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'Every school needs an elder'
Education department working with district authorities to hire them for all schools

Michele LeTourneau
Northern News Services
Monday, October 26, 2015

TALOYOAK/SPENCE BAY
Students at Netsilik Ilihakvik tell Rhoda Nanook she's cool. She laughs when she tells this and she's not sure what to make of it.

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Rhoda Nanook, Netsilik Ilihakvik's innaq inuksiutiliriji, or elder in the school, shows Amy Tucktoo how to prepare a seal skin for stretching on a rack. - photo courtesy of Gina Pizzo

Nanook is one of two elders who work at the K to 12 school. She is an innaq inuksiutiliriji, elder in the school.

"Rhoda is a certified elder as described in the (territorial education) act," said principal Gina Pizzo. "She is a very intelligent and articulate lady in both English and Inuktitut and a creative artist, as well. The District Education Authority (DEA) recommended her based on her excellent language abilities and traditional knowledge."

Pizzo adds, "We actually have another elder who divides her time between the preschool and kindergarten so we are doubly blessed - she's awesome, too."

There are 136 certified innait inuksiutilirijiit (elders in the school) in the school system in Nunavut.

The elder in the school is one of several possible positions, which includes principals, vice-principals, teachers and student support teachers, ilinniarvimmi inuusilirijiit (school community counsellors), teaching assistants and teacher trainees.

Nunavut's Education Act, passed in 2008, recognizes "that communities should be significantly involved in the education of their children to reflect local needs and values, that parents have special responsibilities and that elders can make important contributions."

"Right now there is not a certified elder in every school," said Wende Halonen, manager of communications with the Department of Education. "Now that the new school year has begun, the Department of Education is working with the DEAs to get certified elders for every school."

"I'm an Inuktitut language specialist," said Nanook, which means she attends to spelling and meanings, making sure the language is correct - especially in the Nattilik dialect.

"Inuit today, and especially I guess teachers in the school, they don't always know how to pronounce a certain word."

She works with elementary, junior and senior students, as well as teachers.

On any given day, her responsibilities are numerous. She works with children who are slow with Inuktitut.

She brings skins to the school, showing students the difference between a raw caribou skin, a dried one, a scraped one and a traditionally softened one. And she teaches them how to do that work.

"Nowadays the younger people, all they see is a finished product. For example, caribou skin pants," she said.

"Sometimes I tell them short stories, and also stories about my own life."

She plays a role, too, with children who are disinterested in school work.

"Sometimes there are children who would rather walk around, rather than do their work. I talk with them about the importance of education, why they need education," she said.

Nanook believes education is very important.

"When I first started here, a year and a half ago now, I didn't have any training in this area. I really didn't know how to handle these kinds of children. So I would take one or two smaller students and walk around with them inside the school, starting from kindergarten class right up to Grade 9-10."

The little ones would be impressed by the older students, wanting to emulate them.

A few in particular, she says, she sees every day, "they work on their writing and reading and they're on task."

"I think I have done some positive things in the school," she said. "One of the students that I walked around the school with, he shows me his work whenever I'm in his classroom, about once a week. And he tells me, 'Look Rhoda, I finished this yesterday.' I think that's really 'cool,' as they say."

Nanook seems to believe the students didn't think very much of her when she first started.

"It was kind of rough for the first three weeks. And I'm not ashamed to say that. Today, there's a big difference. They say, "Hi, Rhoda. How was your day?' They'll say, 'Uplaakut,' instead of saying 'Hi.' That really makes a difference. Because I try to make sure they speak at least one Inuktitut word to me every day. The students show pretty good respect to me."

Nanook looks forward to going to work every day, although she says at 67 going on 68, she sometimes gets tired.

"I want to say every school needs an elder, to teach some things that people are starting to forget," she said.

Pizzo has much to say on the subject:

"Rhoda has developed a great rapport with all the staff and they greatly respect what she has to bring to the school community, the students and the staff. I love having her in the school all the time and greatly respect her knowledge and abilities," she said.

"It is so important to have a great role model like Rhoda in the school for the students. The students can look at her and see that she is a successful and highly capable Inuk. She is a person they can aspire to become."

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