NUNAVUT
Natan Obed, the former director of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.'s (NTI) department of social and cultural development, started out in his new position as president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami under stormy conditions.

Natan Obed was elected president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami Sept. 17 in Cambridge Bay. Obed is originally from Nain, Nunatsiavut, and has lived for the past nine years in Iqaluit with his wife and two children. - photo courtesy of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami

His lack of fluency in Inuktitut came under fire by his now former employer, NTI president Cathy Towtongie.

This in turn caused outrage with young non-fluent Inuit, who accused Towtongie and her brand of commentary of contributing to diminishing their Inukness, as expressed by Jessie Mike in another publication, and the strong responses in social media that followed.

"I think what happened last week in Cambridge Bay and then the media and social media, and also with the number of people that have come up to me in the last week and pumped me about language and about culture and identity, has been profound," said Obed.

"It certainly feels as though we're in a moment that could produce some very positive change that people have been hoping for some time."

But, he says, any discussion about language needs to happen "without putting anyone down on any side of the language spectrum."

"I think all Inuit, no matter if you're fluent or not, would agree that language is fundamental to Inuit society and Inuit identity and should be championed, that we should do all we can to preserve, promote, use and revitalize Inuktitut in our lives."

As Obed points out, Inuit are still reeling from the effects of the colonization period which saw people be taught in a second language. Inuit children are still taught in a second language.

"A lot of people made decisions, decisions that they maybe didn't even talk about, which valued fitting in, which valued the future of their kids in a colonized environment over the traditional skills they valued themselves."

Today, there are many people like Obed who aren't completely fluent "but have a passion and a desire to learn and also revitalize the language for our children."

As Obed said in his election speech, in which he described his childhood and upbringing in stark detail, his two children are fluent. In fact, he helped run Tumikuluit Saipaaqiivik, an Iqaluit daycare that provides Inuktitut immersion early education for children.

"We have fought through all the barriers in our way to provide an acclaimed and trend-setting Inuit early childhood program," he said.

It was after his impassioned speech, available on the ITK website, that delegates chose Obed Sept. 17 at the close of the national Inuit organization's annual general meeting. He carried 54 per cent of the votes.

The presidency of ITK is a role reversal for Obed.

"I've spent the last 14 years trying to serve leadership, serve elected officials in Inuit organizations. (The presidency) is a very different role and one that I'll take very seriously. But I think that because I've come up through Inuit organizations I'll have an understanding of how it all should work and also a respect for the time and effort that people take to create that knowledge and information for the political leadership to act upon.

"No one person can know everything and it's up to us, as politicians now, to take advice from staff and to give our perspective and amplify the message, but to be true to the organization."

One immediate challenge Obed faces is the reality that since 2012 the federal government has slashed ITK funding by $1.9 million.

"There are a whole host of things that need to be done to improve the way in which funding flows to Inuit organizations and in Inuit priority areas," said Obed.

"We always struggle at the national level to be heard. We're a group of 60,000. Other aboriginal groups in Canada are much, much larger. Trying to convey our message in a clear, concise way that demands action will take time and effort. We need the research, we need the data, the way in which to describe the reality that will allow for federal departments or federal politicians to want to try to help us."

Obed says ITK is a representational organization for all Inuit across Canada that can work with the federal government "to implement, to honour the provisions in the constitution or United Nations declarations about the role that Inuit play within the Canadian political structure and how decisions are made.

"Inuit have to be in the room when we're talking about health care or education or language or the environment or wildlife. Funding to do that is imperative for the national organization to provide that voice."

With Inuit participation comes better legislation and better programs.

"You're able to implement things in our regions to create change in a way that you couldn't if you had no Inuit expertise in the room. That's going to be a challenge. We're going to have to figure out how to change some minds. But I think that we can do it."

First, Obed will introduce himself to regions that may not be as familiar with him as Nunavut has become over the last nine years. This includes Inuit living in 53 communities across the Inuvialuit Settlement Region in the NWT, Nunavut, Nunavik and Nunatsiavut or, collectively, Inuit Nunangat.

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