Kuujjuarapik church to bridge Inuit and Cree communities

ODILE NELSON

Leaders in Whapmagootsui/ Kuujjuarapik hope the village’s new church will not only house religious services but also act as a gathering place to bridge the community’s Inuit and Cree populations.

According to Cree Chief David Masty, tensions rarely flare between the two indigenous groups even though they remain distinct communities, with many separate municipal services on either side of the town’s dividing line.

But this past November, conflict erupted between Inuit and Cree youth when a group of Inuit adolescents stole a vehicle from the village’s Cree side. Other incidents have also occurred sporadically over the years.

This week, Masty said he hoped that community activities at the new facility would have a positive impact on youth.

“I certainly work with Lucassie [Inukpuk, Kuujjuarapik’s mayor] to try and address our common concerns and to try and find solutions that will contribute to harmony between our communities,” Masty said.

“It’s not to say we’re in a constant state of conflict. [But] we do have social problems like any other village so I hope this building helps with that.”

The original St. Edmund’s Anglican Church was established in the village in the 1880s. A new church was built more than 40 years ago and the original structure now serves as a local museum. The second edition of St. Edmund’s was one of the village’s few cross-cultural buildings but, because of size and heating constraints, this structure was primarily used for separate bilingual church services on Sundays and Wednesdays.

Revered Tom Martin said the community has needed a new church since he came to Kuujjuarapik 19 years ago. With a combined Cree and Inuit population of more than 1,200, the second church simply became too small. It has no separate room for counselling and no washrooms. Its seating is also limited to 125 people.

“If we have a funeral in this community, it’s a community event, and all of our funerals are bilingual in Cree and Inuttitut, regardless of who died, you know? We just simply can’t fit the family in. We can squeeze in. I think I’ve seen 175 but that’s with people standing and really getting very friendly with each other,” Martin said.

Construction on the new building began in Sept. 2002 and, though it still needs chairs and a sound system, it is almost ready for use. The new space will have room for a minister’s office, washrooms, seating for between 300 and 400, and a separate space that can be used as a temporary morgue.

The building itself stands as an example of cooperation between the two communities. Both the Cree and Inuit communities donated money toward its construction, though it was primarily funded with a $1.1-million grant from the Quebec government.

About five years ago, a group of women began holding bake sales and bazaars to raise money for the new church. Around the same time, employees from the Inuit municipality volunteered to have a $5 levy taken off their weekly pay cheques. The Cree municipality developed a similar program shortly after.

The Inuit municipality donated more than $700,000 in gravel for the building’s foundation and driveway. Makivik Corporation and the Grand Council of the Crees also gave funds to the project.

Reverend Martin said the church would begin offering services in the near future. Once the congregation is comfortable in its new building, he expects there will be a formal consecration ceremonies. Bishop Benjamin Arreak or Andrew Attagotaluk will perform the consecration.