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Young man remembered with square dance competition

1st Annual Luke Qanak Makkigak event gearing up for September
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Luke Qanak Makkigak, left, is remembered as a generous and talented young man. Photo courtesy of Janet Makkigak

ᓘᒃ ᖃᓇᖅ ᒪᒃᑭᒐᒃ ᐊᓕᐊᓇᐃᒋᔭᖃᑦᑎᐊᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᑦ ᒧᒥᕐᓂᕐᒥ ᓇᔭᖓᓂ ᔭᐃᒥᒥ.

ᐊᐃᑦᑖᖑᒐᓗᐊᖅ, ᐃᓅᓯᖓ ᐃᓱᓕᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᐅᑭᐅᑲᖅᖢᓂ 19−ᓂ ᓄᕕᐱᕆ 16, 2018−ᒥ. ᒫᓐᓇ ᐃᓚᖏᑦ ᑲᒪᒋᔭᖃᕐᓂᐊᓕᖅᐳᑦ ᓯᕗᓪᓕᖅᐹᒥ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᑕᒫᒥ ᓘᒃ ᖃᓇᖅ ᒪᒃᑭᒐᕐᒥ ᐃᖅᑲᐅᒪᓂᐅᔪᒥ ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᑦ ᒧᒥᕐᓂᕐᒥ ᓵᓚᖃᕋᓱᐊᕐᓂᐅᔪᒥ ᐃᖅᑲᐅᒪᔭᐅᓗᓂ.

“ᐃᓅᔪᓐᓃᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᒪᒃᑯᒃᑐᑯᓘᓪᓗᓂ,” ᐅᖃᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᓘᓯ ᒪᒃᑭᒐᒃ, ᓂᖏᐅᖓ ᐊᒻᒪ ᐃᒃᓯᕙᐅᑕᐅᔪᖅ ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᑦ ᒧᒥᕐᓂᕐᒥ ᑲᑎᒪᔨᕋᓛᖑᔪᓂ. “ᐊᖑᓇᓱᒃᑲᒻᒪᕆᐅᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ. ᓂᕿᑦᑎᐊᕙᓂ ᑐᓂᓯᕙᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᐃᓚᖏᓐᓄᑦ, ᐊᑖᑕᑦᑎᐊᒃᑯᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᐊᓈᓇᑦᑎᐊᒃᑯᖏᓐᓄᑦ, ᑭᒃᑯᑐᐃᓐᓇᕐᓄᑦ. ᖁᑦᑎᒃᑐᒥ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕐᕕᖕᒥᐅᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ, ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᖅᑎᑦᑎᑦᑎᐊᕚᓘᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᐊᒻᒪ ᐊᐅᓪᓛᕈᒻᒪᐅᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ. ᐊᐅᓪᓛᖅᓯᒪᕗᖅ ᐊᒥᓱᓄᒃ ᐃᓂᐅᔪᓄᑦ ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᑦ ᒧᒥᕐᓂᕐᒥ ᓵᓚᖃᕋᓱᐊᕐᓂᐅᔪᓄᑦ. ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᑦ ᒧᒥᕐᓂᕐᒥ ᐊᓕᐊᓇᐃᒋᓂᖅᐹᕆᖃᑕᐅᒋᓚᐅᖅᐸᖓ.”

ᐃᓅᔪᓐᓃᑲᓪᓚᖕᓂᖓᓂ ᖁᐊᖅᓵᕐᓇᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᐃᓚᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᐊᒻᒪ ᓄᓇᓕᖕᓄᑦ.

“ᐃᓱᒪᓕᓚᐅᖅᐳᖓ, ᒪᒥᓴᕆᐊᖃᖅᑐᒍᑦ, ᒪᒥᓴᖃᑎᒌᒡᓗᑕ ᐃᓚᒌᖑᓗᑕ, ᒪᒥᓴᕐᓗᑕ ᓄᓇᓕᐅᓗᑕ, ᐊᒻᒪ ᐃᒻᒪᖄ ᐱᓕᕆᓗᑕ ᐊᑕᐅᓯᐅᔪᒥ ᓘᒃ ᐊᓕᐊᓇᐃᒋᕐᔪᐊᖅᑕᖏᓐᓂ,” ᐅᖃᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᒪᒃᑭᒐᒃ. ᑕᐃᒫᒃ ᐃᓚᖏᑦ ᐃᓱᒪᓕᐅᕆᓚᐅᖅᐳᑦ ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᑦ ᒧᒥᕐᓂᕐᒥ ᓵᓚᖃᕋᓱᐊᕐᓂᐅᔪᒥ ᐊᑎᖓᓂ.

“ᑭᖑᓂᖃᕐᔪᐊᖅᐳᖅ,” ᐅᖃᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᒪᒃᑭᒐᒃ. “ᑭᓯᐊᓂ ᖃᓄᐃᑦᑐᓐᓇᖅᐱᑕ? ᓯᕗᒻᒧᑦᐃᖏᕐᕋᔪᓐᓇᑐᐃᓐᓇᖅᐳᒍᑦ ᐊᒻᒪ ᐃᖅᑲᐅᒪᓗᒍ ᐱᐅᓂᐅᔪᒃᑯᑦ.”

ᓵᓚᖃᕋᓱᐊᕐᓂᐅᔪᖅ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᓄᑦ ᐱᖓᓱᓂ ᓴᓇᔭᐅᕙᓪᓕᐊᓯᒪᕗᖅ — ᐊᒥᓱᓄᑦ ᖃᓂᒻᒪᓐᓇᐅᔪᒥ ᑭᖑᕙᕆᐊᖅᑎᑦᑎᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ— ᐊᒻᒪ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᖑᓂᐊᖦᖤᓕᑕᐃᓐᓇᖅᐳᖅ ᓯᑎᐱᕆ 1-4−ᒧᑦ ᐊᓐᓂᑭᑕᕐᕕᑐᖃᕐᒥ ᑲᖏᖅᖠᓂᕐᒥ.

ᓯᕗᓪᓕᖅᐹᑦ ᐅᓪᓗᑦ ᐱᖓᓱᑦ ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᑦ ᒧᒥᕐᓂᕐᒥ ᓵᓚᖃᕋᓱᐊᕐᓂᐅᔪᒨᕐᓂᐊᖅᐳᖅ, ᑭᖑᓪᓕᖅᐹᖓᓂ ᐅᓪᓗᖓᓂ ᐃᓚᒌᓄᑦ ᖁᕕᐊᓇᕐᓂᐅᔪᒥ ᐅᓪᓘᓗᓂ ᒧᒥᖅᑎᓄᑦ ᐊᒻᒪ ᓄᓇᓕᖕᓄᑦ.

ᒧᒥᖅᑏᑦ ᑲᖏᖅᖠᓂᐅᑉ ᓯᓚᑖᓂ ᖃᐃᖁᔭᐅᓯᒪᕗᑦ ᓵᓚᖃᕋᓱᐊᕆᐊᖅᑐᕐᓂᕐᒧᑦ. ᐃᓱᓕᕝᕕᒃᓴᖓ ᐃᓚᐅᖃᑕᐅᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐋᒍᔅᑎ 26−ᖑᕗᖅ. ᓯᕗᓪᓕᖅᐹᖑᔪᓄᑦ-ᐃᓂᐅᔪᒧᑦ ᓵᓚᖃᐅᓯᐊᒧᒃ $8,000−ᖑᕗᖅ, $6,000−ᓂ ᒪᕐᕈᖓᓂ ᐊᒻᒪ $4,000−ᓂ ᐱᖓᔪᖓᓐᓄᑦ.

ᑭᒃᑯᓕᒫᑦ ᑐᙵᓱᒃᑎᑕᐅᕗᑦ ᐃᓚᐅᖃᑕᐅᓂᕐᒥ ᓵᓚᖃᕋᓱᐊᕐᓂᐅᔪᒥ, ᐃᓂᒃᓴᖓᓂ ᐱᔪᓐᓇᖅᑎᑕᐅᓂᖓᓂ.

ᒪᒃᑭᒐᒃ ᐅᖃᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᐊᑦᑕᓇᔾᔭᐃᖅᓯᓯᒪᓂᖅ ᓯᕗᓪᓕᖅᐸᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᓯᕗᓪᓕᐅᔾᔭᐅᑎᑕᐅᕗᑦ ᐊᒻᒪ ᐃᓚᐅᓂᐅᔪᑦ ᐋᖅᑭᒃᓱᖅᑕᐅᓂᐊᖅᐳᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᓂ ᑲᑎᙵᓂᐅᔪᓂ, ᐱᔭᕆᐊᖃᖅᐸᑦ.

ᐃᒥᐊᓗᖕᒥ ᐊᒻᒪ ᓱᐴᖅᑐᒐᕐᓂ ᓱᓐᓂᕈᑕᐅᓲᓂ ᐱᑕᖃᕆᐊᖃᔾᔮᙱᓚᖅ.

Luke Qanak Makkigak loved to square dance with his sister Jamie.

Tragically, his life ended at age 19 on Nov. 16, 2018. Now the family is finally hosting the First Annual Luke Qanak Makkigak memorial square dance competition in his honour.

“He died very young,” said Lucy Makkigak, his great-aunt and chairperson of the square dance committee. “He was a very good hunter. He provided country food to his family, grandparents, everybody. He was in high school, he was a very good student and he loved to travel. He travelled many places for square dance competitions. Square dance was one of his big passions.”

His sudden passing was a shock to his family and the community.

“I started thinking, we need to heal, heal as a family, heal as a community, and maybe we can do one of Luke’s passions,” said Makkigak.

That’s how his relatives decided on a square dance competition in his name.

“He’s missed dearly,” said Makkigak. “But what can we do? We can only move forward and remember him in a positive way.”

The competition has been three years in the making — the pandemic delayed it — and it will finally be held Sept. 1-4 at the old arena in Rankin Inlet.

The first three days are for the square dance competition, with the last one as a family fun day for the dancers and community.

Teams from outside of Rankin Inlet are invited to compete. The deadline for registering is Aug. 26. The first-place prize is $8,000, with $6,000 for second and $4,000 for third.

Everyone is welcome to attend the competition, space permitting. Makkigak said safety is the first priority and attendance will be arranged by age group, if required.

No alcohol or drugs will be tolerated.

Makkigak invites everyone to enjoy the competition in remembrance of Luke.

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A square dance competition in Rankin Inlet will honour the life of Luke Qanak Makkigak, who loved to dance and passed away at age 19. Photo courtesy of Janet Makkigak ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᑦ ᒧᒥᕐᓂᕐᒥ ᓵᓚᖃᕋᓱᐊᕐᓂᐅᔪᒥ ᑲᖏᖅᖠᓂᕐᒥ ᐅᐱᒍᓱᖕᓂᐊᖅᐳᖅ ᐃᓅᓯᐅᔪᒥ ᓘᒃ ᖃᓇᖅ ᒪᒃᑭᒐᕐᒥ, ᐊᓕᐊᓇᐃᒋᔭᖃᑦᑎᐊᓚᐅᖅᑐᒥ ᒧᒥᕆᐊᒃᓴᖅ ᐊᒻᒪ ᐃᓅᔪᓐᓃᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᐅᑭᐅᖃᖅᖢᓂ 19−ᓂ.