Inuttitut is one of the strongest aboriginal languages in the world. Nunavik has the highest retention rate out of all the Inuit regions in Canada.. everyone speaks inuttitut, everyone understands words here and there, we all understand and even if we dont speak it, we get the point of the conversation. I used to consider myself a fluent inuttitut speaker, but the closer i look at the way i use the language, i'm starting to realize that i'm a bad speaker.
I'm honest to god a bad inuttitut speaker. I dont know the real inuttitut. When i speak, i mix english and inuttitut like it's my job. I mix sentences and even words. Seriously, I cant even complete a word in one language sometimes. Ex: "Mirror-ra sukkulaurtu when i closed the door, slam-kallasugu ilaaniungitu. Then i had to clean the saniks it made. Good thing i didnt kilik" That's the way i speak.. that's how most of my friends speak, we talk to each other like that. It's pathetic.. and the reason i do it is because im just lazy.. I recognize that it's going to be hard twork to change it, there are habits that need breaking and it's a lifestyle choice that im going to have to make.
People talk about the impending loss of the inuttitut language.. they discuss ways of saving it. Meetings, policy and workshops are held regularly to figure out how to keep it alive. But i can feel it dying inside of me.. with every English word i write, with every "hi" n place of "Ai".. every little thing i do, i'm contributing to the death of my mother tongue. It can happen in my lifetime.. mostly because it`s not just me doing it.. my peers all do it, that`s how we communicate with each other. Politicians keep trying to save it.. but none of thier work is of any use if we keep acting the way we do. No policy or workshop can make us change.. it needs to come from within.. we need to stop killing inuttitut.. we need to start speaking it. Properly.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Nunavik House in Rosemont and Villeray
A few months ago, I wrote a note about the abysmal state and location of Nunavik House, I drafted the petition that was then signed by over 200 Nunavimmiut demanding they find a new location.
The area of Notre-Dame-de-Grace that Nunavik House is at present, is one of the most dangerous places in the city of Montreal. The area is crawling with criminal activity; drugs, gangs, cheap motels and seedy bars are everywhere. That place, a place where you can’t walk alone at night, where you can’t escape the pushers and dealers, was the very place we sent our most vulnerable people to live and stay. No wonder there was an uprising, a revolution.. the people, our people, talked among themselves, sharing horror stories and concerns. It started with acceptance, what more could we ask for? We’re being treated by medical professionals in the south with all the newest technology. That quiet acceptance simmered into deep frustration. Why are we being put here? Into these circumstances? That frustration then boiled into anger and genuine fear. This is unacceptable; we have the right to security of person, especially during times of physical fragility.
The Inuit of Nunavik have never suffered for long in silence. We always find our voice at some point and we fight for our rights as Inuit, as Canadians and as human beings. The process is inevitable, we’re nobody’s doormat.
When we received news that Nunavik House will be moved to a safer part of the city, we celebrated. Another battle won, another step in the direction of a healthy society. Now we are being told we’re not welcome? Residents of Rosemont and Villeray launched a vicious, abusive, racist, ignorant campaign against the Nunavik House Project in their community. Their ill informed website (that i personally have not seen) alleged that the coming of Nunavik House would inevitably result in increased crime, drugs, prostitution, and urine smell among other things. Yes, urine smell. I’m no stranger to negative media about Inuit. Believe me, I’ve written post after post about it. But to say that an Inuit residence would bring the smell of urine into your community is, by far the most disgusting, insulting thing I’ve ever heard.
Why is it that the people of Rosemont and Villeray think Inuit would bring these things into their community? We have been begging to leave the very place where those things are abundant. Of course, the only information they hear about the Inuit is how much it sucks to be us. With the suicide rates, high infant mortality, smoking and alcoholism on the front page of every Inuit region, no wonder outsiders assume we’ll bring death and destruction.
When i read the article about Rosemont and Villeray i wanted to be angry. I wanted to become defensive. I wanted to launch a counter-attack on the hurtful message. But the more i think about it, the easier it is to see through their eyes. They don’t know the real story about Inuit –the full story. Inuit have the most gentle hearts, we understand true kindness; we have a beautiful language, we have beautiful art and amazing food. We have so much to offer the world, if they only knew, they would be excited to welcome a new demographic. Inuit could add a whole new cultural dimension to the community. The people of Rosemont and Villeray would no doubt be exposed to some of the most talented artists, to throat singers and elders and big cheeked babies. They could learn the art of the kunik, an Eskimo kiss –the simple joy in the smell of a newborn. They could try nikkuk and the brave ones could try misirak. They would learn so much about fellow Canadians. About people that seem so far removed, but are really, very accessible. The potential for creating peace between Canadian Inuit and their southern counterparts is immense.
Inuit really do have so much to offer, they’ve just been living in fear and uncertainty in NDG. We don’t have the opportunity to spread the beauty in our culture when we’re surrounded by the ugliest parts of urban culture. To the people of Rosemont and Villeray I encourage you to learn more about Inuit, from Inuit. Together, we can create a beautiful mosaic of Canadian culture in the little borough you call home.
The area of Notre-Dame-de-Grace that Nunavik House is at present, is one of the most dangerous places in the city of Montreal. The area is crawling with criminal activity; drugs, gangs, cheap motels and seedy bars are everywhere. That place, a place where you can’t walk alone at night, where you can’t escape the pushers and dealers, was the very place we sent our most vulnerable people to live and stay. No wonder there was an uprising, a revolution.. the people, our people, talked among themselves, sharing horror stories and concerns. It started with acceptance, what more could we ask for? We’re being treated by medical professionals in the south with all the newest technology. That quiet acceptance simmered into deep frustration. Why are we being put here? Into these circumstances? That frustration then boiled into anger and genuine fear. This is unacceptable; we have the right to security of person, especially during times of physical fragility.
The Inuit of Nunavik have never suffered for long in silence. We always find our voice at some point and we fight for our rights as Inuit, as Canadians and as human beings. The process is inevitable, we’re nobody’s doormat.
When we received news that Nunavik House will be moved to a safer part of the city, we celebrated. Another battle won, another step in the direction of a healthy society. Now we are being told we’re not welcome? Residents of Rosemont and Villeray launched a vicious, abusive, racist, ignorant campaign against the Nunavik House Project in their community. Their ill informed website (that i personally have not seen) alleged that the coming of Nunavik House would inevitably result in increased crime, drugs, prostitution, and urine smell among other things. Yes, urine smell. I’m no stranger to negative media about Inuit. Believe me, I’ve written post after post about it. But to say that an Inuit residence would bring the smell of urine into your community is, by far the most disgusting, insulting thing I’ve ever heard.
Why is it that the people of Rosemont and Villeray think Inuit would bring these things into their community? We have been begging to leave the very place where those things are abundant. Of course, the only information they hear about the Inuit is how much it sucks to be us. With the suicide rates, high infant mortality, smoking and alcoholism on the front page of every Inuit region, no wonder outsiders assume we’ll bring death and destruction.
When i read the article about Rosemont and Villeray i wanted to be angry. I wanted to become defensive. I wanted to launch a counter-attack on the hurtful message. But the more i think about it, the easier it is to see through their eyes. They don’t know the real story about Inuit –the full story. Inuit have the most gentle hearts, we understand true kindness; we have a beautiful language, we have beautiful art and amazing food. We have so much to offer the world, if they only knew, they would be excited to welcome a new demographic. Inuit could add a whole new cultural dimension to the community. The people of Rosemont and Villeray would no doubt be exposed to some of the most talented artists, to throat singers and elders and big cheeked babies. They could learn the art of the kunik, an Eskimo kiss –the simple joy in the smell of a newborn. They could try nikkuk and the brave ones could try misirak. They would learn so much about fellow Canadians. About people that seem so far removed, but are really, very accessible. The potential for creating peace between Canadian Inuit and their southern counterparts is immense.
Inuit really do have so much to offer, they’ve just been living in fear and uncertainty in NDG. We don’t have the opportunity to spread the beauty in our culture when we’re surrounded by the ugliest parts of urban culture. To the people of Rosemont and Villeray I encourage you to learn more about Inuit, from Inuit. Together, we can create a beautiful mosaic of Canadian culture in the little borough you call home.
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