Canadian Government Executive - Volume 24 - Issue 04

38 / Canadian Government Executive // July/August 2018 EXECUTIVE BRIEF N ormally, the plan for this col- umn is to share observations and insights from the perspec- tive of a former public sector executive. But this time I will share a per- sonal story, as the North is a pervasive part of my family legacy and, I hope, of all Ca- nadians. It is worth telling if only to give you a fleeting glimpse of what life was like in the Arctic in the 1950s from the perspec- tive of a white woman. The enduring philosophy of the Inuit is “ayurnamat” – so be it. Do not stress over what one cannot change. In the summers of 1957 and 1958, my mother Joan accompanied my father Dr. William E. (Bill) Taylor Jr. on archaeologi- cal expeditions in the Arctic. As an Arctic archaeologist, Bill Taylor’s mission was to disprove the prevailing theory at the time that the Dorset (500 B.C. – 1000 AD) and later the Thule – predecessors of the Inuit – did not come northwards as natives from North America, but rather travelled across the Bering Sea from Asia. The expe- ditions were a success, the sites discovered provided strong evidence, and many arti- facts have since become very well known worldwide as iconic symbols of the Dorset and Thule way of life. In 1957, the Inuit were on the precipice of major cultural change in their tradi- tional way of life – living off the land in tents in summer and in snow houses in winter. The newly created Department of Northern Affairs and National Develop- ment had a mandate to implement a 1939 Supreme Court decision that gave the Inuit the same rights as Canadian Status Indians in education, health and welfare. To make the administration of these rights easier, and because the traditional way of life was becoming increasingly difficult, the government encouraged the Inuit to relo- cate to government settlements which had schools, nursing, housing and trading posts. Construction of homes began in 1958. Up until this time, the Arctic was open to the men – mostly of the Hudson Bay Company, groups of scientists, government officials and the occasional tourist on the ships that supplied the Arctic communi- ties. My mother, Joan Taylor, was the first white woman on Sugluk Island in 1957. She was 27 years old. What follows are excerpts from the diaries that she kept of her expe- riences and of the language and culture of the Inuit during this period of transition. They travelled by ice breaker – the Montcalm – as there were no flights at the time: a long and difficult journey to Payne Bay up on the Ungava coast. “We were on our way to Frobisher (Iqaluit). The Torn- gat mountain range of the Labrador coast fringes the horizon on our left like two- dimensional hunks of cardboard scenery. We could only proceed slowly against the strong tides. We bobbed for hours in the icy grey waters as the millions of ice cakes rose on the waves with a sucking sound and sunk again with a splash.” When they arrived, she observed, “So huge a country, and what an exhilarating feeling of being entirely alone in it with rolling hills, scudding clouds and blue sparkling water.” Of Sugluk, she wrote, “The high hills ris- ing sharply from the U-shaped valleys, rib- boned and capped with mist.” Sugluk was originally called Sulluit. Native lore tells BY ALISON TAYLOR NORMALLY, THE PLAN FOR THIS COLUMN IS TO SHARE OBSERVATIONS AND INSIGHTS FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF A FOR- MER PUBLIC SECTOR EX- ECUTIVE. BUT THIS TIME I WILL SHARE A PERSONAL STORY, AS THE NORTH IS A PERVASIVE PART OF MY FAMILY LEGACY AND, I HOPE, OF ALL CANADI- ANS. IT IS WORTH TELL- ING IF ONLY TO GIVE YOU A FLEETING GLIMPSE OF WHAT LIFE WAS LIKE IN THE ARCTIC IN THE 1950S FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF A WHITE WOMAN. THE ENDURING PHILOSOPHY OF THE INUIT IS “AYURNAMAT” – SO BE IT. DO NOT STRESS OVER WHAT ONE CANNOT CHANGE. EXECUTIVE BRIEF AYURNAMAT