Jason Unrau
Northern News Services

Inuvik (Jan 13/06) - He may drive a Chevy half-ton, but on Monday Albert Elias was selling Land Rovers, the chic British-made four-by-four sport utility vehicle.

Albert Elias, right, and CBC producer Sonja Koenig share a light moment during a voice-over recording for Land Rover automobiles. - photo courtesy of Dennis Allen

It seems the car company was looking for a Northern indigenous voice to add credibility to its latest radio campaign, and Elias fit the bill.

"It's sort of a conversation where I introduce myself as 'the one who sits on ice'," Elias said before launching into an Inuvialuktun translation.

"That was until I sold my sled and bought my new transportation," he continued, reading through the script with a chuckle. "Now, I'm 'the one who sits in Land Rover.'"

Originally, Land Rover was looking for an Inuktitut voice. Inuvialuit Communications Society producer Dennis Allen said he was contacted by producers in Toronto and suggested Elias.

"There were a few people available in Nunavut, but no recording facilities," Allen added.

After hearing a brief sample of Elias' voice, the Toronto Land Rover team decided it would be fine and the recording process began.

Though speakers of either Inuktitut or Inuvialuktun understand the difference, it's doubtful that Land Rover's ad executives, or their potential customers, would. In comparing the Land Rover to so-called Northern imagery, the text of the radio bit mentions penguins, a species found nowhere near the Arctic.

"Smooth, like a seal swimming, or like a penguin's belly shearing across the ice," Elias read on, with some amusement. "And soft and warm as caribou droppings on fresh snow."

Elias, who has done a fair amount of translating for radio and television, as well as oil and gas companies, says while he was paid well for the spot, unfortunately a Land Rover was not part of the deal. Born in Tuktoyaktuk, the 63-year-old says there's not many left who can speak or translate Inuvialuktun.

Elias says one way to preserve the language at this point is through exposure on television and radio, in particular, locally-produced programming. Of course Elias has no illusions that his ad spot is going to help in that regard.

"I was lucky. I grew up with it," he said. "I lost it for a while when I was in residential school, but when I returned to Tuk most people were still speaking it, so I was able to pick it up again."

The Drum caught up with Elias while he was helping to translate episodes of Tamapta, an ICS program focusing on interesting stories from Inuvialuit elders televised Monday evenings on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network.