Malcolm Gorrill
Northern News Services

Yellowknife ( Jun 05/00) - Helping Inuit take charge of their own destiny.

That's what Pauloosie Keeyootak considers the biggest accomplishment of the Qikiqtani Inuit Association (QIA), which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.

Keeyootak, who has been president of the QIA since 1998, used as an example the CLRCs (community lands and resource committees) in 13 Baffin communities.

"Members from the community have an actual say in when people can come into their community, or Inuit-owned lands in their surrounding community, and whether they should be allowed to enter or not," Keeyootak said through a translator.

"That's one of the biggest successes we can count on: the fact Inuit have actually taken on a lot of control in their own homeland."

Keeyootak became a community director for what was then called the Baffin Regional Inuit Association (BRIA) in 1980. He became vice president in 1986 and served as president from 1988-95.

"When I first started, BRIA was funded by the federal government. The organization was a negotiating organization. That was the big mandate when I first started, was to help negotiate for the land claim for the region," Keeyootak said.

"Now that we have the (Nunavut) Land Claims Agreement, we're able to have a major role in decision making," the president said.

"We take concerns from board members that represent each of the communities and lobby for them."

Last year the QIA reached an Inuit Impact Benefits Agreement with the federal government, which brought into formal existence three national parks -- Sirmilik, Quttinirpaaq and Auyuittuq.

That agreement is one of QIA's biggest achievements, according to Jerry Ell, president of the Qikiqtaaluk Corporation, a subsidiary of QIA. Ell said the QIA has played "the leading role" in how Inuit organizations run.

"The QIA was the first Inuit association to establish policy procedures," Ell said. "The QIA board of directors are very much accountable to the people they represent."

Keeyootak said his organization was poorly funded and staffed when he started there, and that it now boasts a staff of about 20, with better funding.

"We've taken on so many responsibilities."

Keeyootak mentioned QIA's subsidiary companies, Qikiqtaaluk Corporation and Kakivak Association.

"These are some of the everyday challenges that we face, trying to run the organizations and representing Inuit at the same time," the president said.

"The funding is a lot more adequate for the job, or the responsibilities that are expected of us.

"And this money is Inuit money that we're helping to administer, and being actual decision makers in where that money is spent, and how it best benefits the Inuit."

Goo Kingwatsik, manager of the Hunters and Trappers Association in Cape Dorset, noted the QIA has grown quite a bit as it fulfils an important role.

"It's a good role model for other organizations to follow, so that they can succeed in what they do," Kingwatsik said.

Regarding QIA's future, Keeyootak said, "Over the next five years, we'll continue to have a lot more to do.

"One of the biggest things is sustained implementation of the land claims. There's to be a lot more articles in there that have to be implemented," he said.

"I'll be doing that for quite a few years."