2013 Scholarship Recipients

• Bridgette Tattuinee
• Anita Uuttuvak

Anita Uuttuvak

Jose Amaujaq Kusugak: What kind eyes, eyes that told you the story of his life in one glance. Jose gave up so much of himself, his free time and his personal life with his beautiful family in Nunavut in order to see Nunavut become a reality. His experiences in life made him intelligent, strong and irreplaceable as a figurehead of the Arctic, a safety net for many Inuit of Nunavut. He was our leader, our home and our heart. The loss of such an inspirational figure has been tragic for our nation. I would be honoured to continue this legacy through my post-secondary studies and my future career in Inuktitut. I was raised in Pond Inlet, Nunavut, by an Inuk father and a British mother. I have three siblings and a huge extended family. Growing up, my entire family used to go out hunting, camping and fishing together every spring time. This was like going to Wonderland for me as we got to go on all sorts of adventures, thrill rides and eat incredibly good food. To this day, I look back on those memories fondly as we used to travel in packs the size of armies! But in order for me to get my post-secondary education today, I had to give up this lifestyle in order to accomplish my dreams in preserving Inuit culture through my favoured field of social science. Inuit history and culture was very much valued in my household growing up. Although my mother is not Inuk, she has spent a good majority of her life dedicating herself to preserving Inuit culture and language through her work and passion for the North. My grandmother on the other hand, Ilisapi Uuttuvak, is an Inuk legend who has had an enormous impact on my life. This amazing woman has enriched me with pride about Inuit philosophies on problem solving, child rearing techniques and Inuit language. As a single parent of two young boys, raising them on my own while accomplishing my dreams away from home, I still try very hard to instill Inuit ways into my own family's life. With my education I aim to promote Inuit rights in order for Inuit to have easy access to mental health services in our Inuktitut language. By keeping people healthy and able to communicate problems effectively, we can keep our culture alive through the comfort of our own homes. Inuit would not have to leave Nunavut in order to get better. Something Jose stated before he died was that people should take better care of their health and not to be afraid to talk about it before they die. This is something I truly abide by, believe in and support. As all Canadians around the world, Inuit have the human right to a service in our own language, to be able to relate to the person educating them about their situation in their own language. Even though I am not a teacher at this point, I would be able to use my knowledge to teach others life skills on how to be healthy by incorporating world ways with the traditional knowledge instilled by our Elders. Ideally in the future it would be best if we could do this in a common written and oral Inuktitut language, but until that time, at least we can all understand the yes and no of our eyebrow gestures! Knowledge is most definitely powerful and the best tool to survive in life today. To be a leader is to challenge the internal and external issues of our territory and to counsel future generations to a better life. Using my studies to accomplish my goal of becoming an expert in the field of psychology, I would like to work toward advancing our way of living in contrast to other Canadians throughout Canada. Like Jose, even though half the time I wish I was out fishing, I am here representing Inuit by being a voice to tackle the issues on mental health and a better education in the social sciences field.

Had I been given the opportunity to do my degree up in Inuktitut, I would have done so in a heartbeat! Incorporating Inuit traditional knowledge with other circumpolar regions and bringing in new practices of the social science field, being around professors that understood the Inuit script of how language is communicated with illustrated examples of our history while piggybacking the language imitative of Inuktitut would be the ideal learning environment for me. Unfortunately, this is just not an option for me at this time. Since mental health is not taught in Nunavut in Inuktitut just yet, I have to start somewhere. I am currently attending the University of Ottawa to complete my degree in psychology. I was told by my grandmother that when someone dies, learn from their life. Looking at how Jose accomplished his goals through exposing himself and not being shy of presenting correct Inuit traditions. He became very gifted in the aspect of public speaking. Therefore, despite the very little time I have in life at the moment as a full-time student and a single mother, I still try very hard to make time to do presentations about Inuit culture to my professors at school, and to the elementary school my two sons attend in Ottawa. I even helped my oldest son at the age of six publish a book about hunting with his grandfather and uncle in the Arctic. This book was printed and distributed in the schools in the area in which he was attending school in Nova Scotia. What I learned from Jose was if there is a will, there's a way! If you want something done in life, you go out and do it. I am passionate and dedicated to completing my education and to promote and preserve the Inuit language. With Jose dying it just didn't feel right, and it is sad how much we are missing out without him being in our lives anymore. I remember he was showing me around Arviat one time in a car, and he teasing said, "Hold on as we are climbing up the biggest hill in Arviat!" He knew I was from Mittimatalik so going up this slight rise in the road was going to make me laugh. Josekuluk, what a worldly, kind and an incredibly smart man. I miss him, and I would be extremely honoured and humbled if I were chosen to continue his legacy through this scholarship funding. He was one of a kind; a true a superhero in my books. May he live on through our dedication of his memory forever.

Bridgette Tattuinee

Keeping our culture alive is as important as breathing. I believe our learning doesn’t end when we graduate from high school. Jose Kusugak was one of the people who dedicated his life to making Nunavut a better place. He has set a great example to everyone. I believe his legacy should be passed on to generations to come. I have been accepted into year one of the four-year Nunavut Teacher’s Education Program. This is just the beginning for me to help people. I believe I will complete the program. I will go for my master’s degree after I receive my bachelor’s degree in education. Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit has a huge impact on Inuit and it’s very important the people know and understand it, as it was created with the knowledge of our beloved Elders. They are essential in our everyday lives. Speaking of Inuit knowledge, I strongly believe that the hard work Jose pursued should not be forgotten. If every person knew their identity, where they came from, who they are and what their purpose in life is, the world would be a better place. People would have more respect and appreciation. If people like Jose never worked hard for the future, we would not be where we are today. As we can see, we are very fortunate to get this far as Inuit, along with the territory. Nunavut still has some work to do, but we should be proud of how far it has come. Working together is one of the important keys from Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit. Without it, we won’t be going anywhere. During my time here, I will work hard to make sure our language along with our unique culture stay alive. The Nunavut Land Claims Agreement is an agreement with Inuit and Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada. I believe the agreement has helped a lot of Inuit. It has 42 articles. Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. ensures that the promises are carried out. Our language is part of who we are. There are many young people, even some Elders who now speak English, and it saddens me to see that. Some Inuit don’t even understand Inuktitut anymore. How did this happen? We must work together to strengthen our language as it’s eventually going to die if nothing is done about it. Premier Eva Aariak mentioned that Nunavut must have at least 300 Inuktitut teachers to meet the needs of the Education Act. We have a long way to go, but we can meet the requirement one teacher at a time. One person can make a difference. Our Elders are passing on each year. We need leaders who will step up and take over to lead a good example for the younger generations. When we plan on doing something, we think about it, and one must take action to make it happen. Doing nothing about it won’t make it any better, or trying to leave it behind. It’s like knowing how to swim, but you drown. I hope our language only gets stronger today and tomorrow. Jose Amaujaq Kusugak sacrificed a lot for Inuit. As long as we educate people about it, he and his legacy will always be remembered. I strongly support him and would like to thank him for all that he did. I will make sure I do my part by continuing to keep our culture alive. I have a high amount of respect for him. God bless his family.