Inuit in the City

Overview

Delivery method

Online

Duration

1 hours

Audience

All HC and PHAC Employees

Description

The Circle of Nations is pleased to announce that Elder Edna Elias will continue to provide monthly Inuit Elder Teachings to Canadian public servants.

Inuit history and culture tell an important and fascinating story—an epic tale of human settlement and endurance. Inuit history is about a people living in tune with the environment and with each other, a people in balance with the natural world. To tell this story, the Circle of Nations is pleased to offer a series of Inuit teachings from our esteemed Elder Edna Elias.

Elder Edna is a residential school survivor, having attended Stringer Hall and Sir Alexander Mackenzie school in Inuvik, NT. Upon arrival home one summer from residential school, an aunt told her to quit trying to talk Inuinnaqtun because she was not speaking it properly; that she had become “white”. This stuck with her for years, so she took it to heart and throughout her professional life strived to learn and master her language. As the Commissioner of Nunavut, she has made it known from the onset that her advocacy for the Inuit language, particularly the Inuinnaqtun dialect would remain one of her priorities.

Elder Edna is a recipient of the Order of Nunavut and is a member of the Order of Canada (for her work in language protection, maintenance, teaching and revitalization).