Jillian Dickens
Northern News Services

Coppermine (Sep 12/05) - Lily Agnahiak Klengenberg had one wish before she died: that her book - Anarniyak - be published for students.

The 83-year-old mother of 11, and grandmother of more than she could count, passed away 20 minutes after the book arrived from the publisher's desk to her house, but at that point she was too ill to peruse its pages.

Klengenberg's daughter Ida Jane Kapakatoak was by her side when her mother died Aug. 16.

"She was really happy to have her stories published and looking forward to seeing the book," said Kapakatoak. She kept telling her mom "They're coming soon," but it was too late.

"She was too ill and couldn't see."

Anarniyak is one of 17 stories Klengenberg heard as a child and later compiled in the 1980s and A90s.

Two years ago the Teaching and Learning Centre for the Department of Education requested to publish Lily's stories for students in kindergarten through Grade 12.

Originally, all her stories were to be published together, but the centre knew of her condition and rushed the longest story through.

It was released Sept. 2.

"They wanted to fulfil her wish, and they did," said Department of Education spokesperson Oo Aqpik.

All the stories are written in Inuinnaqtun and are geared to preserve the Inuit language, said Education Minister Ed Picco.

"Klengenberg did not want her stories forgotten," he said.

Anarniyak is the tale of a boy who's uncle stuffed him in a wooden box and threw him in the river. Confined to the box, the boy was forced to live in his own excrement until he was rescued by a couple in a community down the river.

"It was really messy," said Kapakatoak. "And because he was living in his pee and because the box was wet he lost all his hair."

The boy grows to be a man with a family of his own. It's then that he meets his uncle again at a gathering.

"At the end he paid his uncle back," said Kapakatoak.

"It's not a friendly story, but at the end it's friendly because he got back at his uncle."

When Klengenberg would tell this story, it would last for over three hours.

Daughter's illustrations

Kapakatoak complements her mother's stories with colourful drawings of characters, animals and the land where their adventures occur.

"The Board of Education asked if I knew how to draw and I told them I could try and the pictures turned out," she said.

The centre will publish the 16 remaining stories soon.