On April 1, 2024, Nunavut turned 25 years old. (No joke). Canada’s third territory officially came into being on April 1, 1999, after decades of negotiations between the Federal Government and Inuit activists. Nunavut means “our land” in Inuktitut. The Nunavut Land Claims Agreement was signed in 1993, and a major component of the agreement was the creation of a new territory. Everyone had six years to get ready for the big day. I still have some memory of that day in 1999 when Canada’s interior borders changed.
A lot has happened in the last 25 years. I’ll give you the very condensed version. For starters, territorial decision making was transferred to the town of Iqaluit on Baffin Island. When the eastern Arctic was part of the Northwest Territories, decisions were made in Yellowknife. Towns and communities have continued to grow in population, resulting in the highest birthrate in Canada. The high school graduation rate is steadily increasing & a Nunavut-centric education curriculum is expanding & more robust. (Nunavut borrowed heavily from the Alberta curriculum). The territory is still finding its place in the world and is more noticeable than before.
Unfortunately,
there are still challenges. The cost of
living remains very high, there’s a severe lack of social & affordable
housing, there’s no central road network connecting the communities,
unemployment is high in some places, and there are many social issues plaguing the
territory. Despite these challenges,
many have high hopes for the future.
Another reason to celebrate was the recent signing of the Nunavut Devolution Agreement on January 18, 2024. (Sorry for not writing about it in earlier posts). Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was present in Iqaluit to sign the agreement with Nunavut Premier PJ Akeeagok and other Inuit leaders. Devolution means “the transfer or delegation of authorities […] from the federal government to a local or regional government.” Nunavut leaders now have more say & control over the territory. I watched the live signing event on YouTube with my social studies students. The historic moment is just as important as the signing of land claims agreement in 1993. The agreement has 13 chapters so if you want to read about them in detail, click here. The agreement took effect on April 1, 2024.
Inuujaq School organized a celebratory assembly on April 26 to observe Nunavut’s 25th birthday. Decorations were made, food was prepared, and a program was put together by the school’s Events Committee. Students and staff were encouraged to wear traditional Inuit clothing.
Everyone assembled in the gym. Prepared posters were taped to the main wall and chairs lined sides. Several high school students set up the food station at the back of the gym. The food was prepared by the high school Inuit studies class. I began the assembly with a short welcome speech. I kept it short & to the point. A staff member translated my words into Inuktitut. Two local throat singers performed several traditional songs to the delight of the audience. This was followed by a song & drum dance by several high school students and a teacher.
Country food consisting of Bannock, and caribou stew were distributed to everyone in attendance. The prepared food was delicious.
The assembly concluded with everyone dressed in traditional Inuit clothing to come up to the front for a group photo. I gave my camera to someone in the audience to take several photos.
The celebrations continued on April 30. Teachers & students played a round robin of various games out on the playground. Students played tug of war, dodgeball, jump ropes, bean bag throwing, and the Inuit game Naangijaqataglutik. Judging from my observations, everyone had fun.
Happy
Birthday Nunavut! Here’s to another 25
years!
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