Keeping Inuit culture alive for children, grandchildren will be challenge for the next generation
Nunavut’s Next 25: Readers reflect on what’s in store for territory’s next 25 years
The northern lights are on display over Gjoa Haven in this picture taken by Robert Pootoogo in March 2023. Gjoa Haven resident Ida Porter writes that Nunavut’s future depends on the next generation looking to their elders to keep the Inuit culture alive. (Photo by Robert Pootoogo, special to Nunatsiaq News)
To mark the 25th anniversary of the creation of Nunavut, Nunatsiaq News asked readers to describe what’s in store for the next 25 years.
Ida Porter
Take a look back at 1999 and take a look today at 2024. It’s been 25 years since Nunavut was created.
In the next 25 years, the way I see how the future will look is still going to be a problem for us Inuit.
We need good working people sitting in each office who can listen to the people who give their concerns and comments.
We need CAOs, nurses and MLAs to work together and take a look at each community and see what’s missing and what is needed.
When we walk into the health centre for checkups or when needing to talk to mental health workers, we need to be heard. We do not need to repeat when we need the help we are looking for.
Everything is very expensive, groceries, gas, transportation, travel, etc.
We need proper equipment in each health centre and proper equipment that can maintain our roads in our communities.
I can give you my example of where I was born and raised, here in Gjoa Haven. Our health centre is always having nurses and mental health workers that stay only a short period of time. That creates problems for us to repeat the same problem we are dealing with.
There is no women’s or men’s shelter for anyone who needs a place to stay. No healing place or right workers to talk to when needed because the workers don’t stay for at least three to five years.
We need workers who are willing to let the Government of Nunavut or the MLAs know that this person is facing challenges in real life and needs that proper help.
We are losing our Inuit culture because only a few still use it. We need our youth to keep up with hunting skills, sewing caribou skins, seal skins, etc. Carving and tool-making is part of our culture also that we need to keep. We are losing our language which is very important.
We need good members on council to have a strong voice that can help make the changes. We need good mayors who know what’s missing and what is needed.
We need good RCMP who are willing to help young people, and youth to stay out of trouble and make changes in their lives.
We need good ministers in our church who will help people when needed.
Our elders need to have the right transportation when needed and good home care workers.
We need good workers who will help disable people that need proper care.
The housing crisis is a huge problem. Overcrowded and moulded houses — that is a lot of planning to think about.
Our children and grandchildren are our future who look up to us today. We need to make sure that they keep our Inuit culture alive today.
Ida Porter lives in Gjoa Haven.
Watching TV and meaninglessness scrolling of social media is what’s killing inuit culture. Now starlink too. To many parents are gluing their kids to the screen at a too young age which exposes them to non-inuit culture. Very bad for brain development to.
Yes, indeed, it is a sad time, watching our grandchildren as young as 3-4, who are also glued to those gadgets, and is accepted by the parents. There needs to be a strong message, to ensure our future generations are proud who they are….