Letters
PEI residents interested in Nunavut
I am an employee of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Charlottetown, PEI.
I am one of the members of the Employment Equity Celebration Week February 14 - 18 and responsible for a brown bag luncheon on Tuesday of that week. I suggested to the committee in our meeting that it may be very interesting to have someone come in to speak to us about Nunavut and the response was fantastic — we would all love to know more about your part of the world.
Because of low funding we are not able to offer to bring anyone in, however, I was hoping by contacting you, you may know of someone on Prince Edward island who would be willing to share an hour of their time to speak to a group of employees — maybe a university student, someone working or living on the Island, or who may be passing through the area for some form of business.
If you know of anyone I would be grateful indeed.
Margaret Dawson
Charlottetown, PEI
1-902-566-8844
Puvirnituq mayor clarifies municipal party issue
After reading the Nunatsiaq News of Jan. 7, 2000, I have to write this letter in response to the section on Puvirnituq in the News Brief item "Christmas busy for Nunavik cops."
I do have something to say about the local municipal council's party on December 23, 1999.
1. This party was the municipal employees' annual year-end get-together, and the councillors were invited to the dinner party, with some games. No one was intoxicated and no one was arrested at that party.
No local police came to the hotel at all. How could they have seen so many intoxicated people when they did not even come in to see what was going on?
2. In early December Jane George called me and asked me how we controlled alcohol in the community' I told her about our stamping and signing authorizations with a limit for individuals who wish to order once a month. I never said anything about "promising to clamp down on the flow of alcohol in our community." The only problem I mentioned to her was the bootlegging, which is very hard to control in every community.
The council never hosted any so-called rowdy party. We were invited by the employees, and we had a great time.
Now, we always try to maintain good working relations with our local police and would appreciate that some people stop trying to put words where there had been nothing.
I want you to print this to stop any mistaken mistrust in people who read your newspaper in our community:
Aisara Kenuajuak
Mayor
Puvirnituq
Enjoys reading Nunatsiaq News
After finding your newspaper quite by chance when satisfying my curiosity about everyday life and times in the Arctic, I have become a regular visitor.
I believe a local newspaper should reflect the soul of the neighborhood and community and I believe you accomplish that well. Some of the issues are foreign to us here in the Midwest U.S., but after reading about them and the Nunavut territory, they make more sense to me.
I am particularly looking forward to Rachel Attituq Qitsualik's upcoming column on violence in among the northern people. It will be interesting to see her insight into this history and to compare it with the history of the "western" peoples.
I enjoy Rachel's writing. She writes well, with a nice conversational style that is somewhat rare. Most who try conversational writing make it seem affected and chatty or condescending. Please pass my faint praises to her for me.
Perhaps Rachel might answer a question for me. What does Pijariiqpunga mean?
May you enjoy peace and prosperity in the coming year.
Paul Bohn
Mount Sterling, Ohio
USA
Seen an interesting tidal bore recently?
Could I make an appeal to your readers through the Letters to the Editor page?
Over the past 15 years I've been researching the phenomenon of tidal river bores, that is, the wave that advances up a river marking the start of the flood tide. This is a very rare phenomenon — not many rivers produce bores, mainly because you need an exceptionally high tidal range. (The difference in height between low water and high water has to be as great as possible. )
I am aware that the area around Iqaluit is one of these special regions with a very high tidal range and I was wondering if any of your readers have ever seen a bore in any of the rivers in your area?
It is quite often the case that local people, especially fisherman or boatmen, may see bores, but they do not think it worth telling other people. As part of my study I am compiling a catalogue, and so if anybody in the Iqaluit area has seen a bore I would greatly appreciate the name of the river.
If you could supply any further information, such as the date and time when the bore was seen, the height of the wave, etc., this would be very helpful. Naturally, I suppose that bores would not be seen in the winter when the rivers are frozen.
Also, they are most likely when the tides are at their most extreme, for example spring tides rather than neap tides. There are many aspects to my study, including safety, as bores have quite often capsized small boats with loss of life.
So if anyone can help me with information I would be very grateful. If you want to see what a bore looks like there are three of my photographs at:
APTN broadcasts more hours of Inuktitut
As chief operating officer of APTN and an Inuk, I would like to clarify some of the misconceptions across the North that APTN is decreasing its amount of Inuktitut programming and abandoning its northern focus.
First, APTN broadcasts more hours of Inuktitut-language programming on APTN than TVNC ever did. APTN broadcasts more than 30 hours per week of Inuktitut language programming compared to 24 hours per week on TVNC in 1998.
The difference is when these programs are broadcast. On TVNC, a viewer might have seen one Inuktitut-language program repeat three times in one week.
On APTN, the same program is now repeated three times in one day. On TVNC, the broadcast day only began at noon and ended at 1 a.m. APTN now broadcasts from 9:00 a.m to 3:00 a.m. This makes for a better network with greater variety of programs with more time to broadcast them.
Inuktitut language programs appear on APTN between peak viewing hours (6:00 11:00 p.m. eastern). This Inuktitut programming is more than any other aboriginal language or community represented anywhere in our schedule.
I would also like to assure northern viewers that northern programming will remain an important part of APTN.
To ensure this, APTN used the northern satellite feed to broadcast the IBC phone-in show across the North. APTN is in negotiations to re-instate the northern legislative assembly coverage. This northern satellite feed will ensure northerners can utilize APTN to broadcast programs important to northerners.
I hope this clarifies the issue. Inuktitut programming remains a vital part of APTN, and will continue to do so as we strive to represent all aboriginal communities throughout Canada on our national network. Please feel free to contact our APTN office if you have additional questions.
Qujannamiik,
Abraham Tagalik
Chief Operating Officer
APTN
http://www.es.flinders.edu.au/~mattom/ShelfCoast/chapter05.html
But please note that two of these are of the largest tidal river bore in the world in China, which is quite exceptional.
I thank you for your attention
J. Eric Jones CCMS — Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory
jej@ccms.ac.uk
http://www.pol.ac.uk/
Disabled person reports on meetings in Ottawa
David Angnakak and Meeka Kilabuk went to a meeting in Ottawa last fall to find out about the treatment the Inuit in Nunavut receive on health. They did find out that the treatment being given to Inuit and Qallunaat is different.
2. Here are the people we met:
a) Electric wheelchair manufacturers.
b) We visited the orthapeadist who comes to Nunavut to find out how many people who have disabilities have been refused, accepted, or who have been on the waiting list for very long time.
3. We were really amazed with the blind business owner, Sheryl Lynn, and her employees, who are also blind. They have computers that type when a person talks, and answers when they talk. Blind people would be more prosperous with braille keyboards. The blind can do anything.
4. We tried to see the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada health representative, but they were not available. Their co-ordinator did tell Meeka and myself that there will be a representative from Nunavut. We decided to wait for that meeting. Meeka and I were the first ones to speak, but we did not stay until the end, because we had to attend other meetings. Thanks to ITC for giving us a chance to be at their meeting.
5. We finished a meeting at the deputy prime ministers' office on how Inuit, especially the people with disabilities, are treated differently from other people. We were welcomed to these meetings, but it was difficult trying to get to their buildings.
6. I really enjoyed it when we were at the Canadian parliament. I thought that is how it will be with the Nunavut government with our grandchildren and great-grandchildren during their session. That is what I was thinking about when we were at their meetings.
7. I was happy with Meeka Kilabuk. She took the opportunity to talk to the person who looks after patients in Ottawa about Inuit patients' meals. Meeka Kilabuk did explain our culture as Inuit.
I thank Meeka for preparing for our meetings, and I thank First Air for helping us with the airfare to and from Ottawa, and also to the crew for helping me.
David Angnakak
President
Nunavut Council for People with Disabilities
Translated from Inuktitut
Cambridge wants facility for temporary display
While we appreciate your coverage of Cambridge Bay's news, in the December 17 article "Cambridge Bay seeks museum to house artifacts," we would like to clarify matters to avoid any misconceptions.
No artifacts from the Iqalluqtuuq site, near Cambridge Bay, will be permanently stored at the proposed Cultural Centre in Cambridge Bay.
In fact, under the land claim, the Inuit Heritage Trust is charged with responsibility for determining the disposition of any artifacts found. We would hope that, in the not-too-distant future, plans will be made to construct a Nunavut museum and archives, which would be the logical place to house artifacts such as these.
We also anticipate having a facility to temporarily display these and other local artifacts in the Cambridge Bay Cultural Centre, in order to pursue our objectives of promoting and celebrating the culture and heritage of the region.
Frank Analok
Honorary Chair
Kim Crockatt
President
Kitikmeot Heritage Society
Cambridge Bay
Xmas fundraiser a success
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the people of Clyde River, local and non-local businesses, and organizations for donating their time and effort towards the annual community Christmas feast.
We organized a Friday night dance on Dec. 17, 1999, and all the admission fees collected went towards the feast. A total of $927 was raised. We gave out many great prizes. which were donated by the following businesses and organizations.
Once again, I thank all the people who helped with the fund-raiser:
* First Air, two round trips for two to Pond Inlet and to Qikiqtarjuaq;
* Clyde River, two membership fee's for one year;
* Radio Society, 45 gallons of heating fuel;
* Clyde River H.T O., 15 gallons of gas;
* Clyde River RC.M.P., one VCR;
* Northern Stores, two cases of snowmobile oil;
* Aarruja Store, tool box and tools;
* NTPC, Soapstone;
* Apitak Development Corporation, for the use of community centre free of charge.
* Hamlet of Clyde River Recreation Committee, 40 tickets to arena.
* QIA, tee-shirt and a cup.
We also would like to thank Nunavut Tunngavik for donating country food to the community, which were intended for their annual general meeting but was cancelled due to the weather in Clyde River.
You are most welcome to hold your next annual meeting here in community
David Iqaqrialu
MLA, Uqqumiut
Social assistance not enough to live on
Re: Nunatsiaq News: November 12, 1999, "Arvaluk launches review of welfare system"
This is scary to me, being on welfare. Every time the government does a study, they change the name of welfare and people on welfare end up getting less money.
Right now, living on my own, I get $254 for one month, which is like $8 a day.
How can I live? Look at the cost of food. How can I buy hunting supplies? I cannot even run my snowmachine. The government should be realistic and look at the facts, such as the cost of living in Nunavut, the cost of clothing, gas and hunting supplies and look at the cost of the same things in the South.
Next, they should go to Ottawa with the facts to get more money.
We have so many young people and will always have few jobs up here. Why does welfare not give us help or a bonus if we try to carve, hunt or go guiding. The welfare workers always put us down or give us a penalty. Eight dollars a day is way, way not enough. Government, you have to change this to fair treatment.
(Name witheld by request)
Kugluktuk
If you don't like Nunavut, move
In reference to the recommendations of both the Nunavut government's justice report and those made by the Nunavut Social Development Council, specifically that reference to "making a good person," as a sporadic intrerpreter for the courts, I use that term all the time.
This good person/bad person refers to the personality of a person. An inuttiavik does not refer to whether a man is handsome or woman beautiful. A totally unkempt and poor looking person could be a saint compared to handsome, beautiful person with a disagreeable personality.
With the success of attaining our own Nunavut government; the attainment of land claims with all kinds of rights and financial benefits; the proliferation of Christian values as espoused by the Catholic, Anglican and Pentecostal churches; the understanding of a very large universe; a new world and an extra new life in the "great beyond;" and countless other blessings, I simply cannot understand why crimes still have to continue.
Or why hunters are said to be complaining about time changes when time is irrelevant out on the land, and why with millions in the bank (595 million and counting), millions more per year going to our government, and billions in surpluses for our nation, we still need to rebel.
Can't we just get on with the business of living? There's millions of square miles of open uninhibited country out there if we don't like how things are in the communities. Start a new settlement or outpost camp or move to another part of Canada or the world if we don't like it up here.
Thomas Suluk
Arviat