Oo Aqpik's blog

Sovereignty is very simple...

Oo Aqpik — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 18:39:58 +0000

The Adventure Canada Arctic Safari on Clipper Adventurer started at the end of July and we reached our final destination right on my birthday, August 9th. I learned a lot about myself during the 10 day voyage; I am still surprised about the cultural differences that came out during the EU Seal ban debate. I still have a knee jerk reaction to ignorance and want to be more graceful and educate those that do not know any better. I also wanted to thank the amazing staff and the message behind the presentations from Adventure Canada throughout the trip. I will cherish our supper discussions with some of the very few open minded new friends, we need more of you to help everyone grow.

The Arctic Defenders journey is still abroad, each day I learn something new and I hope you will learn along with us when the film has its debute. Sovereignty is very simple when you look to the people and the very causes to our governance.

Our final destination, Resolute Bay, Nunavut

Oo Aqpik — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 17:16:01 +0000

We get back onboard the Clipper Adventurer and start heading north. We pass some ice and the ship uses the thrusters to avoid some of them. I’m not well and the boat is not my friend again so I sleep.

We finally reach our destination, Resolute Bay, Nunavut. It is also my birthday! I am on top of the world! Literally :) A nice cake is served as we wait to disembark. It’s a gray day but we are now on land! I could have, would have, and should have kissed the ground!

I arrange for a guide with the Hamlet of Resolute Bay, preferably a relocatee and meet Anna Nungaq. I went to residential school with her niece, this strengthens our ties. And an old friend, Ludy Padluq comes to the Hamlet at our request. He along with Anna helps to identify the kids in the Director's 1968 images. Anna assists us in the local history and the struggles they endured. John Walker, the Director met some of the boys in his image. I sat down to interview Joadamie and Paul Amagoalik. John also films with Peter Amaroalik and it’s a wrap in Resolute!

We flew out of Resolute early in the morning, stopping in Arctic Bay en route to Iqaluit. I cannot wait to just be, no schedules and my love is meeting me in Iqaluit :)

Landing back to Canada

Oo Aqpik — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 15:11:50 +0000

The next day we anchor in Clyde River and its foggy, Canadian Customs don't land and we in turn therefore cannot make our landing back to Canada. We start to head north and explore along the way in zodiacs. The next day we are in Pond Inlet, its a beautiful day in a scenic community. The Bylot Island across the community is breath taking and all I can think is to get to a phone and call my family but first we film.

The crew wonder out loud if I’ll run into anyone I know, probably. I’m more excited to get to a phone and rushed to the Co-op to buy a calling card as soon as I can. We film while I use the phone at the community centre only to get voice mail. Choking up I leave a message, we’re in Canada now. After a few calls and finally talking to my better half, now I can be a tourist when the showcases of Pond Inlet drama play ends.

The place name means glacier

Oo Aqpik — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 19:33:07 +0000

After a nice game of soccer and a brief visit, we now head to Ilulissat, Greenland. The place name means glacier. Once we arrive and start to go towards the docks, traffic of fishing boats and a bustling fishing plant is evident.

We filmed near the glacier park and hurry back to the community to visit with Aaju's aunt, her uncle had recently passed. And again the coffee is served with the saucers and the cake. Their language is beautiful, I've always wanted to be amongst Greenlanders. Another brief visit, I'm starting to wonder if the conversations may have turned to her Baffin facial tattoos.

I shop a little for souvenirs and head back on board the Clipper Adventurer. I didn't realize I was exhausted when we are summoned to the Captains table for supper! I thought I'd dress up when I realized I didn't bring proper shoe wear. Oh well, better to look casual. We are now en route to Canada's Arctic. I've never been to the High Arctic before! Although I have made many friends and I start to feel anxious to get to Clyde River.

Greenlanders like their coffee

Oo Aqpik — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 16:16:37 +0000

July 31, 2012 - We film at the Itilleq graveyard with Aaju, she has memories of her childhood here. Its a quaint community much like the home I grew up in, except its tundra with only walking paths, if only we left it like that. The similarities settle my anxiety and I try to take it all in a few hours. On our way back to the dock the elder that was on-board asks us for coffee, it is her daughter's birthday and its tradition to have coffee and cake whether the birthday girl is present or not. A visit I really wanted without the film crew and her coffee tastes better than what the ship had to offer. The presentation each time is very appropriate, cups with saucers and coffee with cream and sugar plus the cakes. Greenlanders like their coffee.

Part 2 Itilleq, Greenland Defenders

Oo Aqpik — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 02:11:52 +0000

We board the Clipper Adventurer and we head to Itilleq. The fjord is long and as soon as we hit the Arctic Ocean, it’s storming and all of a sudden, the ship doesn't look so big. I get sea sick and I complain to myself (and out loud), "why did I agree to be on the boat!?"

The next day a bit of fog but we are in Itilleq, a population of about a hundred. The locals are invited to board and demonstrate their culture. I'm beyond excited but gotta focus; we are a film crew after all...

They tell us about their way of life, showcasing their beautiful sealskin traditional wear and I'm holding the mic for the Director, which I put on my head to be steady. After their presentation they took some questions. We get on land by zodiac and have coffee at one of the ladies home. Aaju Peter is our translator and we talk about the challenges today including climate change. They had no ice and had to put down their dog teams because the lack of ice means no seals to feed the dogs.

A long standing friendly soccer game is played between Itilleq and Adventure Canada, the 8th (or 9th?) loss for Adventure Canada to the West coast Greenland champions.

Part 1 - Journey to discovering sovereignty

Oo Aqpik — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 18:41:08 +0000

July 30, 2012 - On a journey to discovering sovereignty, an amazing opportunity to be on an Arctic cruise onboard the Clipper Adventurer with Adventure Canada for 10 days. We flew to Kangerlussuaq, Greenland and a friendly older policeman stamps our passports without any fuss. He tells us he has a list of our names and hardly glances at the picture. Yay, I got a stamp, I'm just so excited it doesn't even dawn on me that customs is a part of asserting sovereignty.

Sovereignty is a big word...

Oo Aqpik — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 23:05:13 +0000

Sovereignty is a big word. I had to look it up, Dictionary.com professed it to be:

1. "quality or state of being sovereign" - this I found vague

2. "the status, dominion, power, or authority of a sovereign: royalty" - always with the royalty.

3. "supreme and independent power or authority in government as possessed or claimed by a state or community" - that's a bit better explained.

4. "rightful status, independence, or prerogative" - their prerogative, oh dear me. And finally

5. "a sovereign state, community, or political unit" - is something like #3 but shorter.

That was just the beginning, the English language does get complex for me as Inuktitut is my first language. The play in words confuses me but here we even have the word origin and history! "Sovereignty is a mid 14th century word from the Anglo French 'pre-eminence' and the word sovereynete meaning authority or rule is from the late 14th century and the sense of 'existence as an independence state' is from 1715."

It also had the Cultural Dictionary: "A nation or state's supreme power within its borders. A government might respond, for example, to criticism from foreign governments of its treatment of its own citizens by citing its rights of sovereignty" - we should all take note of that one! And don't mistake it to the Bible Dictionary of sovereignty: "of God, his absolute right to do all things according to his own good pleasure" (Dan. 4:25, 35; Rom. 9:15-23; 1 Tim. 6:16; Rev. 4:11).

The thesaurus had more insight to add; Definitions included "...domination, independence, rule, or power, royalty [on’t forget the royalty], supremacy, control, or subjection".

All seem so disconnected to Inuit or the people until I met Aaju Peter. I had heard she was passionate about Arctic Sovereignty and I needed help in defining this foreign word in hopes of making it clear for my father especially, a unilingual traditional Inuk. Inuit are not possessive of land, that much I knew.

Voting at 16

Oo Aqpik — Sat, 28 Jul 2012 02:47:29 +0000

When I was in high school I started to get interested in the land claims. I joined the Baffin Region Inuit Association, BRIA - Youth committee as a secretary treasurer and eventually became President. The majority of the population of Nunavut Inuit were youth, and the voting age for all Inuit Associations was set at 16.

In the beginning I didn't know how a meeting was conducted. I had no voting privledges and sat as an observer. Luckily a board director mentored me along and explaining what the Article was pertaining to or why it was important to Inuit. Luccassie Ivalu of Igloolik took me under his wing and with the President at the time Pauloosie Keyootak, I found support to learning the ropes.

With the youth committee being new to BRIA, I wanted to help the youth understand more about how things were conducted and why, it was important that we learn the rules. So before I resigned, and with the support of BRIA staff, we held a Baffin wide youth meeting with 2 representatives from the 13 communities that make up Baffin region.

There are 3 regions in Nunavut and have regional Inuit Associations; Kivalliq Inuit Association, Kitikmeot Inuit Association and Baffin, now Qikiqtani Inuit Association with the majority of population and landmass.

Nunavut Still Unfolding

Oo Aqpik — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 20:49:39 +0000

Nunavut has been a long road and yes, that road is still unfolding. Once Inuit unity was formed, Inuit Tapirisat of Canada or ITC, now known as Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) started the Inuit Use and Occupancy Study which later was presented to the Government of Canada in 1973. It told of how land is, and was, used.

Negotiations were started in 1976 between the federal government and the Tungavik Federation of Nunavut. Inuit researched the past and present for a report that was presented in 1982. Inuit opted not to be included in the Indian Act, because the leaders wanted Inuit to pay taxes and achieve a modern standard of living.

Inuit voted in favour of the Agreement in 1992, a plebiscite with a question of simply a yes or no to Nunavut. In 1993 Parliament of Canada voted in favour of the Agreement and made it law the same year. 13 years ago Nunavut Territory was created, still going through rounds of Implementation agreements, including Inuit Impact Benefits Agreements, and many of the Articles still need the legal issues examined.

It is seen as a contract in which Inuit exchange Aboriginal title to all their traditional land in the Nunavut Settlement Area for defined rights and benefits. Nunavummiut retained 18 per cent of the land including mineral rights of two per cent, and a cash settlement of $1.173 billion of which Inuit do not get dividends and a territoy with an elected government to serve the interests of all Nunavummiut - a public government and not a self-government as most seem to think.

The Nunavut Trust was created to look after the funds and the interest will then be used for the good of all Inuit. The newly created Government of Nunavut will respect Inuit values, a population of 85 per cent of which are Inuit.