Inuinnaqtun skills a hot commodity
Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services
Cambridge Bay (Jun 04/01) - Fate, luck, chance -- whatever you'd like to call it -- was at the helm the day Sandra Eyegetok embarked on her current career path.
After graduating from an office administration program at Nunavut Arctic College in Cambridge Bay, Eyegetok wasn't entirely sure what her next move would be. Then, university student Natasha Thorpe arrived on the scene.
Four years later, Eyegetok is highly sought after for her skill in interviewing Kitikmeot elders.
"(Natasha) came up and was asking one of the administrators if she knew anyone who could do any interpreting and translating and also some basic computer work," said Eyegetok.
"That's how I got involved."
Fairly fluent in her mother tongue, Eyegetok said nearly a decade spent outside of her home community left her Inuinnaqtun skills somewhat rusty.
Asking Inuit elders about their knowledge of climate, the environment and the Bathurst caribou herd gave her the confidence she needed to re-learn what was lost.
"Before I started doing interviews, I did have my Inuinnaqtun. I wasn't practising it daily because I was living in the south. Just being with the elders ... you get your confidence back in speaking it," said Eyegetok.
On the verge of wrapping up the significant study -- known as the Tuktu and Nogat Project -- Eyegetok has since gained quite a reputation in her field.
She has interviewed elders about their knowledge of polar bears in the M'Clintock Channel, is at work on an Inuinnaqtun dictionary, and has been asked to do additional scientific work on other species.
She wants to do her own projects on what she calls female topics -- traditional clothing, childbirth and customary adoption.
Eyegetok said the lessons she's learned since 1997 are the same. First and foremost, when gathering information from an elder, it's important not to jump in and start firing off questions.
"Most of the elders don't go directly to the interview. They talk about family, the weather, everyday stuff before we start talking about the interview," said Eyegetok, adding that she learned a great deal about her own family history in the process.
"Sometimes it's a while before they're ready for the interview. They're busy telling me who I'm related to," she said.
She said she had to follow an interview guide, but at the same time be sure not to offend or show disrespect to the elder's knowledge.
"We start by bringing up the topic of why we're there and what sort of interview we're going to do. They get excited and they start where they want to start," she explained.
"Once we get the answer to the question we're asking, they sort of go on to a new topic. We don't interrupt them. It's important (not to interrupt). It's showing respect for your elders."
