Book creates image of old Puvirnituq from eyes of youth
Elders share their stories with students, who are writing and illustrating a book based on those stories
Tillie Alasuak, left, and Jackusie Ittukallak spent time with kids from Iguarsivik school to share their stories from their younger selves growing up in Puvirnituq. (Photo courtesy of Isabelle Larouche)
Two Puvirnituq elders recently sat in front of two Grade 6 classes at their community’s school to share what their community looked like when they were young.
With that knowledge, the 17 students wrote and illustrated a book that will be published and sold throughout Quebec.
Author and educator Isabelle Larouche helped the students throughout the writing process. It’s her second time writing a book alongside a classroom of kids in Nunavik.
This project took four weeks to complete, she said in a phone interview.
Elder Tillie Alasuak shared her perspective of how it was to live in Puvirnituq when she was young. (Photo courtesy of Isabelle Larouche)
In the first week, the kids met the elders, Jackusie Ittukallak and Tillie Alasuak.
“They spoke of their childhood, where they were born and the activities they did,” Larouche said. “But they also spoke of the changes that occurred over the years.”
The second week, putting pen to paper the kids wrote the story in groups of two.
As of Feb. 16, the students were into their third week, working on the book with illustrator Stéphanie Heendrickxen.
The art style they use is similar to linocutting, but instead of linoleum they use styrofoam as their surface to engrave. Afterward, they pass an ink roller over the engravings, and then it’s printed.
Teachers Roxanne Lefebvre-Girouard and Alexandra Labarre say they can see the impact the project has had on their students.
“It is beautiful to see students surpass themselves to complete a project like this,” the pair said in a joint statement.
The first edition of this project is called Attaque sur la Tundra, or Attack on the Tundra, and was based in Kuujjuaraapik last year.
Elder Jackusie Ittukallak told students about his past living in Puvirnituq. (Photo courtesy of Isabelle Larouche)
Sophie Painchaud, pedagogical adviser with school board Kativik Ilisarniliriniq, is leading the initiative.
“We don’t have books that are accessible to kids that have French as their third language,” she said.
“Often, they only speak it in class. So it was about finding books that were accessible, and their image, where they can find themselves and their culture.”
Creating the books opened a whole new avenue for the students, Painchaud said.
“We fell into another dimension of creation, motivation, pride,” she said.
Painchaud said she hopes this project will reach every corner of Nunavik. However, that’s far from simple to organize due to a high staff turnover at the school board.
“Sometimes there are projects that launch that are really promising, but then there is a change of employees in multiple key positions of these projects,” said board spokesperson Jade Duchesneau Bernier.
“Consistency and uniformity across the region for projects like these is a real challenge we are facing.”
Students involved in the making of a book that reimagines the stories of two Puvirnituq elders and their memories of when they were young get together for a photo. (Photo courtesy of Isabelle Larouche)
These kind of gatherings with youth and elders can be very important, elders give life saving advices both at home and in the land! Brings me back memories when we were kids listening to elders! Atsuut uqaujjuturtauqattalit qiturngavut 🙂
I can appreciate connecting young and old, and history to young people. What I dont believe in is the continuous brainwashing of youth to have them believe elders are the answer to all life problems. Elders have lots to share, but stop this myth that elders know all. There are good elders and not so good intention ones. And elders don’t know it all. The answers are few and far between coming from elders. In Nunavik elders are mostly uneducated people who if they had their way would promote against educated processes in the name of tradition, indicating their lack of understanding about healthy and easier life as the world citizens move towards , what we don’t know , but elders that don’t promote unselfish encouragement should be ignored. Many of our issues today, from booze , abuse , sexual abuse, drugs were started by the so call elders, so be careful about what you teach the young.
I’ll give you reality check, I know these 2 elders and they taught me a lot and believe me, they are the right people to teach young, obviously you are the type who shouldn’t be around anyone if you talk this way, I hope you find peace and love for Inuit! Kamatsiarit!
That’s your experience, your reality check, it’s not reality beyond that. Don’t be fooled into thinking that elders are all knowing, it’s not like that. Many are, but many aren’t. That the problem in Nunavik, where kids are told to get out doors and stop listening to elders talk, and then are told to shunt the knowledge beyond an elders knowledge, to the point of learning to hate education, school, southern medicine, and culture that don’t fit well with Inuit, yet at the same time being taught to become dependent on the very aspects of what they learn negatively and to hate. Confusion, and ignorance. So, therefore any objection to this , is met with deference and defiance and denial and defensive reaction to tell anyone that they shouldn’t be around Inuit and anyone with their differences of opinion. Aw for you. Poor you .
Seems like the elders never taught you tolerance, when others have a different view than you. They told you not to be around others as well, when you don’t agree?
Today, we know that elder abuse and disrespect towards parents , grandparents, aunts uncles, are so prevalent in Nunavik, it makes you wonder why? I mean if elders in Nunavik are to be listened to and looked up to , why are they not in so many cases? I grew up with a close relationship to elders and respect and cherish them all my life, never seen much abuse where i grew up with elders. We didn’t go around shouting it out day in day out respecting our elders. It was just that it was. In Nunavik all is heard is respect your elders, and it’s opposite response where you see young people abusing and taking their money for drugs and abuse. Someone and something not adding up here. It’s like a dream gone bad. I think elderly and young are disconnected in Nunavik. Sadly so. But the urge to do better is still there. People need to wake-up and communicate,nand learn respect towards each other, stop fantasies about it and do it.