Rankin Inlet (Sep 22/04) - It was a sombre day, but Sept. 10 also marked a day of action for hundreds of people in the Kivalliq region.

It was World Suicide Prevention Day, an important day for Nunavut, which has a suicide rate six times higher than the Canadian average.

The hamlet of Rankin Inlet held its second World Suicide Prevention Walk that Friday, attracting about 30 people, including elders, for a walk around the ring road.

Veronica Tattuinee, Maryanne Tattuinee, Nadia Sammurtok and Silu Connelly organized the effort.

"It's to make the community more aware that there is help out there," said Veronica Tattuinee.

The participants used their afternoon coffee break for the walk, which was followed with a picnic at the elder's cabin outside of town.

The group piled rocks to commemorate the walk and last year's "Reaching out 2003-Walk for Life" effort, said Tattuinee.

One woman said a few words about losing two of her sons to suicide.

Her message to the youth was that there is light at the end of the tunnel, said Tattuinee.

"Even though they didn't say anything, you could see it in their faces," said Tattuinee.

"It brings people closer together," she said of World Suicide Prevention Day.

150 people gathered

In Chesterfield Inlet, the turnout for the walk was enormous. Approximately 150 people gathered in the school gym to go for a two-hour walk around the community.

"I hope people got the message that ending your own life is not the answer," said Yvonne Aggark, one of the organizers.

Aggark recently lost a family member to suicide, making the day difficult for her, but also more poignant.

"It was very emotional for me," she said.

Suicide rates in Nunavut have almost doubled in the past decade, according to a press release from the National Aboriginal Health Organization, the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and the Ajunnginiq Centre.

The Canadian suicide average is 12.9 deaths per 100,000 people, while rates in Nunatsiavut, Nunavik and Nunavut average 80 per 100,000 population.

Researchers attribute the reasons to relationship breakdowns, difficulties balancing cultures in the modern world and depression, according to the report.

All seven communities in the Kivalliq region committed to hosting similar walks, though some delayed their events until they had better weather.