Nunavik’s Proud Reunions rekindles pride — again

Evie Mark, far right, gave Inuit cultural workshops as this year’s Proud Reunions summer camp, held in Kangiqsujuaq Aug. 1- 5. (PHOTO COURTESY OF PROUD REUNIONS)

Shona McCusker, a former Kangiqsujauq school principal, led three-legged races during the Proud Reunions camp last month. (PHOTO COURTESY OF PROUD REUNIONS)

The best part of this year’s Proud Reunions summer camp was “being outside,” says Evie Mark.

Proud Reunions, which launched in Inukjuak in 2009, brings popular former teachers back to Nunavik to lead a week-long camp workshop for students, while training local youth as team leaders.

The camp, held for a second year in Kangiqsujuaq this past August, kept youth busy camping, fishing and even swimming in the frigid river.

Mark, a Montreal-based cultural educator, told participants traditional Inuit stories and legends, coached throat singing, made inuksuks and taught students about local plants – for the most part, under the sky.

“We tried to do as much outdoor activity as we could,” she said. “Inuit people used to live outdoors, that’s where we’re the strongest.”

The camp invited former principal Shona McCusker of the local Arsaniq school to lead workshops at this year’s event, held Aug. 1 to 5.

Proud Reunions also invited Mark to participate, after she had visited the community earlier in the year as part of the “BluePrint for Life” hip hop workshop.

Mark said one of the best-liked activities – among young campers and teenage leaders alike — was hide and seek, played throughout the community.

Seekers used Inuit songs are as part of the game, Mark said, which she calls “fun, rhythmic and poetic.”

“It seems like traditional activities have become symbolic so was trying to put them back into use,” Mark said. “The two [northern and southern] cultures blend well together, because that’s the kind of world these youth live in.”

“It was fun.”

Dean Blachford, a former Inukjuak teacher and founder of the Proud Reunions camp, said the community of Kangiqsujuaq offered plenty of resources to this year’s camp, including use of the municipality’s kayaks, mountain bikes and indoor pool.

Kangiqsujuaq mayor Mary Pilurtuut even participated in the camp’s Amazing Race — and won.

Although the camp launched in Inukjuak, Proud Reunions did not hold a camp there this year because of other scheduled activities.

But Kangiqsujuaq got some of Inukjuak’s expertise when the local landholding corporation there paid to send 2010 camp facilitator Agga Nayoumealuk and three youth leaders and to Kangiqsujauq to participate in this year’s camp.

Teenaged leaders trained from July 25 to 29 before hosting the young campers in early August.

“It went really well,” Blachford said. “Every year it has a different feel because we bring up different teachers. This year, the kids were pretty blown away by the activities and the Inuit culture.”

Proud Reunions is funded by a number of organizations, including the Kativik Regional Government, Makivik Corp., Brighter Futures and Air Inuit.

Susie Nappaaluk and Amittuk Annie caught dinner on the Proud Reunions leadership training fishing trip. (PHOTO COURTESY OF PROUD REUNIONS)