IInuitnuit WWomenomen - SSecondecond EEdition.indddition.indd 1 22011-01-19011-01-19 115:47:095:47:09 IInuitnuit WWomenomen - SSecondecond EEdition.indddition.indd 2 22011-01-19011-01-19 115:47:365:47:36 Arnait Nipingit Inuit Women in Leadership and Governance IInuitnuit WWomenomen - SSecondecond EEdition.indddition.indd 3 22011-01-19011-01-19 115:47:365:47:36 IInuitnuit WWomenomen - SSecondecond EEdition.indddition.indd 4 22011-01-19011-01-19 115:47:365:47:36 Arnait Nipingit Inuit Women in Leadership and Governance Donna Adams, Nancy Anilniliak, Okalik Eegeesiak, Leena Evic, Ann Meekitjuk Hanson, Rhoda Innuksuk, Nancy Karetak-Lindell, Madeleine Redfern, Joan Scottie, Elisapee Sheutiapik, Manitok Thompson, Sheila Watt-Cloutier Foreword by the Honourable Eva Aariak Premier of Nunavut, Minister Responsible for the Status of Women Edited by Louis McComber and Shannon Partridge Inuit Leadership and Governance Volume One Second Edition IInuitnuit WWomenomen - SSecondecond EEdition.indddition.indd 5 22011-01-19011-01-19 115:47:365:47:36 Inuit Leadership and Governance Volume One (Second Edition) Arnait Nipingit Inuit Women in Leadership and Governance Copyright © 2010 Nunavut Arctic College, Louis McComber, Shannon Partridge, Donna Adams, Nancy Anilniliak, Okalik Eegeesiak, Leena Evic, Ann Meekitjuk Hanson, Rhoda Innuksuk, Nancy Karetak-Lindell, Madeleine Redfern, Joan Scottie, Elisapee Sheutiapik, Manitok Thompson, Sheila Watt-Cloutier Photographs courtesy: Donna Adams, Nancy Anilniliak, City of Iqaluit, Okalik Eegeesiak, Leena Evic, Rhoda Innuksuk, Nancy Karetak-Lindell, Library and Archives Canada, Ed Maruyama, Office of the Commissioner of Nunavut, Public Service Alliance of Canada, Madeleine Redfern, Joan Scottie, Elisapee Sheutiapik, Manitok Thompson, Sheila Watt-Cloutier Front cover photograph courtesy: Michel Albert and Kelly Nowdlak Front and back cover design: Pierre Hamon All rights reserved. The use of any part of this publication, reproduced, transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, or stored in a retrieval system, without written consent of the publisher is an infringement of the copyright law. ISBN: 978-1-897568-08-8 Published by the Language and Culture Program of Nunavut Arctic College, Iqaluit. Arnait Nipingit was produced through a partnership between Nunavut Arctic College, Laval University’s CIERA (Centre interuniversitaire d’études et de recherches autochtones), Qulliit Nunavut Status of Women Council and the Nunavut Department of Education. The book series entitled Inuit Leadership and Governance is part of a CIERA research project funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada within its Community-University Research Alliance program. For order information: CIERA Telephone: (418) 656-7596 [email protected] IInuitnuit WWomenomen - SSecondecond EEdition.indddition.indd 6 22011-01-19011-01-19 115:47:365:47:36 Table of Contents Foreword ...................................................................... 11 Acknowledgements ...................................................... 13 Nunavut Map .............................................................. 16 1- Donna Adams Balancing Traditional and Modern Values ......... 19 2- Nancy Anilniliak Doing What I Know Best .................................... 29 3- Okalik Eegeesiak We Can Change Our Expectations ...................... 37 4- Leena Evic Reclaiming the Whole Woman ........................... 47 5- Ann Meekitjuk Hanson Women Are Natural Leaders ............................... 59 6- Rhoda Innuksuk Every Child Needs a Safe Home ......................... 73 7- Nancy Karetak-Lindell Instilling Hope ...................................................... 85 IInuitnuit WWomenomen - SSecondecond EEdition.indddition.indd 7 22011-01-19011-01-19 115:47:365:47:36 8- Madeleine Redfern Supporting Civil Development .............................. 95 9- Joan Scottie That Is Where My Spirit Lives ............................ 111 10- Elisapee Sheutiapik The Art of Connecting People ............................. 125 11- Manitok Thompson Don’t Just Think About It, Do It! ....................... 139 12- Sheila Watt-Cloutier Pioneering Change ............................................... 157 Biographies and References Donna Adams ....................................................... 171 Nancy Anilniliak .................................................. 173 Okalik Eegeesiak ................................................... 176 Leena Evic ............................................................. 179 Ann Meekitjuk Hanson ....................................... 183 Rhoda Innuksuk ................................................... 188 Nancy Karetak-Lindell ......................................... 192 Madeleine Redfern ............................................... 196 Joan Scottie .......................................................... 199 Elisapee Sheutiapik .............................................. 203 Manitok Thompson ............................................. 205 Sheila Watt-Cloutier ............................................ 209 Index ............................................................................ 215 IInuitnuit WWomenomen - SSecondecond EEdition.indddition.indd 8 22011-01-19011-01-19 115:47:365:47:36 The Honourable Eva Aariak, Premier of Nunavut, Minister Responsible for the Status of Women IInuitnuit WWomenomen - SSecondecond EEdition.indddition.indd 9 22011-01-19011-01-19 115:47:365:47:36 IInuitnuit WWomenomen - SSecondecond EEdition.indddition.indd 1100 22011-01-19011-01-19 115:47:375:47:37 Foreword In Inuit culture, our leaders earned respect not only because of their hard work, resourcefulness, and wisdom, but because they brought out the best in those around them. They made everyone feel valued for their contribution. Leadership was based on equality and balance, and women always played an integral role. The knowledge and strength of women throughout our history has helped Inuit not only to survive under often challenging conditions, but to thrive. Women continue to be the backbone of our community today. They are grounded in their culture, with a solid understanding of where they come from and with a confidence rooted in Inuit values. The remarkable women featured in this book all work passionately for their communities. Their backgrounds are varied and their work extends far and wide: from political leadership, education, environmental stewardship, to advocacy. These women highlight the importance of leadership at every level in Nunavut. They remind us that leadership does not necessarily need to take place in the public eye to be valued. This book honours the women who stand centre stage, as well as those who work tirelessly behind the scenes. As leaders, we need to honour our ways of knowing and doing and take our responsibilities for past and future generations seriously. We need women mentors and guides, women who practice and contribute to leadership. For us IInuitnuit WWomenomen - SSecondecond EEdition.indddition.indd 1111 22011-01-19011-01-19 115:47:375:47:37 12 INUIT WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE Inuit women, it can be difficult to discuss our own successes; we are modest and do not always consider ourselves to be at the forefront of change. However, showcasing our own role models means illustrating to younger generations that Inuit women have strength, capacity, and resilience. It is my hope that initiatives like these will encourage and inspire women to work at all levels of leadership and to contribute to positive change in our territory and beyond. The Honourable Eva Aariak, Premier of Nunavut, Minister Responsible for the Status of Women Iqaluit, August 19, 2010 IInuitnuit WWomenomen - SSecondecond EEdition.indddition.indd 1122 22011-01-19011-01-19 115:47:375:47:37 Acknowledgements It is a great privilege for us to have collaborated on this fascinating book with such remarkable people. We are sincerely grateful to all those who so readily agreed to contribute: Donna Adams, Nancy Anilniliak, Okalik Eegeesiak, Leena Evic, Ann Meekitjuk Hanson, Rhoda Innuksuk, Nancy Karetak-Lindell, Madeleine Redfern, Joan Scottie, Elisapee Sheutiapik, Manitok Thompson, and Sheila Watt-Cloutier. We learned a lot from each of them about the courage it takes to speak up and take a stand. Their trust and self-confidence allowed us to record the kind of moving testimonies that they share with a broader public in this book. We sincerely thank the Premier of Nunavut and Minister Responsible for the Status of Women, the Honourable Eva Aariak, who graciously agreed to write a foreword. As the only woman member of the current Nunavut Legislative Assembly, and as the first woman premier of Nunavut, she is surely an inspiration to all. The project to publish a book about the important public contributions of Nunavut Inuit women originated with the Qulliit Nunavut Status of Women Council. It was obvious that such a book was needed, especially after the appearance of Nunavut Arctic College’s recent book series, “Life Stories of Northern Leaders”, for which the life stories of five male Inuit public figures were published. Qulliit was particularly interested in a publication that would present the voices of Inuit women leaders because they IInuitnuit WWomenomen - SSecondecond EEdition.indddition.indd 1133 22011-01-19011-01-19 115:47:375:47:37 14 INUIT WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE were planning the Arnait Nipingit (Women’s Voices) Leadership