Cambridge Bay resident brings hope to community members
Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services
Cambridge Bay (Jun 04/01) - Whether through drum dancing or her work as a school community counsellor, Elik Tologanak helps people.
And it's something she seems to come by naturally.
Originally from Holman, Tologanak -- now a long-time Cambridge Bay resident -- learned to dance from her parents and grand-parents. A style based both on Kitikmeot and Inuvialuit heritage, Tologanak takes what she's learned and passes on her dancing know-how to young people in the community. That work also brings the hamlet's elders into contact with the younger generations.
"I see the interaction between the elders and the young people." said Tologanak.
Her work at Kullik school brings a similar sort of reward to Tologanak. An employee of the elementary school since 1971, Tologanak has held her latest position for the last 13 years.
She said she enjoys it because it brings her into direct contact with families in the community as she helps them solve the problems in their lives.
The end result gives her all the reward she needs.
"Sometimes you see children and their families going through difficult times, real down times," she explained.
"You try to bring them some sort of hope that it will get better. In the end, when they've gone through the whole process of getting back to the upside --somewhere down the line you get a thank-you," she said.
"It's not so much the words, but the look in their face."
Tologanak also volunteers with the Cambridge Bay Justice Committee and helped produce a tri-territorial report on legal aid in the North.
