Speeches, music mark James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement’s 50th anniversary
Makivvik hosts commemoration ceremony in Kuujjuaq
Elisapie closes the 50th anniversary of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement with a free concert at Kattitavik Theatre in Kuujjuaq on Tuesday (Photo by Dominique Gené)
As Remembrance Day events were being held across Canada, Nunavik commemorated its own historic moment Tuesday.
On Nov. 11, 1975, the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement was signed by the governments of Quebec and Canada, alongside representatives of Inuit of Nunavik and the Crees of Eeyou Istchee.
Martha Greig lights the qulliq as she leads the opening prayer at Tuesday’s ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement’s signing in Kuujjuaq. (Photo by Dominique Gené)
The agreement is considered the first modern Indigenous treaty and led to the creation of institutions in Nunavik such as a school board, a regional government and health-care system.
Makivvik Corp. — which itself was formed as a result of the agreement, to administer the $90-million treaty settlement and manage economic development — organized a day-long event in Kuujjuaq Tuesday to commemorate the anniversary.
The event began at the Katittavik Theatre with an opening prayer by Martha Greig and the lighting of a qulliq, as a recording of children sharing their wishes for the future of Nunavik was heard in the auditorium.
“What I think about Nunavik in the future is to have more Inuktitut classes or longer periods, better education on Inuit history not just in high school but among all Inuit of all ages,” said a 17-year-old participant in the recording.
Another 10-year-old voice rises: “I would like to have more rooms in our houses so we don’t have to share bedrooms.”
Representatives of six deceased signatories — Putulik Papigatuk, Johnny Williams, Tommy Cain, Mark Annanack, Robbie Tookalook and George Koneak — received posthumous awards recognizing their contributions in negotiating the agreement.
The five other signatories — Sarolie Weetaluktuk, Peter Inukpuk, Charlie Arngak, Zebedee Nungak and Charlie Watt — were handed their awards on stage and offered short speeches in Inuktitut.
A documentary titled A Nation in the North: Nunavikat 50, was screened at the ceremony and addressed the loss of land as a “burning issue.”
Under provision 2.1 of the agreement, Nunavik Inuit surrendered their claims and rights to a vast majority of the land.
Inuit retained control of approximately 14,000 square kilometres, described in the agreement as Category 1 lands.
Category 2 lands, consisting of about 150,929 square kilometres that act as a buffer zone around the Category 1 lands, belong to the province of Quebec but Inuit retained exclusive hunting, fishing and trapping rights.
Category 3 — which accounts for nearly 60 per cent of Quebec’s land mass — are public lands owned by the province.
The documentary also showcased initiatives taken to improve the lives of Nunavimmiut within education, transport, housing and health since the agreement’s signing.
Taking the land back and having control over its resources is the ultimate goal, several speakers said in the film.
“We are not opposed to development, but if we think it will impact the environment, we will be opposed to such development,” Pita Aatami, Makivvik’s president, said in the film, speaking in Inuktitut.
An exhibit at the Kattitavik Theatre was part of the 50th anniversary commemoration ceremony of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement. (Photo by Dominique Gené)
The path to Inuit self-determination and governance has been guided by leaders who emphasize unity and resilience, said KRG chairperson Maggie Emudluk in the documentary.
“We must believe in ourselves — that we can do this,” she said. “We need to have hope.”
Following the four-hour ceremony, Nunavik singer Elisapie took the stage. The Salluit-born singer, whose full name is Elisapie Isaac, won the Indigenous Artist of the Year Award this week at the 2025 ADISQ gala, presented by the Québec Association for the Recording, Concert and Video Industries.
Elisapie opened with Uummati Attanarsimat, her interpretation of the Blondie hit Heart of Glass, from her 2023 album, Inuktitut.
For one song, she waved to the audience to leave their chairs and approach the stage. Children and elders alike rushed to her, dancing and cheering. During the show, Elisapie was joined on stage by young throat singers Susie Tukai and Sarah Sala.
Can t wait for ” self government ” , will solve some of our problems
NQIA was created in Inukjuak. Head office was once in Inukjuak. I bet you all the board members were flown to Kuujjuaq. They using our heritage funds, our funds while prices sore. Just to go hunting costs crazy much. As a voting member who see zero benefit, feels zero benefit, I say Peter Adams has to go. We gave up land rights for public services, for hunting. 1. KRG, KI, NRBHSS all suck balls and not even governed by Inuit. All qallunaak management. 2. To go hunting, you need to be rich to afford cray cray coop gas prices and insane skidoo/ boat/ honda prices who can’t even honour a warrantee. These darn execs, board members got fancy boats, own houses, and have never understood what it means to struggle.
Well said…
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People called the ITN group shortsighted and immature and other sorts of names when they opposed the JBNQA structure back before it was signed, but if you read through a copy of the manifesto they distributed around that time, nearly all of their criticisms and predictions have come true – building up groups of haves and have nots, creating a cycle of dependency, creating a bunch of administrative structures that will be run by non-Inuit to control us, the controlled JBNQA process being the springboard for a bunch of politicians building up a career in the Canadian system (singling out Charlie Watt and Mary Simon who ended up being Canada’s longest serving senator and our governor general), and being a structure that stifles self-determination on our own terms, etc
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I think NN would do well to get more content from the ITN crowd for their anniversary series, as a lot of their written material isn’t really available to most in Nunavik as the copies are primarily in French and forgotten about these days, but the criticisms and opposition are truer than ever.
@ ITN
NN censors the regular Joe Inuk comments when it comes to critiques of Makivvik too, not just ITN.
Yep , drive by their houses , yard full of expensive toys .
The performance is a good indicator of the future for Inuit, an existing idea that is translated into Inuktitut. Just in a more lovely voice 🤑