Jose Kusugak
Encyclopedia
Jose Kusugak was an Inuk
politician from Repulse Bay
, Nunavut
, Canada
. He moved, along with his family, to Rankin Inlet in 1960.
After attending school in both Chesterfield Inlet
and Churchill
, Manitoba
he went to Saskatoon
, Saskatchewan
to attend high school
. After finishing high school he went on to teach in both Rankin Inlet and Churchill, where he taught Inuktitut
and Inuit history.
In 1971 he joined what was then called the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada, known today as the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami
(ITK), and served as an assistant to Tagak Curley
the organization's first president. Later moving to Arviat he helped to establish a standardized writing system for Inuktitut syllabics
.
In 1979/1980 he joined the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
as the area manager for the Kivalliq Region. After working with them for 10 years, he joined the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation
, and introduced several new areas of programming to the network. He then became the president of Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated
, one of the four organizations that make up the ITK.
As president of NTI he was responsible for negotiating the comprehensive land claims for Inuit, including the creation of Nunavut, with the governments of Canada and the Northwest Territories. In acknowledgement of this work, he has been called the "Last Father of Confederation." The new territory was proclaimed on April 1, 1999.
Kusugak held the position of president until losing the election to Paul Kaludjuak after which he was controversially appointed president of ITK. After 6 years as president, Kusugak announced on 12 May 2006 that he was stepping down.
Kusugak was married to the acting Commissioner of Nunavut
, Nellie Kusugak
.
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...
politician from Repulse Bay
Repulse Bay, Nunavut
Repulse Bay is an Inuit hamlet located on the shore of Hudson Bay, Kivalliq Region, in Nunavut, Canada.-Location and wildlife:The hamlet is located exactly on the Arctic Circle, on the north shore of Repulse Bay and on the south shore of the Rae Isthmus. Transport to the community is provided...
, 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...
, 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...
. He moved, along with his family, to Rankin Inlet in 1960.
After attending school in both Chesterfield Inlet
Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut
The community of Chesterfield Inlet is located on the western shore of Hudson Bay, Kivalliq Region, in Nunavut Canada at the mouth of Chesterfield Inlet. Igluligaarjuk is the Inuktitut word for "place with few houses", it is the oldest community in Nunavut...
and Churchill
Churchill, Manitoba
Churchill is a town on the shore of Hudson Bay in Manitoba, Canada. It is most famous for the many polar bears that move toward the shore from inland in the autumn, leading to the nickname "Polar Bear Capital of the World" that has helped its growing tourism industry.-History:A variety of nomadic...
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
he went to Saskatoon
Saskatoon
Saskatoon is a city in central Saskatchewan, Canada, on the South Saskatchewan River. Residents of the city of Saskatoon are called Saskatonians. The city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Corman Park No. 344....
, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
to attend high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
. After finishing high school he went on to teach in both Rankin Inlet and Churchill, where he taught Inuktitut
Inuktitut
Inuktitut or Eastern Canadian Inuktitut, Eastern Canadian Inuit language is the name of some of the Inuit languages spoken in Canada...
and Inuit history.
In 1971 he joined what was then called the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada, known today as the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami
Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami
The Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami is a nonprofit organization in Canada that represents over 50,400 Inuit. It was founded in 1971 by Tagak Curley as the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada...
(ITK), and served as an assistant to Tagak Curley
Tagak Curley
Tagak Curley is an Inuit leader, politician and businessman from Nunavut. As a prominent figure in the negotiations that led to the creation of Nunavut, Tagak is considered a living father of confederation in Canada...
the organization's first president. Later moving to Arviat he helped to establish a standardized writing system for Inuktitut syllabics
Inuktitut syllabics
Inuktitut syllabics is a writing system used by the Inuit in Nunavut and in Nunavik, Quebec...
.
In 1979/1980 he joined the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
as the area manager for the Kivalliq Region. After working with them for 10 years, he joined the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation
Inuit Broadcasting Corporation
The Inuit Broadcasting Corporation is a television broadcasting company based in Nunavut. Its programming is targeted at the Inuit population of Nunavut and almost all of its programs are broadcast in Inuktitut. Select programs are also broadcast in English. In contrast with traditional...
, and introduced several new areas of programming to the network. He then became the president of 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...
, one of the four organizations that make up the ITK.
As president of NTI he was responsible for negotiating the comprehensive land claims for Inuit, including the creation of Nunavut, with the governments of Canada and the Northwest Territories. In acknowledgement of this work, he has been called the "Last Father of Confederation." The new territory was proclaimed on April 1, 1999.
Kusugak held the position of president until losing the election to Paul Kaludjuak after which he was controversially appointed president of ITK. After 6 years as president, Kusugak announced on 12 May 2006 that he was stepping down.
Kusugak was married to the acting Commissioner of Nunavut
Commissioners of Nunavut
This is a list of the Commissioners of Nunavut, Canada, since its creation in 1999. As of 12 May 2010, the commissioner is Edna Elias.-History:The position of Commissioner was created in 1999 with the creation of the new territory...
, Nellie Kusugak
Nellie Kusugak
Nellie T. Kusugak of Rankin Inlet, Nunavut was the Deputy Commissioner of Nunavut in 2010. Kusugak was appointed to the position of deputy by Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, Chuck Strahl, on 15 February 2010 and was sworn in on 25 February....
.