Andrea Cnudde
Northern News Services

IQALUIT (Aug 23/99) - Billy Etooangat has been a very busy person lately.

Its as if he cannot help but be very involved in the community where he was born and raised. Its obvious he gives of himself above and beyond the call of duty.

As recreation co-ordinator for the hamlet of Pangnirtung, where the Baffin Regional Inuit games recently took place, the father of three has had his hands full.

These recent games were very important to him.

"Its a step towards our first team Nunavut," he says. "Its pretty neat."

A successful event, he says, although it is unfortunate that more communities cant or don't participate.

"Lack of interest, lack of co-ordination, funding," Etooangat explains.

It saddens him that interest seems to be waning even in Pangnirtung. Etooangat sees the drop in participation from when the games were first introduced in the 1970s.

Its really hard to say why," he says. "If we knew, we would have done something about it."

The consolation for Etooangat is the many successes he has witnessed over the years with developing athletes.

He says that there are still new athletes coming out as well as many veteran athletes.

The recreation co-ordinator also enjoys the events he organizes that get the whole community involved at times like festivals and Christmas.

"We try and have more fun events," he laughs. "Simple things like egg toss, when people start laughing. I like that."

His greatest challenge remains funding and keeping people interested, particularly the parents of children and volunteers.

"We always deal with a very minimum budget. Thats a challenge we face all the time."

"Its really hard to get the parents interested."

Etooangat theorizes that because the games are a relatively new idea in the Eastern Arctic, its possible that some older people regard them as frivolous.

"They were too busy hunting just to survive back then. It was very harsh around this area," he ponders. "They (the elders) don't really know what the goal of the games is."

Etooangat himself comes from a long line of community-minded people. His grandfather, a recipient of the prestigious Award of Canada, worked with the doctor in the hamlet, helping transport patients to and from town.

"He also liked to bring visitors to the North out to show them the land." Etooangat grew up helping his grandfather on these expeditions.

"Thats where I learned how to deal with Qallunaat, white people," he says.

The impressions that visitors take away with them is important to Etooangat.

"I try to explain how we live, why we hunt, that its not easy living in the North."

The changes that an increase in tourism have brought to Pangnirtung have happened slowly, says Etooangat.

"Its not like the snap of a finger."

He sees it as a good economic replacement for the lagging sealskin market.

As for what the future holds, Etooangat remains unsure.

"I don't see too much of our kids working," he says. "There would have to be a drastic change here or they have to move out of the community, which they've been doing for a long, long time."

The kids are the future after all, he says, adding that the community would be really big if there was employment here.

"But they are all scattered," he observes quietly.