Obituary: Elashuk Pauyungie of Salluit, 73, veteran Inuit broadcaster

(Top) Elashuk Pauyungie as a young woman. (Below) Elashuk Pauyungie as an elder and respected broadcaster with Taqramiut Nipingat Inc. (PHOTOS COURTESY OF PUTULIK ILISITUK)

PUTULIK ILISITUK

Sallumiut and Nunavimmiut have lost Elashuk Pauyungie, dear friend to many, a hard worker, an elder, a counselor and a board member for different organizations.

She was an outspoken individual who was not afraid of speaking the truth.

Elashuk was a good communicator and a veteran broadcaster who worked for Taqramiut Nipingat Inc., regional radio station based in Salluit. She had recently retired in 2012 after 26 years in the organization.

She seemed tireless and attended meetings of various organizations as a board member in her later years.

Elashuk had said in an interview that her biological father was a Hudson Bay Co. trader by the name of Robert Cruikshank, who died in 1962, originally from Aberdeen, Scotland, who was based for a time in Sugluk (Salluit.)

Her mother was Siasie Qaqanga Angutigirk, who later married Tumasi Angutigirk. Tumasi died in 2002.

Elashuk grew up with her family living and practicing her traditional heritage. She lived in igloos in the winter and tents in the summer. There was nothing much back then except a few belongings and what mattered most was the clothes on their backs and that there was some food to eat.

The trading posts, HBC and Revillon Frères, had some things to offer to the more experienced hunters who could bring back game and skins. The trading posts traded in essentials such as flour, baking powder, tea, lard and sugar and some fabric and hardware.

Elashuk saw life from a small village of igloos with the only houses belonging to the HBC and the Roman Catholic mission with Father Kees Verspeek O.M.I., where she found her first job as a housemaid.

People were getting used to warm houses and flocked to the mission to play card games or just to be there. That is where she learned nursing skills and assisted the priest in administering much needed medicines. Over time, she was able to give injections herself to sick patients.

She engaged in the growing community and got married to Josie Pauyungie, giving birth to two children and adopting a son. Josie died in 2008 from sickness.

Elashuk and her family lost a grandson, the late Simeonie Pauyungie in a drowning accident in 2009. Simeonie was 22 and was becoming a good gospel singer and a drummer in church at the time.

Taqramiut Nipingat opened the first Inuit radio production centre in Salluit with a few employees in 1978 and in house broadcasts were recorded on cassettes and sent to all the communities to air in their respective FM radio stations.

TNI radio later obtained its own broadcasting license and operated live and prerecorded broadcasts in Inuttitut to Nunavik as well as on the internet through their website. It is governed by a board of directors with an administrative office in Montreal and radio operations in Salluit.

Elashuk had said that she didn’t know whether to accept a job offer, saying she didn’t know anything at all about broadcasting in the fledgling radio station, but she accepted the position in 1986.

She went on to learn skills as a radio announcer as TNI improved the quality of its programming and computer equipment.

TNI has a lot to be thankful in that interviews and stories with elders were recorded over the years by Elashuk and her colleagues, forming an impressive library as well as other collections.

Community reports on TNI radio are provided by representatives from most of the communities in Nunavik and they air live organizational and political meetings that are relevant to the region.

World news has been translated and broadcast and done with a more professional level of newscasting. The radio station has grown from a small operation to a weekly live radio broadcast entity for Nunavik — and beyond through the internet.

Elashuk worked with her fellow announcers, who supported and provided radio material for her. She herself became a mentor because of her experience tackling hard issues and presented them professionally on the air.

Elashuk was also instrumental in creating a morning current affairs radio show called “Qitaisaut” and the weekly religious show ‘Tusaruminaktut’ on Tuesday nights.

She was still on contract on the latter project at the time of her passing.

It was just after 8 a.m. on Dec. 7 that her daughter Louisa Pauyungie became aware that Elashuk wasn’t coming out of her bedroom and went to check on her, to discover that she wasn’t breathing.

Louisa rushed to her daughter-in-law and an ambulance was called. They could not revive Elashuk and was she was pronounced dead. They suspected that she had died earlier in her sleep. She was 73.

The night before, Elashuk had attended the talent show in Salluit in good spirits.

She leaves behind her daughter and two sons, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Her funeral took place on Dec. 12, and in attendance were Sallumiut and visitors from nearby communities. The service was broadcasted live on TNI radio.

R. I. P. Elashuk Pauyungie.