March 19, 2004
Arctic Winter Games may be taking scarce resources out of community-based recreation
JIM MACDONALD
Special to Nunatsiaq News
Stewart Hodgson's dream back in the late 1960's for the Arctic Winter Games has had its time, although many benefits did come from the games over the past two decades.
However, now is the time to head in a new direction for developing our youth throughout the year in our own backyards across Nunavut, with mini-regional and sub-regional leagues and tournaments. We must keep all of our youth playing sports month after month at a high competitive and fun level, then once every two years and only for a select few.
Over the past two decades I have been very involved at the local minor hockey level preparing and sending athletes to the Arctic Winter Games, including one of my sons going twice.
I've spent a year as a board member on the AWG International Committee and a year-and-a-half stint as Hockey North's executive director until the position was dissolved for lack of funding. I have seen the AWG come full circle.
I do have a hard time understanding why money flows for the AWG every two years, then during the off years nothing really takes place in game play or player development.
Then, it's back to the AWG, and time to slap together a team to play for the first time together at the games, while thousands and thousands of young athletes sit in Nunavut and are developing at what?
I see no money or very little money coming in to help them be involved in sport, to help their personal development through childhood, adolescence and into adulthood.
It seems the "in thing" with the Nunavut government is to throw buckets of cash towards suicide meetings, mega-bucks conferences on suicide, and mass suicide newspaper advertisements.
This was shown very blatantly a few weeks ago with the Hall Beach newspaper article about no recreation programs or funding to even purchase a simple ball or hockey net. Directly to the right of the Hall Beach article was a fair-sized advertisement of a logo contest for the Nunavut Suicide Prevention Council. You could win $500.00.
I wouldn't be surprised if the Hall Beach recreation problems are happening in other regions of Nunavut, and right here in the Kivalliq.
Yes, there are very good people working hard at Sport Nunavut and as community recreation coordinators and as volunteers, but still, something is drastically broken and needs to be fixed today.
Diverting AWG money to future Nunavut sporting programs will help, but we users can't expect the government to do it all for us. Businesses in many communities are helping by making donation after donation, and must be thanked for picking up the Government of Nunavut's lack of funding.
However, I do wonder if the mining exploration companies are helping as much as they should be. Over the past two decades I have heard of the Meliadine mining property outside of Rankin Inlet being flipped many times to new exploration partners, and each time for amazing profits. I'm sure it's the same across Nunavut, and in Hall Beach.
Though at the end of the day, when all excellent sporting plans and adequate funding are in place, sports will still not be much until we the people become more involved voluntarily. It's time you get involved in helping to do the fun and hard work for you and your kid's own benefit.
Jim MacDonald, from Rankin Inlet, is a long-time amateur sports volunteer.
March 19, 2004
Perhaps I'm not being informed on what's been happening in Nunavut.
Perhaps I'm not talking to the right people or perhaps I'm right when I say, "Enough is enough!"
A lot has happened in my short and trying 46 years. I grew up on the Belcher Islands, which happens to one of the more isolated places in the North.
I became hopeful when we got our land claims settled. I got even more hopeful when we got our own territory. But despite having our own seat at the legislative assembly, and actually having one of our own as a cabinet minister, my hopes gets bleaker and bleaker.
I remember the days when we lived in an illu (igloo) and when we used the qaja (kayak). I remember clearly when we had our own dog teams. Perhaps I'm the only one left with resentment on what happened to our people. Maybe I was too young to see the broad picture, I recall the days when the Qallunaat were treated like gods. It seemed they knew everything. They brought in big metal ships, they flew and they actually made the insides of a house brighter than the sun. They also had medicine.
I remember a few times when my parents would not look directly at them.
I went to school when I was seven at Itiliaru (South Camp, Belcher Islands). I learned I had two names and a disc number. The names that were given me didn't sound like the ones I was usually called at home or by people I knew. The teacher spelled it the way he could pronounce it. I carried that miserable name until I was over 20. I decided to change it myself.
Like others, I learned how to read and speak the gods' tongue. I learned that life can get pretty harsh in school. The teacher got more powerful than my step-parents. The punishment I received at times was for things I thought weren't wrong at all. The gods were taking over. I got more scared of my teachers than my parents.
Let's start from the beginning. The queen in my dialect is atanialu (the Big Lord), the manager of the Hudson's Bay Company was called angajurqaa (boss). His boss was atanikallak (the Fat Lord).
I remember coming out of our matchbox house at Itiliaru. The days were getting longer and it was actually quite warm. It was a white-out. I saw near the hostel a white man I had not seen come in. He had yellow stripes on his pants and he had a pistol in his hand. I had never seen a pistol before except in the movies.
There were already a few dead dogs near him. I stood there for a while, feeling overwhelmed and stunned. I was probably 12 winters old.
I was just old enough to envy the older boys my uncle took hunting with him. I wanted to be a dog-team hunter just like him. I happily helped him feed the dogs when I could. Sometimes I anxiously waited for him to come back from hunting so I could help him with the dogs. I was about two winters too young to go out hunting with him. I got to know the dogs' names.
The dogs another man brought to the white man with a gun were in harnesses. The poor dogs must have been excited about going hunting. They were always eager to run.
The dogs were not our pets - they were our partners. We needed each other. I still didn't get it until I saw the dogs being shot. I didn't want to see any more. Fortunately, I didn't see our own dogs killed. Perhaps the gods were angry at us and decided to send a messenger with a gun and yellow stripes down his pants.
We had a healthy camp, although we were no longer nomadic. I can only recollect a few memories when we were at other hunting grounds. I remember when South Camp became a permanent settlement. There were at least 70 to 80 Inuit in the settlement, usually with two outsiders. We had our own school, co-op and a church.
Most of all, we were not hungry. Despite all that, they killed our dogs and moved us anyway to a completely strange land. My family had to stay in a tent for the winter. We had no dog team to hunt with. I just didn't understand it.
Am I the only one left looking for answers? How and why did we ever let a thing like that happen to us? How come no government ever had to apologize or compensate us for such hurt?
I shook my head when the former prime minister was so honoured by our leaders. I always thought he knew about the dog slaughters and the relocations that happened all over the North.
I envy our neighbours on the coast. The Makivik Corporation promotes the use of dog-teams and is trying to get their people compensated for the dog slaughters. I was fortunate enough to go on a couple of dog-team hunts in Puvirnituq. Before our dogs were killed, I had only gone twice.
I read an article not too long ago about a legislative assembly member who was no longer running for a seat for personal reasons. I completely agree with her when she said that we should have somebody shouting at the government.
I by no means will understand if another Liberal is elected in Nunavut. I cannot understand why our federally-run ITK has been so quiet on the dog slaughters and relocations. I cannot understand why our youth are dropping out of school and when they get their Grade 12 only to become dishwashers and cashiers, rather than trying to take over jobs in their own communities that are held by outsiders.
I once called our local co-op and asked for a department, only to be answered by someone who does not speak my tongue. I've forgotten how many times I've shook my head to read that another outsider has taken a new position in running a community.
How many Inuit teachers, nurses, police, SAOs of hamlets do we have in our communities? What about the outsiders? In most communities I'm sure all are employed.
I will not understand if our elected assembly member accepts another department when he should be fighting for his own people. I almost laughed when I read he will be supporting the premier, because the premier had come to his hamlet, he doesn't know how many times.
What about the real issues that a writer wrote of in his last report from the Belchers?
Are we ever going to change the pathetic flag of our territory? Who in his or her right mind would choose such colours? Doesn't the inuksuk deserve more respect than that? I may have missed something in the past. Traditionally no hunter wanted to wear anything bright like yellow or red. What's wrong with a black, white and blue flag?
What about the coat of arms? Isn't it suppose to represent all of Nunavut? I may not have been at home for awhile but I don't recall any caribou or narwhal on the Belchers.
I've already seen too many elders die, not getting any answers. Let's give some dignity to those who have passed and give some dignity to those who are still living.
Our youngsters, future voters, are watching. Maybe they will understand better why life is hard. Let's take care of old business first. Let's shut off talk (even if we are living in today's world). Let's tell our stories, let's tell the world.
Let's be heard by the Nunavut government, and all responsible organizations for our region. Let's introduce apprenticeship programs right in our communities so we can have our own Inuit leaders. Let's tell the federal government to apologize and compensate for the harm it did to us not too long ago.
It sure didn't take long to get our own government. We shouldn't have to use interpreters anymore when we need help. Let's ask our government to hold a referendum in choosing an appropriate flag, one we can all be proud of.
Never mind the gods. May God help us.
Angry and resentful,
Lukasi Eqilaq
Yellowknife