Iqaluit (Feb 17/03) - As Leah Inutiq was growing up, she felt lost. It all began when her family moved from their camp to the newly formed community of Clyde River.

She felt she had lost a lot of her culture. At the same time, she didn't feel up to Western standards of education. She felt as though she had fallen through the cracks.

Today, Inutiq is the executive secretary for Manitok Thompson, Minister of Community Government and Transportation.

News/North: When did you first move away from Clyde?

Leah Inutiq: I moved away in the mid-1970s. I moved down South just to see the reality of the things that I learned in school. I was really curious about it. We have no trees up here and you would never see it in your whole life.

N/N: So what was it like when you first arrived in the South?

LI: I went to Montreal. I was really, really amazed. It was like being in, not just another country, but in another planet. I didn't know the language. My second language quickly became French. I spent some time in the children's hospital and they spoke French only. I was learning pretty fast. I knew a few words in French before I left Clyde River. English was alienated from us. We didn't hear it much except on the military base.

N/N: How did you finally learn English?

LI: When I went back to Clyde it was like they wanted to see if "Eskimos" could learn. The girls were on one side of the building and the boys were on the other. There was no kindergarten and no grades. We were just there to see if we could learn ABCs, or numbers, or drawings or something like that.

N/N: What was school like?

LI: I always said if I was never punished, I would probably have learned a lot more in school. Because I was left-handed they use to put me into the corner. They used to put a string over my sleeves so I couldn't use my left hand. As stubborn as I am, I am still left-handed. Another thing is if we spoke our language, we were punished for that. So I spent what felt like four years in the corner.

N/N: Did you go to school while you were in the South?

LI: I was teaching myself a lot through the books and spending a lot of time in the library. I travelled a lot by bus or train. I travelled all along the United States and went from state to state by Greyhound bus. I wanted to see how the Americans lived compared to how the Canadians lived. I travelled a lot throughout Canada as well. I mostly got my education by travelling and talking to lots of people.

N/N: What did you think were some of the differences that you saw between the Americans and the Canadians?

LI: In a way, Canada is friendly but it's one of the hardest countries to get into if you're a different colour. We don't want to say that or to say that there is a lot of racism or prejudice in Canada but there is. Right after the Vietnam war I was trying to go from the States to Canada. They held me there for over five hours. They said I was Vietnamese not Canadian. Back then, there was no telephone back home and none of my family spoke English so I had to call the Canadian ambassador to get a copy of my birth certificate in order to get back home.

N/N: After travelling so much, what was it that brought you back to Nunavut?

LI: In the '80s, I had already lost my mom. Five years later, my dad was dying of a kidney tumour and I figured I'd go spend some time with him.

I already had a job in Montreal and it took me a long time to find a job in Nunavut. After a few months, he passed away and I figured if I don't go up I'll never go back. This is where my heart is and this is where I grew up. I missed the people, I missed my family and my whole culture. I wanted my children to know and learn about the culture so that's what brought me back.

N/N: Did you end up moving back to Clyde or Iqaluit?

LI: Iqaluit. I got a job at the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation as a reporter. I had experience working as a journalist for CBC in Montreal.

N/N: What did you learn from these jobs?

LI: I learned that the Inuit culture has gone through a lot of changes. When I'm asked how old I am, sometimes I feel like I am compared to people from another culture, I'm probably 15,000 years old. I grew up out on the land in what I guess some would call a primitive way of life. We had our own way of life. The only technology that we had with us at the camp was a big wooden radio that we brought with us by dog team. Getting into the computer world, technology and machinery -- it's amazing.

N/N: What do you think these changes have done to the culture?

LI: We're very adaptable and it's no wonder that there's a lot of social issues. A lot of young people have problems because they feel like they don't really belong to either side. I felt, as a young person, that I didn't know enough about my culture and my language at the same time, I didn't have enough education for Western society. I struggle a lot with that. What kept me going was just talking to a lot of people and talking to just about anybody who passed by. A lot of people care and that's what keeps me going.

N/N: How do you think all of these changes with the culture will resolve itself?

LI: I just think that those of us, the middle-aged people, are hit harder. We're the ones that started getting educated like in the Western culture. We never had homework before and when we started getting it, we never had help from our parents. But now, I can help my children and my grandchildren. It will be a lot easier for the younger generations.

I always say there are three different patterns for Inuit lifestyles.

The elders grew up and were born out on the land. Then there are those of us who were born out on the land and went to school. Finally, there are those who are born in the communities and went to school right from the beginning.

N/N: How do you preserve the culture?

LI: It's the responsibility of the family to pass on our way of life.

N/N: What are you most proud of?

LI: When we, Inuit, get together we are one people. We are not separate tribes. I'm so proud of that. We are not separated because of area or place. When we get together we share things and we talk.

Every community has their own language structure and way of making clothing. Back in 1967, I stayed in Iqaluit with an old couple. When they saw people from outside, they could say exactly where they were from.

N/N: Are you happy that Nunavut became it's own territory?

LI: I had a lot of mixed feelings. But now, seeing it even though it's not the best agreement, we are Inuit. We are stubborn and we will keep discussing until it's alright for our society. It's like a dog team, the dogs can go in all sorts of directions and not get anywhere.

But if there's a good leader, we can move forward. Inuit children are taught to be stubborn, it was one of our ways of surviving the harsh environment. It's that stubbornness we've learned that we use as a tool now. I'm proud of that and I think Nunavut really created a sense of pride in our culture.

People are more concerned now about our language. People are wearing more traditional clothing. We made history and we should be proud of that.

N/N: What are the biggest problems facing Nunavut?

LI: There are a lot of problems that we've stumbled onto. One of the examples that I use is the alcohol problem. It's no wonder we have that problem. It came in a brown bag with no instructions. Now we're learning that it's a problem. We're learning what can go wrong.

N/N: What's your goal for your the future?

LI: I'd like to get into business, something for traditional clothing. I'd like to keep it in the family. And I'd like to say happy birthday to my first grandchild. I'm a midwife and in our culture it's very important. I haven't delivered a baby since my granddaughter. She was the first girl that I delivered and my first granddaughter. I had an $800 phone bill calling the whole world and telling them. It took me a few months to pay for it.