Makivik Magazine Issue 90

mr{[s2 vt1zi7mEc3tyiz
Makivik AGM
W€3 ƒ3Ñ fÑ4 ytu5 trMsJK6 wk8i4 sç[cEx3ghi.
Pierre Corbeil came from Quebec City to address the Inuit.
Bob mesher x3
mr[4 eu3Dxq5
20
iDx3bsMeAmi3j5 scomi6 yK3œymstsc5bymJ6 yKizA5
mr{[s2 x3ÇAbµ3ystui4 vt1zic3tyizi WbcD8âg6
x7ml WI‰vW8insA8NyMsJ5hi vt1zi6 s8kf5 sb3eJ3bc­
MsJA8âm5 iDxD†5 ckwo7m¯b. É5g†5 xu§1qg5 gis3cbsMsJ7uJ5
b4Zi ñu É5gC5nMEsJk5. ÷I fxb vt1zi3u4
s4fxyAtu4 g5yxt5yAtcMsJJ6 x7ml WNh5†5 ni3?èyMsJ7uJ5
ñi4 x7ml iWoEsti4.
èWt k1z6 gipAtcMsJJ6 x?b4f5 gn3tyAtq8i4
wk5tg5 scsy6 ckw5güo3m¯ s9lu.
Zebedee Nungak presented a report for Avataq on the state of
the Inuit language.
bm8N x4MymJ1awi6 w¬8Nq8i4 scsyc5Iq5g6; kw5ygw8Ng6
wMq8i4 kwbicExc9ME5gi4. wkw5 kN[7u, ryxi,
gñA8Nc5bMs3g5 gn3nsnstQJi4 WQx3izi5 k3ciz tr5hA
xq3Cym5ht4 ˆMst4f5, x7ml Nf3übK5 t1ux6 XsJq WymJ6
b3Cus5 iWz4fi5 bm5hjz W7mE7j5 W5JpAtj5. iDxDbsMsJJ6
mr{[s2 x3ÇAbµ3ystui4 vt1zic3tyiE˜o3uIz @)!!u
x©t˜o3ut9lA n9li.
vt1zi6 whot9lA WÌ3tyAti4 É5ggwicMsJK5.
Gifts were presented at the closing of the meeting.
Zebedee Nungak accompanied Charlie Arngak to give a presentation
from Avataq. Charlie spoke of how Avataq has existed for more
than 30 years to promote Inuit culture and language and is included
in the Nunavik government process. People are becoming aware of
Avataq’s local culture committees and their purpose. The centrepiece
of the Avataq presentation was a new publication, A Synthesis of the
Results from Workshops Held in the Nunavik Communities, which Zebedee
described. He forewarns that if the language is lost, Inuit cannot depend
upon outsiders to bring it back. It begins with Inuit, in the home, to assert
Inuktittut and protect it from fading away. “Let’s not wait for the future,
let’s do it today,” Zebedee said.
While the Avataq representatives spoke of the low number of
Inuit in Chisasibi who now speak Inuktittut, Johnny Peters mentioned
that in Labrador and the Western Arctic Inuit have also nearly lost their
native language and he is concerned that the same thing could happen
to Inuit in Nunavik.
This was the first ever Makivik AGM that did not include the
announcement of any universal executive election results. Instead,
the day for Makivik’s executive universal elections has been changed
from the last Friday of each annual general meeting to the third
Thursday of each January. It means that the tension and quasi-campaigning
that hindered previous AGMs is no longer there and the
meeting was able to finish earlier in the evening because there was
no waiting around for ballot results. A few gifts were handed out
at the front table to those who very well deserved them. Johnny
Gordon led in the closing prayer and staff dismantled the tables and
sound equipment.
This piece of writing does not tell everything; it paints some of the
highlights. The Inuit of Nunavik, however, were able to hear the live
play-by-play from beginning to end on their home radio, and we thank
Timmiak Pauyungie of Taqramiut Nipingat for this important service. It
was voted that Makivik’s AGM for 2011 will take place in Salluit.