Photo: Nunavik says goodbye to Umiujaq leader

Nunavimmiut say goodbye to Nunavik elder Robbie Tookalook, a veteran political leader in the region and a signatory to the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement. Tookalook passed away this week at age 73. Makivik Corp. called Tookalook one of the “architects of the Nunavik we know and enjoy today.” He was a signatory to Nunavik’s 1975 land claims agreement and a long-time board member on Makivik and its subsidiary airline, Air Inuit. Tookalook also served as mayor to his hometown of Kuujjuaraapik for many years, and then later as mayor to Umiujaq, a community he helped to establish and called home for the latter part of his life. “He said it seems like he spent his whole life in politics but adds he liked the life of a hunter the most,” Makivik said in a tribute to the late leader this week. (PHOTO COURTESY OF MAKIVIK CORP)