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What's in a name?
People names, like place names, form an important part of Inuit culture by Richard Gleeson
NNSL (Oct 06/97) - Though given us by others, our names are forever intertwined with our identities. For the Inuit of the NWT, names are much more -- a link to the past, to role models, to the animals and land they depended upon for survival. "A lot of it has to do with spirituality," said Peter Ernerk, assistant director of heritage and culture for Nunavut. "Like Amaruq, the wolf, is a very fast animal, able to catch caribou," said Ernerk, whose last name means `son'. "Some are named after spirits for good luck, for the ability to become good hunters." All Inuit names have meaning, though today most names are assigned according to European tradition. Family names did not exist before the arrival of Europeans. Inuit were known by their given names and then family tie (`the son or daughter of...). Several times since the arrival of Europeans, Inuit names have been changed to fit Inuit culture into European organizational structure. As John Ningark, MLA for Natilikmiot, noted, his name was given him by missionaries. Another attempt involved disk numbers, based on area of residence. In the 1970s, Project Surname was initiated by the GNWT, replacing disk numbers with Inuk names. Though traditional words were used, surnames were assigned to most. Like Europeans, many Inuit carry the names of their ancestors. But, as Ningark explained, they were assigned for different reasons. "An expectant mother will sometimes dream of a person, say an uncle, from time to time," said Ningark. "This would indicate to her that the person in the dream wanted the child to take his or his name." Ernerk added, "People do it out of compassion and love. For example, my grandfather was named Ivaluqut. My mother must have loved him, her father, very much. She named him three times in our family." Taking the name of another brings with it the challenge of living up to, or exceeding, the namesake's reputation. Ernerk described it as, "The challenge of having the same kind of life, or to prove to society that they can be as good, or better, than the one they are named after." Inuk names are also interchangeable between sexes. In this way a son can inherit the name of a respected aunt or grandmother. Something many non-northerners are not familiar with is the number of names that an Inuk can carry. "It's not uncommon for one person to have four, five or six different names," said Ningark.
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