Kiviaq
Encyclopedia
Kiviaq is a Canadian
Inuit
lawyer
, politician
, and former sportsman. He was the first Inuk to become a lawyer, and is responsible for several important advances in establishing the legal rights of the Inuit people; in 2001, he won the legal right to use his single-word Inuktituk name.
Born outside what is now Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut
, he was raised in Edmonton
, Alberta
. He served on the Edmonton City Council as an alderman
, and (unsuccessfully) ran for mayor
in the 1970s; in 2003, Edmonton mayor Bill Smith declared March 14 "Kiviaq Day".
to deal with racially-motivated abuse from other children. He won his first Golden Gloves
championship at age 13, and later became a prizefighter
, winning 102 of 108 fights. In 1955, aged 19, he became the first Inuk (or "Eskimo") to play on the Edmonton Eskimos
football team.
, and is unable to ride on an airplane without becoming physically ill; consequently, he is unable to return to the Arctic, and remains in Edmonton.
Kiviaq vs. Canada, by award-winning producer Zacharias Kunuk
.
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...
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...
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, and former sportsman. He was the first Inuk to become a lawyer, and is responsible for several important advances in establishing the legal rights of the Inuit people; in 2001, he won the legal right to use his single-word Inuktituk name.
Born outside what is now Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut
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...
, he was raised in Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
. He served on the Edmonton City Council as an alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
, and (unsuccessfully) ran for mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
in the 1970s; in 2003, Edmonton mayor Bill Smith declared March 14 "Kiviaq Day".
Athletic career
In Edmonton, Kiviaq took to boxingBoxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
to deal with racially-motivated abuse from other children. He won his first Golden Gloves
Golden Gloves
The Golden Gloves is the name given to annual competitions for amateur boxing in the United States. The Golden Gloves is often the term used to refer to the National Golden Gloves competition, but it also can represent several other amateur tournaments, including regional golden gloves...
championship at age 13, and later became a prizefighter
Prizefighter
A prizefighter is a boxer.Prizefighter may also refer to:*Don King Presents: Prizefighter, a video game by 2k Sports released in 2008*Prize Fighter, a video game by Digital Pictures released in 1994 for the Sega CD...
, winning 102 of 108 fights. In 1955, aged 19, he became the first Inuk (or "Eskimo") to play on the Edmonton Eskimos
Edmonton Eskimos
The Edmonton Eskimos are a Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. They currently play in the West Division of the Canadian Football League . Edmonton is currently the third-youngest franchise in the CFL, although there were clubs with the name Edmonton Eskimos as early as 1895...
football team.
Health
Kiviaq has Ménière's diseaseMénière's disease
Ménière's disease is a disorder of the inner ear that can affect hearing and balance to a varying degree. It is characterized by episodes of vertigo and tinnitus and progressive hearing loss, usually in one ear. It is named after the French physician Prosper Ménière, who, in an article published...
, and is unable to ride on an airplane without becoming physically ill; consequently, he is unable to return to the Arctic, and remains in Edmonton.
Documentary
He is the subject of the documentary filmDocumentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
Kiviaq vs. Canada, by award-winning producer Zacharias Kunuk
Zacharias Kunuk
Zacharias Kunuk, is a Canadian Inuk producer and director most notable for his film Atanarjuat, the first Canadian dramatic feature film produced completely in Inuktitut...
.
External links
- Kiviaq interviewed on Sounds Like Canada (requires RealPlayerRealPlayerRealPlayer is a cross-platform media player by RealNetworks that plays a number of multimedia formats including MP3, MPEG-4, QuickTime, Windows Media, and multiple versions of proprietary RealAudio and RealVideo formats.-History:...
)