Uriash Puqiqnak
Encyclopedia
Uriash Puqiqnak, CM
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...

 (born 1946) is an experienced soapstone carver and former territorial and municipal level politician 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...

. He served as Mayor of Gjoa Haven
Gjoa Haven, Nunavut
Gjoa Haven is a hamlet in Nunavut, above the Arctic Circle, located in the Kitikmeot Region, northeast of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. It is the only settlement on King William Island...

, 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 was a member of the Nunavut Legislature from 1999 until 2004.

Carving

Puqiqnak is a famous soapstone
Soapstone
Soapstone is a metamorphic rock, a talc-schist. It is largely composed of the mineral talc and is thus rich in magnesium. It is produced by dynamothermal metamorphism and metasomatism, which occurs in the areas where tectonic plates are subducted, changing rocks by heat and pressure, with influx...

 carver, his works are on display all over 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 was appointed as a Member of the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...

 on July 29, 2005.

Political career

Puqiqnak began his political career when he was elected mayor of Gjoa Haven
Gjoa Haven, Nunavut
Gjoa Haven is a hamlet in Nunavut, above the Arctic Circle, located in the Kitikmeot Region, northeast of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. It is the only settlement on King William Island...

, 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...



Puqiqnak was elected to the Nunavut Legislature in the 1999 Nunavut general election
Nunavut general election, 1999
Nunavut, Canada conducted its first general election on 15 February 1999, to elect the members of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut.Although Nunavut did not become a territory until 1 April 1999 the election was held early to enable the members to assume their duties on that date.The territory...

. He won the Nattilik
Nattilik
Nattilik is a territorial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut, Canada.The riding consists of the communities of Gjoa Haven and Taloyoak....

electoral district, defeating five other candidates in a hotly contested race with nearly 26% of the popular vote. During his time in office, he pushed the territorial government to develop better programs to promote home grown intuit art and discourage counterfeit carving from entering the marketplace.

He would only serve for one term as in the legislative assembly and chose not to run for re-election when it was dissolved in 2004. He left politics to spend more time with his family.

Despite leaving politics, Puqiqnak is still involved in community service. He currently serves as a member of the Nunavut Tourism Board and is chair of Parks Canada History steering committee.
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