Week of NTI

Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated (NTI) legally represents all Inuit in the territory of Nunavut for the purposes of native treaty rights and treaty negotiations.  The organization is one of the four regional members of the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and is the successor of the Tunngavik Federation of Nunavut.  The Federation was a signatory of the 1993 Nunavut Land Claims Agreement (NLCA), the document that led to the creation of Canada's largest territory on April 1, 1999.  NTI "ensures that promises made under the [NLCA] are carried out," by the Government of Canada and the Government of Nunavut.  NTI is organized into 10 departments: Lands & Resources, Wildlife, Claim Implementation, Human Resources, Business & Economic Development, Communications, Legal Services, Finance, Administration, and Social & Cultural Development.

            

Anna Desgagnes, anchored in Arctic
Bay. August 27.

During the week of the sealift, NTI and its board of directors had come to town for a meeting.  Its purpose was to discuss the progress NTI has made since its last meeting and listen to the concerns and questions of local residents.  Coming to Arctic Bay also gave NTI's executive members the chance to connect with its supporters and to maintain a presence.  The three-day meeting took place at the Community Hall from August 27-29.  Since the topics to be discussed and debated dealt with social issues, I decided to take my Grade 12 Social Studies class to the afternoon meeting on the 27th.  It would give them a real-life example of what responsible and concerned citizens do to better the world around them. 

            

The Community Hall was turned into a large meeting room.  The board of directors sat in a square in the centre and rows of spectator chairs had been set up at the back.  A line of tables on the far left side were reserved for NTI staff and travelling reporters to record and document the proceedings on their laptops.  One table was set aside for English/Inuktitut translators.  Four chairs, reserved for pages, were placed around the square, facing the corners.  The students who volunteered to act as pages were paid for their services.  Three NTI advertisement posters stood on the Community Hall stage.

            

My Grade 12s and I took our seats at the back of hall.  The spectator area was nearly empty.  The board members were in the middle of a debate.  Since they were talking in Inuktitut, I grabbed a black radio device from a nearby chair and switched it to the English translation channel.  Turns out it wasn't a debate but individual commentaries on the needs of northern communities.  The needs that were mentioned were: expanded daycares, mental health services, lower food prices, and alcohol education.  After some time, a 15-minute break was called.  A large group of people headed outside to smoke cigarettes while another headed to the refreshments table.  After filling up on snack food, everyone sat back down and the meeting continued. 

            

The presence of my students was acknowledged by the NTI panel and we were invited to stand to receive an applause.  Next came the free raffle.  One of my students won a brand new ulu.  Other prizes that were given away were seal skin mitts and NTI paraphernalia.  The board of directors turned their attention to the president's report that had been prepared for the meeting.  Spare copies were handed out to those in attendance.  The report contained details on: poverty reduction initiatives, mining symposiums, advances in Nunavut education, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the NLCA, and funding for summer activities, daycares, and training youth for employment.  We stayed until 3:35 before heading back to school.

            

My students & I talked about the meeting and its proceedings the next day in class.  Many found the meeting interesting but a little boring at times because the talking was putting them to sleep.  Regardless, they were glad to see the course material they were learning in class being used in the real world.              

            

Around this time, I noticed my mind was picking up more Inuktitut words with every passing day.  I was finally beginning to understand the language of the land.  Of course I still relied heavily on body language.  When I started teaching in Arctic Bay back in February, my students laughed at me when I tried to guess what they were saying because I was always wrong.  Now they were laughing at me because my success at guessing had greatly improved.  I still have a long way to go before becoming fluent in Inuktitut but the journey will be easier if I continually hear the language being spoken to me and/or around me.

            

NTI held a community feast at Inuujaq School's gym on the evening of August 28th.  My first community feast after summer!  I arrived on time at 7pm to see black foldout chairs up against three of the gym's walls.  Many were already occupied by hungry locals.  A row of tables had been set up at the front for NTI members to serve caribou stew, bread, and raw frozen char & caribou cubes.  In the centre of the gym, a mat had been laid out with several boxes of raw frozen seal & narwhal meats resting on top.  I walked to the back of the gym, saying hello to several recognizable faces and sat down on a vacant chair.  I came prepared with paper plates, a roll of paper towels, knife, fork, multi-tool, and several plastic bags in case I wanted to take any meats home.  As more and more people arrived, it looked like I was the only non-Inuit teacher present.  After an elder said a prayer, people lined up to get served.  Several elders skipped the line and went straight for the seal & narwhal meats.  They sat down on the floor next to the mat and happily cut up the meats with their ulus.    

            

I was glad to be present at this feast because there was seal meat and I had been longing to try it for a while.  But since I hadn't had country food all summer, I decided to play it safe and have the caribou and char first.  After receiving a plate full of raw char & caribou cubes, a small bowl of caribou stew, and a large piece of bread, I walked back to where my seat was and sat down on the floor (my seat was taken).  Looking at my food, I got the feeling that many faces were watching me.  Ignoring the thought, I picked up a raw frozen caribou cube and placed it in my mouth.  The taste was alright and my stomach had no problems digesting it.  The raw char was good too but it would have tasted better with a pinch of salt.  The bread tasted better when dipped in the caribou stew.

            

I finished my plate around the same time NTI began its community feast raffle.  I didn't have a wanting to stay because I didn't buy a ticket and I had schoolwork to complete at home.  As I walked towards the exit to throw out my plate, I noticed leftover char & caribou being given away.  Holding on to my plate, I had it filled with char & caribou cubes before carefully putting it into a plastic bag.  While an NTI member was speaking to the crowd in Inuktitut, I gazed at the seal meat in the centre of the gym.  An Inuit couple sitting close to the exit doors took note of my plastic bags filled with country foods.

            

"You know there's seal meat in the centre," said Jamie, the Inuk man.  "You can take a piece or the whole box.  No one will mind."

            

"No, I don't want the whole box," I replied. "I just want a piece, but I don't know which one."

            

"Any piece is good."

            

"Really?"

            

Noticing my hesitation, he stood up.  "Come, I'll help you."

            

Jamie led me to the centre of the gym and explained what parts were left.  After looking at the selections, I picked a big piece and placed it in two plastic bags.  Raw seal meat drips a lot of blood.  The Inuk man gave me several ideas on how to prepare the meat, from boiling it to cooking it in the oven to roasting it over an open fire.  "Of course," he added, "you can always eat it raw."    

            

"I'll definitely try it raw," I said with a nod.  I thanked him for his help and headed for the exit.  I finally had seal meat to eat!

            

"Stocking up on country food?" asked one of my students as I was stepping outside.

            

"Of course," I replied, holding up the plastic bags in my hands.  "Winter is almost here!"

            

On the morning of Thursday, August 29th, a representative from NTI came my Grade 10 Social Studies class to explain what NTI was all about.  She spoke in Inuktitut and English.  As an added bonus, Cathy Towtongie, the President of NTI, made a surprise visit to my class and spoke to my students about her work with NTI and pointed out all the countries she has visited on my world map.  If I had known earlier, I would have had my camera at the ready.