Monday, July 27, 1998
Think of the big picture if you want to get excited about the constitutional renovations under way in the Western Arctic.
The Constitutional Working Group has been at it for some time, issuing some headline making proposals for new kinds of government, with more to come. But there is another group recently appointed. Justice Virginia Schuler, Lucy Kuptana, and Nick Sibbeston make up the NWT Electoral Boundaries Commission.
This commission is tackling the basic problems. It will be recommending how to strike a balance between geographical, ethnic and population considerations to create ridings that give voters sufficient representation in a new legislative assembly.
Both groups are going to be consulting in the communities in the coming months and will undoubtedly be confused with one another. The most important element for their success is community input. That means people must think seriously about the issues and get to the meetings to let their views be known.
Making history is not always easy.
Forest fires are a normal part of the boreal ecology. In other words, forest fires should not come as a surprise to anybody living in the North.
In the grand scale, fires are part of the life cycle of a forest, clearing out dead vegetation, replenishing the nutrients in the forest floor and generally cleaning house.
The first links in the food chain thrive in the newly-scorched environment, setting in motion the process of renewing wildlife. From this perspective, forest fires are a good thing.
However, people don't fit very well into this process. Forest fires wreak havoc with the process of human development and so we go to great lengths to prevent, contain and extinguish them. In the 1997/98 fiscal year, the GNWT budgeted almost $11 million to fight fires.
The forest fires that have broken out in the territories this summer aren't much different than previous years except that they are close to where people live, play and work. The Territories average about 350 fires a year. Currently there are 307 burning.
For many, part of the appeal of life in the Territories is living face to face with the power of nature. Dramatic sunsets, long summer days, long winter nights, fierce snow storms are all part and parcel of the daily living here. So are forest fires.
It is the seemingly relentless march of such awesome destructive power that makes forest fires so fearsome. Burned-out cabins and ashen remains of forests are a testimony to the devastation they leave behind.
In the wake of this year's crop of fires, there will no doubt be some debate as to the way the firefighters set their priorities. This season has provided a vigorous test of our firefighting resources. Before setting next year's budget, there should be a careful review of how and where this year's money was spent.
Northerners are clinging to their roots and having lots of fun doing it using a tool that civilization has used to preserve culture and bridge cultural gaps for thousands of years.
Unlike the Olympics and other similar events on the global stage, however, the arctic games competitions across Nunavut have managed to avoid losing their essence to political pressures.
This connection to culture and the purity of cause were obvious at the Keewatin Summer Games last week in Arviat as dozens of athletes eagerly competed in seven days of traditional events. The dominance of such games as the two-foot high kick, arm pull, and the knee jump is an indication that tradition is alive and well in the Keewatin.
In a world where sports such as basketball and soccer dominate the mainstream sporting scene, it's encouraging to see so many young people holding on to the games played by their ancestors. The games, which attract both young and elderly competitors, are a direct link to the living history in the community as well as to the past. Young people don't have to read about the lives of their ancestors in a history book as do most people in other parts of the country and the world -- they experience it themselves. They are living it.
The strong following of these sports provides a much-needed connection with the past that will help ensure the culture survives the upheaval it has seen over the last 40 years.
For those young people taking part in the games, the exposure to their roots will only strengthen their identity as Inuit and instil a sense of pride in who they are.
The games also give non-Inuit a chance to get a little closer a culture that too often remains shrouded in myth and misunderstanding.
Too often southerners and even many Northerners think of the NWT as one big wasteland, with only a few polar bears, ravens, and lots of lichen covering the landscape. Nothing could be further from the truth.
In order that we and the rest of the world might have a better understanding, more should be done to encourage a general appreciation of the scores of species of birds, mammals and plantlife that call the North home.
We need to take a cue from Emma Pitcher, a Michigan woman who has catalogued more than 100 species of plants in the Iqaluit area alone. More power to her, and may she have many imitators.