Remembering Mary Cousins

Mary Panigusiq Cousins: Feb. 22, 1938 – April 22, 2007

Mary Panigusiq Cousins passed away peacefully in Ottawa on Sunday morning, April 22, after fighting a long and courageous battle with cancer.

Born in Navy Board Inlet on February 22, 1938, the daughter of Lazaroosie Kyak and his wife Letia, Mary spent her early years in Pond Inlet after her father was recruited by the RCMP as a Special Constable.

In 1944, when Mary was six, the famous RCMP schooner, St. Roch, under the command of Henry Larsen, stopped in Pond Inlet to recruit Inuit to accompany the vessel and assist its crew in its east-to-west trip through the Northwest Passage. Although Kyak and his wife did not travel on this expedition, Mary's uncle, Joe Panipakuttuk, and his family, did. Mary's grandmother, Panikpak (Joe Panipakuttuk's mother), who was raising her, was recruited as seamstress to keep the crew's winter clothing in order.

But she and her granddaughter were inseparable, and she refused to go unless Mary could accompany her. Thus Mary participated in the historic voyage of the St. Roch in its single-season journey through the Northwest Passage.

The vessel wintered at the historic whaling site of Herschel Island, part of the Yukon Territory and only a short distance east of Alaska. The following summer, when the vessel was finally released from the ice of the Beaufort Sea and continued on its way to Vancouver, the Inuit had to make their way back to Pond Inlet by dog sled, a trip that took two years.

In 1951, Mary moved with her parents, her grandmother, and other Inuit hired by the RCMP, to Craig Harbour on the southern coast of Ellesmere Island. Five years later, when Craig Harbour was closed and the police detachment re-established in Grise Fiord, Mary's family moved to the new detachment.

But Mary was not with them. Her father had wanted her to get an education so that she would not experience the hardships that he had endured in his own life. Through his friend, Henry Larsen of the RCMP, Kyak arranged that Mary should move to Hamilton, Ontario to attend school. He chose Hamilton because he knew that there were many adult Inuit patients there, recovering from tuberculosis, and he wanted Mary to be able to visit them so she would not lose her language. It was a wise and prescient decision.

While still in her teens, Mary became an Inuktitut interpreter on the government supply and medical ship, the C. D. Howe. She held this position for six summers, working the rest of each year for the federal government in Ottawa.

From 1959, through most of the early 1960s, Mary contributed to, and eventually edited the Inuktitut-language magazine called Inuktitut, published by the federal government. In its early years, this magazine was published monolingually in Inuktitut. Mary's contributions included news items, legends and stories. Mary was, in fact, the personification of Inuktitut magazine – editor, contributor, illustrator, translator, often even cartoonist.

Since childhood she had loved to draw and paint, and Inuktitut magazine provided an outlet for these artistic talents. Inuit throughout the North came to recognize her distinctive style of art, the delightful drawings and sketches signed in syllabics "Mary Panigusiq" or sometimes signed simply with her initials "MP." Inuit looked forward to each new issue of the magazine, and Mary's role was vitally important in bringing information to Inuit in the days when northern communities were isolated in a way that is hard to imagine now.

In 1963, Mary spent five months living in Ghana, West Africa, on a visit organized by Canada's Department of External Affairs. The Canadian government was assisting Ghana's young democracy in organizing its education and communication systems. Mary described her role as being like a "good-will ambassador." While there she dined twice with president Kwame Nkrumah and his wife. Her visit was cut short when she received news of the death of her beloved grandmother, Panikpak, in Pond Inlet. Mary returned to Canada.

In the early 1960s, Mary and other Inuit worked on behalf of the federal government with the linguist, Raymond Gagné, in developing a standard Roman orthography for Inuktitut. The government at that time hoped that the Inuit would choose to replace the syllabic orthography with "the new orthography," as it was called. Far ahead of its time, the idea did not gain popularity. Ironically, throughout her life, Mary was a big supporter of the continued use of syllabics.

In 1964, Mary married Roger Cousins, a Saskatchewan-born teacher, in Ottawa. They spent the first few years of their marriage in Grise Fiord where Roger taught, then moved to Iqaluit. Their life in Iqaluit was interrupted by three years in southern Canada (two years in Buffalo Narrows, Saskatchewan and one year in Sioux Lookout, Ontario).

But their hearts were in the North, and the family, which by then included a number of children, returned to Iqaluit. It remained their home thereafter.

Mary Cousins, as she was known after her marriage, was also politically active in the early days of Inuit land claims. She was one of the founding members of Inuit Tapiriksat of Canada, the organization which launched the long fight for the recognition of Inuit land rights.

Back in Iqaluit, Mary taught Inuktitut language at Gordon Robertson Education Centre (now Inuksuk High). Eventually, she enrolled in the Northern Teacher Education Programme (NTEP), and earned the degree of Bachelor of Education from McGill University.

She taught for many years at Nakasuk School, usually teaching primary grades. A dedicated teacher, she constantly put her artistic skills to work in making learning materials for her classroom. Her bright and cheerful room was an inspiration to students and fellow teachers alike. Reluctantly, she retired from teaching two years ago.

Mary Cousins saw changes in the North during her lifetime that are unimaginable to many of us, and especially to the young students whom she loved so much. Mary is remembered today as a teacher, and her memory is cherished by the hundreds of students she taught over the years.

But her greatest accomplishment was as a mother and grandmother. Her six children are all successful, independent, honest, hard-working individuals. These are qualities that they learned in the home from their parents.

Mary Panigusiq Cousins was predeceased by her husband, Roger, who died in 1993. She is survived by her mother, Letia, two brothers and four sisters; by five daughters and one son; and by three grandsons.

Mary was a quiet, private and humble woman. Her wish was to have a small funeral attended by family and friends.

Her funeral service was held in St. Jude's Anglican Church in Apex on Thursday, April 26, the service conducted by her childhood friend, the former bishop, Rev. Paul Idlout. She was laid to rest in Iqaluit Cemetery, beside her beloved husband, Roger, in accordance with her final wish.

The author, Kenn Harper, was Mary Cousins' son-in-law.
The family has asked that anyone wishing to make a donation in remembrance of Mary Panigusiq Cousins, make a donation to Nakasuk School, earmarked specifically for art and language-teaching supplies.