Makivik Magazine Issue 114

ᒪᑭᕕᒃ ᕿᒥᕐᕈᐊᖏᑦ
ᐅᔩ ᑐᑐᕆᕙ ᑲᑎᒪᓂᐊᕈᓯᖃᕐᑎᓯᔪᖅ ᑖᓂᓯᕈᓯᖓᓂᒃ ᒪᐅᔩᑦ ᐱᒋᐅᕐᓴᑐᓂ ᑖᓂᓯᕈᓯᕐᒥᒃ ᖃᑲ.
Ray Totorewa facilitating a workshop on a sequence of footwork drills as part of haka
training, the warrior dance of the Maori.
ᐅᐱᕐᖔᒥ ᐊᐅᓪᓛᓯᒪᓚᐅᔪᕗᑦ ᐱᖑᐊᓗᒻᒧᑦ ᒥᕐᖑᐃᓯᕐᕕᒧᑦ, ᑲᖏᕐᓱᔪᐊᑉ
ᓯᓚᑖᓃᑦᑐᒧᑦ, ᔪᓓ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕈᓯᖓᑕ ᑭᖑᓪᓕᐹᖓᓂᑦ ᐊᐅᒡᒍᓯᐅᑉ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕈᓯᖓᑕ
ᓯᕗᓪᓕᐹᖓᓄᑦ. ᒪᕐᕈᐃᒍᓚᐅᔫᑦ ᐅᕕᒐᕐᑐᐃᑦ 18ᓂᒃ ᐅᑭᐅᓖᑦ ᒥᑦᓯᑎᒍᓪᓘᓃᑦ
ᐱᓇᓱᖃᑎᖃᕐᓱᑎᒃ Totorewa-ᒥᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓄᓇᓕᒻᒥ ᐃᓄᒻᒪᕆᒻᒥᒃ.
ᓯᕗᓪᓕᒥ ᓱᒋᐊᖃᕐᓂᒥᓂᒃ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᓪᓚᕆᓐᓂᖏᒃᑲᓗᐊᕐᓱᓂ, Totorewa
ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐃᓕᕐᖁᓯᖓᓂᒃ ᐃᓱᐊᕐᓴᑐᕕᓂᐅᓂᕋᕐᑐᖅ ᓄᓇᓕᑐᖃᐅᖃᑎᒥᓃᒋᐊᒥᓂᒃ
ᐃᑉᐱᒋᔭᖃᕐᓂᕋᒥ.
ᐅᖃᕐᑐᕕᓂᖅ, ᓯᕿᓂᕐᒥᐅᑕᓪᓚᕆᐅᒐᓗᐊᕐᓱᓂ ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᑕᓪᓚᕆᓐᓃᓱᓂ,
ᐃᓱᕐᕆᓯᐊᑐ­ᐃᓐᓇᑐᕕᓂᖅ “ᓄᓇᒥᐅᒍᖃᑎᒥᓃᓐᓂᕋᒥ” ᑐᑭᓯᒪᖃᑎᒋᔭᒥᓂᒃ ᓄᓇᒥᒃ
ᐆᒪᔪᓂᒃ ᐱᕈᕐᑐᓂᓪᓗ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓄᓇᕐᖃᑎᒌᓐᓂᒥᒃ.
ᑖᕙᖕᖓᑦ ᐱᓯᒪᑦᓱᓂ, Totorewa ᐅᓂᒃᑳᓯᐅᖃᑎᐅᑦᓯᐊᕈᓐᓇᑐᕕᓂᖅ.
ᐱᓇᓱᖃᑎᖓᓗ ᓄᓇᓕᒻᒥᐅᖅ ᐃᓄᒻᒪᕆᒃ ᐊᑦᔨᒌᑐᐃᓐᓇᓂᒃ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᑦᓴᖃᕐᓂᕋᒥᒃ:
ᐅᕕᒐᕐᑐᓂᒃ ᐃᒻᒥᓂᒃ ᐅᑉᐱᕆᔭᖃᑦᓯᐊᖁᔨᑦᓱᑎᒃ ᐅᑉᐱᕆᔭᖃᑦᓯᐊᓗᑎᓪᓗ
ᐃᓕᕐᖁᓯᕐᒥᓂᒃ.
ᐃᓄᒻᒪᕆᒻᒥᒃ ᐁᑉᐸᖃᕐᓱᓂ ᐅᓪᓗᑕᒫᑦ ᐊᑦᔨᒌᖕᖏᑐᓂᒃ ᐅᖄᒍᑎᖃ­ᖃᑦᑕ­ᑐᕕᓂᖅ,
ᑕᒪᑐᒧᖓᐅᖓᔪᓂᒃ.
“ᓇᑭᒥᐅᔭᐅᓂᕐᒥᓂᒃ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᖃᑦᑕᓱᓂ ᑭᓇᐅᓂᕐᒥᓂᓪᓗ ᐅᖄᑦᓱᓂ. ᐅᕕᒐᕐᑐᓂᒃ
ᑫᓪᓚᑐᐃᑦᓱᓂ ᐃᒻᒥᓂᒃ ᐅᑉᐱᕆᔭᖃᑦᓯᐊᐸᖁᑦᓱᒋᑦ,” Totorewa ᐅᖃᕐᑐᕕᓂᖅ.
“ᐅᓪᓗᑕᒫᑦ, ᐅᓂᒃᑳᖃᑦᑕᑎᓪᓗᖓ ᖃᓄᖅ ᑐᑭᖃᕐᒪᖔᑦ ᐅᓇᑕᕐᑎᐅᒍᓯᖅ, ᓱᒧᑦ
ᓲᖑᔫᒋᐊᖃᕐᓇᒪᖔᑦ ᐅᓇᑕᕐᑎᑎᑐᑦ.”
ᑲᑎᒪᓂᐊᕈᓯᖃᕇᕐᒪᑦ
ᐱᕐᖁᓯᑐᖃᒃᑯᑦ ᑐᓐᓂᓕᐅᕈᓯᕐᓂᒃ
(ᑖᒧᑯ), ᔦᒥ ᔮᑲ (ᐅᖃᕐᒥᓂᒃ
ᓄᐃᑕᑎᑦᓯᓱᓂ) (whētero)
ᒪᐅᔩᑦ ᑖᓂᓯᕈᓯᖓᓂᒃ
(ᓴᐳᒻᒥᒍᓯᕐᒥᒃ) ᑖᓂᓯᕐᑐᖅ.
After a workshop on
traditional taamoko
(tattooing), Jamie Yaaka
demonstrating the whētero
(protruding of the tongue)
an expression done in a haka
(warrior dance of the Maori).
© MARY PILURTUUT X2
It was then that he knew he could make a difference speaking
with the children in the town, that they would be able to understand
teachings he brought from his community emphasizing the importance
of togetherness and traditional values.
He then agreed to visit the local school, where he delivered a
presentation to the children about maintaining their heritage and being
confident in themselves and their culture.
Mary Pilurtuut, a one-time Mayor of Kangiqsujuaq who sits on the
board of the town’s wellness committee, was so impressed with his
words she knew she wanted to have him back in the fold.
Pilurtuut said she was surprised how closely she felt the children
related to someone from such a different place (“He was the first Maori
man I ever saw in my community,” she said of his visit), but knew after
seeing their reactions that he could be a big support in helping them
feel empowered and independent.
“There are a lot of common things that [Inuit and Maori] are facing,”
she said talking about hearing Totorewa speak. “But he doesn’t even
have to mention what things are destroying our community. Everybody
knows what those things are doing to our lives.”
Instead of focusing on the negative aspects of Indigenous life, she
enjoyed him focusing on ways to solve the problems, namely “to take
any challenge and be sure to stand for your family, your community,
for your country.”
“His message is know who you are and where you come from or else
other people from the outside will come and identify you,” she said.
“That’s the message that I really liked, so I wanted him to come back
and do more presentations.”
For that reason, when it came time for the wellness committee to
plan the annual cultural summer camp for Kangiqsujuaq youth, Pilurtuut
knew who she wanted to be there.
Totorewa agreed without hesitation.
“I knew there was something there that we can’t fully articulate, but
that we know in our heart and in our spirit, I’m not even sure what it is
but we know that it’s a good thing,” he said, reflecting on his first visit.
“I was more than happy to come up.”
The summer camp was held in Pingualuit Park, just outside of
Kangiqsujuaq, from the last week of July through the first week of
August. It featured two groups of youth 18 and under who worked with
Totorewa and a community elder.
While he said at first he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do,
Totorewa said he found it easy to connect with Inuit culture because
he felt a kinship built through the brotherhood of Indigenous peoples.
He said that, while he may be from the far south and they from the
far north, he felt comfortable because both groups are “people of the
land” who can understand the other’s connection to nature and their
community.
Moving from this premise, Totorowea said, it was easy to find common
ground to speak on. He and the community elder who worked with
him had a very similar message: they wanted the youth to believe in
themselves and believe in their culture.
Both he and the elder would speak on different topics each day, but
all centred around that aspect.
“She was speaking about where she was from and who she is. She
was encouraging the youth to believe in themselves,” Totorewa said.
“Every day, I would speak on a particular aspect of what it means to be
a warrior, why it’s important to be strong like a warrior.”
One of the main ways he tried to convey this message was by teaching
the youth a haka, a traditional war dance of the Maori. Each dance,
accompanied with a specific chant, was meant to emphasize a different
lesson he was trying to convey to the youth.
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