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Say it in Inuktitut

Schools work to weed out English

Dawn Ostrem
Northern News Services

Arviat (Jan 24/01) - Schools in the region have been watching what they say recently.

They have been trying to sift out all English usage for Inuktitut language week.

Last week's events consisted of poster and writing contests. T-shirts and other prizes along with the recognition of work done by students, all revolving around the language, were given out.

"We continued with our mitten-making," said Nellie Ell, the Inuktitut teacher at Sakku School in Coral Harbour.

"We tried our hardest to speak Inuktitut the whole time."

All schools had elders visit students to tell stories and relay the importance of the Inuktitut language.

The week is a territory-wide awareness initiative to zero in on the connection language has to Inuit history and culture.

In Coral Harbour, Ell said Inuktitut, and therefore children's bonds to history and culture, is a connection that is slipping. She said kids tend to speak more English than Inuktitut.

"We don't want to be like the Western Arctic because they lost their language already," she explained. "It is happening more and more and soon we won't even realize it."

But in other communities educators say the language and culture is still potent.

"Inuktitut is overwhelmingly the language of choice," explained Marvin McKay-Keenan, principal of Levi Argmak school in Arviat.

He said having the majority of teachers there from Inuit origins has helped.

"The kindergarten kids come in all knowing hello and good-bye (in English) and that is about it," McKay-Keenan said. "It used to be a scary school to come into when the people didn't speak their language. For the fist couple of weeks kids were crying everyday."

At Inuglak school in Whale Cove, teacher Eva Angoo said the level of Inuktitut speech is also better than in previous years.

"There is less English combined with Inuktitut," she said. "It is because they are taught that it is more important and they are starting to think about it more because it is their language."

Pointing that out were initiatives last week such as Inuktitut words of the day, all-Inuktitut assemblies and time with elders.