Flipping through the file photos – March 25
Nunatsiaq News’ weekly dive into its photo archives during newspaper’s 50th anniversary
Children perform at a Toonik Tyme event in this undated photo. (File photo)
With Toonik Tyme in Iqaluit just around the corner, Nunatsiaq News dug up some file photos from previous festivals to share, along with some others pulled from the archives.
Each week during Nunatsiaq News’ 50th anniversary this year, we are thumbing through pictures the paper has taken or received over the years.
Information about these photos is sketchy. In a lot of cases, very little is known about them.
That’s why we’re turning to readers to help us identify who is in the photo and tell us what’s happening. If you recognize yourself or someone you know, let us know.
Send an email to editors@nunatsiaq.com or add a comment to the bottom of the slideshow and we’ll add that information to the photo.
Scroll through previous weeks’ collections of file photos in the “Nunatsiaq News at 50” special section to see other old pictures and read the updated captions to see how readers have helped shed light on them.
An unidentified man presents an award to a woman at a Toonik Tyme ceremony in this undated photo. (File photo)
The Tuniit were ethnically cleansed from the area we now call Nunavut between 800 to 500 years ago. It’s amazing that in the present age, when people are so sensitive to addressing these kinds of ‘sins’ that the name of this event persists. I suppose that is in part because modern Inuit have not even begun to acknowledge this part of their past.
Go back Mr. Legacy of unhope from the hole where you came from. It’s a literal black and white world for you. You don’t know metaphors or analogies let alone symbolism.
Tuniit – Tuniq, Toonik Tyme was not an honour to Tuniit. The qallunaaq who looked for a comparison or maybe an analogy to ‘older’ or ‘ancient’ times and way of life had heard of Tuniit or maybe the Inuit who helped organize this event (maybe the men like Joe Tikivik, Simonie Alainga, Simonie Michael, etc.) helped coin the title and one time event. It then became an annual event. People enjoy gatherings, no matter where you live. Nunatsiaq News is often riding on ‘the likes of you’ to show the true colours of those who do not plan to live in the north to their last days.
From the festival webpage: “Toonik Tyme is named after the ‘Toonik’, an individual of the Tuniit people.”
What relevant metaphors, analogies or symbolism have I missed?
How would you describe the assignment of an honourary Tuniit, appointed for the duration of the festival? Clearly it is meant in respect. Would you agree, speaking of analogies, that this compares to the name Edmonton Eskimos? Undoubtedly meant in honour too.
But, in the end that was not the point. It should not be the point here either. The point is the use of another group as a mascot, as a caricature for the amusement and entertainment of those who dispossessed them.
http://www.tooniktyme.ca/about
Is it because you suspect that I am a non-Inuk that whatever I think just doesn’t matter?
That’s not a very compelling, or even relevant argument.
I am prettier sure you justify the residential school and force relocation with your kind, too in secret. We have stories of Tunniq! You have no idea or your ancestors know who they are.
Having reading your comments over the years I’m pretty sure you know next to nothing about all sorts of things you are certain about.
Well, the settling Inuit did replace the original inhabitants, but ‘ethnically cleansed’ has a deliberate feel to it. Was it deliberate, or were did they out compete? We can’t say.
“Before there were any Inuit, the first people were called Tuniit. They were strong but the Inuit killed them and took their land away.”
Louis Uqsuqituq Aivilingmiut – page 143 Uqalurait: An Oral History of Nunavut
Huh! Sounds a lot like what everyone still complains about today doesn’t it?
Well, the settling Inuit did replace the original inhabitants, but ‘ethnically cleansed’ has a deliberate feel to it. Was it deliberate, or did they out compete? We can’t say.
They definitely out competed them. The Thule were technologically superior. They had dog teams and sleds, they had harpoons, Mongolian bows and chain mail made of seal hone. They were battle hardened warriors tested in the Bering Sea
Was there a deliberate attempt to displace the Tuniit? Oral history says so.
What do you think?
I like how Nunatsiaq News is now so completely staffed by people from Southern Canada that they recognize neither our current Federal Senator or the chief Justice of our court system in these photos.
Re; some judges and court staff:
This is a photo of the first time the NWT Court of Appeal sat in Iqaluit (in the late 80s?
From left to right:
a very young Neil Sharkey (then director of Maliganiik Tukisiniakvik) Timothy Sangoya (Court Worker); Cayley Thomas, (Articling Student and later NWT DM), [three appellate judges and a court clerk from Alberta]; Eric Joamie (Courtworker) Desmond Brice Bennett (Maliganik lawyer living in Pond Inlet and Crown Prosecutor Linda Wahl (from Yellowknife).