June 18, 1998

Kuujjuaq teacher publishes Inuttitut book

Ida Watt's new book tells the sad tale of a series of religious murders on the Belcher Islands more than 50 years ago.

JANE GEORGE
Nunatsiaq News

MONTREAL - Inuttitut readers along Nunavik's Hudson Bay coast are grabbing up copies of Ida Watt's new Inuttitut book.

Watt's book tells a tale of events that shook the people of the Belcher Islands over 50 years ago.When translated into English, the title means Brought to court in Sanikiluaq for their mistaken beliefs.

"It's a sad story," said Watt. "I cried a lot with it. It's sad, but it really happened."

In the midwinter of 1941, two hunters, Charlie Audlakjuk and Peter Sala, became convinced that they were God and Jesus and persuaded others to follow them or die.

"There were people willing to kill for them," said Watt.

Others were killed when they refused to follow Audlakjuk and Sala.

More perished out on the ice of exposure after they had obeyed the pair's command to leave their igloos, naked, and follow "Jesus" into the sunset.

By April 1941, word of these deaths had spread outside of Sanikiluaq, and the RCMP visited the islands for the first time in 19 years to investigate the rumours.

They found nine bodies and seven people were ultimately arrested and charged with murder.

A judge sent up from Toronto presided over the trial, which was held in Sanikiluaq in August,1941.

The entirely Qallunaat jury was made up of members of a prospecting team passing-by the islands, and the local Hudson's Bay Company manager.

This jury acquitted one of the accused and found two others insane. Of the others found guilty, one received a jail sentence of one year.

Audlakjuk and Sala were each sentenced to two years in jail.

The judge decided that rations and ammunition would be supplied to the families of those sent off to detention in Moose Factory.

According to Ray Price, who also told this tale in his 1970 book, The Howling Arctic, the Crown prosecutor in the case felt that justice had not been served by the court's decision.

He also believed that the court ruling would encourage dependency on outside material assistance.

"I recommend and strongly urge that never again should the provisions of the Criminal Code be applied to Eskimos," the lawyer told the federal deputy minister of justice following the trial.

Watt doubts that the same kind of drama could happen today.

But, when she was researching the story, she couldn't help thinking that similar conflicts between Inuit and Qallunaat traditions of religion, justice and education are still being played out.

Despite some comments from people Sanikiluaq that the details of those tragic events of 1941 should not be retold, Watt felt it was important to set the story straight, in Inuttitut.

"Kids have to learn about their grandfathers," she said. "It's about their relatives that froze out there on the ice."

Watt spent eight years researching and writing her book, learning how to type and use a computer.

"I'm very proud of her," said her son, Robbie Watt, who helped direct his mother to the case's court files in Ottawa.

Watt paid to have the book published herself. She only had 500 copies of the book printed, and most of these have already been distributed along Nunavik's Hudson Bay communities and in Sanikiluaq.

But there's already interest from the Kativik School Board, where Watt works as an Inuttitut teacher and social science specialist, to reprint her book and possibily translate it into English.

Watt is pleased by the reaction to her work. People have told her it's the first book in Inuttitut that they could actually take to bed with them for a good late-night read.

"Since a lot of Inuit are forgetting how to read in Inuttitut, I thought this would be a good example," Watt said. "After all, I am a teacher."

The KSB was to have hosted the official launch of Watt's book in Inukjuak in conjunction with the first graduation ceremonies held at the vocational centre Nunavimmi Pigiursavik on June 5.