Beloved elder dies in Iqaluit

Nunavummiut came out on Feb. 25 to pay their respects to well-known elder Naqi Ekho.

Ekho, who was in her 90s, passed away in Iqaluit on last week. Her funeral service was held at the St. Jude’s Anglican Church in Iqaluit.

She was born in Uumanarjuaq, a place famous for its bowhead whale hunting. In 1957 she came to Iqaluit, travelling from Qimmiqsuuq by dogteam.

Ekho had nine children, giving birth to two sets of twins.

The elder was probably best known for her vast knowledge of Inuit culture and language.

Her life story and her views on childrearing have been recorded in “Interviewing Inuit Elders,” a series of books produced by students at Nunavut Arctic College.

In it, Ekho shared her knowledge on the rituals and customs Inuit used during a woman’s pregnancy and after the child is born. In one section, Ekho described the Inuit tradition of naming children: “We are comforted by naming a child after our relatives. Even after they are long gone, we remember their words and what they used to do. Everybody remembers certain things about the person the child is named after.”