m cool enough to interview when I’m old.

in Fort Good Hope and she decided to do something life-changing. She moved to Fort Good Hope with my dad and they started a family together and got married. She lived in Fort Good Hope for 28 years before she decided she wanted a change. We now live in Tsiigehtchic just an hour away from her hometown of Inuvik.

INUUSIT / PROFILES WORDS BY ISABELLE HENDRICK

Libby Macleod

WORDS BY CAMERON WOLKI-JACOBSON

Cameron WolkiJacobson

PROFILES WRITTEN

BY ELA 30-2 STUDENTS AT EAST THREE SECONDARY SCHOOL

The days were getting shorter, the nights darker.

On October 16th, 2003, big sister Skye and big brother Jacob welcomed innocent, Libby Ellen Day McLeod into the world. Libby didn’t say much in our interview, but the reason I picked her is because I know so much about her already and she’s

my best friend. I met Libby when I was in grade eight while she was in grade seven. We got very close very fast by hanging out nearly every day. I’ve learned that Libby is the most honest, caring and funny person ever in the days that we have hung out. The thing Libby loves about Inuvik is the scenery; on nights when the

My name is Cameron Wolki-Jacobson, and I was born in Inuvik, Northwest Territories, October 9th, 2000. Growing up with my brothers, Keenen(20) and Edward(17) we always had something to do whether it be playing video games such as Super Smash Bros, Mario Party 2 and 3 for Nintendo 64, or Tiger Woods PGA Tour for PS2.

If we weren’t playing video games we were outside playing baseball or at the park running around. Both my mom and my dad’s side of the family are very competitive by nature, so when we won or lost we weren’t subtle about it.

In all of the fun I also ran into some complications as well, I guess you can say that there’s a price for fun.

While me and my brothers were being kids and having fun there’s been things

going on in the background, like having our parents split up, I think that is the hardest thing I’ve had to go through given that I’d never experienced loss at that age, and having something like that happen was a new experience that I've gradually grown accustomed to. But it’s not all bad, I feel like I have a fairly good relationship with my family, a few years ago I had the opportunity to visit my daduk in Tuk, Fred Wolki. During the visit he was telling me all about the photos of my family that he had, when they were taken, and what they were about. I grew up loving music, my family was always playing any kind of music from Metal to Country. Later I’d try playing songs, like One by Metallica or Perfect Weapon by Black Veil

sun sets, we drive around, listen to music and just vibe to the surroundings.

I also like to drive around with Libby because it’s so calming and I love just being around her. At this time in Libby’s life, the most important thing to do is to graduate, create a successful life and get a great job. What I like most about Libby is that she stands up for herself and her friends; she never lets any of her friends down. Libby also doesn’t take any negativity from anyone.

Brides. I didn’t really learn to play a full song until I was about seventeen years of age, the song was Hardwired by Metallica. Which I later played in front of my music class and that was more anxiety inducing than when played on stage because in the music class I was being graded on my performance. The song I played on stage was Sad But True by Metallica.

My love for music started when I watched my daduk, Philip play guitar when I was younger.

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WORDS BY CYNTHIA TEDDY

Charmaine Teddy

INTERVIEW BY JACOB LENNIE

James Rogers

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Charmaine Teddy was born and raised in Tuktoyaktuk. She loves to sew and teaches those important cultural skills and other activities to her children and other family members. She learned how to sew mukluks first and then taught herself how to sew parkas and mitts. As a young person, she enjoyed spending time with her family, going to Sun-

day school, and hanging out with her friends. More, Charmaine’s most favourite activity to do as a kid was to go fishing at her nanuk and daduk’s smokehouse, located right at the beach by their house. Along with that, Charmaine also travelled on the land to do yearly spring hunting and fishing. She would go to her Husky Lakes cabin with my parents and around

JL: My name is Jacob Lennie. I am interviewing James Rogers for my English 30-2 project. So James, what did you do for fun as a child?

JR: What I used to do was…I used to ride my bike with the bros, used to play grounders at the park, hide and seek in the bushes by my house. I played a lot of videos games. I used to do a lot of things growing up.

JL: Out of all the games you played as a child, which game was your favourite?

JR: There was… I’ll give you my top 3. There was Call of Duty, Modern Warfare 2, there was NHL 09 and NHL 10, bro. That’s how it was.

An underrated one was probably Tony Hawk.

JL: What was the most interesting thing you did so far?

JR: Most interesting thing.

That’s a head-scratcher.

I’ve done a lot of interesting things over the years… so far I was able to go and buy myself a skidoo.

JL: So James, what is your full name?

JR: Haha—James Darren Kobe John Allen Rogers.

JL: Did any of those names come from further relatives?

JR: Oh yes. James came from my Dad; Darren also came from my Dad. James Darren was liked my Dad’s best friend. Kobe came from my brother Edward.

Allen came from…I think it came from my grandmother. And Rogers was just like a family name.

JL: How many siblings did you have growing up?

JR: I’d say three.

JL: Are you able to name all of your siblings?

JR: Yes. Danielle, Edward, and Dan.

UKIUQ WINTER 2019

that same time, they would also go to the coast where they hunt geese.

Charmaine says she believes that being a young person means being young at heart and in your soul.

I am the youngest of my ten siblings and Charmaine is the oldest, so learning about her life growing up when she was younger makes me think of how different we grew being from different generations.

In this generation, we have newer technology like phones and computers, but they did not have those back when she was a kid.

What was your favourite traditional food to eat?

JR: Caribou meat. Caribou meat is my all-time favourite. Still to this day.

JL: Alright, thank you for taking time out of your day/project to sit here and talk with me, and help me with my project and interview you. Hope you have a nice day.

JR: Yes sir. Thank you.

JL:

IHUMA OPINION

TANINGNAQ HALF-INUVIALUIT, HALF-WHITE

Tanik, Tanaaluk—we have many names for Caucasian or white people. }

WORDS by CHRISTINA KING (TAALRUMIQ) PORTRAIT by KARIS GRUBEN

While looking through my Siglit Dictionary one day, I came across a word, ‘Taningnaq,’ and it got me thinking: what a funny word, we even have a name for Inuvialuit who are half-Inuvialuit/half-white... I had never heard of ‘Taningnaq,’ so I wondered if this word was an accurate way to describe some of our people today, and if it had a positive or negative connotation. It must have been common in our culture for us to even have a word for it.

Then I thought of my children.

>>

DISCLAIMER: Opinions expressed may not necessarily reflect those of the Inuvialuit Communications Society (ICS).

W

hat does it mean when you’re half-Inuvialuit and half-white? Blood quantum, or the percentage of your DNA that is a certain “race,” is an assimilation tool used by the government to determine one’s eligibility to claim Indigenous status, and its accompanying “benefits.” According to the Inuvialuit Final Agreement, to be a beneficiary, you must have at least 25% blood quantum.

But why are we still using this colonial way to determine who is and isn’t Inuvialuit? Why don’t we honour the way our ancestors determined that? Considering countless historic events from the arrival of Fur Traders and Christian Missionaries up to the 1970’s and 2000’s oil and gas explorations, intercultural marriage, and custom adoption of Gwich’in and other non-Inuvialuit children, many of today’s Inuvialuit are of mixed ancestry.

This was common for at least the last 100 years, and is still today. Back then, people were just accepted into a family or community without having to prove their racial lineage. This is why you can have a blond, blue-eyed, fairskinned Inuvialuk, or a dark-haired,

38

dark-eyed, dark-complexioned Inu- grandmother/great-grandmother was vialuk—and every shade in between.

Inuit” stereotype of people who know I myself had 2 blond, blue-eyed of a vague lineage of Indigenousness boys, and often was asked if I took in their family history. Maybe that’s a the wrong baby home from the hos- selfish feeling, but my culture is impital! It seems like us lighter-skinned portant to me, and I want to pass that or mixed Inuvialuit sometimes face love and pride of Inuvialuit culture ridicule or feel pressure to prove how on. While my husband is respectful “Inuvialuit” we really are. Rather than about the importance of my culture, focus on blood quantum or how much he says what matters most is how we traditional knowledge one holds, or raise our children. other ways we think proves how InuInuvialuit today, including ‘Tanvialuit someone is, why don’t we do as ingnaq,’ descend from the strongest our ancestors, and accept all Inuvialuit Inuvialuit—those who survived the to work together for our future? After flu epidemic, starvation, residential all, we are only about 5,000 strong— schools and strict government rules and there is strength in numbers. which treated them as less than huAs a young adult, I was simply man. My maternal grandparents, Edliving my life, pursuing my goal of die and Alice Gruben, were children in post-secondary education, and trying the 1920’s when many Inuvialuit were to figure out who I was. At the same dying from influenza. They were 9 and time, I was trying to heal from my 5 respectively, working together to trauma and intergenerational trauma. fetch water from the river to provide Around this time, I met a kind, loving some relief for the dying. Once they man, who treated me with respect survived that, and then the horrors and dignity, and made me laugh. Oth- of residential schools, they grew up, ers would simply see a white man—a got married, lived simply, and raised Tanik, a Southerner. When we fell a large, typical Inuvialuit family. My in love and began planning our life Nanuck Alice birthed her babies in together, I didn’t really think about tents, packed them on her back, and our cultural differences, or what our spent her time tanning hides, sewfuture children would experience, ing, fishing, and preparing traditionbeing ‘Taningnaq.’ We just knew we al foods. My Daduck Eddie hunted, loved each other—and that was enough.

Fast forward 15 years later: we have 5 beautiful children, each with a traditional Inuvialuk name. Part Inuvialuit, part Gwich’in, and half white—they just meet the IFA requirements for being Inuvialuk. If they marry outside our people, my grandchildren will not ‘officially’ be Inuvialuit. I fear that I will (ABOVE) Christina King and her partner, Corey King happily hiking at Othello Tunnels in Hope, British Columbia. be the typical, “oh, my

UKIUQ WINTER 2019

IHUMA / OPINION

(LEFT) Bobby and

Eddie Gruben in traditional clothing.

(Photo: Emma Gruben Fietchtinger/ Inuvialuit Digital Library) (TOP RIGHT) Alice and Eddie Gruben.

(Photo submitted by Christina King) (BOTTOM RIGHT)

John Gruben Sr. with barber, getting a hair cut. Summer time at Kittigaryuit, circa 1900's.

(NWT Archives/ Gruben family fonds/N-2003-038: 0023)

Rather than focus on blood quantum or how much traditional knowledge one holds, why don’t we do as our ancestors, and accept all Inuvialuit to work together for our future? fished, and provided for his family and community—as is the Inuvialuit way.

My Daduck Eddie passed away in 2016. He was the owner of E. Gruben’s Transport Ltd. He started his business on foot, working his trap line, which slowly got bigger with a dog team, bombardier, and eventually vehicles and heavy equipment. He was well-known throughout the North as the first Inuk millionaire, and even had people come to meet him from around the world! His success story makes many Inuvialuit proud. Why?

Because he helped his community?

Because he helped build up Tuktoyaktuk as we know it today? Because he was rich? Or because he was a typical Inuvialuit man?

You’d be surprised, then, to find out that he would be considered ‘Taningnaq.’ His biological father was John Gruben, a Swiss-German white man, working for the Hudson’s Bay Company. His biological mother was Mary 'Taalrumiq' Gruben. Daduck Eddie was adopted out to an older Inuvialuit couple, Paniksak and

Annatchiaq, who raised him Inuvialuit, with no second thoughts of him being ‘Taningnaq’ because it simply didn’t matter at that time. It doesn’t matter today either because he lived traditionally, and greatly contributed to our Inuvialuit way of life as we know it today.

I feel like, when Inuvialuit are of mixed heritage, some people go to great lengths to prove that ‘Taningnaq’ are not truly Inuvialuit, unless they have something significant to offer, such as money, talent, fame, or success. Otherwise, they say things like “But your grandparents were white!”

“You’re only half!” as if it negates the fact that ‘Taningnaq’ are Inuvialuit. If a ‘Taningnaq’ has light hair, fair skin, and light eyes, they get called “white man” or “Tanik,” and are praised for being able to “pass” for a white person... As if that’s the golden standard on what a human should be!

On the flip side, when people find out you are Inuvialuit, or part Inuvi-

NUTAAT INUIT YOUTH

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aluit, they say, “wow, you’re doing so good!” Doing good for what—an Inuvialuk? Or they are surprised: “You’re so smart!” “It’s amazing you have succeeded!” So smart—for an Inuvialuk?

Succeeded—despite being Inuvialuk?

Being told these things makes you think that being Indigenous in any way is a negative, undesirable thing, and a barrier to achieving success. But the truth is: Inuvialuit were naturally smart, successful, and usually always “did good.” Their very survival—and ours today—depended on it.

After years of living in the South, I’ve been told all of these things many times, and I see my older children going through it. When I was younger, I didn’t know how to handle it. I wasn’t comfortable with who I was nor confident in my heritage. As an adult, I am prouder and more confident of my Indigenousness and who I am. My children are in a big, modern world; they are figuring out who they are, where they come from, and where they’re going. I tell them that, as mixed children, they are walking in two worlds. They have the strength of their Inuvialuit culture, ancestors, family, community and traditional knowledge behind them, as well as the opportunities of the “white world,” such as a good education, access to stable and timely healthcare, and the privilege to actualize their dreams.

These are things that not many people in my generation nor previous generations could have experienced.

Now that my children are growing older, they ask more and more questions. They are learning the truth about the history of our people, and our First Nations and Métis brothers and sisters. They are learning about colonization, residential schools and many injustices in Canadian history. As they are being raised in the South, in a mainly white community,

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SAY CHEESE! From youngest to oldest—Evangelina, John-Luke, Olivia, Colin, and Isabella King. The King family hiked a trail at Othello Tunnels in Hope, B.C., where Rambo: First Blood was filmed!

they sometimes struggle with being culturally different from their peers.

When we visit the ISR, some people say that they are just little white kids; they laugh when my children don’t know Inuvialuktun words or use the ‘Tuk accent’ to fit in. They say, because my children aren’t raised in the north, they don’t understand Inuvialuit life in small ISR communities. These words often hurt—they really hurt. My children are both Indigenous and white, and it’s already a difficult thing to be without others being mean about it.

So, I tell my children that they are like a cake: a little of this, a little of

UKIUQ WINTER 2019

that—chocolate cake, vanilla cake, some filling, fresh berries, icing, and sprinkles. All ingredients are great on their own, but also great when put together. They like this analogy.

I tell them that they are ‘urban Inuvialuit’: far from their ancestral homeland, yet still learning and holding on to pieces of their culture that I can teach them. They proudly wear traditional clothing made for them: Aunty’s fur mitts, Nanuck’s moccasins, and my parkas. They savour small pieces of muktuk/pipsi/mipku, or ukpik/kimmingnak harvested in Tuk. They learn to cut fish and enjoy smoked tea during summer visits.

IHUMA / OPINION

When Inuvialuit are of mixed heritage, some people go to great lengths to prove that ‘Taningnaq’ are not truly Inuvialuit, unless they have something significant to offer.

They love and treasure every bit of their Inuvialuit culture.

They enjoy the stories I tell them about my childhood growing up in Tuktoyaktuk, and my Mom’s childhood. We marvel at how far Inuvialuit have come in just 2 or 3 generations.

To go from living in tents, igloos, using dog teams and subsisting off the land, to living in a modern home where electricity, heat, internet, hot water, vehicles, and tablets are all readily available is just amazing.

I realize that we are not the only urban Inuvialuit. There are many others in the same position—living in the South for various reasons: jobs, opportunity, or family. They might go through similar experiences as us.

Many of my family and friends are strong, educated, and successful people: teachers, artists, businesspeople, business owners, health-care professionals, administrative professionals, pilots, hunters, trappers, fishermen, seamstresses, parents and grandparents. Some could be considered ‘Taningnaq’—but they are Inuvialuit!

They are amazing role models who embody our culture, reflecting that

Got something to tell the world? We would love to hear about your ideas, thoughts, and musings about past issues, current affairs, or even future issues. Let's chat.

MAIL US: P.O. Box 1704, Inuvik, NT X0E 0T0

Inuvialuit are successful, smart, strong, and resilient. We are humble, yet proud when we have to be. We are traditional and modern—no matter where in the country we live.

I recently asked my Mom and aunty about this funny word: ‘Taningnaq’. They both said it didn’t matter, that my children are Inuvialuit—period. So, I tell my children that, at the end of the day, what matters most is what’s in their hearts. Yes—be proud of being Inuvialuit! Celebrate your culture, even though you live in the South! Practice the Inuvialuktun words that you know! Savour our traditional food! Treasure every bit and piece of your culture! At the same time, I tell them to appreciate their white lineage—to ask Dad about his family and their history, and GrandMémère about growing up on a farm.

Be proud of all sides of your heritage and learn as much as you can, but what’s in your heart is what truly matters. It costs nothing to be kind and to love others; this needs no official racial definition or minimum blood quantum. Kindness does not need to be officially registered nor

only applicable in a certain region. It doesn’t matter where you came from or what your background is—people will remember how you made them feel. They will remember kindness and love. If you’re Inuvialuk, Tanik, or Taningnaq—be a kind and loving one.

If you’re a human being—be a kind and loving human being. This is what truly matters.

AUTHORS NOTE: It is not my intention to hurt or offend anyone of any background as I write these words. My words are based on my personal experience, my family’s experience, and I write to share our truth. Quyanainni.

What do you think?

Write to us at tusaayaksat@northwestel.net.

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ARTUKIUQ WINTER 2019

by KARIS GRUBEN

UQAQATIGIIKTUAT / CONVERSATIONS

$300, a Bloody Jersey, and the Neatest Printing You’ll Ever See

M

I was born in Inuvik—in 1996, February 11th. Growing up, I was very hungry to be the best at everything. That's what I aspired to be. I've always had a lot of motivation to do basically anything.

Y NAME IS CHRIS CHURCH.

What does ‘motivation’ mean to you?

It hit me early, actually—I remember it like it was yesterday. I was playing hockey and there was nothing I wanted more than to be the starting goalie of my team. So, I took it upon myself to hit the gym every day, to work out my skills and my hand-eye coordination. I did everything I could humanly, possibly do just to be on top and become the starting goalie! Kids dream about making it to the NHL; they dream about making it to the bigger stage. The only thing I was focused on was just making it to the starting goalie—that's about it.

TUSAAYAKSAT: CHRIS:

T: How were your teenage years like?

C: I'm not gonna say I wasn't happy with it, but I knew

for a fact that I could do more. I always thought to myself: if I'm here, I can definitely make it somewhere better; I can definitely do a lot more. I was always just motivated and hungry to do better.

T: Speaking of more—what do you do now?

C: I work with families and their kids. I'm an active

wellness worker and social worker for the kids in Sioux Lookout, Ontario. All I do is basically just keep them on the right track, making sure they're doing their daily

The story of an unlikely brotherhood between The Grizzlies actor Chris Church and teacher Steve Dagar

duties, going to school, and that they're doing the right tasks. I also check in with their families, 'cause when they're coming to town, they're with their billet families, and sometimes they can get a bit out of hand. A billet family is basically just a family that invites you in as their own and takes care of you while their family observes what happens.

T: And what does wellness mean to you?

C: Waking up every morning with a purpose. You wake

up every morning, you don't second-guess yourself what you're gonna do today. You wake up with an idea of what you wanna be and what you wanna do each day. Self-care is important. It's above all.

AN UNLIKELY BROTHERHOOD T: So, what's the story with you two, anyway?

STEVE:

I think the first time I ran into the legend that was 'Chris Church' was during a Northern Games Summit in 2012 or 2013 (which is every March at East Three).

You get 200 kids from all over the Delta flying into Inuvik to participate.

The '100-meter dash' event of the Northern Games is the one-foot high kick. And there's this guy, Chris Church, who is hitting a seal ball jumping on one leg—I want to say it was nine-foot five, or six. And there he is—taking his shirt off, 'cause he ‘doesn't want drag,’ you know?! There's gotta be like, two hundred people—you could hear a pin drop, watching this guy do his thing.

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And I had never seen this guy before, but I am watching him just completely feel comfortable in the spotlight.

And not even just that—but dominating it. He was four inches away from a world record! Anytime that his toe touched the ball, the place would erupt. Then, he would get a few minutes to gather himself, before the crowd would get down again. It was theatre! It was just like watching theatre! You had no idea what the outcome was gonna be. That was my very first ‘foray’ into the world of 'Chris Church'.

At 3:45pm, the bell would ring. Sometimes I would be sitting in the foyer and just see Chris Church with 20 people surrounding him; he would be telling stories or showing them something. It was just the most incredible thing. I'm not watching this guy who is above anyone.

I'm not watching a guy who thinks he's cooler than anyone, but there was a magnetism to him where people just wanted to see what Chris Church was up to at 3:45pm in the foyer! It was pretty wild to see from afar, 'cause I didn't know the guy and the guy did not know me. I was just watching this all play out, and that's how I fell into this world of 'Chris Church'.

C: I would not rather have anyone tell a better story

about me than Steve.

T: Did Steve become a mentor for you over time?

C: He was always there. He would be the light at the end

of the tunnel for sure.

S: Ha! The first time that Chris ever sought 'help' from

me was when he was writing an essay. Strangely, the thing I remember most about that interaction was how neat his printing was! Because I'm looking at this guy who is kind of this magnetic, high-energy sort of ball of positivity— C: —a typical jock.

I'm looking at this guy who is this magnetic, highenergy ball of positivity…and he had the neatest printing I had ever seen! It made no sense to me!

— STEVE DAGAR

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S: Not typical! When you think ‘typical jock,’ you kind of think of a jerk. Chris was a typical jock in that he was really good at everything—but he wasn't a typical jock because he didn't think he was better than other people.

It didn't matter if you were a 'cool kid' in school. He didn't care. He would chat with anyone and everyone.

But then, all of this choatic, positive energy—and he had the neatest printing I had ever seen! It made no sense to me! So that was the first kind of interaction that we had.

T: And the rest is history!

C: We were then coworkers when we both taught at

the school. He was a teacher and I was an educational assistant. If Steve wasn't there, I would just be kind of heartbroken, because he would make the day a lot easier.

I would have stuff on my mind, and it would be easier to talk to him rather than anyone else.

THE GRIZZLIES STEVE: So did you work at the school after you filmed The Grizzlies?

C: Yeah, I did! It was the school year after I filmed. Steve was the one who actually helped me film my audition tape.

S: Yeah. Chris would call me up on a Sunday and say, 'the producers need a video of me doing this.' We would meet at the school, go into the gym and spend an hour making sure that the video was exactly what they needed. We did that a few times because they needed to see him 'play with the lacrosse stick while standing more upright'—or whatever the direction was.

C: When it came to auditioning for the film, Steve had

come to me during a sports tournament.

S: A producer reached out to the school, saying: 'We're doing this movie and we need high school boys to audition.' The principal knew nothing of it, so because I was involved in a theatre group and was the first teacher she saw that day, she asked me to follow up.

So I started emailing back and forth with the producer. She was going to be in town for two days and wanted to audition as many boys as possible. She got lucky in that the first day of her auditions was a sports tournament. I would literally just see a teenage boy and ask them to come in. The last person I saw was Chris as he was walking down the foyer and I said, 'Hey Chris—do you wanna audition for a movie?' But in typical Chris

PHOTO by OPHELIA DAGAR

UQAQATIGIIKTUAT / CONVERSATIONS

fashion, he didn't bat any eye. He was like, 'A movie? Yeah sure, I'll do it.' He didn't get this big head. He didn't just walk in like he was gonna get it. He was just like, 'Yeah, that sounds cool.'

So he walks into this room and I introduce him to the producer.

She says hi and hands him a sheet of paper.

Now I believe Chris had never acted before. But he takes this paper, reads it over, and he's like, 'Yeah alright, I'm good.' She's like, 'Well you can have more time…'

C: Yeah—but remember when she gave the sheet of

paper and I asked, 'What's the feeling of this?'

S: YEAH! That's right! What's the emotional feeling of

the character? And this producer is like, 'Excuse me?'

Because a lot of the boys just came in, read it and moved on. But Chris is like, 'Listen—if I'm gonna do this, I need to know what this character is feeling.'

So, the producer explains the feeling. Then he does it—and my mouth is completely open, seeing Chris in this vulnerable state. Not that Chris Church was never vulnerable, but I'm used seeing the Chris Church of East Three Secondary School, right? The guy who helps bring a basketball banner back, or the MVP for IRC, or the guy who's 4 inches away from a world record, right? And here—he gets to this vulnerable state. Like, is this even the same Chris Church that jumped 9'6 on one foot?!

After that, he asks, 'is that good?' And then he just leaves! I'll never forget when the producer turns to me and asks, 'who was that?' And I answer, 'oh, it’s Chris Church.' She replies, 'No, but like, who is that? That was amazing…stunning. Has he ever done acting before?' I tell her, 'I don't believe so.' And so, that was it. There were more hoops he had to jump through…

C: I had to go to Iqaluit for two weeks! And you were the

one who paid for it.

S: Oh that's right! I dropped 300 bucks.

C: It was the fee for my flight.

S: Yeah, it was like, 'If I don't get 300 bucks, I can't go,

PHOTO by CAROLINE AUCLAIR

Steve came to me and asked me…He mentioned my name to the producer.

He paid for my flight. He brought me to Iqaluit. It was all these small things that just led up to this really huge movie.

— CHRIS CHURCH

then I can't do this movie.' I said, 'Alright, well let's get you 300 bucks.' I went and got him 300 bucks; he got on the plane. I think I drove him to the plane.

C: You did!

S: But that's as far as my role happened. I was just behind the scenes—literally—as Chris was doing his thing. I helped him get to Iqaluit, then the rest was all Chris!

C: That's why I like to elaborate on this part. It was the

small things that just did it all. Steve asked me, and I said, 'Let's do it.' He mentioned my name to the producer. He paid for my flight. He brought me to Iqaluit. It was all these small things that just led up to this really huge movie. When it finally came out, I gave Steve my lacrosse jersey from the film.

S: Yeah, you did…with blood on it!

C: With blood on it, yeah!

T: Why is that?!

C: 'Cause when we were shooting the lacrosse scene at

the end of the movie, I didn't have a stunt double. So, it was just me getting sticks to the face, the hands…and then, I got heatstroke, so I had to leave for some of it.

But I had to do the whole film and make sure I was as professional as possible. I had to get the shots and make sure I didn't mess it up—because of the people that did this for me. I didn't want to let them down.

S: I would have never looked at you in disappointment.

T: Had you played lacrosse before?

C: That was my first time. We had two months in Iqaluit

where we were just straight up playing lacrosse, and it got to the point where I had to be told not to play

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lacrosse for a week, because I took it to heart and wanted to be the best. I would practice all night, every morning before our scenes, and between scenes. They eventually said, 'Chris, you have to stop. Give us your stick. We need you to be a beginner in the film.'

S: I don't think I knew that, but that doesn't surprise me.

T: How was your experience of acting in The

Grizzlies, emotionally?

C: The film physically took a lot out of me. Mentally, it

ate me alive—not gonna lie. I wasn't prepared to hear the backstory. I wasn't ready to re-act it all out. I didn't want to at first. But the message it gave off afterward during the whole shooting process was enough motivation to get me through it. It took some demons out, for sure.

ART AND LIFE T: So after that, have you connected your acting with

other areas of your life?

C: Definitely. Whatever role I play, I channel a part of my life into it. If I'm playing a role where I have to seem excited, I'm gonna go to the feeling where I won my first basketball banner. Or, if it comes to a scene where I'm sad, I want to channel some thoughts that came from my life. If it's worry, I'm gonna channel my thoughts into my little brother when I'm gone. I'm not playing the role—I'm gonna be the role for sure.

T: Do you connect your artistry with social work?

C: Yeah, definitely. When it comes to social work, they

wanna hear stuff that's not out of a book. They wanna hear a real-life story about where you struggled, and where you came back from. They wanna hear stuff that comes from the heart, you know? I tell them stories about my life—what I’ve been through, what I've done, and what I’ve regretted doing. I get down to their level.

I'm not the social worker that they're seeing. I'm just one of them—another person.

Growing up, I've always wanted to be a role model, just like Steve was. I looked up to that guy a lot. He was a good baseline for where I wanted to be. The way Steve carried himself in the classroom was so much more than seeing a teacher just teach.

S: That's nice of you to say.

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UKIUQ WINTER 2019

T: And how can young people find a role model?

C: You can't really get a role model—you kind of just

know. You find a person who you want to find in yourself. I'm not saying you should change yourself to be another person. But to better your life, you really want to find a good point where you wanna be. You never know… it could be yourself ! You could be your own role model.

S: So, if you were 11 years old, what would you want to hear? What would have helped you back then?

C: Just take the first step—that's what I did. I had a goal.

Kids are sometimes scared to take that first step. They're worried about not following through, or they're worried about failing that one stage. It's just about putting 100% into the smallest step, moving on to the bigger step.

Small things happen first, and throughout your time, they will get bigger and better.

T: What advice would you give to youth today?

C: Things are tough. Things can get really tough, no mat-

ter what you're going through. When people come to me, I say, 'Yeah, you're having a real bad time. But you're here, you're talking to me, you're alive. That's the first step.'

I let people trash me. I let people talk me down. I let people vent out their feelings, but my only response is that ‘you are here.’ You're talking to me, as a person— you are alive. You're getting this out. And they have no real response to that. They don't know how to respond to that. Knowing the first step is knowing that you're alive and talking to somebody.

T: What can we do as a society to move towards a

better relationship with mental health?

C: Give yourself a fighting chance. Have an eight-hour

sleep. Get some food into you. Go out, get some sun. Talk to people who you want to talk to. Listen to songs that make you think about other things. Be around people who make you happy. If none of that works, there's always a different way. But it's on you first. You take the first step—the small steps.

It could look like: making your bed in the morning.

After that, doing the dishes. Getting a workout done.

Going to see how your friends are doing. Taking a self-reflective day at work. Going home. Watching movies.

Sometimes, it might just be spending time with the person that you really want to be around.

UQAQATIGIIKTUAT / CONVERSATIONS

NUTAAT INUIT YOUTH

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INUVIALUIT PITQUSIIT PITQUHIIT CULTURAL CENTRE

Dive into some classic stories about the strength and resilience of Inuvialuit youth through these free* books from the Inuvialuit Cultural Centre (ICRC)!

Qattayana

}

JOHNNY RUBEN QUMMANA (STORYTELLER); FLORENCE NASOGALUAK (ENGLISH TRANSLATION); JOHN MANTHA (ILLUSTRATION)

Qattayana is a powerful story about how a young boy and his grandmother saved an entire region of people in Nuvuraq after being closed up in an iglu— and left to die. This story of the daring duo giving back with kindness despite having been abandoned is a valuable lesson for us all to learn, and reminds us to never underestimate the abilities of Elders and youth!

Bessie's Story of Survival

~

BESSIE ANDREASON (STORYTELLER), JOHN MANTHA (ILLUSTRATION), BEVERLY AMOS (SIGLITUN), CHARLES ARNOLD (EDITOR), PEGGY JAY (COORDINATOR), CATHY COCKNEY (COORDINATOR)

B

ased on a real-life experience that took place outside of Kugluktuk in 1937, Bessie Andreason was only fourteen years old when she had to fight to stay alive in some of the darkest times of her adolescence. Her story emotionally captivates readers and brings them close to the heart of unbearable loss, struggle, and resilience, alongside Mantha's wistful yet hopeful illustrations. This storybook also includes occcasional Sallirmiutun vocabulary along with a small glossary which can help you teach your child some Inuvialuktun words from 'parka', to 'dogs', and even 'binoculars'.

*Copies of children's books are free for beneficiaries of the Inuvialuit Final Agreement (IFA).

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Geddes Auktalik Wolki and His Grandfather

|

JIM KAKIANAAN WOLKI (STORYTELLER), BEVERLY AMOS (DESIGN, LAYOUT AND SIGLITUN TRANSLATION), ROBERTA MEMOGANA (ILLUSTRATION)

Wolki makes it clear that this story is not an unipkaaq (legend)—but rather a quliaq (true life experience). Taking place in Ikaariaq (Banks Island) at Lennie River, we meet Geddes, a nine-year-old boy who gets stuck out in the trapline during a piqtuq (big storm) with his ataatak (grandfather) Inuałuuyaq. Will they be able to stay alive and warm in the face of the harsh elements, and will they be found?

Getting a Head Start Why early childhood intervention is important at 0-3 years old WORDS by MARIA STORR

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HEN I THINK OF THE SCIENCE of early childhood development, we have ‘serve and return’ as a really important concept. It is one of the most important aspects of being a parent for a very young one.

A baby is gonna make a noise— that’s a ‘serve.’ I need to respond— that’s a ‘return.’

And I’m going to respond in a caring and loving way, so that that child is not scared or fearful, or the brain is going to develop a process in which whatever I serve may or may not get dealt with.

For example, if I was a baby, and I say ‘goo goo ga ga,’ and Daddy smiles down at me and gives back—the brain is making connections.

The neurons are connecting.

This past weekend in Ulukhaktok, I played a serve and return game with some early childhood staff. All I had was a ball, and I let them pass it to me. At first, I never catched it.

They served me a ball. I sat there, and I never even looked or paid attention. Then, I threw it to them and they caught it. Then they threw it back to me. I caught it, but I didn’t do anything with it after a while.

So you think about all the feelings that the person who served me that ball (or information).

(RIGHT) Kathleen

Nogasak plays with Alexis "AJ" Chinna at the Headstart Program in Inuvik.

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If the caregiver doesn’t respond, the baby might become stressed. And the little minds of babies really don’t like that, because we’re social beings, and we do need our parents to be responsive and protective. If you’re not, it’s stressful.

Once a serve is returned, the baby recognizes that it’s fun! Then you get good vibes going on—seratonin, oxytocin. All these things are happening in your brain and it’s all good stuff !

It’s connecting all the neurons. And if you use the language often, on a regular basis, you’ve built strong connections in your brain. You can’t just have it 20 minutes a day. You need to have it all the time—through immersion.

‘Serve and return’ is number one—initially, the parents are going to learn about the different sounds that their baby makes. They recognize that it’s a ‘change my diaper’ or ‘I need a hug’ or whatever. Even at this level, babies learn about self-regulation. They learn to wait, and even the back and forth of a conversation, taking turns.

As they grow older, we play games, we might speak Inuvialuktun, we might go to a drum dance—and the child’s little brain is absorbing all of whatever is happening in their environment, whether or not it’s in the home, in the community hall, visiting nanuk and daduk. The brain is constantly developing.

THE EARLY YEARS

In the science of early child development, scientists have found that years zero to three are the most important years of a human being’s life. They say even when a woman is pregnant, the baby’s hearing is one of the first things to develop, and their brain is also beginning to develop. It’s so amazing.

I was in Ulukhaktok recently, and they were taking youth out into the land with Elders to hunt. We found out that group got six caribou—oh my goodness! They were so happy. The community’s gonna have meat for Christmas. Caribou! I was just happy for them—I felt their joy, and their relief.

When something like that happens, children hear what’s happening. Already, they’re starting to get a bank of words—of excitement. They can hear and see what’s happening in the community as it’s all happening.

The importance of all of this—building the brain, and the foundation for success in life—it happens in the home.

The health, the wellness, the relationships. How the parents influence the child’s behaviour, their decisions, or their problem-solving—the parents have a major role in all of that. I think we have to inform our young parents about that importance, to prepare them for parenthood. We need to let them know how a healthy pregnancy is, through precautions and parenting skills to better prepare them to be parents. I want to plant that seed there.

Through the science of early child development, in the first three years, parents and guardians are the external brain of the baby. It’s these first three years—starting from conception, through healthy pregnancies and relationships—where we act as the external brain for that child. That awareness, I think, is not happening right now.

Children are sometimes set aside with an iPad or TV, and a couple are trying to manage their relationship. Even though the child is over there, they’re still taking in what’s happening in their environment, right? To have a child growing up in an unhealthy family that has little support for their development…this hinders our wellness, and our success as a society—if I could put it like that.

In the first three years, parents and guardians act as the external brain of the baby.

WHY TALK ABOUT YOUNG PARENTS?

Because it’s for the health and success of our next generation. They are the ‘stakeholders’ of our next healthy generation. They are going to raise the next generation; they have a responsibility to ensure that child’s healthy development.

When we think of young parents, it’s the importance of their own wellness themselves, and the wellness of their relationship(s). It could be their partner, their parents—whoever. Sometimes, underlying issues exist there because many of that has been taken away.

There was no role-modeling when residential schools happened.

(ABOVE; TOP–BOTTOM)

Kristy Anderson playing with her daughter Mila Bilenki. Molly Patricia McLeod’s daughter Adeline (four months old) and son Dominic (two years old). Jayne Taylor reading with her son Nathaniel (16 month old). Angela Voudrach with her son Lincoln Gruben.

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Elders played a role in passing on language and culture to kids, as well. They used to do that; they had the responsibility of looking after the child while parents were doing other duties.

The science of early childhood development should be a program for the youth. Transitioning from teenager to parenthood, letting teenagers know that one day they may be a parent—that is important! We should teach what is required to be a parent: strong healthy relationships, strong language and culture, and healthy pregnancies. Young parents need support. We need to take care of our own health, too. We need to educate ourselves, and have family and friends, instead of being entirely dependent on the government. We want to grow to be an independent society.

CULTURE & LANGUAGE

There is a belief or value where, because a baby seal only crawls, we’re not going to make sealskin shoes—because the baby wearing it may not learn to walk.

We value our children to the point where we will ensure that traditional knowledge or

(TOP LEFT) Olivia

Inglangasak drum dancing with Billie Lennie. (DIRECTLY ABOVE) Christine Menno Playing outside with her daughter Ruth Heilbrunn (1 year old). (TOP RIGHT) Billie Lennie reading with Carter Nerysoo, Ava Cardinal, and Kelcey Wright. (DIRECTLY TO RIGHT) Olive Pascal, jiggling with Jayneta Pascal’s son, RossMartin (2 years old).

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If we want our Inuvialuit to be Inuvialuit, they need to be immersed in their language and their culture, starting at this age. beliefs get passed on to the next generation. It might a taboo for some people, but it’s important for those who believe in cultural beliefs to pass on that information, so that it is valued.

Young parents need to focus on learning the language and the culture, different parts. They say language is the foundation for a culture. And if you don’t have a language, you might have traditions—but you might not have your full culture and ways. You need to have the language.

Exposing your baby to different forms of language, drum dancing, and storytelling is important. We have certain apps that are already available (see right). Young parents could also use that to develop their own skill, but they have to be really willing and really dedicated to want to learn the language.

They say a child can learn up to seven languages. Even when the baby hasn’t been born, the foundation of language is being acquired, right off the bat. If we want to teach Inuvialuktun or Innuinaqtun, it needs to be constant and on a regular basis. Having language in early childhood programs is really important—and even in the homes, because that’s where it begins. You can have an Elder there, and it’s okay for them to speak in two languages, but the majority should be in Inuvialuktun. All the sounds are important. They might not talk, but they would understand even before they spoke because their brain is becoming connected in a way that’s conducive for that little human being.

DOWNLOAD the Inuvialuktun One (Uummarmiutun) and Siglitun (now Sallirmiutun) language apps from the App Store and Google Play today.

Seven years ago, someone shared with me: ‘Maria, you need to go on the land and just listen to Inuvialuktun—no English. I would have to go out for a year, and even that is still not enough.’ So, I can start developing my hearing for Inuvialuktun now as an adult. I understand some if someone is speaking it, but it’s not the same as if I was exposed to it when I was a baby. It’s a different level—a different kind of learning. My hearing might develop—but to speak it, you really need to practice and use it.

NATURE OR NURTURE?

50% is our genes—we have no say in that. The other 50% is our experience.

I could be Inuvialuit and if I was pregnant and dropped off in Africa, I might have the genes of the Inuvialuit. But in terms of experiences, I am going to have African children. I am going to develop their language, culture, and everything because that is the environment in which I am growing up in. If we want our Inuvialuit to be Inuvialuit, they need to be immersed in their language and their culture, starting at this age. on various governments and organizations. We evolved into these dependencies, so we need to remove ourselves—whatever steps it takes—to not become dependent on the system, but to rely on our own selves and our own people to learn the language and culture. Take on the personal initiative to learn the language, and your culture will be revived.

We must become independent, and have these hopes and dreams for a stronger Inuvialuit society. We are so fortunate. We have so many beautiful childhood programs. If our youth, parents, and Elders become involved in those programs and make it theirs in their community, with their own culture—that would be powerful.

If the community is concerned and wants the culture and the language in the program, they should be involved in the development of that. They could contribute cultural resources, skins, pails to pick berries, or even take our children out to go pick berries. Working with the staff to help implement our language and our culture through storytelling is another way.

E ARE ACCUSTOMED TO BECOMING DEPENDENT

(ABOVE; TOP–BOTTOM) Sarah Mcleod (87 years

old) meeting her great grandson Dominic Arey (three days old). Jennifer Pitt playing with her 16-month-old son Ezra Gordon at the Prince of Wales Heritage Museum in Yellowknife.

Agnes Omilgoituk and her grandson Morris Nogasak III (2 years old). Grace Loreen and her granddaughter Sadie Whiteway. (LEFT) The Headstart program at Inuvik. From left to right: Maxson Nogasak, Alice Bonnetplume, Treytance Cardinal, caregiver Kathleen Nogasak, Alexis Chinna, program coordinator Shauna Kayotuk, Charlotte Krug, and Risa Drescher.

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But it’s difficult right now for involvement because of financial limitations. Sometimes, we don’t value it enough to just get involved to pass on language and culture. That’s what the system has done, though—we have become so dependent on money.

It’s become full circle now. Before, they slapped our hands and told us not to speak our language, took us away from our culture, our communities, and our families. Now they’ve come full circle and they’re giving money and honoraria—but guess what? You can only do it from 10:30 to 11! And it’s all of these different kinds of policies and procedures that could be our barriers to passing on our language and culture. We have become so dependent on money. We do have some sincere people who pass on language and culture, but there are still people who will only do it for the money.

Education needs to come from the heart, from the person—from the self. It begins with you! If we think of the IFA and ISDP, our mandate stems from our people and the responsibility for our own people—not anybody else.

INVOLVING PARENTS

The way of letting young parents become aware of their important role in growing healthy, capable Inuvialuit is to have their input. It’s the involvement of parents—being involved in early childhood education.

We encourage participation in our programming, and involvement in a parent committee.

Come to the early childhood programs and contribute in whatever way you can. For example, if you know how to carve on driftwood, carve a boat out for the children! Then they have something culturally-relevant, made by their own people for their people to pass on! Come in and play with them. Drum. Dance. If you see someone practicing their culture, or trying to speak their language—think of a way how that might be used in the early childhood program.

Encourage others to be a part of the program.

Maybe they have a story! Come and tell a story about something culturally-relevant.

Come in and share the story. Storytelling is very basic—very simple. The kids will get used to your face, and you could become familiar to them. You could build your relationship with the program staff as well as the children there.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! Lucy Taylor celebrates the first birthday of her smiley daughter, Ryanne Taylor.

But we must build that relationship first. By doing that is being a part of the program.

We have to make sure that our programs are not things that come from the South to be delivered here. We need local involvement in our early childhood programming to pass on our language and our culture. We all need to be a part of it.

There is this amazing young man in one of our communities who really fell in love with drum dancing. He was actually in the Aboriginal Head Start program back in the day.

20 years later? He has initiated and is now the drum dancer leader of that community group. Aboriginal Head Start was the foundation of that. He was a part of that foundation, and he is now 20 years old and a leader for his community. Maybe he was a part of drum dancing as an infant. Since they used culture and language in Headstart as the main components of this early childhood program, I like to believe that it helped him. Aboriginal Head Start helped him go where he needed to go.

I just think that’s so amazing. You think of all the good things that happened with children in every community. That program affected someone positively, and it’s because of that relationship they built with that caregiver.

(BELOW) Maria's daughter Jacqueline (Punniavluk). (Spring 1990)

(BELOW) Maria and her three children: oldest child Jacqueline (Punniavluk), youngest son Curtis (Kyaogiah), and middle son Preston (Apayayuk). (Winter 1989)

TIPS FOR NEW PARENTS

Take care of yourselves—mentally, physically, and emotionally. If you don’t know how to and want to know, you need to reach out to someone who would know. Go to an Elder, someone whom they trust and have a relationship with—their nanuk, daduk, parents, aunt, or even a good friend. Reach out to those individuals.

It starts during pregnancy and even before, so we have to make sure couples’ relationships are strong and healthy before even trying to have a baby. Sometimes we have children when we are too young. But for those who are pregnant—planned or unplanned—you must take care of yourself, because you’re the shell of your baby right now being grown. Your own emotional health, physical health, and even social health all matter. You need to try to make your life healthy because your environment also affects the baby’s development.

Immerse yourself in as much language and culture as you can, because that’s when the baby’s language begins to form. Understanding the sounds (like a, i, and u), and all of that—the baby hears it and is learning to recognize your voice! That’s the time when the foundation is all being built.

(ABOVE) Maria, her children, and her mother, Ida (Gordon) Irish Inglangasak.

(Winter 1996)

OOKING BACK: if I knew then what I know today, I probably would have raised my children differently. Even just 20 years ago. If I knew what I knew today, I’m sure my family would look very different.

I always tell myself that I wish to work myself out of this job, and that will probably be two or three generations from now. But we’re planting the seeds now. It’s for our youth now to take it and run with it. They need to focus on their own health, relationships, and careers.

Above all, they need to be involved in our culture and language and be committed to that.

The idea of being a global leader in early childhood education is far beyond me—now I just focus on being a role model for my kids. What I’ve done in the past, I’ve done. I didn’t know certain things before. And now that I’m learning, it’s time to make changes.

(ABOVE) Ida (Gordon) Inglangasak with

Maria's boys. (Winter 1982)

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WORDS by DANA BOWEN SALLIRMIUTUN TRANSLATION

by ALBERT ELIAS

From Tuk to Tuktuuyaqtuumin the Global Ungavanun Stage Ungasiktumun Students tell their story of how climate change is “happening to us”

Nukatpiqat uqaqtut silam allanguutaagun.

Qanuq “ilimaakiqpita” naniliqa

From the forest fires in the Amazon and Australia to the melting icecaps, it seems difficult to realistically deny that climate change is real.

Napaaqtut ikimayuat Amazon-mi Australiamilu maanilu siku auqimayuq. Ilumuuqtuq.

From the forest fires in the Amazon and Australia to the melting icecaps, it seems difficult to realistically deny that climate change is real. For most of Canada, its residents can vaguely see it happening, but understand most of it through something they’ve read, rather than experienced. For a group of young people living in Tuktoyaktuk, however, that hasn’t been the case. For them, the change is happening right before their eyes.

“The shrinking sea levels are a big thing around here,” said 19-year-old Nathan “Muk” Kuptana. “It’s taking away part of our land— every 2-3 metres.”

And Kuptana isn’t exaggerating. Sea levels are rising and the winter period is starting later and ending earlier. It’s affecting houses built

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Canada-mi ilurrilugu takusuitkikput.

Makpiraatigunlu TV-tigunlu kisian.

Nukatpiqat Tuktuuyaqtuumi taimana in’ngituq. Silam alanguutaa takumagaat saligaiqlugu.

“Tariuq ikkalimaakiqtuaq maani,” 19-nik ukiulik Nathan “Muk” Kuptana uqalaktuq. “Nunakput tarium nungumaakkiga.”

Kuptana ilumuuqtuq. Tariuq allanguqtuaq. Ukiullu naigliblutik. Iglut imman tikitaaqsiyait.

“Nuunnaqiyait. Igluruaqtuat sila malirutaksariyaat,” Kuptana uqaqtuq.

Alat Canada-mi qaunagingitkaat ilurrilugu. Nunaptingni nukatpiqat tusaasuitkait. Qangma allanguqtu-

>>

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!

Brian Kikoak of TukTV films a documentary for Natural Resources Canada at Tuktoyaktuk.

(Photo: Weronika Murray)

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Quyagiyavut taapkuat “Inuit Circumpolar Council’s” ikayurmatigut Madrid, Spain-mun aullatigamitigut December 2019.

near the shoreline to the point where they’re literally sinking.

“They need to move to a different location,” Kuptana explained. “Now they have to adapt because that was their home.”

For any Canadian southerner, this may seem like a distant problem. After all, it’s not usually the voices of young Northerners who they’d hear from. That is—until now.

A group of seven students from 15-19 years old came up with Happening to Us in 2019.

It began as a film workshop that turned into the 20-minute documentary, where students interviewed government officials and community members about the effects rising temperatures really has on the North. Its filmmakers include Kuptana himself. While he said doesn’t intend to pursue film as a career, Kuptana joined the project due to his interest in filmmaking—and documentaries in particular.

“I was doing academic courses and had free time between some courses,” he explained. “I asked if I could join the media course because film is interesting to me.”

Other students involved include 17-year-olds Carmen Kuptana and Eriel Lugt, who worked both behind and in front of the camera. Darryl Tedjuk and Brian Kikoak joined in, as well as a

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aq aglaan. Seven nukatpiqat 15–19 ukiulgit taamna “Happening to Us” aullaqiyaat 2019-mi. Gavamalu inuillu inuuniarvingni apiqsuuqlugit silakkun nayuqtaptingni. Kuptana agliusiqiyiuyuaq inuit takuyaksainik.

“Makpiraakkun kisian ilisaqpaktuami. Apiriyatka agliutinik aturukluta, alianaigiblugit.”

Ukuallu ilauvaliqtuat: 17-nik uikiulik Carmen Kuptana, Erika Lugt, Darryl Tedjuk, Brian Kikoak.

Ikayuqpagaanni. Katimagapta malrungnik takunnaaksanik: “Happening to Us” inalu “Living in Two Worlds” aullaqipkagait. Nukatpiqat qanuq idjusiruaqtilaangit nunaptingni isumagiblugit. Iluratik takunnaksak marlangnavialuktuq.

Quyagiyavut taapkuat “Inuit Circumpolar Council’s” ikayurmatigut Madrid, Spain-mun aullatigamitigut December 2019. Takupkaruklugu ukuanun “UN Climate Change Conference-mun”. Nunaryuat ungavani tutqiqsaisuklutik suvaksamingnik silam allanguutaagun. “Happening to Us” takunnaaq takuyaat

couple other students who helped behind the scenes. During the workshop, they chose two topics to create films on, both of which addressed key factors of what it means to be a young person in the North. Living In Two Worlds was the second project, which spoke to juggling both modern and traditional life. While both documentaries were successful, it was Happening To Us that surpassed their expectations by a long-shot.

Thanks to Inuit Circumpolar Council’s invitation, the film’s creators travelled to Madrid, Spain to screen the project at the UN Climate Change Conference. It happened in December 2019—when many countries around the globe committed to updating national climate action plans. Happening To Us was seen by world leaders across the globe.

The conference also included Swedish climate activist, Greta Thunberg. Known world-wide, Thunberg has become an icon for many because, at 16, she has become the face of fighting climate change—proving anyone can make a difference.

“Ever since I seen her on social media and seen her talking at press conferences, I thought, this is pretty amazing to see a girl like that step up for climate change,” said Carmen Kuptana.

ataniqpait nunani ungavani.

Sweden-miutaq Greta Thunberg 16-nik uikiulik katimaqatigiyaqput.

Nuitaniqsauyuaq Greta savaamigun silam allanguutaagun.

“Takulraarapku Greta TV-tigun uqaraangan marlagivakkara.”

Kuptana uqaqtuq. Erikam ikayuramiung Thunberg quyasuktuq.

“Pitaqsilayugut nikasilaittugut,” Erica uqaqtuq.

Taamna qun’ngiarun “Happening to US” akidjusimayuq. Silapta nunaptingni allanguuta takumagaat.

Maeva Gauthier-m Erica apiriyaa taamna imingniq suuq taimaliva igluan saniani. Ericam kiuyaa auyatqiguuq mayurautit ilaita maqaigait.

Imingniq qanitpalaam. “Auyatqigu iglukput nuuniarungnakaqput.

Mayurautairlugu”.

“Imaq ulisimaakiqluni nunamlu auqimayuam piyaa. Nayuqtaqput suinnaqipkaga. Iglut nappaqtat inuuniarvingni nuna ilua sikulik.”

(ABOVE, L-R)

Muk Kuptana, Carmen Kuptana, Eriel Lugt, Darryl Tedjuk, and Crystal Martin-Lapenskie (the National Inuit Youth Council President) screen their film, Happening to Us, at COP25, the 2019 UN Climate Change Conference in Madrid, Spain, capturing the attention of an audience from all over the world. (Photo: Jaro Malanowski/Avatar Media)

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For Lugt, she said fighting alongside Thunberg for the same thing made her feel like she was part of something bigger.

“It’s like there’s a possibility we can make a difference,” she said.

The story in Happening To Us was certainly an important one, as it demonstrates how climate change is happening in Northerners’ backyards— literally. While filming, Victoria PhD student Maeva Gauthier asked about the large sinking hole she could see beside Lugt’s house. The teenager explained how during the previous summer, her family had to take off the ramp from the balcony because of that sinkhole.

“By next summer, we’ll probably have to move the house back or take off the whole balcony,” she explained.

It’s due to the rising water levels and permafrost thawing, Lugt added, which is causing more damage than the average person may think.

Many NWT communities are built on varying types of permafrost.

“Every year we get the freeze and thaw of permafrost and the buildings shift around, making it so windows and doors don’t operate properly,” said Douglas Esagok, a research advisor in Inuvik. “They also develop stress cracks inside the house—you’d see them in any house in the North.”

Esagok explained that at the rate permafrost is thawing, houses and roads in the community are starting to shift and degrade at a fast pace.

That means rebuilding or reworking roads and houses—adding to the already high costs of Northern living. This environmental issue is affecting many Northerners and acts as a lot more than an inconvenience.

“It makes me depressed because this is my house,” said Lugt. “This is where I’ve come to feel welcome and at home. So the fact that it’s almost tipping over or that we have to move it is kind of upsetting. It doesn’t make me feel protected.”

The changing climate is also shifting the way the community interacts with it.

“One of the Elders told us that he used to be able to tell the weather by looking at the sky, but nowadays, he can’t predict the weather anymore,” Carmen Kuptana explained. “The weather can get really warm or mild and he said it used to be colder way back in the day.”

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SO YOU THINK YOU KNOW PERMAFROST? We chat with Alice Wilson, Permafrost Specialist at the Aurora Research Institute, to learn a bit more about permafrost.

1

IT HAS AN AGE.

Permafrost is defined as ground that is at or below 0°C for two or more consecutive years (Fun fact: the Russian definition is 3 years!)

2

IT'S LIKE TURKEY.

Permafrost does not melt but it thaws; the ice within it can melt. Think of it as a frozen turkey. When you take it out, it does not melt but thaws out.

3

IT'S THICK—FOR NOW.

Permafrost thickness ranges from ~90 m in Inuvik to over 600m in the Tuktoyaktuk peninsula. The region around Tuk is home to ‘massive ice’ which can be tens of meters thick.

4

A LOT OF ACTION HAPPENS UP TOP.

The majority of ice is found in the top of permafrost and this is what causes issues people normally associate with permafrost thaw (slumping, subsidence, mass movements etc.).

“Ukiuq tamaan nunam iluani sikuvaktuq auqivaktuq. Iglut sayukpaktut.

Igalrit, upkuat tutqiiqpaktut. Iglum ilua ilaanni qupivaktuq. Iglut tamaitakapsak taimniittut nunaptingni.”

Douglas Esagok, ikayuqti Inuvikmi uqallaktuq. Esagok uqaqtuq: siku nunam iluani auqimaakirman iglullu apqutillu tutqiiqpaktuat qilamik.

Savaqaaratik ilurrilaiqlutik nunaptingni akitugiblunilu. Silapta nunapta allanguuta uvaptingnun sapirnaqiyuaq.

“Isumalliqtitani ami iglugigapku, yaraiqsirviga aimaviga. Ulrunapilirman quviasingnaituq. Munariyaungituatun iliyuami,” Erica uqaqtuq.

Sila allangurman inuit isumait sapiqsaliqtuat.

“Atautchim angayuqaksam uqalautiyaani ubluriat nautchiuqlugit silaksaq ilitchurinaqtuq. Qangma taimana in’ngituq. Qangma sila uunaqsiyaraliqtuaq qilamik. Ingiraan qiqauvakturaluaq,” Kuptana uqaqtuq.

Kuptanalu Ericalu isumaaluktuk ilatchiqtuni, sila qaunagingitkaini igluvut suirniaqtuat.

“Nuna inuuniarvikput. Nunakput atuqpakaqput. Nungukpan nanginniaqtuanni. Suriilliniaqtuanni.”

UN (United Nations) tadjvani katimagapta quyallitauvialuktuq.

Tamatkuat nukatpiqat nunaptingni quliutiyait inugiaktut katimayuat nakinliqa nunaryuami tadjva silakput ilumun allanguqtuat.

Kuptana uqaqtuq: “Inuit takugumidjung TV-tigun katimagapta ilitchuriniaqtutluuniin qanuq sila itilaanga nunaptingni. Ikayuqtigiiktuksaraluani.”

Tuktuuyaqtuurmiut ilitchurigamik TV-kun takupkaqtuksat tariuryuam akiani inuit atautchikun ikayuruligait nukatpiqat ilautqublugit katimayuanni ungavani. Katillutik maniksaminik apiqsuikiqtuat ikayuruktuanin. Canoe North Adventures $3000.00-mik tuyuqtuat.

Air North-lu angiyumik ikayugainni.

NOT A PATAGONIA AD. Darryl Tedjuk, proudly taking it all in while on set filming a documentary at Tuktoyaktuk. (Photo: Weronika Murray)

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Kuptana and Lugt both fear that if nothing is done to address the problem soon, they may end up without a home.

“We live off the land and our land is important to us,” said Kuptana. “If it’s gone, it’s hard for us. We can’t do nothing else about that.”

That’s why screening the documentary at the UN conference meant so much.

It was an opportunity to explain to the public that climate change is not warning people of what is to come— these young Northerners are telling the world that climate change is real and it’s “happening to us.”

When people see the film at the conference, Kuptana said, “I hope they understand what’s happening in a different part of the world.

Hopefully we can get together and do something about that issue and in the end, it works out good.”

When people in Tuktoyaktuk first found out the film would be shown overseas, the community rallied together to help get its young filmmakers to the convention. The team put together a GoFundMe page, where people and companies in the North chipped in. Canoe North Adventures fundraised and sent $3,000 and Air North gave them a big discount on tickets.

While fundraising for other trips have proven to be more difficult, vice-principal and teacher at Mangilaluk School, Michele Tomasino said, “this one is falling in our laps.”

Tomasino is one of a few adults who helped bring the project to life, along with Gauthier and Jaro Malanowski from Avatar Media.

The umbrella project, known as Nuna Tariuq Silalu (Land, Sea and Air), was first introduced as part of Gauthier’s community-based research project. Gauthier first visited the North in 2009 and since felt determined to work with youth in the community. So she later asked Tomasino (an

“We live off the land and our land is important to us,” said Carmen Kuptana. “If it’s gone, it’s hard for us. We can’t do nothing else about that.”

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Ilaanni sapiqsaraluaqtiluta nikasuyuittugut. Mangilaluk Ilisarvium ataninga Michele Tomasino ikayuvialuktuaq uvaptingnun. Ukuallu ikayuqtuat quyanaqtut: Gauthier unalu Jaro Malanowski, Avatar Media.

Una savaaq “Nuna, Tariuq, Silalu” sivulliuyuaq. Gauthier’m takuyaqturmatigut 2009-mi quyallitauvialuktuaq nukatpiqanun. Ikayuqtigiiklutik taapkuak nukatpiqanun aullaqipkagait. Ilisaqtuallu ilaukiramik quyanaqiyuat.

Kuptana ilaukkirami uvunga “Nuna, Tariuq, Silalu” alianaigusuktuq. Unalu unigaa ukiutqik savaani “Reel Youth”. Nukatpiqat agliutiyangit ilisaqlugit.

“Ilaummiyuami alamik agliusiqyuannik. Taima alianaiginirapku kiilu ilisaruliqtuami,” Kuptana uqaqtuq.

Ericam quviagigamiung agliusiqiniq quliaqtuarutiksaq inungnun inu-

old neighbour from Victoria) to help her gather students to bring the project to life. The students who joined soon took over, offering their own ideas for the mini-documentaries.

Joining in on Nuna Tariuq Silalu was an easy decision for Muk Kuptana, because of his existing love and curiosity for film. He mentioned a similar project he joined a couple of years prior, Reel Youth, where students learned how to use film equipment and work on projects.

“I was part of another film group and that got me interested and I thought, 'I could go further and deeper into film,'” he said.

Lugt was drawn to the program, for the sake of doing something different and to tell her community’s stories. The further Lugt got into the project, the more rewarding she found it. She credited the workshop with giving her a voice and learning “how it is to work and to come up with your own ideas to create something.”

While Lugt was in front of the screen, she also spent plenty of time behind it as a film editor.

This, she said, was her favourite part.

uniarvingni. Erica agliutinik savaakirami quyallitauvialuktuq inminun.

Quyasuvialuktuq ilinnamiung. Erica qanurliqa savaliqtuaq alianaigiblugu.

“Alianaivialuktuq. Quyasuvialuktunga quliaqtuat iliuqqarapkit isumamnik uvapkun. Ilaugama savaatigun quyasuktuami.”

Katimayuksautigaluat siviktuttumik aglaan tatqiqsiun naalugu katimayuat. Nukatpiqat ilisaqtuksat agliusiqinikkun. Tamaan nukatpiqat savvaangit inuit ilitchuriyaat takugamidjung June, 2019. 70 sipillugu inuit takuyaat nukatpiqat savaangat.

“Inuit uqallakpaktuat ‘Qiasun’ngiliqtuami. Nakuungitkaluaqtut tadjva suviittuq. Tamaan takunnaami ittuq.

Aglaan akpautinarmiyuanni.” Tomasino uqallaktuq.

Silam allanguutaa nakuungitkaluaqtuq. Takkunaaq quyalli-

(ABOVE)

Eriel Lugt hard at work filming and reviewing footage at Tuktoyaktuk. (Photo: Weronika Murray)

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(BELOW)

Carmen Kuptana interviews Tuktoyaktuk major Merven Gruben at the Hamlet office. (Video still from Happening To Us)

64

“It was really fun. I really enjoyed it—putting together a story and putting it together how ever I wanted it to go. That’s what I really like,” she said. “It made me feel really involved.”

The workshop was meant to be 2.5 weeks, but it soon stretched into a month, with the time it took for students to hone their skills, film and edit the pieces. All that work was certainly recognized by the community after they screened each film during its launch in June, 2019. More than 70 people attended the event, which left the community amazed at the work these young people had done.

“People would say, ‘I’m tearing up—this is so sad, but so real.’” Tomasino recalls. The film “shows everything going on here, but it gives a little bit of light and hope.”

And despite the nature of climate change, the film certainly created a lot of positivity.

These students face the brunt of climate change everyday. And yet showing the film to

UKIUQ WINTER 2019

tauvialuktuq. Ukuat nukatpiqat silakput takumagaat ubluq tamaan.

Inuuniarviit takumagaat. Ungavanilu UN katimavaktut. Qangma nutqalaittuq. Nukatpiqat ilisaqtuat ilitchurimagaat. Sanalrutiruaqtut.

“Nukaqliit nukapiqat 13-nik ukiulgit ilangit malirutchukait angayutik. Taamna nalunaittuq,” Gauthier uqaqtuq.

Nukaqlirnik qilamik takunaqivaktuat ikayuruktuat TukTV-kun.

Nutaat isumaliuqtuksat aullaqiyuaq auyaq. Gavamat manirnik ikayuqtuksat isumagiblugit. Qilamik inuit savaakiqpaktuat. Ikayuqtigiit TukTV-mi ilisautiniagait tan’ngit qanuq ilinniarutigun inuuniarvingni.

“Ukiuq tamaan inugiaktukaluit ilinniaqtit qaivaktuat,” Tomasino

their community, and later to those at the UN conference, was a chance to let the world know that their voices matter. And it isn’t going to stop there—now those skills are being passed down to younger students, who still have the equipment gear at their disposal.

“There’s already younger students, at like 13 years old, who are shadowing the older students,” said Gauthier. “There’s definitely a knowledge transfer already.”

Having younger kids involved comes just in time for the creation of TukTV. The new official organization came into effect last summer, as a way to create more film projects and to be eligible for government funding. The younger community members wasted no time getting started on more documentaries. The team at TukTV accepted a commissioned project to teach southerners how to conduct community research positively, in regards to whom researchers should talk to and how.

“We have 5,000 researchers come in annually,” explained Tomasino. “We want to make sure that they’re using traditional knowledge and are not coming in with views of their own. It’s about educating researchers on researching in the North.”

The students are sure to create more projects in the future, as the next phase of Nuna Tariuq Silalu is starting in March 2020, when Gauthier and Malanowski return with more film workshops. That will involve looking at plastics in waterways.

Lugt and Carmen Kuptana are graduating, so there will be more space for others to come in to learn and create the next generation of activists.

But even with their leave from the program, Lugt added that creating these films has been a valuable experience.

It’s given Lugt a chance to have her voice heard and hopefully create some change, she said. The young woman simply wants to protect her community.

“I want to be able to go out on the land without there being any worries,” said Lugt. “Climate change opened up my eyes that we might not have that, so this is mostly to protect my land and culture.”

This is just the beginning for the 17-year-old— who said she intends to pursue politics. And while Lugt doesn’t have a clear idea of what that means for her yet, Lugt explained she wants to make a difference in her community.

Nunamun sangusuktuami isumaalungnaittumik.

Iyikka angmaqtuatun iliyuak sila allanguqsimaakirman. Munarisukkiga nunalu piqusiqpullu. uqallaktuq. Pitqusiqput inuuniarutikput kisian isumagiyaksariyaat.

Inmigualaittut. Iliniaqtit tan’ngit ilisautiniakkavut Nunaptingni.

Nukatpiqat ilisaqsimayuat savaaksaningniatuat una “Nuna, Tariuq, Sila” March 2020-mi Gauthier-lu Malanowski-lu utiqpangnik. Iktat immamun qinirlugit.

Erica-lu Carmen Kuptana-lu ilisaqtatik inigait. Allat aasiin iniksaniklugit ilisaqtuksat. Erica uqaqtuq tadjvaguuq agliusiqigamik inuit takunnaaksainnik quyallitauvialuktuq. Nipini tusaatquya inuit inuuniarvingni ikayuruklugit.

“Nunamun sangusuktuami isumaalungnaittumik” Erica uqaqtuq.

Iyikka angmaqtuatun iliyuak sila allanguqsimaakirman. Munarisukkiga nunalu piqusiqpullu.” Erica isumayuq angalatchiyuanun ilausukluni ilaanni.

Qangma nalunaraluaqtuq aglaan inuit ikayuruklugit isumayuq.

Kuptana, 19-nik ukiulik, ikayuutauvialuktuq Tuktuuyaqtuumi.

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While Muk Kuptana has already done a lot in Tuktoyaktuk at 19. Aside from being an avid hockey player, he is an assistant youth coordinator at the Jason Jacobson Youth Center.

As for his work with Nuna Tariuq Silalu, Kuptana said he hopes the film will play a role in carrying on his culture for himself, and others. “And to do that, I gotta look at the climate change issue that is happening nowadays,” he said.

It’s clear TukTV and Nuna Tariuq Silalu have encouraged the community’s youth to make a statement, letting the public know that their voices do matter.

“It shows them anything can be done,” said Tomasino. “This project came to us because of passionate people and continues because of passionate people.”

And that passion is what brought Happening To Us to an international stage—demonstrating that regardless of someone’s age or where they come from, their voices can make all the difference. So TukTV will continue on, telling the North’s stories through the voices of its young and determined protectors.

Hockey-ruublunilu tadjva ikayuqtauvaktuq uvani: Jason Jacobson Youth Center. Savaqatauvaktuaq Nuna, Tariuq, Sila-tkuni. Quyallitautquyaraluangilli agliutiyat inuit takunnaaksait. “Tadjva nunam allanguutaa qaunagiyaksauvialuktuq qangma.”

Ukuak nalunaittuq tadjva TukTV unalu “Nuna, Tairiuq, Sila” quyallitauyuaq nukatpiqanun. Inuit kituliqa tusaapkaqlugit. Tomasino uqaqtuq: “Una savaaq qaiyuaq uvaptingnun inuit tamarmik ilungiqtuqlutik ikayuruktuanun.”

Ilungiqturamik tadjva “Happening To Us” ungavanun nunanun takunaqiyuaq. Kitulliqa nukatpiqallu inirnirillu nipningit tusarnaqilayut ikayuruktuni. Taimana TukTV nutqalaittuq. Nunapta qanuq iliuruta tusaapkarniakavut nipiptigun.

WANT TO GET INVOLVED WITH TUKTV? Join the Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/tuktvfilms/.

PROJECT PARTNERS & SPECIAL THANKS: Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami; Inuvialuit Regional Corporation; Tuktoyaktuk Community Corporation; Climate Change Preparedness in the North Program; Mangilaluk School; Avatar Media; University of Victoria; Inuit Circumpolar Council; Community of Tuk and online donors; Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council; Aurora Research Institute; Oceans North; Canoe North Adventures; The Government of Canada

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MOM, I MADE IT TO MADRID! Some great scenes—and behind the scenes—from the 25th UN Climate Change Conference, where Tuktoyaktuk youth engaged with climate leaders from all over the world.

(All photos on this spread: Jaro Malanowski/Avatar Media)

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WORDS & PHOTOS by MYRNA POKIAK SALLIRMIUTUN TRANSLATION by ALBERT ELIAS

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A

TIGA AGNAVIAK, MYRNA POKIAK, TUKTUUYAQTUKMIUNGURUNGA.

Amamaga Maureen Pokiak, Atattaga James Pokiak. Pingasunik paniguaqtunga, Myamiglu, Launamiglu, Kara, Umaga Eddie Paul.

My name is Myrna Pokiak, I am from Tuktoyaktuk. My mother is Maureen Pokiak, my father is James Pokiak. I have three daughters, Mya, Launa, and Kara with husband Eddie Paul. >>

Belugas and Inuvialuit: Our Survival Together

Inuvialuillu: Tamapta Inuusiqput

A Canadian Museum of Nature Exhibit in Ottawa, Canada Oct 25, 2019 – Sept 13, 2021

Takupkarniagait Uvani: Canadian Museum of Nature Exhibit Ottawa, Canada Oct 25, 2019-min Sept 13, 2021-mun

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF MUSEUM OF NATURE

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WHEN I WAS ABOUT THE SAME AGE as my oldest daughter Mya, 10, I went on my first beluga whale harvest with my dad James, and my great Uncle Roy Kikoak. Thirty years later, the summer of 2019, I had the opportunity to bring my daughters home to Tuktoyaktuk for them to experience the beluga whale hunt. This hunt was guided by my daughters’ great uncle, Charles Pokiak. Mya and Launa were in the boat to watch how the whales are tracked, harpooned, pulled onto shore, and cut up, while Kara (my one-year old baby) soothed on pieces of whale mipku, as my Mom watched over her.

A

tira Agnaviak, Myrna Pokiak, Tuktuuyaqtumiutauyunga.

Amaamaga Maureen Pokiak, Apaga James Pokiak.

Pingasunik paniruaqtunga, Myamiglu, Launamiglu, Kara, tuvaaqatiga Eddie Paul.

Qulinik ukiuniklungalu Mya-tun, angaga Roy Kikoak qilalukiarman malikara sivullirmik tajva. Aasiin auyaq 2019, uvangalu paningmalu angaktik Charles Pokiak maligaat qilalukkiarman. Nukaqlira mipkutuqpaktuq, amaamangma munarivakaa.

With my cultural and traditional upbringing as an InuviaSavaapkun uvuuna ‘Alappaa’ 2017-mi, inluk, and because of my previous work experience, through uguqsimagamalu Inuvialuit pitqusiitigun, my company, Alappaa, I was asked by the Canadian MuseCanadian Museum of Nature Ottawa-mi um of Nature in Ottawa to curate an exhibit. This exhibit is a apiriyaanni takunaansanik ikayuqublutik. re-creation of one of the most popular exhibits at the Prince Una takunnaaksaq adjigiiktuq Prince of of Wales Northern Heritage Centre in the Northwest TerriWales Yellowknife-mi ittualuktun. Savaara tories, which I worked on from 2004 to 2006. As there are 2004-2006-milu. Inuit alianaigivialukkaat. many exhibits that are shared among museums and heritInugiaktut takunaaksat takunaqivaktuat age centres, this current exhibit at the Canadian Museum naniliqaa. Una Ottawa-mi takupkarniagat of Nature in Ottawa is able inungnun qanuq ilagiit inuuniaqtito incorporate and highlight laangit ikayuqtigiiklutik taimani. the unique and self-sustaining harvest of the beluTakunaam quliaqtuanga imana This exhibit is able ga whale for an Inuvialuit ittuq. Takunnagiaqtuat ilitchuritfamily—as seen and expekuplugit ilagiit ikayuqtigiiklutik to incorporate and rienced through the eyes inuusingat. Niqit sannaiyaqlugit highlight the unique of three Inuvialuit youth. ukiumi atuaksat. Munaqqiriklugit. and self-sustaining The documentation and Isiqsiivik nuitaniqsauyuq. Takunpresentation of their beluga naaq tadjvani Tuktuuyaqtuum harvest of the beluga whale hunt has provided my sinaa ilitarnaqtuq. Takugapku itqawhale for an Inuvialuit children with the opportugivagara amamagalu panitkalu qanity to experience firsthand yariakkun aulagapta. Qattaryungmi family—as seen and the traditional skills, values, amaamangma utkusiatun ittuq, experienced through and the family connections muktait yurasimayut. of Inuvialuit culture. Now, the eyes of three it will also give the opportuInuvialuit youth. nity for museum visitors to Tamaan tadjva ‘Qilalukkat’ takungain a basic understanding naaq aullaqipkagaat nautchiuand appreciation of one asmariksiblugu savaqatigiiktuat Otpect of Inuvialuit life. tawa-mi. Beaufort Sea tarium sinaa The story of the exhibit is shared through various mediums to allow visitors to understand the harvest as a family activity, preparing food for the winter in a sustainable and respectful manner. The model smokehouse is the centrepiece. The exhibit welcomes visitors with a floor of photo-like beach rocks of Tuktoyaktuk, one of my favourite elements because it reminds me of a canoe ride out to the pingos with my

sukuiqlugu. Muktuktun sukuivialuktat nivingayut, sannaitut nabluaksat iliyaksat utkusingmun. Pipsilu mipkulu nivingayut. Muktaillu, pipsillu, mipkullu mamaqtut nivingayut naniam qulaani isiqtutun sukuittuq. Nukaqlira Kara-m adjgani auksirukaluagait tadjvani! Tutqumavium savaktingit qiyuktaqtuat napaaqtut iluani Otta-

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(TOP) Myrna Pokiak teaching her girls to flesh beluga skin at Nanuck's smokehouse. (DIRECTLY ABOVE) Myrna's mom, Maureen Pokiak with her dad, James Pokiak. (RIGHT) Launa Paul hanging strips of whale meat for mipku at their Uncle Charles' summer camp.

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mom and girls. The cooking barrel, modeled after the one my mom uses, simmers freshly cooked muktuk next to the smokehouse with weathered pieces of plywood.

Every element of the Qilalukkat exhibit was hand-picked and carefully selected by the exhibition team in Ottawa, to ensure the presentation and the material used was as it would have been along the shores of the Beaufort Sea. The look of the muktuk (beluga skin and blubber) hanging, ready to be sliced and placed into the boiling water, hangs next to rows of pipsi (smoked dried fish) and mipku (smoked dried whale meat). The mouth-watering muktuk, pipsi, and mipku hang above a fire that smokes as if it were real. At one point during the exhibit opening, my baby Kara put out her hands to warm them by the fire! Museum staff went out on a wood hunt in a forest in Ottawa to ensure that even the driftwood in the exhibit replicated the wood used for cooking and smoking food. These details truly illustrate the care the Canadian Museum of Nature staff took to bring the exhibit to life.

Five screens showcase videos I captured this summer.

Viewing the results give me so much pride knowing the effort, time, patience, and people who helped me along the way. My daughter Mya was right alongside me, taking photos of the harvest, and capturing every moment of the process. Both of my older girls were involved with processing the food, cutting blubber strips, and getting it ready to render them into uksuk—just as I had also done at their age.

The various videos illustrate different stages of the harvest, from the gathering of wood, setting and checking the net while waiting for the ocean to calm, cutting muktuk, hanging mipku, to storing food in the community icehouse. One of my favourite photos is from a trip—a story within itself— that I organized to travel to the pingos. It speaks volumes, not only for the view and the silhouette that welcomes you to this exhibit, but for the illustration of a girl as a hunter, a skill—and more importantly, a value—I was taught at a young age. For this, I am grateful because my own girls can feel empowered by this experience.

Curating, researching, and planning the exhibit has provided a deep connection to their cultural heritage that my daughters will never forget. It brought out some of the best moments in an Inuvialuit family’s life, working together, teaching patience, providing family time, as well as reinforcing respect of the land, sea, animals and for one another. It also gave me the opportunity to reconnect with my parents, my aunts and uncles, and cousins, which was an

Agliutiyavut Tuktuuyaqtuumi innapta anguniarutikput takupkaqsimaga.

Qiyuktarapta, kubyiqyuni silanguqtuksaq utaqqiblugu, muktait savakkaini, mipkuliurniq, niqillu qiqitchiivungmuktuksat.

wa-m qaningani. Qiyuvialuktun sukuiqlugit takummait. Igayunilu isiksiyunilu atuaksat.

Tuqiqsaataqtat iliurriblugit Canadian Museum of Nature savaktaita.

Tingmin Agliun unalu GoPro atuqlugit qun’ngialiuqtuami. Quvianavialuktuq takunnakapkit takugapkit iniqtatka. Inuillu ikakyuqtuat quyanangayaat. Paningma Myam nayuqpagaani. Tamaan savaktaqput agliutimablugu. Panikka ikayuqtuak niqit sannaiyaraptigit. Malirutkaanga nutaruagama savaamnik uqsuksavut nabluqlugit sannaiyaqlugit.

Agliutiyavut Tuktuuyaqtuumi innapta anguniarutikput takupkaqsimaga. Qiyuktarapta, kubyiqyuni silanguqtuksaq utaqqiblugu, muktait savakkaini, mipkuliurniq, niqillu qiqitchiivungmuktuksat. Pinguqsaaryuit upakkaptigit auyami alianaigivialukkiga. Puigurnaituq nunam takummaa. Ilisaqtara nutaraublunga takumayara. Quyasuktuami paningma takumagamidjung.

Savaktara munarigapku, ilisarapku, sivunniurapku quyallitauvialuktuq. Paniutima puigulaitkaat. Inuvialuktun inuusingat nakurniqsaq inuuqatigiikkamik, ikayuqtigiiklutik, iluatun isumaliuqlutik, ilagiit nayuqatigiiklu-

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(LEFT) Mya Paul cutting blubber strips for oil with her Great Auntie Molly and Uncle Peter. (BELOW) Myrna Pokiak and father James Pokiak 30 feet below ground in the Tuktoyaktuk community ice house.

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everyday experience as I was growing up. My family truly made our experience memorable. My husband Eddie Paul provided the time and encouragement I needed to put all my efforts towards the exhibit, and now our daughters have memories that Inuvialuit girls before have treasured throughout their lives.

This age-old tradition is passed on through Inuvialuit families and ours is one of many who continue to carry it forward. I was provided with love and experiences, the handson teachings from many of my aunts (11) and uncles (5), grandparents, and most importantly, my mom and dad.

The beluga whale harvest has survived through generations of change. It is up to me and my generation to ensure our youth are given the opportunities we had at a young age.

Our Inuvialuit descendants are connected to the same water, land, and air as we are today. My children have had a taste of the traditional beluga hunt experience by participating in it while the opportunity allows.

Memories, experiences, and the lessons learned are a result of the time my daughters and I spent in Tuk. The exhibit illustrates that learning through experience is so vital in passing on our traditions. My girls learned how to set a net, check the net, and make dryfish—which was Mya’s favourite thing to do. At various hours of the day, I would find Launa sitting beside her new friend, Sparky, one of the dogs for whom we caught fish; this fish would then be stored in the ice house for winter feedings. My family and my girls spent hours down in our community icehouse, trying different techniques to capture just the right light, sparkle, and glow of the permafrost, in order to illustrate a unique part of the community—as fish, muktuk and uksuk were shuffled around in my family’s ice house room for the winter.

I am honoured and grateful to do the work I do centered around my ancestors as well as today’s Inuvialuit—all the while keeping the future of Inuvialuit on my mind. When asked to re-create the Qilalukkat exhibit at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa, I knew that incorporating my daughters, and developing the presentation from their perspective, would bring the exhibit to life and impress to visitors that our Inuvialuit traditions and values are alive today.

By bringing forward current information and working with the exhibition team from the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa, this exhibit illustrates the respect that my collaborators have for Inuvialuit and our way of life, across the country in the capital city of Canada.

tik. Nunalu tariurlu niryutillu qaunagiblugit.

Ilatka tamaita qagliyuatun iliblugit. Puigurnaituq. Tuvaaqatiga Eddie Paul quyallitauvialuktuaq ikayuqluta. Paniutima aasiin puigulaitkait takumayatik.

Taimaningaaniin Inuvialuit pitqusingat ilagiit aulatpagaat. Piqpagiblunga ilama ilisautivagaani. 11 atchatka, 5 angaatka, ataatatkalu, amaamangmalu apangmalu. Qilalukkiqiniq ingilraangaaniin suli aulayuq nutqayuittuq.

Uvapkutauq paniutitka malirutquyatka takumayamnik nutaraugama. Nunalu imarlu silalu qaunagitquyara. Takumayaat tadjva qilaluqqiqiyuanun ilaugamik.

Puigurnailat, takumayavullu inuusiptingni, ilitavullu paningmalu uvangalu Tuktuuyaqtuumi innapta. Taimatchit sanauyaqtat takunnaaksat ilisautivagait inuusiptigun quyallitauvialuktut. Paniutitka kubyiqilayut pipsiliuqlutiklu. Myam alianaigivialuka. Launam qimmini Sparky nayuqpaga. Iqalungnik niqiksanilugu ukiuq naalugu. Ilamalu paningmalu qiqitchiivik nayuruugaat. Ilua alianaigiblugu. Niqiksavut tutquqpakkavut tadjvani ukiumi atuaksat.

Quviagivialukkiga quyasuklungalu tadjva savaqatigiikkapkit inirnirit Inuvialuit sivuningat isumagiblulu. Apiriyaugama taamna ‘Qilalukkat’ sanauyuyaq tutqiksaqummajung tadjvani Canadian Museum of Nature Ottawa-mi, paniutitka ilaupkarapkit quyallitauvialuktuq. Pitqusiqput suli nutqayuittuq qangma. Qangma piqusiqput qaunaginiagaat takupkaraptigu ilurata ikayuqtigiikluta Ottawa-mi, Canada.

WATCH VIDEOS FROM THE EXHIBIT ONLINE!

English: nature.ca/BelugaSmokehouse French: nature.ca/FumoirBeluga

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(RIGHT) Part of the Pokiak family preparing the beluga after the harvest at Uncle Charles' Summer Camp, Tuktoyaktuk, NT.

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Mya Paul choosing a piece of freshly smoked and dried mipku (whale meat) to munch on at her Nanuck's smokehouse in Tuktoyaktuk, NT. NUTAAT INUIT YOUTH

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INUUNIARUSIVUT / HISTORY

A LOOK BACK AT PROJECT SURNAME WORDS by CHARLES ARNOLD

THEY’VE GIVEN YOU A NUMBER—AND TAKEN AWAY YOUR NAME.” These are lyrics from a song that dominated the radio airwaves in 1966.

Maybe it was a coincidence, but that same year the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories, Ben Sivertz, stated “… we should discontinue the number system and disc system as soon as possible.” This set in motion events that led to ‘Project Surname’ and the abandonment of a numbering system that had been imposed on Inuit four decades earlier.

Traditional Inuit personal names are based on a complex namesake system, with newborn children often receiving the name of a relative, and inheriting that person’s identity and personality along with the name.

In Inuvialuktun this shared name is called atiq. People might acquire several such names during their lifetime. In small groups of people who know each other this name sharing wouldn’t cause any confusion. The same can’t be said for outsiders such as missionaries, police, trading companies and government administrators who didn’t know the language or the customs of Inuit. Typical of the colonial history of the north, many outsiders renamed individual Inuit to suit their own convenience, unaware or unconcerned that in doing so they disrupted naming systems that reinforced social cohesion within a community.

Among the many historical records of outsiders ignoring traditional personal names is a photograph that was taken by an Anglican Church missionary, Reverend (later Bishop) Isaac Stringer, at Herschel Island about 1899 that shows a man standing on the deck of a whaling ship, posing for the camera. Stringer identified this man as Anaclook—“Jaggs”. Anaclook is probably only an approximation of what his name sounded like to someone who >>

{ABOVE) Anaclook ("Jaggs”) on a whaling ship. (I.O. Stringer/The General Synod Archives, Anglican Church of Canada/P7517-162)

{ABOVE) First [Inuvialuit] baptised

by Bishop Stringer at Herschel Island, Aug. 1909. Standing, l-r: Hanna Nasogaluk, James Atumiksana, Thomas Umaok, Susie Atugauq; kneeling, l-r: Charlie Kelegak, Elias Tautuk.

(I.O. Stringer/ The General Synod Archives, Anglican Church of Canada/P7517-302)

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(PICTURED) Identification disc

issued to Emma Gruben. (Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre)

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was unable to correctly hear and properly pronounce it. Jaggs apparently was a nickname that whalers used instead of his actual name.

When missionaries persuaded Inuvialuit to convert to Christianity they were baptized and given Christian first names, seemingly without first consulting with them. These ‘Christian’ names, together with their traditional names used as last names, were entered into the church records. A note associated with a photograph taken when the first Inuvialuit were baptized by the Anglican Church on Herschel Island in 1909 states: The Headman and his wife, his nephew Omark and his wife, and two other young men, asked for baptism, and being approved by the bishop, were baptized James and Hanna, Thomas and Susie, Elias and Charlie.

However, it appears that baptisms were not always initiated or understood by Inuvialuit. In his autobiography ‘I, Nuligak’, Bob Cockney told the following story of a baptism ceremony in 1912: A minister, Mr. Whittaker, arrived.

He poured water on a great number of people. I got in line and did as the others did. During the ceremony the minister said to an Eskimo, Oyangin, “I give you the name Haydn.”

Oyangin answered, “What a queer name you are giving me.” He did not want to be called that way. Furthermore a number of them did not even know what this ceremony was all about—even the adults did not bother to ask for explanations, and they knew nothing of the meaning of the prayers.

The idea of issuing numbered identity discs to Inuit was first raised by government officials in the mid-

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1930s, with the suggestion that people should be required to have their discs on their possession at all times.

It went into limited practice in 1941, although it was now suggested only that they be worn for a few years, until the individual became used to the idea that they were, in effect, their number. In the western Canadian Arctic these numbers were preceded with a “W”, and in the east they were preceded with an “E”, followed by a number that represented a region or community, and then the number assigned to the individual.

While the government viewed these identification numbers as an administrative convenience, many people felt that the numbers depersonalized them.

Implementation of the numbering system was sporadic for the first few years. Not everybody received numbers and discs, and some who did immediately threw them away.

In 1945 the government began issuing Family Allowance payments to Inuit, and a system was required to identify who was eligible, and to keep track of payments. This placed increased pressure on issuing identification discs to all Inuit, and recording not only their name, but also their gender, marital status, their age and place of birth. Within a few years the numbering system was

(LEFT)

Taking the census and also checking on Family Allowance matters. Windy River [Nunavut], 1950. J.C. Jackson/Library and Archives Canada/PA102695)

fully implemented across the north, appearing on birth records, social assistance payments, pay cheques, trapping accounts, and even on carvings to identify the artists.

While the government viewed these identification numbers as an administrative convenience, many people felt that the numbers de-personalized them. Simonie Michael, the first Inuk to be elected to the Northwest Territories Council, questioned why he was getting government correspondence addressed to ‘Simonie E7-551’. In July 1968 the Northwest Territories Legislative Council debated the proposal made two years earlier by Commissioner Ben Sivertz to do away with the numbering system. Robert William-

son, a long-time northerner, presented a motion to that effect, saying he had come to understand that in Inuit traditions, ‘the name is the soul, and the soul is the name.’ However, not all members of the Council agreed.

David Searle argued in favour of retaining the numbering system as a bureaucratic convenience: …in this world of ours it seems to me that government agencies particularly are requiring all of us to have numbers, and I just took out my wallet and took out my social insurance card … to everybody concerned with me in the bureaucracy of the administration, particularly the income tax people and the IBM machine that records all my data, I am 612-282-418, whether I like it or not.

To which another member of the Council, Lloyd Barber, seemingly sarcastically replied: “What an unfortunate name!”

In 1969 the Northwest Territories Government launched Project Surname, asking Inuit and Inuvialuit to identify first and family names (surnames) that they wished to have recorded on government records instead of identity numbers. To give it more prominence, Project Surname was advertised as a Centennial Project to mark the 100-year anniversary of the transfer of the Northwest Territories from Great Britain to the Dominion of Canada in 1870. Abraham Okpik, an Inuvialuk who had been an appointed member of the Northwest Territories Legislative Council

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(BELOW) Northwest Territories Council, 1965. Shown in

this photograph are several of the people mentioned in this article: Abraham Okpik (standing, second from the left), Simonie Michael (seated, left), Ben Sivertz (seated, centre), and Robert Williamson (seated, second from right). (NWT Archives/G-1979-014-0098)

in 1965 and 1966, was selected to head up the project. Over a period of two years he travelled extensively, informing people about Project Surname, answering questions and registering their preferred first and last names. Many people chose to use an ancestor’s name as a surname, and Abraham worked with a linguist to help develop standardized spellings.

In 1971 Project Surname had completed its work and the government stopped issuing identity discs.

Looking back across fifty years, the legacy of Project Surname is seen as having mixed results. To some, it

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was yet another attempt by outsiders to interfere with traditional naming practices. Another complaint is that it has obscured family relationships.

Abraham Okpik himself commented on this years later when he recalled: I have a brother whose name is Elijah Allen, because he took Allen as a surname … Another brother of mine is registered as Kisoun. Even though people were brothers and sisters, they would decide on their own name.

Some people also disagreed with how their names were spelled in Project Surname records, since the standardized spelling system that was

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used had only fifteen letters, but those concerns seem to have been ignored.

NOTE: The spellings of peoples’ names used in this article are as they appear in the historical documents cited.

THE FOLLOWING WERE CONSULTED IN PREPARING THIS ARTICLE:

• ‘Eskimo Identification And Disc Numbers - A Brief History’, by Barry Roberts. Prepared for the Social Development Division, Department of Indian and Northern Affairs, June 1975.

• ‘Names, Numbers, and Northern Policy – Inuit, Project Surname, and the Politics of Identity’, by Valerie Alia. Fernwood Publishing, 1994.

• ‘We Call It Survival’, by Abraham Okpik.

Nunavut Arctic College, 2005.

INUUNIARUSIVUT / HISTORY

Leonard Kikoak: W3-1654 is my number.. (my) grandfather (on my Dad’s side) Edward Kikoak was … from Wainwright, Alaska. His real last name was Kagak. My mom's dad, my grandfather Mark Noksana was, I think (from) just west of Point Barrow, last name (correct me if I'm wrong) Rexford. Edward came with the whalers to Tuktoyaktuk and Mark Noksana walked with the reindeer herd from the Point Barrow area to Tuktoyaktuk. They fell in love with two of my grandmothers, which I'm happy they did, for (otherwise) I won't be here.

Zabrina Cockney: The Royal Canadian Mounted Police gave my clan the Cockney name, because they didn’t want to spell out my clan name.

DORIS ROGERS: Long ago when the government started registering families they couldn’t pronounce the Inuvialuit names so they used their first names as last names. My greatgrandfather’s name was Roger Angusak, that’s how we got our family name “Rogers”.

Roy Inglangasuk: At roll call at the Aklavik Federal Day School they would call out our name and number e.g. Hank Roy W3-1211, and (we) responded “present.”

Gerry Kisoun: My greatgrandfather on my father’s side was Allen Okpik and Harry Inukaklik.

My grandfather (was) Colin Kisoukaluq, shortened somewhere along the line to Kisoun. Colin was the oldest son to Allen and Eileen Okpik. Colin so liked his name he did not want to be Okpik or Allen like the rest. So he kept his name, and today we are Kisoun.

Project Surname is still remembered and talked about today. What do you know about the background to your surname?

Qurannaq: When I was in my early teens I found out that I was labeled as a number and I threw my tag away.

Donna Kisoun: [My Disc Number was] W3-1943. I remember as I had to cite this to get health and dental coverage as we were not Status Indians with a card. Now we have a Social Insurance Number that I have scratched onto a piece of paper in my wallet for reference. I like my name Kisoun, it is much more unique than what I assumed growing up—Allen.

Mark Hadlari: While my dad was going to residential school in Inuvik, the church asked him what his family name was. But my dad didn't know what they were asking because Inuit didn't have family names. So they asked in a different way, what do they call my dad's dad? He said Hadlari.

So from then on, our family name was one of Hadlari's names.

Shelby Jade Lucas: My great-grandfather's dad’s name was Lucas Numatuma. The government decided to use my Great Daduk Wallace’s dad’s first name as his last name. If that did not happen my last name would be Numatuma and not Lucas.

*Public comments shared on our Tusaayaksat Magazine Facebook page.

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Agloolik

ORIGINAL STORY by ANGELA VOUDRACH

The Story of

M

y story begins with Agloolik, the spirit that lives under the sea, protecting our hunters and all creatures of the water. The first time I sensed his presence was when I was a young boy travelling on the river with Aapang and Aapiyang. I could feel Agloolik’s touch on my face as we floated in our qayaq, past the hungaaqtaaq arches of trees. I remember the feeling of his crisp breath when we waded through the fresh, cool water. Our qayaq rocked while Aapang said quyanaq to Agloolik for blessing us with fresh iqaluk.

A few years later, I became an expert at hunting and fishing. I would say quyanaq to Agloolik for each iqaluk and natchiq that I captured. The breeze was warm during the summer and the branches and bushes were full of emerald, juniper and pine-coloured leaves. I could feel the

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warm rays of hiqñiq on my face, darkening my skin while the qugruq serenaded the wind. One particular summer day, I reached into the water to acquire the iqaluk in our net and saw him. Agloolik looked magical—his wrinkled eyes were squinted from his smile and his long, gray hair almost looked tunguyuqtaaq under the moving waves.

Iqaluk and natchiq danced around his body, helping him swim with the waves. His dark eyes stared at me as he nodded a goodbye.

Many years had passed, and I did not encounter Agloolik since that first time, but I still felt his presence. Aapang had passed on, leaving Aakang, Aapiyang and myself to live without him. I would hunt for our food and clothing, but Aapiyang enjoyed preparing the meat and our kamiks with Aakang. After I hunted, I would listen to Aakang

ART by JOLENE THRASHER

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HANARUQ / CREATIVE

INUVIALUKTUN WORDS:

Aapang – father Aakang – mother Aapiyang – brother Qayaq – canoe; small boat Hungaaqtaaq – green Quyanaq – thank you Natchiq – seal Iqaluk – fish Hiqñiq – sun Tunguyuqtaaq – blue Kamiks – shoes or boots

chime her beautiful song while she worked with the meat and skin; Aapiyang would hum along with her and help her stretch the skin and slice the meat. After our clothes were sewn, she would say quyanaq to Agloolik.

A few months into the summer season, Aakang had gotten sick and weak, hardly able to stand or sit for a few minutes. She asked me to take Aapiyang out on the river and teach him what Aapang had taught me, so we prepared our qayaq and tools for the afternoon trip. It took us a couple hours to walk to the river and Aapiyang told me a story he remembered when he was a boy. The crunching of leaves and twigs kept my thoughts from Aakang. Once we made it onto the river, the qayaq was being rocked from the harsh waves and the sky was chilly. We did not notice the iqaluk pushing against the qayaq until we were under the river and our mouths were filled with frozen water.

Agloolik was beneath the water with us and he did not age since I last saw him, but his smile had widened into a grin. Iqaluk and natchiq flittered around him and I saw two more figures. I squinted to see them, but they stayed in the shadows. I felt Aapiyang panic, so I grasped his hand to calm him as we floated to the surface, where Aapiyang and I grabbed hold of the qayaq.

“What was that?” Aapiyang asked.

“That was Agloolik, Aapiyang. He protects our oceans, our rivers and our people when they hunt. He has been here longer than you and I—even longer than Aapang. Without Agloolik, we would not have food to eat or have clothes on our backs,” I coughed and held him close.

The water suddenly became warm and the sky turned a deep sapphire, the hiqñiq just peaking out behind the evergreen trees. I looked down to Agloolik and saw the two figures perfectly. Aakang, singing her beautiful song, was holding onto Agloolik’s left hand and Aapang strongly holding his right. They both looked peaceful, calm and younger than they used to be. A tear escaped my eye when I felt a pain in my stomach and my lungs could not take in any air.

“They are going home now, my sons. There is no need to shed any tears,” a deep voice conveyed. Agloolik’s lips did not move, but I knew it was him. “Your aapang was waiting for your aakang and his impatience caused a disturbance in the weather. He is happy to be by her side now. They are both content.”

I looked at Aapiyang and the tears rolled down his face. “I want to go with them,” he whispered, trying to push me away.

“You are not ready to come yet, my son. You have a wonderful life ahead of you and you must fulfill it together,” Agloolik encouraged.

My arms tightened around Aapiyang as we glided to the shore. Our clothes were heavy with water. Agloolik moved along the river as iqaluk and natchiq moved Aapang and Aakang to where they belonged: home.

“This does not call for goodbye or a time for mourning, Aapiyang. It is time to delight as our parents are resting together. We must say quyanaq to Agloolik for giving them their happy ending,” I said. Our heads faced down as we silently appreciated the Great Spirit.

“Now let’s find our happy ending.”

I reached for Aapiyang’s hand and we ran off to our tent before the hiqñiq completely set.

Now you see, we must find our own paths in life with spectacular kindness and great respect for our people and our lands, because Agloolik lives on forever. He will protect us and lead us home in the end; he will bless us with many iqaluk, natchiq and other food and materials for our friends and families.

Angela Voudrach is an Inuvialuit beneficiary, born and raised in Inuvik, NT. Because her family is very musical, she grew up singing and playing the guitar. Angela loves reading, but mostly, she has been crocheting and beading to pass the time. Angela had her son in 2018 and her focus now is to build a great life for him, so she hopes to pursue a career in early childhood learning and development.

NUTAAT INUIT YOUTH

87

there’s no way out the way it came in. it’s been done once before it’ll be done again.

There’s no peace on earth If there is no more

peace within. be careful of who you let in.

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UKIUQ WINTER 2019

POEM by ALISA NOGASAK

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HANARUQ / CREATIVE

ART YOUTH

by LOGAN RUBEN NUTAAT INUIT 89

WITHOUT FUR, WE WOULD NOT EXIST

F*** real fur Says the pin on a woman's jacket in Manhattan Ah, a militant vegan I have met plenty of her The final evolution of the social justice warrior So intersectional she doesn't oppress animals (Her) survival doesn't depend on the death of others It's 2019 After all, it wasn't her Who "pushed" the Lenape out of their homelands It was her ancestors Who founded Manhattan with a fur trading settlement And if it wasn't for her ancestors Manhattan wouldn't have become the "cultural and financial capital of the world" But if it wasn't for real fur, She nor Manhattan would exist

NIKITA LARTER was born in Inuvik, NT and raised in Fort Simpson, NT. She is the daughter of Allison Raddi, and granddaughter of Emma and Moses Raddi. Nikita moved to Ontario in 2013 for university and became the first Inuk to obtain a Bachelor’s of Global Business and Digital Arts. In 2017, she moved to Toronto where she worked for TELUS and Home Depot Canada as a website designer. She now lives in Chicago, IL, where she works for a global software consultancy. Nikita wrote this poem in response to the overwhelming amount of anti-fur campaigns she saw during a trip to New York City.

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HANARUQ / CREATIVE

(Photo: B. Kowikchuk)

FUR REAL, THOUGH. What's the difference between real and fake fur? We dropped by the Inuvialuit Cultural Centre (ICRC) to ask seamstress Lena Kotokak for some tips:

CAN YOU GUESS THE ANIMAL BY ITS FUR?

From 1–9: Muskox; Wolf; Lynx; Cross Fox; Polar Bear; Seal; Wolverine; Beaver; Rabbit.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

1. CHECK THE BASE OF THE FUR. If you see

leather or skin, it's real. If it's threadwork, it's fake. "They have to put the fake fur through [it] and pretend it’s on the bottom. You can tell just by the material in the back," says Lena.

2. CHECK THE TIPS OF THE HAIRS. You may

need a magnifying glass for this one. Are the hairs pointy? It's real. Are they cut straight across? Then it might be fake—or just sheared.

3. QUICK! BURN IT WITH FIRE! Take some hairs and burn them safely. Animal hair should smell like human hair when burned. Fake fur (likely acrylic or polyester) would not smell organic.

4. REAL IS HOT; FAKE IS NOT. Lena's got it down

pat: "You can’t beat real fur…because it’s so warm! The fake fur’s just like—as soon as you make it wet, it’s finished. You’d freeze, literally."

Stay dry, friends.

NUTAAT INUIT YOUTH

91

maelstrom great waves of gossamer drift beneath smog singed skies the needles of cold hover above skin the needles beneath gestate in marrow gathering in veins pushing through flesh blood writhing to escape and take refuge in those low flying dreams dreams meant for beasts i am one of those beasts

the wind carries forgotten memories to places yet unseen to be exhumed at times no one wishes and the ones remembered have no say and the ones remembering have no say in time i wish to be unremembered to give refuge to those caught in smog singed skies carrying gossamer to places where no one wishes for their blood to be taken

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HANARUQ / CREATIVE

WANT TO TRY THE NOMAD EXPERIENCE? JORDAN CARPENTER is an Inuvialuk writer, born in Yellowknife, with family from Tuktoyaktuk and Sachs Harbour. His previous work has been published in Coming Home: Stories from the Northwest Territories, as well as live readings alongside many Indigenous writers, including Mackenzie Ground, Kaitlyn Purcell, and Maria Campbell. He currently lives in Edmonton.

maelstrom is a response to the profound isolation felt living in a city effectively devoid of Inuvialuit culture, food, and people.

The skies are smothered in smog, and the stars are shy amidst the pollution. The moon can sometimes find its way through the murk, but it only serves as a reminder of the countless months spent away from home. This poem attempts to capture the wistful dreams of a nomad among nomads.

YOUTH OPPORTUNITY

NORTHERN YOUTH ABROAD (NYA) Travel – Learn – Share – Teach WHAT IS NORTHERN YOUTH ABROAD?

Northern Youth Abroad has three different stages of programs: the Canadian Program, NYA Next and NYA International. Northern Youth Abroad's Canadian Program is focused on Canadian youth from Nunavut and Northwest Territories.

It is a 10-month program with training in Ottawa, and a 5-week volunteer workplace in southern Canada.

NYA aims to educate northern youth through leadership, self-confidence, job training, cross cultural learning and awareness. Students benefit from the Canadian program by earning 9 highschool credits, WHMIS, First Aid, public speaking, career planning and 150 hours on Hands on Professional Training.

Youth and young adults applying start with the Canadian Program to move onto the next two (NYA Next and NYA International).

ELIGIBILITY & REQUIREMENTS:

• Be between 15-20 years old • Reside in the Northwest Territories or Nunavut • Have a mentor to help you fill out the application • Submit two references TO APPLY, VISIT:

www.nya.ca/apply

HOME TIME (2019) ART by HELENA KALVAK

This is what home looks like to me.

My family says this is what my namesake Helen Kalvak's home would have been—somewhere out on the land with the people who mattered most in her life. They say that what I have drawn here is her home. I just draw what comes to my mind and hyper-focus until it is done. It is my therapy.

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Explore our new website to learn more: www.nwtresearch.com Three research centres to serve the North Western Arctic Research Centre Inuvik, NT (867) 777-3298

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TAIMA CLOSING

Heart Knowledge

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RANDAL “BOOGIE” POKIAK TRANSCRIBED FROM ICS COMMUNITY PROFILE

When you grow up, what you gonna be?

One time—grade 2. A bunch of us in a one classroom, right? Teacher said to us—well, she wants to hear what we wanna be when we grow up.

How many want to be doctor? ‘Cause you make lot of money, huh? Lawyers? And everybody put their hand up [but] mine stayed down. And everytime they say something else for an occupation—my hand would never go up. The teacher finally says: ‘Well, Boogie, what do you wanna be when you grow up?’

‘I want to be a hunter.’ [laughs] I didn’t wanna let these other things take me away from my childhood dream. I was determined really young to live a life of my people, you know?

I wanted to—and I did. And I raised my children the same way. At that time, lot of them, making a living—the economy had to happen. But there should be a balance. Not everybody gonna work for the government or oil company. There’ll always be people that loves the land and they’re satisfied with it. That’s their life, you know?

And like they say: if you gonna get an occupation, get one that you enjoy. You produce good product, you’ll be happy, you’ll be content. Because you’re doing what you like doing—not somebody trying to force you to do something you don’t wanna do. Our generation—we had our choices. I made mine, and I’m glad. I have no regrets.

I told my children: ‘I know I’m getting on in years, but I’m gonna get out there, and…live out [my] life out there.’ And they get kinda worried, but I says, ‘How many of our people are actually content? And without somebody forcing you to be in town, you know?’

And I know there’s lot of young people that they want to be out there, and they just need a mentor. And usually, a person like me, I do some

stuff slower, but we can be mentors for these young people. We can sharpen—hone their life, you know. Cut off the rough edges on them.

And we’re still able to make that connection, [but] the only place you can do that is out away from town.

We all gonna go sometime. You don’t have a death wish. But you just wonder about the culture-side—how much of our knowledge is gonna survive? Especially the emotional-side of a human being. What goes through your mind? How you react to different situations?

It’s important to have those feelings and those touches—touch your heart, you know? Too many people—their heart never get touched by anything. So, it’s really important to let things that’s around you touch your heart. I think it’s really important because what’s in the heart, all that traditional knowledge—it’s not up here [the mind], it’s in here [the heart]. Your mind is all over the place. There’s too much things going through your mind, but you never forget what you got in here [the heart].

So when you hear an Elder saying: ‘I’m gonna speak from my heart.’ That means he’s gonna talk traditional knowledge. It’s just gonna come out—just like a book, reading a book from their heart, and expressing it in words. And so, that ‘heart knowledge’ is really important—and when it’s full of ITK (traditional knowledge), all the better, because it’s the most valuable knowledge you can have. It lasted through the millennia for us. It should continue.

Taima.