Budding Nunavut artist blooms at Iqaluit music festival

Rankin Inlet’s Kuuri Panika performs at a June 30 showcase at Alianait, Nunavut’s largest music and arts festival, held annually in Iqaluit. (PHOTO BY BETH BROWN)

Kuuri Panika picked up his guitar so his people would know they are not alone.

Troubled by high rates of suicide in the territory and a sense of hopelessness he saw in negative Facebook posts, as well as the death of both his father and uncle, the budding Rankin Inlet songwriter turned to music.

“I didn’t know what else to do, so I wrote a song,” said Panika.

That was around two years ago. At the time the piece, called “Inuusiiq Ajurnaqsisuu,” or in English, “Life Gets Hard,” went viral in the territory.

This past January, Panika lived through a devastating accident when a Bombardier snow machine he was travelling in on a cargo run from Rankin Inlet to Arviat went through the ice of Hudson Bay, killing three of his uncles and a fourth man. Panika was the sole survivor.

Despite all the heartbreaking challenges he has endured, Panika maintains hope, and broadcasts hope, through his music.

“I wanted to be a music therapist in a way,” he said, adding that he has a simple message for listeners. “Never give up. Never forget that you are loved.”

The young Inuktitut-folk artist shared his soul-food songs, June 30, to a packed audience during a solo performance at the Alianait Arts Festival at Nakasuk School.

It was his debut performance at the annual Nunavut arts festival, and was just a few days before he also performed in the Qaggiavuut theatre production of “Kiviuq Returns.”

The pan-Arctic theatre troupe performed the show July 3 at the arts festival, after practicing in the South—for lack of a performing arts centre in the territory.

It was Panika’s first time acting on stage. “I didn’t know what I was signing up for,” he said, but he knew the role would bring travel opportunities and further his career as an artist.

He said his favourite scene in the show is a duet and love song he performs with cast member Natasha Allakariallak, called “Uppirilauqpina,” or “Did You Believe Me.”

As Kiviuq, he coerces his shapeshifting lover, who is a fox in the scene, to be his wife by returning her coat of fur that he had stolen.

Panika has plans to record an album of his original music, though it won’t be his first release.

When he was 12 years old, he recorded a cover album of gospel songs on the piano with help from Nunavut music icon Charlie Panigoniak. He made the album on numerous requests from his community, and sold every copy.

And still today, it’s support from Nunavummiut that keeps him singing.

“People tell me to keep going,” he said. They say “thank you, you gave me hope.”

The Qaggiavuut cast will perform “Kiviuq Returns” at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa later in July.