Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services

IQALUIT (Apr 05/99) - Thanks to the efforts of Jose Kusugak and a trio of elders from Nunavut's three regions, the new territory has been most properly blessed.

In a ceremony he nicknamed the communion of arrival, Kusugak, the president of Nunavut Tunngavik, co-ordinated a traditional Inuit blessing, assisting residents to declare the day their own.

In a process combining rites similar to those performed at a communion and reflective of those offered during a birth, the elders set down a decree to help guide the younger generations on how to care for their land and all it has to offer.

"(The elders) didn't want to miss that opportunity," said Kusugak, who's been planning the event since NTI's last general assembly in November.

"The animals of the sea, the land and the air, they will represent them. They're telling us this is how we're going to provide for you and this is how you will treat us," said Kusugak.

He explained that Mariano Aupilardjuk (Rankin Inlet), Miriam Aglukkaq (Cambridge Bay) and Elisapee Ootoova (Pond Inlet) approached him with the seed of the idea and together, over the last four months, the group worked out the wording of the blessing set to take place during the official signing ceremony and flag launch.

As it got under way, with federal and territorial dignitaries in the audience, the elders burned heather from each of the regions to spread the aroma of the North throughout the room.

They also collected food from the animals of the sea, land and sky and mixed together water from the three regions. As the inaugural ceremony wrapped up, they passed on their blessing to the residents of the new territory and the audience ate and drank from the three regions.

"It's not necessarily a spiritual Creator thing. I want to manifest it symbolically that we're not just developing a government. Everything that's inside government is people-related," said Kusugak.

Aupilardjuk explained how important it was for the people of Nunavut to continue caring for the land now that they had regained governance over it.

"The land has to have a voice. We are that voice," said Aupilardjuk.

"I know the land is saying it is so happy to have the caretakers coming back to take care of it again. It is telling us to keep it clean and we'll provide clean water for you and animals."

Ootoova spoke on behalf of those animals and beseeched Nunavut to treat its creatures with respect.

"I'm speaking for them to say take care so we may live to serve you," said Ootoova.

"If you want us to provide you with meat and clothing and be fruitful, you will have to do that for us. We were created to share the earth together as long as the sun comes up and sets."

Aglukkaq said the key was for Inuit to continue developing their relationship with the rest of the world.

"We were all created by the same Creator. We have to remember that and create a synergy to take care of our lands," said Aglukkaq.

She added that she had finally come to understand why Inuit leaders pursued the claim and created Nunavut.

"It wasn't that long ago when I came to Iqaluit and felt like a stranger. Today I come and feel like family. Now I understand what the agreement was and what the dream was."