 And it is an honor to introduce David, oh, hi, David. David Sirkoak, I can't say it quite right, but I will say this right. He's from Ocliot, Nunavut. And every year, since we've had this institute, David has done his presentation, and I look forward to it each time, and I get something different from it, each time that David does it. I'd like to bring David forward, and a good welcome for our elder, David, our Inuit elder, of Nunavut. You guys guessed it. Inuit men are short. I was trying to kid John to pronounce my name properly. He said, just call me David Sirkoak, or Hickwock. He passed the test, but I had to say he has that Saskatchewan, Cowboyish, pronunciation Sirkoak, or something like that. Is this working? This is good. I can sit and talk. Before I start my now or less presentation, I am 25 minutes late, but I will finish my talk and we'll have coffee after I finish my talk. I was about 20, I think. I was in the band in Eskimo Point. That's how far back. Today it's called Ocliot. All my bandmates were about the same age, 20, 21, 22. We were called icebergs. I was a bass player and every so often we would get some beer and occasionally Canadian whiskey. A friend of mine was planning to go to Churchill for a conference and I said to him, can you bring me back a bottle of CC or Canadian whiskey. Days are so long, finally he came and said, here's your bottle. Without thinking or reading the label, I invite my band members to come right away, bring some pop. So they came right away, three of us, four of me, four. I evenly pour everything from the bottle and top it with coke. What I didn't know was it was BB duck wine as we go up and just gobble it quick and nothing happens. It was just like having a pop. From that day I never had BB duck again. Then I'll make the long story short. In 1993 I stopped drinking altogether. So it's still counting. I'm going to start off by sharing with you a very short clip of video music which is about my background and also a group of Inuit from Northern Quebec from Inukjok that were removed from their hometown to Hyardic way up where the center class lived. The song is also about my background where my group from Anadaleic from West Coast of Hudson Bay if you travel further west south towards Manitoba where tree line stops Anadaleic sits there. And we were also subject of removal by federal government by force in 49 to Manitoba border and also to West Coast of Hudson Bay in 56-57. So the song is very touchy for me. Every time I watch the song I learn more about it. I want you to have a clear look on people you will see facial expression by Inuit and then Inuit and listen to the song very carefully. In about half an hour I'll get back into the story about that song. So please play the song. It's called Back in 58. That song is composed by Sampe den Noack of Renk and Inlet and he went down to Achved for a meeting and he happened to stay with one of our elders and he was told about our background and the song came about. It's a very nice song. So this is very first time I will try to use this. Is it safe? Yes, okay. I'm going to try to give you a very quick snapshot of a brief history of my group or Inuit in general but I will often focus on my group or my region of Kivalak around Achved. This photograph was taken in mid-50s, maybe early 50s around Anadaleic, if not in Anadaleic. That is typical family and these four youngsters, two of them are still with us today. In the center is my mother, this big boy who know how to walk is having a big ride. I don't know why I wasn't walking around that day and another boy with an arrow, it's my good friend Tommy Olajit who lives in Achved today or back at Iskimo Point in the old days. This is last year. He asked me to go to Achved for his 47th reading anniversary so I can't be a big guy. I'll be seeing him again on the 19th to 22nd next week when I go to Achved. See, I don't know this. There you go. All Inuit in general have one name before we were interrupted by the government or people coming in from over the ocean. That sort of stuff before explorers, before missionaries, before traders, etc. Just to give you an example, before the interference, all of us, even my parents, just have one name. You don't need lots of middle names or surname. Name was a very important part of starting a family and usually parents get the first name of your wife or yourself. Sometimes people living a good life with a good hunter never get hungry. Some people ask to be born among them. When they have a child coming up, they may request, I want to be with your family. Can you name your next baby after me so I can live among you? And also, almost immediately, if an elder or a parent passed away, the name come back by a baby. In my group, that is so. Before we move to the coast or in the eyes of the government to civilize world, I just have one name. When government saw this little baby, they add another name. Even six year two. That was also become my name for the government, for the RCMP, for the welfare worker. And I suppose to wear it around my neck or attached to my shoulder. So they have easy access to. They name E162. After we moved to the coast, then we were taken by either Catholic or Anglican ministries. My family become Anglicans. Then we also again heard it one by one, that you are now Andy, Mary, Silas, Winnie, and David. Now you are Christian. Don't you forget. Then we were introduced to Western education. Officers cannot pronounce Hikwok. So close sister Hikwok is S-A-R-K-O-A-K, that is my name today. But in a vet, everyone call me Hikwok. In 60s, government do once and changes again to all the Eastern Arctic, maybe throughout the Arctic, called CERNIN project. They hired a gentleman named E-Ukbek, who visited every community, every household, every man and woman. What name they want to go under. So my father, my brother, and myself have three different surnames. Miki, Ilangayok, and CERKWOK. Just to get back to name passing, this is an elder Hikwok, or Hikwokalak, or big Hikwok, before me. I am named after him. And his song become mine when he passed away. So I have a granddaughter named after me, the song we share. She has it in her treasured chest. And when I'm gone up there or here, and I'm not sure as yet, she will become a sole owner. And this is my late mother and I in 50s. And this is what the name looked like in 40s and 50s and part of 60s when we registered to police station. They go by region. It started in my region in a schema point. So it started as E-1-1. It started in E-2, E-3, E-4, E-5. All the way up to northern Quebec, then Western Arctic become W-1, W-2, W-2, that sort of stuff. Transportation pretty much across the Arctic. Kayak, or kayak. Wintertime, it's either by foot if you don't have any dogs and also by dog team. And soon as we were removed from Anadaleic, there are lots of other in wage group in 50s that were also removed by force. The two, all three are well documented moves right to today. The first group were from northern Quebec, from Fort Harrison. Now Inukjok, by ship CD-HAL, they went all the way up to No Man's Land at the top of the world, the Great Spirit, Resolute Bay, and they are still up there and it's become their home. And some moved back down to Fort Harrison, or Inukjok, but after 20, 30, 40 years, things have changed. Another group, this group, I often go to Dunlite Mountains National Park over the last three summers. And every trip I talk to that group and they tell me about how they were removed from Hebra and Inukjok to different places. Pretty much the same procedure by officers from Newfoundland that they have to move. And they did also by force and also by promises that weren't kept. One elder told me that government officials invited all of them to the church, to a big church and tell them that they will move. There's a reason for that. Inukjok usually listen in the house of God. They pray and they listen to people. And they were told, you are moving on this day, and they did, to Nain, Red River Spirit, and Makovik. Then there is us and the Dalek. If you're not sure about where it is, I'll show you in the map later on, but it's towards which goes the Hudson Bay, right in the tree line. If you follow the tree line, it will lead you to Manitoba. They move us down to Nolten Lake, also by force. Just get out of your tent, go to the plane, and I'll get back to that a bit later. Then in mid-50s, after we walked back from the northern border of Manitoba, we walked back over the course of three months back to Anadal Lake. A few years later, they put us on the plane again to Nolten Lake, which is between Anadal Lake and Eskimo Point somewhere in between, right in the tree line. Three days walk is a little Hudson Bay post called Padley. Men walk back and forth over the course of three days in starvation days. When we first moved to Nolten Lake, tents are set up already for us by the government. A little food rations in each tent with flour, lard, that sort of stuff. And that food gone right away. Then I'll get back to that later, but we all make an exodus to Padley, and we were moved to the coast of Hudson Bay. That first move also was by plane. All the elders told us on that terrible day when three men came and saw heavy equipment operator, RCMP, and one other hand. They were asked or signaled to get out of the tent, and signaled was given bulldoze all the tents by truck back and forth and buried all our stuff. And they instruct us to go to the plane, which was waiting. And second move to Nolten Lake, that is where all the terrible death took place, plus in the first move too, due to starvation and thickness. Several people died of starvation and also to cold exposure. Maybe one or two kayak incidents and coupled by two men by murder. Short time after all the sort rations were used up, everyone was on their own, per family. And a strong one survived. All walked to Hudson Bay Patle, which is three days away. From there we were once again airlifted to Eskimo Point. Until all the investigations are over, then we were put on into a boat again, just north to Whale Cove. Then the landing was not in favor of the captain. We were rerouted to Rankin Inlet, where men work at the surface at the nickel mine. And women start to start sewing for crafts and stuff. But before we got too comfortable in Rankin, once again we were shipped down this time south of Rankin Inlet to Whale Cove, our original destination. And rehab center was born with our group as the first, maybe test, right, Whale Cove was born, which is getting bigger. We really have to adapt fast to coastal living. We've never seen seals or warlords or whales or anyone don't know about high tide, low tide. A few times we got caught in tide, we really have to rush to the mainland. We tried to drink water, it's terrible. It's all salt, we didn't know that. It was so used, it's just fresh water. Introduction to western education, Friday school, it was pretty harsh for all of us and we never been to school before. And it depends on who's your teacher, it's go by their province. If she has a good day, then you don't get a strap. Bad days were lots. We are not used to clock, we're not used to money, we're not used to work schedule. And we just being introduced to welfare, what is welfare. And also our parents were introduced to carving to make tomorrows, to buy tomorrows food. And almost immediately, government ship mats boxes, just a little, it's like those metal boxes in a big ship container, square, we call them mats box. They were all over the place. The school was open, Mrs. Evenson, Mr. Hamburg, Mr. Jenkins, Mr. Fritland, that sort of stuff. But we were told right away whether we understand our teacher or not. Keep your language outside the door. Keep your culture outside the door. Here in my classroom is a rule one. English, English, English. There's another group, Anglican and Church, also telling us whether we are truly Christians or not, but telling us now you are a child of God, you are a Christian. This is sin, this is not. So this is your near life. Abandon your beliefs. Abandon same initiative. Abandon drum dancing, throat singing, arrange marriages. They are part, work of the devil. So we don't want to go to hell, I guess. So we listen and we are told, Sunday is the day of rest. It should be no physical work, rest and don't even fix your clothes. At this time, Ottawa hired many, many up-to-not or white people to be in charge of your community. For instance, my home was well-coved from 59 to 69. And we have several settlement managers, they recall, equivalent to an Indian agent. They have the same power. They rule you. And you need to have a habit of nicknaming people, white people coming in, police, ministers, that sort of stuff. They all have nicknames. Some, they know their nicknames but some of them don't know. And this settlement manager in 64, 65, he was a very thin, tall man, very skinny, from Netherlands. We call him, the upside-down man. He has a very bald forehead all the way up here. Big beard. He said he would be this way. Plus, he needs to take an inmate-awareness workshop. His name was Finn Lawrence. Am I making a mistake? Losing your language? Losing your culture? And I just had to explain. Inmate movement at first, in Eastern Arctic, inmate finally know their rights to vote in federal elections, but we don't know it back then. And I think it was just before 1965. We were on the sea as kids and a small plane circle us and each fly over, it get lower and lower. And I guess on a final fly-by, someone opened the window and just pour little leaflets. It was like a rain with paper. With our limited pronunciation, there's a little, with a picture. Luckily, we know our vegetables and fruit. Apples and orange, that sort of says banana. And they said, orange. I got excited, orange. It's like, are you going to eat orange? And he said, but, but, but orange. Vote for but orange. I don't know if you vote for but orange that year, but I remember my dad or my father, late Mickey, cast his first vote and I have a photograph with it. And the man in charge was Tagak Curley. He was a long time politician from my region. Tagak Curley helping my father how to vote. It was true. If you look up north, there's lots of regions, Inuvia Luit, Nunavut and Nunatsevut and Nunavik. And I couldn't focus on Nunavut. Nunavut means our land. If you're in Iqaluit, it's your land too. You're in Nunavut, not just in Iqaluit, but if you're in it, it's your land too. Nunavut, that means our land. Capital is Iqaluit, but if you're in first year or Canadian north, they call it Iqaluit. It's supposed to be Iqaluit. And there were two choices, either Rankin or Iqaluit. Iqaluit was a clear winner. Very easy. But at the time, I didn't vote for Iqaluit. And there's Nunavik, the great land in northern Quebec. Capital is Gujarat. It's like Nunavut. It's a very nice country, a very nice great land. They grow there quite often. And Nunavut, our beautiful land, province or territory of Labrador. I think it's in Nain and Hohendale, our capital, I'm not sure. But also, it's very new. I was there in 2005 when they signed their papers in Nain and Labrador. I'll get to that later. And there is Nunazik, beautiful land, north-west territories, which was our former bud or buddy before we bake away yellow knife as their capital. And the wealth sort of make a quick important points leading up to Nunavut in 50s. As I mentioned earlier, there are lots of relocating Inuit, not just the three, but there were lots of others being forced into bigger communities. So the government can keep an eye on the group and introduce services. In 60s, all of the eastern Arctic Inuit whether they know it or not, their first right to vote in federal elections. And I remember in 67, that's also what's been trying to me believe when the Stanley Cup. I was 15. And in the beauty council moved from here up to Yellowknife, just as the council to look after the Eskimo affairs. Seventy original war cope was formed in western part of Nunavut around Inuvia region around Inuvik. And things were happening very fast. And ITK or Eskimo Brotherhood was formed as in a little room. Tiger Curly again was the founding figure of Inuit Debris, Canada. Then it's today ITK. And we were told you Inuit now has a voice or you Eskimos have a voice. Then I sort of want to test it. I was just getting the workforce a half-time classroom assistant sometimes half-time janitor government said half-time district, full-time next week no one know what's happening. So I phoned newly formed ITK told them my blues end of the conversations send someone to Eskimo Point and talk to you. Few days later, knock on the door. It was Ivan Moore from ITK. Not related, Farley Moore but we talked. He go to school. Few days later he went back to Ottawa a week later have a position from Inuvik was transferred to Eskimo Point so I can have a full-time job. And from that day I never look back. I retired from teaching in 2012. Then another one was McKinsey Valley Pipeline. It was exciting even for us who were far away in the east. We hear about it daily on the CBC channel at night which Frazier reporting and Judge Berger talking to the Denny people along the line. With all this happening Cope who was the very first one to become a body were access to I guess to make the long story short there's lots of resources in that area. They break away from ITK and form their own land claim. I think they're very rich today. Own lots of big things. And ITK in 1980 passed a paper to create Nunavut. All this was even for us kind of shy and we usually don't say we want, we want, make too much noise. And Ottawa was starting to listen to Inuit. These young men just out of high school were determined to do something. They fall, they rise, they fall, they rise. It was talk of the day. Talk of the region. Talk of the East. So plebiscite NWT, everyone vote. Break or not break. East want break, west want stay with us. So 56% was the goal. There was a line. So immediately all the Inuit built a wall of snow. The line was chosen. Nunavut as a principal in 1990 was the Inner Works. Signing in the Iglulik 95 comes around. Okay, let's vote for capital. What did they do? Vote again. Vote for rank and Iqaluit. Iqaluit with all the hotels, top of the line, airstrip, more housing, government offices. It was an easy win for Iqaluit. And soon after government of federal government appoint Jack Anawak to be the very first interim commissioner for Nunavut that is coming up and build what the offices would look like who would start as a assistant to the minister, that sort of stuff. And 1999 came. It was like a big party that you were invited long time ago. It's finally here. I thought the whole eastern Arctic will be partying. Well, there are lots of parties, but it was very orderly. It was so, it was so fun. And the whole Canada was focusing on Iqaluit. I was principal at the lemon system school every morning. Can we interview someone every afternoon? What do you think of Nunavut every day? All schools. But they will go shortly. So we don't mind talking to them. Big day came and we don't even have a house yet or a legislative assembly. High school gym was a house, Nunavut house. Prime minister on his ministers were there. Kretian was there. And all the new Wilwood and Shakers and new ministers of Nunavut. And they said a year later can your school perform a creation of Nunavut? He prefers. I said OK, if the children are in charge. So we agreed, they agreed they gave us a little V corner like here to do a very short grundance. And we did. And they made a very special drum that I used. I normally don't push people but I was pushing people that day all the way from Kretian down to sign my drum, sign my drum. It was just full of signatures. And I went home and I look at the drum and I said I don't so this drum, this should not be mine. I am just a drum dancer and just a teacher. I didn't create Nunavut. So I put my parka again and drove up to John Amawali that he should be the rightful owner. Hopefully he will. Hopefully he still have the drum. And also the years year later map of Canada was revised as we see it today. And I always think back and say how lucky the Inuit were. It took 30 years or close to 30 years from a dream to Nunavut and look back other places around the world and see if they try something similar they probably would go to jail or get killed or expel I mean how lucky we were. Many of the fathers of Nunavut most are still living today and I think I mentioned many of this already I was pretty excited for me in 2005 I was asked to be a drum dancer named Labador for this special signing ceremony with PMIR Williams drumming part was very good but what I witnessed I will never forget in my whole life at the front like this were elders sitting and before PMIR Williams and LIA officials in the Labador Association first thing on an agenda was to make an apology to these people who were selected to be sitting in the front who were removed by Newfoundland government in 50s was very moving very moving and I worked with many kids all over Nunavut every week and over the three summers I go to during white mountains and it's seriously young people from all different settlements of Nunavut or Labador for a week to two weeks and work with elders two summers ago to have a poetry program going or writing program and every day they would draft a poem about the region about the visiting elders that week Julia was my writer or she was into hearing me she also become a very good drum dancer even today after many many hours she composed a poem about me and I'd like to read it to you my elder David Sikor of Nunavut Achved Nunavut I was born in Northern Northern Lake Alton Lake at Nunavut Manitoba border south with the Hudson Bay my parents and sometimes sisters looked off to me in the 1950s our lifestyle was nomadic sometimes we were hungry I was growing up in the old Inuit way we were encouraged to learn skills through games I learned to help my mother and father my mother or mom used a soap stone cooker my house in winter was an igloo my house in summer was a caribou skin tent my group was called the inland people my family dried caribou and fresh water fish we used every bit of caribou the skin and the meat my parents encouraged me when I was growing up they often praised me I learned a lot from my mother mainly hunting with her I got my first caribou she is the one who really advised me on how to become a man I went to Frederick Day School in rank and inlet and well cold it wasn't a good experience I got strapped and went to go away from the school I was a very poor learner the only thing I liked was there was a warm room and snacks my first job was painting rocks around the government office then I work at the whaling station I remember being in a camp away from the community a well cold I could walk around all I want day and night I remember I could go hunting with my father and go fishing every day I remember the welfare day it was a chance for good food I don't like being I don't like the name calling I was called poor and dumb my family was called the lowest of the low I knew that wasn't true but there was pain and she did a great job she did a great job now I'd like to conclude by sharing a bit of dumb dancing with you and if you are sitting close to there's something on a chair behind you called drummer boy if you're sitting on a chair with that drummer boy or a lucky one it's in the front drummer boy there should be one more okay if you're sitting close to one of them please come join me I will teach you how to drum dance yeah grab one please it's very simple if you're left hand this is it's tricky already your wrist is doing all the work otherwise you will be a very stiff drum dancer like this and if you're coming like that that's okay but most drummers do not so wrist is doing all the work like this and you cut it you only hit it here also here and if you yeah you match that already next should be making the sound this yeah you're doing it good both like this look at this one just in case you get mixed up every second beat every second number two you move your knees like this the full circle like this all three more drummers keep coming I think they are ready for a solo many of you watched at an outrock movie before now watch part of the movie you like the best I know one the theme song right okay you all agree I'm going to make an attempt to sing that theme song at an outrock soon as soon as I start singing kick in the drumming it's about two minutes long are we ready it's my song is a timer are you ready it's all right you're going to sing just the beginning okay can you sing it's on the other side your hand is on the floor the whole time it's all right I mean you're doing good good Thank you that concludes my talk. If I need extra drummers, I know who to call.