“Our land?”

Never will I understand the shortsighted bureaucrats who submitted the name “Nunavut” as an appropriate choice for this territory. I doubt that any scrutiny was exercised to see what the influence of this possessive name could have.

As an example, some time ago while drinking coffee at a local restaurant, an unsavory drunk came up to me and yelled “Qallunaat go home. This is our land!” “Our land” has become the base element for many arguments and misunderstandings among Nunavummiut.

On the other side of the Atlantic there is a place called Ireland. It struggled for centuries with England to gain independence. Conflicts between the Catholics and Protestants plus the terrorist activities of the IRA are historical. Although we work side by side today, history and my coffee shop experience shows us that we are only two steps away from our own form of ethnic cleansing.

This Monday I will be wearing the green of the Irish. A subtle reminder that this territory is called “Our land” not “Your land.”

Wally Bootsma
Iqaluit