INUVIK
Amidst the otherwise festive atmosphere of the Muskrat Jamboree's opening ceremony, there was a moment of somber remembrance.

Sandra Ipana takes in the statue of her late husband as it's unveiled at the Muskrat Jamboree opening ceremony April 1. - Sarah Ladik/NNSL photo

Roy Ipana, a community leader who died in 2009, was memorialized with a statue carved by Eli Nasogaluak from Italian marble. The carving was unveiled on the evening of April 1, but had been in town for some time prior.

Vince Sharpe, who commissioned the statue and organized the presentation, had wanted to surprise Ipana's family members with the tribute.

"He was my brother in law. I didn't like him - I loved him," he said.

"I thought about having it at home but I couldn't do that. I couldn't hide it from the people."

Others spoke, including Ipana's longtime friend and NWT Commissioner George Tuccaro. He said Ipana was always the man to make people laugh, both at home and out in the community.

He was known for organizing all kinds of events, including the Muskrat Jamboree.

"We'll always remember him," Tuccaro said. "I'm so proud to be able to come up, look at that carving and say, 'I knew that man.'"

Gerry Kisoun spoke about Ipana's love for Northern Games, of how being athletes had probably helped them get girlfriends as teenagers.

He also described parts of the carving, saying the polar bear stands for strength and the whale tail for Ipana's connection with the water.

Ipana's mother was also honoured in the statue, as well as his faith, represented by a white bird.

"He was always telling us stories," Kisoun said.

"Always keeping you on your toes."

The statue was two years in the planning and making, according to Sharpe, who said he wanted to commemorate his brother-in-law with something more substantive than a plaque in an out of the way corner of the arena.

It will now reside in a glass case at the entrance of the Midnight Sun Complex, where anyone going in or out will be able to see it in all its splendour.

Former Inuvialiut Regional Corporation chairperson Nellie Cournoyea spoke last, talking about how supportive Ipana had been throughout her political career, and how he and his family are "very much a part of where we came from, and where we're going to go.

"He said he was never a politician but let me tell you, when I needed him, he was there," she said.

"To remember Roy is to do something. Don't talk about it: Do something."

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