Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami
Encyclopedia
The Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᑕᐱᕇᑦ ᑲᓇᑕᒥ) is a nonprofit organization
in Canada
that represents over 50,400 Inuit
. It was founded in 1971 by Tagak Curley (b 1944) as the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada (or in English, Inuit Brotherhood). It grew out of the Indian and Eskimo Association that was formed in the 1960s.
The organization represents Inuit living in four regions of Canada: Nunatsiavut
(in Labrador
), Nunavik
(in Northern Quebec
), Nunavut
, and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region
of the Northwest Territories
/Yukon
. Its headquarters are in Ottawa
, Ontario
, the capital of Canada. The status vis-à-vis the growing population of Inuit living outside the land claims regions remains unclear.
One aim of the organization is to preserve Inuit culture and Inuktitut
(the Inuit language
). To this end the ITK publishes a cultural magazine named Inuktitut
three times a year with content in Inuktitut, using Inuktitut syllabics
, Inuktitut Roman orthography, English
and French
.
The organization also represents the Inuit in matters with the Government of Canada
, and advocates publicly on the population's behalf.
ITK is governed by a board of directors and president. The board of directors consists of the Presidents of the four regional Land Claims Organizations, Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated
(NTI), Makivik Corporation
, Nunatsiavut Government and the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation who are all voting members. Non-voting members are the presidents from the National Inuit Youth Council (NIYC) and Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC Canada). Generally, the president of ITK does not vote at board meetings, the exception is in event of a tied vote. Any eligible Inuk can run for president. The board of directors votes for the president.
Rosemary Kuptana, then President of ITK, declared on July 27, 1995 that the Inuit of northern Quebec would boycott the October 30, 1995 referendum on sovereignty which failed to address self-government and land claim issues.
Mary May Simon was appointed President of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami on 7 July 2006.
Nonprofit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
that represents over 50,400 Inuit
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
. It was founded in 1971 by Tagak Curley (b 1944) as the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada (or in English, Inuit Brotherhood). It grew out of the Indian and Eskimo Association that was formed in the 1960s.
The organization represents Inuit living in four regions of Canada: Nunatsiavut
Nunatsiavut
Nunatsiavut is an autonomous area claimed by the Inuit in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The settlement area includes territory in Labrador extending to the Quebec border. In 2002, the Labrador Inuit Association submitted a proposal for limited autonomy to the government of Newfoundland and...
(in Labrador
Labrador
Labrador is the distinct, northerly region of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It comprises the mainland portion of the province, separated from the island of Newfoundland by the Strait of Belle Isle...
), Nunavik
Nunavik
Nunavik comprises the northern third of the province of Quebec, Canada. Covering a land area of 443,684.71 km² north of the 55th parallel, it is the homeland of the Inuit of Quebec...
(in Northern Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
), Nunavut
Nunavut
Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...
, and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region
Inuvialuit Settlement Region
The Inuvialuit Settlement Region , located in Canada’s western Arctic, was designated in 1984 in the Inuvialuit Final Agreement by the Government of Canada for the Inuvialuit people...
of the Northwest Territories
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
/Yukon
Yukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
. Its headquarters are in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, the capital of Canada. The status vis-à-vis the growing population of Inuit living outside the land claims regions remains unclear.
One aim of the organization is to preserve Inuit culture and Inuktitut
Inuktitut
Inuktitut or Eastern Canadian Inuktitut, Eastern Canadian Inuit language is the name of some of the Inuit languages spoken in Canada...
(the Inuit language
Inuit language
The Inuit language is traditionally spoken across the North American Arctic and to some extent in the subarctic in Labrador. The related Yupik languages are spoken in western and southern Alaska and Russian Far East, particularly the Diomede Islands, but is severely endangered in Russia today and...
). To this end the ITK publishes a cultural magazine named Inuktitut
Inuktitut (magazine)
Inuktitut is an Canadian Inuit magazine produced by the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and Beat Studios. The magazine, now available quarterly , is published in Inuktitut , Inuinnaqtun, English and French.-Overview:...
three times a year with content in Inuktitut, using Inuktitut syllabics
Inuktitut syllabics
Inuktitut syllabics is a writing system used by the Inuit in Nunavut and in Nunavik, Quebec...
, Inuktitut Roman orthography, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
.
The organization also represents the Inuit in matters with the Government of Canada
Government of Canada
The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...
, and advocates publicly on the population's behalf.
ITK is governed by a board of directors and president. The board of directors consists of the Presidents of the four regional Land Claims Organizations, Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated
Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated
Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated is the legal representative of the Inuit of Nunavut for the purposes of native treaty rights and treaty negotiation and one of the four regional members that make up the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami...
(NTI), Makivik Corporation
Makivik Corporation
The Makivik Corporation is the legal representative of Quebec's Inuit people, established in 1978 under the terms of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement, the agreement that established the institutions of Nunavik...
, Nunatsiavut Government and the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation who are all voting members. Non-voting members are the presidents from the National Inuit Youth Council (NIYC) and Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC Canada). Generally, the president of ITK does not vote at board meetings, the exception is in event of a tied vote. Any eligible Inuk can run for president. The board of directors votes for the president.
Rosemary Kuptana, then President of ITK, declared on July 27, 1995 that the Inuit of northern Quebec would boycott the October 30, 1995 referendum on sovereignty which failed to address self-government and land claim issues.
Mary May Simon was appointed President of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami on 7 July 2006.