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Aklavik mourns Philip Elanik Chris DiCesare Northern News Services Published Monday, August 22, 2011
Elanik and Shawn Firth rescued four of Elanik's six children from a fire that gutted the family home in February. "He called Shawn his hero because he helped him save his kids," Philip's mom, Sandra Elanik, said. She said Philip and Shawn went through the front door with the children to get them out, and when Philip went back in to check for the other children he became trapped and had to exit through the window, suffering burns from the ordeal. Only four the six children were home at the time of the fire. Apart from his heroism, Philip will be remembered as one of the community's foremost drummers and dancers. "When he danced, he danced with his whole self, he had very powerful moves," Sandra said. Not content to be a strong performer, his mother said he taught drumming and dancing and held frequent workshops to pass the culture of drumming and dancing to anyone who wanted to learn. "He loved to dance and sing. A lot of the community members dance and sing and his relatives - uncles mostly - were drummers and dancers and it was natural for him to follow them," Sandra said. His mom fondly remembered her son's sense of humour, something shared within the family as they often engaged in good-natured kidding around. "He was a good man, a loving man, well-mannered and very outgoing, he talked to anybody and everybody." According to a message posted by the chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Justice Murray Sinclair on the commission's website, Elanik will be remembered as "a man of courage." "When the story of his personal bravery in saving his family was told, all of us felt courageous," Sinclair wrote. Philip is survived by his wife Lori-Anne, children Grace, Philip III, Elaine, Mathias, Nigel, and Mason.
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