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KANGLIQLINIQ/RANKIN INLET
The Order of Nunavut was officially bestowed upon the late Jose Amaujaq Kusugak during a special presentation in Rankin Inlet this past month.

Nellie Kusugak, third from right, displays the Order of Nunavut, bestowed on her late husband, Jose Kusugak, along with Nunavut Commissioner Edna Elias, cadet Tatonya Autut, Aliisa Autut (daughter), Cpl. Desiree Autut and Hunter Tootoo, from left, during a special presentation in Rankin Inlet this past month. - photo courtesy of Dorothy Tootoo

Kusugak, the late Mark Kalluak of Arviat and Rev. Mike Gardener of Iqaluit were named as the first recipients of Nunavut's highest honour on June 29, 2011.

The Rankin gathering came about on short notice, with poor weather playing havoc with flights for parts of December.

Jose's widow, Nellie, accepted the Order of Nunavut on behalf of her late husband, and was pleasantly surprised with the size of the turnout on such short notice.

Nellie struggles, at times, speaking about her husband as the first anniversary of his death nears on Jan. 18.

Her love and pride are obvious as she talks of her husband's dedication to Inuit.

So, too, is the sadness, when her memories spark the loneliness for him that still clutches at her heart.

Nellie said it's sad Jose's not here to enjoy the many accolades to come his way during the past year.

She said Jose always said his calling was to make life better for Inuit and he worked tirelessly to achieve that goal.

"Right at the beginning I had to decide to take jobs that wouldn't take me away from my children, because I knew Jose would be travelling all the time and they needed a stable parent.

"You think that's over and then grandchildren come along, and you want them to have a stable grandparent they know will always be there.

"When you're married to a politician, people don't know about the hardships, sleepless nights and worries over how do I fix this?

"You learn to leave him alone to think things through and, once in awhile, he'd ask me what I thought or what I'd do in that situation."

Nellie said Jose was honest with her right from the beginning.

She said he told her this is what your life will be like with me, so it's up to you to decide if you can handle it.

"I knew what I was getting into right from the start, but that still didn't lessen the times Jose had to be away.

"Lots of meetings happened in December and our anniversary was Dec. 20, but, in all the years, he only ever missed that date twice.

"All the other times he made sure he was home or I could quickly get away to meet him wherever he was.

"Our anniversary was such an important day to him."

Nellie said while the family is so grateful Jose's work didn't go unnoticed, it hurts an awful lot when he's not there to be recognized.

She said that means one thing -- he's really gone.

"I have to accept stuff on his behalf, but it would be better if he were here to accept it instead of me.

"That part is hard because it's going to be a year on the 18th, but it still feels like I just left him at the hospital yesterday.

"Our cabin was the only place he had complete rest, peace and serenity.

"He did so much at our cabin with the grandchildren, and they miss doing all those things out there with him more than anything.

"That's why my son thought it would be best to bury him there, where he was happiest."

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