"That's how I take life," he says. "Every day you go on, gung-ho all the way. I'm a hands-on guy. If somebody doesn't do the job right, I'll go fix it or do it for them."

The 48-year-old father of 10 and grandfather of 14, is perhaps best known as the wise-cracking master of ceremonies at community events like the Muskrat Jamboree and Northern Games.

Back in 1984, the Muskrat Jamboree had been out of commission for a decade or more, languishing without organizers. Ipana and his friend Abel Tingmiak decided to get it going again. They started by going door to door on a Saturday morning.

"Three hours later, we got $2,500 cash -- that was enough for Ski-Doo races and some other races, just to revive it again. The next year, we started a committee. It's going full blast now."

Because he was more talkative than his friend, he ended up on the bull horn.

"After that it became automatic that I was hollering at people, trying to get things started. That's how I became the MC," Ipana says.

During the festival, Ipana stays on the microphone for three days straight, cracking jokes and keeping events going.

"I like to see people having fun and being happy," he says. "It makes my heart happy. I try to make everyone welcome, no matter who they are or where they come from. I can walk away and say everybody had a good time and I was just a little part of it."

As for the Northern Games, a Western Arctic sports competition, Ipana's involvement was a natural progression. Since 1968, when Ipana first watched coach Edward Lennie demonstrate traditional Inuit games, Ipana has loved Arctic sports. He was involved first as a teenage athlete practising knuckle hop, arm pull and high kick, then followed in Lennie's footsteps as a coach and organizer.

"There's a core of about eight people that work together on Northern Games," Ipana explains. "Me and Abel Tingmiak and there's always Nellie (Cournoyea) there and my wife Sandra. They made me a lifetime MC a few years ago. I don't have a title but I'm always there if they need me to go travelling or to promote the games."

Today, he uses Arctic sports to reach out to youth.

"I ask them to finish school and get a good job and help your parents if you can."

When Ipana isn't busy organizing events or playing with his many grandchildren, he works at Inuvik Works, a local employment project. "I like it -- it keeps me busy," Ipana says. "Me and my crew, we help the local non-profit organizations and we love helping elders, cleaning their steps and decks, whatever they ask us to do."

He coaches a crew of six to 10 workers on basic work and life skills. "I tell them you don't have to be perfect, but at least try to live good."