Nunavut Awards: Commissioner & Quest

Two public events took place on April 18 at the local community hall.  They were the Nunavut Commissioner’s Awards and the Nunavut Quest Awards.  Nellie Kusugak personally flew up to Arctic Bay from Iqaluit to present her awards to the lucky recipients.  David Akeeagok, Deputy Premier of Nunavut, also travelled with the Commissioner for the event.  A third VIP, PJ Akeeagok, President of the Qikiqtani Inuit Association (QIA), would be present for the second ceremony in the evening.  The Nunavut Quest Planning Committee (NQPC) must have been grateful to have these three VIPs in attendance.    

A cadet presence was requested for the Commissioner’s Awards ceremony.  The organizers wanted the cadets to escort the guests into the hall.  It was also strongly hinted that the corps would be receiving an award.  But for what?  The ceremony was happening in the middle of Easter Break but I was able to find several cadets to attend in their green dress uniforms.  I also attended as the corps commanding officer.

VIPs.

The first ceremony began at 1:30pm.  I arrived 15 minutes early.  The Canadian & Nunavut flags stood on pedestals at the front of the hall.  Four chairs sat in front of the flags for the VIPs.  To the left stood a clear podium and next to that was a small table for Qapik Attagutsiak, Arctic Bay’s prominent elder.  Her qulliq sat on the table.  To the right of the flags was the awards table, full of plaques, framed certificates, and pins.  At the far-right corner were the reception tables.  The middle area of the hall was full of grey fold out chairs for the audience.

An RCMP officer led the procession of VIPs to their chairs.  They were the Commissioner, Deputy Premier, Mayor Frank May, and QIA Arctic Bay Representative Levi Barnabas.  A cadet marched beside each VIP.  The audience stood as the guests arrived.  Everyone remained standing for the playing of the national anthem and the lighting of the ceremonial qulliq.  Qapik spoke about the importance of the qulliq in Inuit life & culture.  Her daughter Kataisee acted as the English translator.  Everyone then took their seats.  The cadets sat behind Qapik.

Mayor Frank May.

Frank May’s daughter Becky was the emcee.  She welcomed the commissioner and everyone to the ceremony.  What followed were a series of short speeches by the Mayor, Deputy Premier, and QIA Rep.  The Commissioner’s speech would be at the end of the ceremony.

Levi B.

Three gentlemen were called up first to receive their plaques, recognizing their search & rescue efforts several months ago.  One was unable to attend so his father accepted the award on his behalf.  Next came Sheena Q., Audrey Q., and Moses K., who each received plaques praising their volunteering & humanitarian work within the community.  Several Rangers were present in uniform to receive a plaque in recognition of the work they do in the community, out on the land, and with the Canadian Armed Forces.  When the military hold their annual arctic training exercises, the Rangers teach the soldiers how to survive in the cold, harsh arctic climate. 

Sheena Q.

One of the Rangers in attendance also happened to be a volunteer firefighter.  He accepted the next plaque on behalf of all the volunteer firefighters in the community.  Members of the Search & Rescue (SAR) Committee were the next recipients of the Commissioner’s plaque.  (I’m do not know the details of the SAR operation that recently happened.  All I know is that everyone was rescued).

SAR Committee.

The best was saved for last.  3045 Army Cadet Corps was called up to receive a Commissioner’s plaque “[i]n appreciation of your volunteerism, commitment, to Arctic Bay and promoting healthy living.”  I accepted the plaque and called up the cadets in uniform for a group photo.

Nellie Kusugak.

Nellie gave a short speech at the end of the ceremony, talking about the awards, the importance of recognizing leaders in the community, and the progress Nunavummiut are making since the creation of Nunavut in 1999.  Her last act of the ceremony was to give a gift to Qapik.  Everyone lined up at the reception tables for snacks after the ceremony.

The second ceremony began at 8:00pm.  A few changes to the layout were made before the ceremony began.  All the grey foldout chairs were lined up against the walls as well in front of the stage.  The comfier black chairs were placed on stage for the competitors.  The clear podium and the flags were also placed on stage.  A QIA banner hung from the ceiling above the stage.  I believe the Inuit organization made a donation to the annual dog sled race. 

I wore civilian clothing and would be a spectator this time.

Levi B. tries the whip.

A few members of the NQPC took turns demonstrating the art of using a dog whip in the middle of the hall.  The whip was quite long.  Seeing it flow from the back to the front is a great example of wave physics.  The whip made a small snapping noise.  No one was hurt.  The whip was put away when the flow of people coming inside greatly increased.  The hall was packed when the ceremony began.

The support team members were called out first.  They stood in the front of the stage.  The competitors came in after, walking on stage and sitting on the black chairs.  Everyone involved in the race came from Arctic Bay, Pond Inlet, Igloolik, Hall Beach, and beyond.  There were 12 competitors this year.  This year is the 20^th anniversary of the dog sled race.

The ceremony began with a collection of speeches from NQPC members, competitors, David Akeeagok, and Levi Barnabas.  Then each competitor was given a gift for participating in the race.  The top three finalists received another gift and a cash prize.  The support team members also received gifts of some kind, in recognition for the hard work they invested in keeping the competitors going. 

Piuyuq (far right) receiving her
commemorative plaque.

The NQPC members each received a Nunavut Commissioner’s plaque for their efforts in planning & staging the race.  They also received special commemorative plaques from the QIA.  The organization presented the final award of the night to the Grade 1 teacher, Piuyuq E.  The award celebrated her 40 years of teaching in the north.

Nellie Kusugak concluded the ceremony with a prepared speech.  It was similar to the one she gave earlier.    

Audience.

The formalities were now finished and the time of celebration had arrived.  There would be Inuit games for everyone to play.  To get the festivities started, the local square-dancing club, composed of middle & high school students, performed a dance routine in the middle of the hall.  They wore traditional Inuit clothing and danced continuously for 15 minutes!  I filmed the entire performance.  My arms were aching from having to hold the camera high above the audience.  I really need to use a camera stick.  The dancers received an extended applause when they finished their routine.

I left after the square dance because I had to plan another land trip.  (More on that in a future post).  The parking lot was full of skidoos and trucks. 

And finally, the 2019 Qamutik Cup competition finished two days ago (April 23).  Unfortunately, Arctic Bay did not win the cup.  However, the two teams should be commended for "fighting" all the way to the end.  There’s always next year.