A protester holds a sign demanding Pope Francis rescind the Doctrine of Discovery during the papal visit to Iqaluit in July 2022. On Thursday, the Vatican formally repudiated the doctrine, a set of religious and political theories that European rulers used to justify colonizing Indigenous lands. (File photo by Corey Larocque)
Inuit organization applauds Catholic Church’s rejection of controversial doctrine
Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami is calling the Vatican’s decision to rescind the centuries-old Doctrine of Discovery an “important step” on the road to reconciliation.
Kindergarten students at Pitakallak Elementary School in Kuujjuaq got the chance to take part in a caribou-skinning activity on March 14. Teacher Ayaana Berthe says it was an opportunity to share traditional knowledge with the younger generation of Nunavimmiut. Shown from left are Debbie Angnatuk, Mark Annanack, Juanassie Jackie Kudluk, Matthias Mernier, Cowen Lingard, Noah Saunders, Judy Gadbois and Trevor Koneak Tuglavinia. (Photo courtesy of Ayaana Berthe)
Jiika Cain-Snowball, the operator of Kuujjuaq’s arena ice resurfacer, wasn’t lost March 10 as he drove the machine through the streets of the village. He was on his way back to the Kuujjuaq Forum arena after cleaning the ice on the downtown outdoor skating rink. (Photo by Isabelle Dubois, special to Nunatsiaq News)
Teacher Armelle Kodjo-d’Amour, right, serves a plate of eba to Malaya Sappa during a lunch Wednesday at Kiluutaq School in Umiujaq. The lunch was part of the school’s Black History Month celebrations. Kodjo-d’Amour shared several other foods from her home country of Benin in West Africa. (Photo courtesy of Dulcinée Ménard)