New Inuktitut glossary
Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services
Gjoa Haven (Feb 19/01) - An important step has been taken to preserve the dialect of people in the Gjoa Haven area.
Louis Kamookak, chair of the Northwest Passage Historic Society, said the compilation of a 20-page glossary of Inuktitut geographical terms used by Inuit in the Gjoa Haven area will ensure the terms will not be lost.
The glossary was based on a series of words that were recorded during a three-day workshop held last year.
Organized and funded by Nunavut Arctic College, the workshop brought together elders, students, teachers and residents.
The elders essentially acted as professors and taught the others Inuktitut terms relating to different geographical topics including weather forecasting, ocean and land features and safe navigation techniques.
"Topics would be like how to tell what the weather was going to be like or how to tell time the old way," said Kamookak.
While the workshop itself was important, the glossary -- containing 123 words and their definitions -- will ensure the terms are protected for a longer period of time. That's necessary because local dialects, as is the case with many aboriginal languages, are being threatened as the community becomes home to people who speak other languages and dialects "They did it mainly for the next generation so they could remember what the weather conditions were called," said Kamookak. "It was for the education of other people and to preserve the names and terms they used to use," he said.
Kamookak said the recently published directory of words was handed out to students, elders and other community members. A 160-minute video was detailing the workshop and the words used was produced.
Elder and participant George Porter said he was happy with the glossary, but added more of these projects are needed to have any long-lasting effect.
"We have to do more. This is only part of it, what we did last year," said Porter. "There are so many things us elders have to put down before we're gone. There are so many tools the young people have to get while the elders are still alive."
Workshop organizer Paulette Tymk was pleased the glossary was in syllabics, but would like it translated into English and Innuinaqtun.
"I realize that it was done in syllabics to encourage youth to start reading syllabics, but I'd like to see it translated," said Tymko, now a resident of Cambridge Bay.
"It could be used in the school. It would be valuable."
