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Peterloosie will be missed for her warmth, humour Casey Lessard Northern News Services Published Monday, November 21, 2011
That feeling was echoed by others who worked closely with Peterloosie, who died Nov. 12 of stomach cancer at Qikiqtani General Hospital in Iqaluit, her son Tommy said. She was 75. "She was highly respected here and cared for by the community," said Pond Inlet home care worker Teresa Shook, who saw her regularly. "She was loved by many, including myself, and had a huge impact on a lot of lives here in town, across Nunavut and I think across the country. She was an excellent representative for Inuit culture and Nunavut." According to a biography written by her son, Michael, Peterloosie was born in 1936 in Akunniq, a camp between Hall Beach and Iglulik, where she spent her early years living off the land following the caribou migration and hunting and fishing in summer camps. Her family moved to the Arctic Bay area in 1963, but continued their subsistence lifestyle. She moved to Pond Inlet in 1981, where she and her husband, Jayko Peterloosie, were vital participants in the preservation of Inuit culture. Jayko died last November, and the two are survived by five children, Kaujak Komangapik, Jeannie Koonoo, Fiona Atagootak, Michael Peterloosie, and Tommy Peterloosie. "Her life on the land was a time of hardship and poverty," Tommy said of his mother's early years. "She wanted to teach others about the life of the North and how Inuit live in the cold winters. She wanted to let others know about the culture and pass that on to younger generations." She did that through traditional cultural performances, including drum dances, Ajaaja and stories. "She didn't want to lose her traditions," Tommy said. "She smiled every time film makers or others would come to the community to interview her about her life in the winter, and she liked going to meetings about Inuktitut language and culture." In addition to meetings, she advised territorial court judges on traditional healing and cultural sensitivities, and served as an addictions counsellor at the local health centre and a healer for people who had recently gone through the justice system. She performed at local events in the Tununiq Arsaniit Theatre Group, and across Canada, and was hired to work on two films by John Houston, Diet for Souls, and Kivique. "She was very active in her beliefs in the Inuit way and keeping her culture alive," Shook said. "It was important for her to pass on traditions." "She was the essence of what it means to be indigenous," said Jamieson, who chaired the jury that selected her to receive the 2011 National Aboriginal Achievement Award for Culture, Heritage and Spirituality. "At the base of Canadian culture is the indigenous reality, so for her to take that as her life's work, she knew she had a gift and she had special indigenous knowledge that if she did not work to preserve it, it would have been lost." Beyond her impact on culture, she left a lasting impression on those in Pond Inlet. "Annie was a very warm individual," Shook said. "She was always holding hands and greeting everyone. She had a really big smile and was very welcoming. I'll miss sitting with her, and her holding my hand, and us laughing at jokes and drinking tea." "It's fresh now," Tommy Peterloosie said days after his mother's death, "but I'm happy to say she was my special mom, and she helped me through difficult times. I'm happy for her that she is in a good place now." Funeral arrangements were not set by press time.
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