On this day twenty five years ago, with all the promise, hope and anticipation it brought, I stood on stage with Lucy Illauq and Peter Gzowski hosting the televised celebration of the creation of the Nunavut Territory. The coverage was in Inuktitut, English and French. I recited the Inuktitut introductions, we took turns mixing up the order of languages so as not to seemingly prioritize any of them. When it was time to introduce the Prime Minister, he stood up to speak, I told him to hold on as I needed to say his introduction in Inuktitut first. It was a small act of assertion, but the day stood for us Inuit starting this process of asserting ourselves, claiming our place.
Today, there is much to be celebrated, but we must acknowledge there is a huge stain on Nunavut still that we must clean up. It has to do with linguicide we are allowing.
Over the twenty-five years, we have seen the surge of creative arts and expression awakening. Throat singing, drumming, mixed with modern music, visual arts, film, garment making, adornments such as earrings, tunniit (tattoos), country food cuisine, poetry and writing. Young people are taking these arts on and running with them, and it is a beautiful thing to see. It is also inspiring to observe young people just owning their space in these creative ways, a lot quicker and with more vigor than our generation. As my friend Liina Ivik says and we are not going back. This is only the beginning with taking back the spirit of Inuitness.
Perhaps it is not an accident, along with the blossoming arts is the space the LGBTQ2+ community are claiming in expression and arts, therefore in our community. Freeing all of us from indoctrinated ideas of very binary or either/or ways of seeing relationships, genders, and the terms we use to refer to people in the English language. By no means, are the LGBTQ2+ community safe from hate, there is no shortage of religious zealots who spread their hate and intolerance with hurtful words. So versed in the colonial lens of seeing the world that allows self-loathing to prevail. Hate is, after all, reflection of self. This is all to say there is starting to be safety in numbers.
Art is also in the items we use. I remember the beautifully refined tools my grandfather created, to be used for hunting. They could have been displayed as art pieces, but they were utilitarian. And look at the beautiful parkas, kamiik and other garments that are made. Art is everywhere we look.
Expression and arts means practicing humanity, rawness, exploring depths of emotions and minds, love, spirit, and in utilitarian items. I hope we sit for a moment and honour this reclamation of a part of ourselves. Just very recently Elisapee Isaac in receiving her Juno award stated we have no word for art in our language because we are all meant to be creative. Just sit on that, breath, take it in.
There is, however, a huge part of our spirit still oppressed in Nunavut. It is our language! A lens into seeing the majestic place we live in, and our relationships in it. We are still stealing this lens from our children, by not having an education system that ensures quality language learning happens.
Education is a sensitive and emotionally charged subject. We know instinctively that it is an instrument of indoctrination into the western philosophy, views and systems. Otherwise, why has the west insisted on controlling education as part of their colonial project? Think about the damage the residential schools and federal day schools did to our society. I, like so many, live with it. Because, control over education and spirituality are control over the minds of a society. Over centuries Europe or settler European nations have perfected the science for imperialist or capitalist cause, an economic system that will benefit the colonial or settler colonial nation. We are not taught to think but to simply absorb the textbooks and regurgitate them, so we will learn to do that in society. Otherwise, our education system would mean an Inuit worldview is intact, creates a better economic system on our terms and self-determination resulting in better living conditions. Versus partaking in the capitalist system that serves that larger Nation state, and Inuit when the Nation state only chooses.
After 25 years of Nunavut, Inuit children are still being taught that Canada was discovered by Europeans. Both my children have been taught about the explorers that came to our land, discovered and claimed it. This means the doctrine of discovery is still the premise of our education system, with English as the language as the marker of success.
Imagine that after decades of Inuit striving for systems that protect their way of life and language, to gain a government and organizations they thought would work hard to implement these ideas has meant the reverse. We have done nothing! Nunavut’s biggest failing is the education system. I am ashamed as a Nunavummiut we are still indoctrinating our children in English, and that their ancestors are invisible by not teaching them their own history, therefore they are invisible and do not matter. Imagine going through years of acculturation, and what that does to one’s self-esteem. Then getting as far as your vulnerability allows you to go in this system and having almost no opportunities to make a living. That is Nunavut.
A brief history on language legislation in Nunavut…
After the Nunavut territory was established, and the work to ensure it had systems to function as a government, the first order of business was to create language and education legislation. It took seven years to draft the two language acts and the education act. I have seen the binders of research that went into creating these language acts. I can say, the best models of language policy, including Indigenous language work was reviewed in order to create Nunavut’s language policies. I was also in the government legal division for some of the language law drafting phase, where it was debated and options were given to legislators on whether there should be fines for businesses not abiding Inuktut service requirements or not. There was also extensive public consultation between 2004-2007. This was a process of righting the wrong of language policy of extermination. So we thought.
The reason there were three pieces of language legislation was that Official languages act would recognize the official languages of the territory. Nunavut being part of Canada felt it had no choice but to have English and French as official languages along with Inuktut. The Inuit language protection act would take special measures to protect the Inuktut language, so that it would have a language authority that would create language tools, decide on standard terminology, obligates governments and businesses on minimum standards, and create a right for parents to receive language of instruction in Inuktut for their children. The Education Act was, obviously outlining how the Education system was to deliver in all official languages, including a promise of bilingual education of English and Inuktut (with exception of the French language system).
It must be noted that the language acts talk about ‘Inuit language’ because it was recognized Inuinnaqtun dialect and Inuktitut dialect have different terms referring to the Inuit language in their dialect. Later, the term Inuktut was used to refer to both the dialects. To this day we have Inuit complaining about the term Inuktut, a term meant to unify an approach to protect our language. Failing to see that the term is meant to refer to our language. That, and attitude of dialect dominance are one of the biggest barriers to getting ahead with approach to language protection. ‘My dialect is better than yours’ or ‘that is not how we say it in my dialect’, the language and cultural policing does so much to continue deterring of language learning. With the deterioration of the language where English is becoming more and more dominant, makes for hostile and difficult environment for language learners. Lateral violence, conformity, along with not having an education system that ensures we learn the language well, is a recipe for Inuktut to fade away.
With Education Act, language of instruction was supposed to reach school year 2019-2020. But nothing was done to actualise this goal. No additional training for teachers, no special efforts to train teachers to instruct in Inuktut, no curriculum and material creation that became public or available. We know there was a lot of work done to create curriculum from the Elders that worked hard on them, but the naysayers in the system either hid them away or never revealed them. There are people in the system who do not want Inuktut to be a strong component of the education system. They make excuses of how it can’t or won’t be done. Too much work, too much money, too many unknowns. This casts a doubt on Inuit who initially believed or believe it could be done.
The previous government amended the Inuit Language Protection Act, taking away parents right to receive Inuktut education for their children. And amending the Education Act taking away powers from local education authorities. So, from passive inaction, the government proactively took away rights and means for parents and communities to control how education is to be delivered.
All of the the members of the legislative assembly passed the amendment, every single one of them. I cannot understand how not even one asked why. It makes me think about how far we get caught in the system. So, in November 2020, all the members of legislative assembly unanimously consented to taking away these rights.
As a Nunavummiut Inuk, I am embarrassed this has happened. In a government with Inuit leaders. Embarrassed we continue to allow oppressive acts that hinder progression of protecting our culture and language.
I only half blame the politicians though. Yes, they are responsible for the continued inaction that keeps moving target dates to teach our children Inuktut as our language rapidly declines. The recent target date is a promise of a phased approach with all grades being taught Inuktut by the year 2039, in a language arts program. So the goal has been reduced to a class, with target late furthered. As time passes, it will become more and more difficult with passing of time, and strong language holders becoming fewer and fewer. Rather than making bold decisions and fighting for Inuit, political leaders pass it on to the next group of leaders.
Back to half blaming, because I know how difficult it is to shift the system that is full of administrators working hard to uphold the status quo. When I served as a languages commissioner, it took a toll on my mental health. I literally started to feel crazy for asserting rights for Inuit. When I took the job on, I learned the position had been demoted to an assistant deputy minister level, answering to the Clerk. I fought behind the scenes for the independence of the office, making no headway. Even though clear legislative intent did not match policy, and legal opinions substantiated this.
In a position that should be non contentious lobbying for language rights, in a region that is majority Inuit, the biggest questioners of actions I took were Inuit politicians (ironically, those who do not speak Inuktut were the biggest opponents). The undermining probably had a lot to do with the fact I was a young Inuk woman with a law degree, I had to be quieted.
I was determined to shift the office to deal with systemic issues rather than individual complaints, especially with the anticipation of additions to the role under Inuit Language Protection Act. It was rife with opportunity to shift how the office functions. Again, the behind the scenes questioning and undermining took a toll. I can say, there are politicians who do not care about protecting the language. They will fight it, along with administration that will vigorously support them. The crazy thing is their rationale seems totally normal, when it is in fact absurd. That is how the system works.
It will take huge effort to gain administration that serves the interest of Inuit. And we must continue, as Inuit to educate ourselves on what it means to be anti-colonial and what reclamation is. We must stop being so nice to naysayers and equip ourselves with facts and figures, and create a network of support.
In October 2021, Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. filed lawsuit against the territorial government for failing to deliver education in Inuktut. After all, this is what Nunavut was supposed to be about. With our territorial government fighting the lawsuit claiming Inuit have no language rights to claim. Which is so absurd, bonkers in fact! It is so unfortunate and sad it has come to this, and families are torn on different ‘sides’. Again, the system leads us to this.
As disheartening as it is, it is not too late though.
Purpose of Education…
What is an education for? How would we create confident, capable Inuit children and youth? Thinking in their mother language, and applying that worldview in their part of the world and wherever they choose to go in the world. I am still hopeful, Inuit will take hold of the education system one way or another. Perhaps in small pockets here and there at first. The continued centralizing and maintaining prioritizing western systems and ways will eventually be seen as damaging, and the reason so many of our young people struggle. It literally kills or dims our spirit and displaces our identity as Inuit. Reclamation will not be easy, as we will be on uncharted territory trying out how it works. It is so important we trust ourselves to do it. Lateral violence and acculturationists in the system will continue to be the biggest barriers, but we must arm ourselves in numbers and collectivity. We must do this for the love of our children and ourselves.