Inuit shouldn’t suffer racist treatment from other Inuit

I’ve found growing up in Nunavut (NWT during my younger years) to be an excellent experience in so many ways!

You’re taught general respect towards elders and others, base your relationships on trust and not on signing your life away, to share what little you have and not expect anything in return, even though you will probably will get something later on.

Now the reality: this may still be happening today, but it seems to be dying and this is still happening with people who have enough respect for themselves and who therefore show respect to other people.

I realize of course that these statements are not exclusive only to Inuit people and that this is a general human behaviour, but right now in this letter I am referring only to Inuit people.

I’ve grown up in many places around Canada and I’ve done a fair bit of international travel, not as a child but as an adult, after finishing high school, college and university and obtaining employment.

I am not a rich person but I am not struggling to make ends meet. I take pride in my job, in my style of living, in my family and most of all, in my culture.

When I travel, I always tell people how lovely the culture is, how the land is an enviable sight, and when I hear children speaking Inuktitut to one another, it fills me with an undescribeable feeling of pride.

I love how Inuit values are so genuine, and full of good intentions, but it seems nowadays we are seeing more Inuit who brush those values aside.

At this point you are probably wondering where I am going with this, so I will come to my point.

Racism towards Inuit does not come from only non-Inuit, sometimes it comes from our own.

I’ve grown up in an Inuit society that is losing its grip on its values and turning the values into just that, spoken values and not daily practice.

Recently, a friend of mine was a victim of racism from another Inuk who became angry and started to harass this friend of mine at work because my friend did not feel comfortable with their Inukitut.

This friend of mine is well educated, well-traveled, sweet, giving and generally just one of the nicest human beings I have ever come across in my life.

Like me, this friend is of mixed Inuk and Qablunaaq descent, raised with the values of Inuit beliefs and still follows them. However, this friend lost their Inuktitut after moving to Iqaluit at a young age and has been struggling to regain it back since.

If my friend feels anything the way I feel when I hear children speak Inuktitut fluently, then the feeling is one of pride and longing for our own language.

But when another fellow Inuk puts you down because you do not speak Inuktitut, it doesn’t quite leave you with a feeling of pride, but one of shame, embarrassment and anger.

It may push some to try harder to learn the language, and it may discourage others. It all depends on the individual. I am tired of hearing these stories about Inuit going through racism from people, let alone from people of their own culture.

I’ve heard this saying: “the elephant in the room isn’t only big, it’s also suffering from a bad rash.”

I realize that this letter will probably offend some, but for those who it will help, don’t let this treatment bring you down.

You’re not the only Inuk out there who doesn’t speak Inukitut, or know how to hunt, or sew, or whatever else you may feel you are lacking in your life that would make it that much richer.

You are not alone as there are so many Inuit going through this longing, and suffering such treatment.

(Name withheld by request)
Iqaluit


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