With self-government in the air, pandemic restrictions over and personnel changes on the horizon, Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. is in a state of change.
The organization met last week in Rankin Inlet for its annual general meeting.
“Although we were able to get through the business that’s required in an AGM, I think there were moments of pause and reflection,” said Aluki Kotierk, president of NTI.
The meeting opened with a moment of silence for Raymond Ningeocheak, who played a large role with NTI through the years and recently passed. Later in the week during the community feast, NTI honoured vice-president James Eetoolook for his lifelong contributions to Inuit, as he has indicated he won’t be running again in the December election.
“I feel like there’s going to be a big shift Dec. 12, where James Eetoolook, who has been a constant fixture of NTI, will no longer be there,” said Kotierk.
She called him “instrumental in so many different areas” but especially on the environmental and wildlife front, including cleaning up DEW Line sites and advocating for Inuit to be able to sell and export narwhal tusks outside of Canada.
Kotierk also spoke on the sometimes rocky relationship between NTI and the GN.
“There certainly are areas where there’s been challenges in seeing eye to eye,” she said.
Work continues for NTI on pursuing self-government, but in the meantime, the organization has committed to a Nunavut Partnership Committee with the GN formalizing how the two organizations will work together.
The NTI board also passed a resolution calling on all levels of government to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, plus resolutions on making sure the health system is available in Inuktut and another on addressing poverty.
After the pandemic restrictions, Kotierk was especially happy to hold the community feast, where hundreds of community members joined in on a bevy of traditional food and connections.
“It felt like such a thrill to be here in Rankin Inlet, being able to have a face-to-face feast and having our meeting face to face,” she said.
ᓇᖕᒥᓂᖅᓱᕐᓂᕐᒥ−ᒐᕙᒪᐅᔪᒥ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᐅᓂᖓᓂ, ᐊᒥᓱᓄᑦ ᖃᓂᒻᒪᓐᓇᐅᔪᒥ ᑭᒡᓕᖃᖅᑎᑕᐅᓂᐅᔪᓂ ᖄᖏᕐᓂᖓᓂ ᐊᒻᒪ ᓇᖕᒥᓂᖅ ᐊᓯᔾᔨᕐᓂᐅᔪᓂ ᓴᖅᑭᔮᖅᑐᒥ, ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ ᑐᙵᕕᒃᑯᑦ ᖃᓄᐃᓕᖓᓂᖃᖅᐳᖅ ᐊᓯᔾᔨᕐᓂᐅᔪᒥ.
ᑲᑐᔾᔨᖃᑎᒌᖑᔪᑦ ᑲᑎᒪᓚᐅᖅᐳᑦ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕈᓯᐅᓚᐅᖅᑐᒥ ᑲᖏᖅᖠᓂᕐᒥ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᑕᒫᒥ ᑕᒪᐃᑎᒍᑦ ᑲᑎᒪᓂᐅᔪᒧᑦ.
“ᐱᔭᕇᕈᓐᓇᓚᐅᕋᓗᐊᖅᑎᓪᓗᑕ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᒃᓴᐅᔪᓂ ᐱᔭᕆᐊᖃᖅᑐᓂ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᑕᒫᒥ ᑲᑎᒪᓂᐅᔪᒥ, ᐃᓱᒪᕗᖓ ᓄᖅᑲᓚᐅᑲᕐᓂᖃᓚᐅᑲᓚᐅᕐᓂᖓᓂ ᐊᒻᒪ ᐃᖅᑲᐅᒪᓂᕐᒧᑦ,” ᐅᖃᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᐊᓗᑭ ᑰᑦᑎᖅ, ᐊᖓᒧᖅᑳᖑᔪᖅ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ ᑐᙵᕕᒃᑯᓐᓄᑦ.
ᑲᑎᒪᓂᖅ ᒪᑐᐃᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᓂᐱᖃᙱᓚᐅᑲᖕᓂᐅᔪᒥ ᕋᐃᒪᓐ ᓂᖏᐅᑦᓯᐊᕐᒧᑦ, ᐱᓕᕆᓂᖃᕐᔪᐊᓚᐅᖅᑐᒥ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ ᑐᙵᕕᒃᑯᓐᓄᑦ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᒐᓴᓄᑦ ᐊᒻᒪ ᒫᓐᓇᓕᓴᐅᔪᒥ ᐃᓅᔪᓐᓃᓚᐅᖅᑐᒥ. ᑭᖑᓂᐊᒍᑦ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕈᓯᐅᔪᒥ ᓄᓇᓕᖕᓂ ᓂᕆᕕᒡᔪᐊᕐᓂᐅᔪᒥ, ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ ᑐᙵᕕᒃᑯᑦ ᐅᐱᒍᓱᓚᐅᖅᐳᑦ ᐊᖓᔪᖅᑳᑉ−ᑐᒡᓕᖓᓂ ᔭᐃᒥᓯ ᐃᑦᑐᓗᖕᒥ ᐃᓅᓯᓕᒫᖓᓂ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᓱᐃᓂᖓᓂ ᐃᓄᖕᓄᑦ, ᓇᓗᓇᐃᖅᓯᓚᐅᕐᒪᑦ ᓂᕈᐊᒐᒃᓴᐅᒃᑲᓐᓂᔾᔮᕈᓐᓃᕐᓂᖓᓂ ᑎᓯᐱᕆᒥ ᓂᕈᐊᕐᓂᐅᔪᒥ.
“ᐊᖏᔪᒥ ᓴᖑᓂᖃᕐᔪᐊᕐᓂᐊᕐᓂᖓᓂ ᑎᓯᐱᕆ 12−ᒥ, ᔭᐃᒥᓯ ᐃᑦᑐᓗᒃ, ᑕᐃᑲᓃᖏᓐᓇᖅᓯᒪᓪᓗᓂᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ ᑐᙵᕕᒃᑯᓐᓄᑦ, ᑕᐃᑲᓃᔾᔮᕈᓐᓃᕐᒪᑦ,” ᐅᖃᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᑰᑦᑎᖅ.
ᑕᐃᓚᐅᖅᐸᖓ “ᐱᓕᕆᓂᖃᕐᔪᐊᖅᐳᖅ ᐊᒥᓱᓂ ᐊᔾᔨᒌᙱᑦᑐᓂ ᐃᓂᐅᔪᓂ” ᑭᓯᐊᓂ ᐱᓗᐊᖅᑐᒥ ᐊᕙᑎᓕᕆᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐊᒻᒪ ᐆᒪᔪᓄᑦ ᓯᕗᓂᐊᓃᑦᑐᓄᑦ, ᐃᓚᖃᖅᑐᒥ ᓴᓗᒻᒪᖅᓴᐃᓂᕐᒥ ᑑᓛᐃᓐᓂ ᐃᓂᐅᔪᓂ ᐊᒻᒪ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᓱᐃᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐃᓄᖕᓂ ᓂᐅᕕᐊᒃᓴᖃᕈᓐᓇᕐᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐊᒻᒪ ᐊᐅᓪᓚᖅᑎᑦᑎᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐊᓪᓚᙳᐊᑦ ᑑᒑᖏᓐᓂ ᑲᓇᑕᐅᑉ ᓯᓚᑖᓄᑦ.
ᑰᑦᑎᖅ ᐅᖃᓪᓚᓚᐅᕆᕗᖅ ᐃᓛᓐᓂᒃᑯᑦ ᐊᑲᐅᙱᑦᑐᒥ ᐱᓕᕆᖃᑎᖃᕐᓂᐅᔪᒥ ᐅᑯᓇᓂ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ ᑐᙵᕕᒃᑯᓐᓂᑦ ᐊᒻᒪ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ ᒐᕙᒪᒃᑯᓐᓂ.
“ᐃᓂᐅᔪᓂ ᐊᒃᓱᕈᕐᓇᕐᓂᖃᕐᔪᐊᖅᓯᒪᕗᖅ ᐊᖏᖃᑎᒌᖕᓂᐅᔪᒥ,” ᐅᖃᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ.
ᐱᓕᕆᐊᒃᓴᑦ ᑲᔪᓰᓐᓇᖅᐳᑦ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ ᑐᙵᕕᒃᑯᓐᓄᑦ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᓂᕐᒥ ᓇᖕᒥᓂᖅᓱᕐᓂᕐᒥ, ᑭᓯᐊᓂ ᒫᓐᓇᐅᔪᒥ, ᑲᑐᔾᔨᖃᑎᒌᖑᔪᑦ ᐊᖏᖅᓯᒪᓂᖃᖅᐳᑦ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ ᐱᓕᕆᖃᑎᖃᕐᓂᐅᔪᒥ ᑲᑎᒪᔨᕋᓛᖑᔪᒥ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ ᒐᕙᒪᒃᑯᑦ ᐋᖅᑭᒃᓱᐃᓪᓚᕆᒡᓗᑎᒃ ᖃᓄᖅ ᒪᕐᕉᔪᑦ ᑲᑐᔾᔨᖃᑎᒌᖑᔪᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᖃᑎᒌᖕᓂᐊᕐᓂᖏᓐᓂ.
ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ ᑐᙵᕕᒃᑯᑦ ᑲᑎᒪᔨᖏᑦ ᐊᓂᒍᐃᓚᐅᖅᐳᑦ ᐱᖁᔨᕗᖔᕈᑎᒥᒃ ᖃᐃᖁᔨᓂᐅᔪᒥ ᑕᒪᒃᑭᓂ ᑭᒡᓕᐅᔪᓂ ᒐᕙᒪᐅᔪᓂ ᐊᑐᓕᖅᑎᑦᑎᓂᖏᓐᓂ ᑯᐃᓐ ᓄᓇᖁᑎᖏᓐᓂ ᐅᖃᖅᑕᐅᓂᐅᔪᒥ ᐱᔪᓐᓇᕐᓂᐅᔪᓄᑦ ᓄᓇᖃᖅᑳᖅᓯᒪᔪᓄᑦ ᐃᓄᖕᓄᑦ, ᐊᒻᒪ ᐱᖁᔨᕗᖔᕈᑎᐅᔪᓂ ᓇᓗᓇᐃᖅᓯᓂᕐᒥ ᐋᓐᓂᐊᖃᕐᓇᙱᑦᑐᓕᕆᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᔾᔪᓯᖓ ᐊᑐᐃᓐᓇᐅᓂᖓᓂ ᐃᓄᒃᑐᑦ ᐊᒻᒪ ᐊᓯᖓᓂ ᑭᐅᓂᐅᔪᒥ ᐊᔪᖅᓴᕐᓂᕐᒥ.
ᐊᒥᓱᓄᑦ ᖃᓂᒻᒪᓐᓇᐅᔪᒥ ᑭᒡᓕᐅᔪᑦ ᖄᖏᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ, ᑰᑦᑎᖅ ᖁᕕᐊᓱᓗᐊᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᐱᓕᕆᓂᖓᓂ ᓄᓇᓕᖕᓂ ᓂᕆᕕᒡᔪᐊᖅᑎᑦᑎᓂᐅᔪᒥ, ᕼᐊᓐᓇᓚᖏᓐᓂ ᓄᓇᓕᖕᒥᐅᑕᓂ ᐃᓚᐅᖃᑕᐅᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᐊᔾᔨᒌᙱᕈᓘᔭᖅᑐᓂ ᐱᖅᑯᓯᑐᖃᖅᑎᒍᑦ ᓂᕿᓂᑦ ᐊᒻᒪ ᑲᑎᖃᑎᖃᕐᓂᐅᔪᓂ.
“ᖁᕕᐊᓇᕐᔪᐊᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᐅᕙᓃᓐᓂᕐᒥ ᑲᖏᖅᖠᓂᕐᒥ, ᓵᙵᖃᑦᑕᐅᑎᓂᕐᒥ ᓂᕆᕕᒡᔪᐊᕐᓂᖃᕐᓂᕐᒥ ᐊᒻᒪ ᑲᑎᒪᓂᕐᓂ ᓵᙵᖃᑦᑕᐅᑎᓪᓗᑕ,” ᐅᖃᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ.
