The federal government has announced it will provide financial compensation for the devastation caused by the genocide of Nunavik’s Inuit sled dogs decades ago.
From the mid-1950s to the late 1960s, more than 1,000 Inuit dogs were shot and killed by horsemen, Hudson’s Bay Company employees, and other authorities across Nunavik, an Inuit region in northern Quebec. .
Gary Anandasangaree, Royal-Indigenous Relations Minister, told CBC News that he plans to visit the area soon to apologize on behalf of the federal government for the massacre. He plans to travel by the end of this month.
“It has destroyed the way of life,” Anandasangaree said. “It undermined people’s confidence…and its effects continue to be felt today.”
Pita Artami, president of the Makivik Corporation, an organization representing Nunavik’s Inuit, began investigating the massacre when she first heard about it in 1999.
“I was very hurt,” Ahtami said. “The pain that people have experienced with the loss of mobility, the loss of independence…that’s something I want to address in my heart.”
Pita Artami, president of Makivik Corporation, recalls being told about the sled dog massacre in Nunavik.
Since then, Mr. Ahtami has continued to seek an apology and compensation from the federal government.
At the time, authorities justified the slaughter by claiming the dogs posed a safety risk, he said.
But Ahtami said the dogs were killed to keep the nomadic Inuit in settled communities, where many turned to alcohol to relieve pain or became ill as they lost their traditional way of life. spoke.
Atami said the dog was not a pet. They were wolf-like animals that the Inuit had used for centuries for hunting and transportation.
In 2011, the Quebec government apologized for the massacre and awarded the sled dogs’ former owners $3 million in compensation. Ottawa has not offered any compensation so far.
“It will mean a lot to those who are still alive,” Atami said. “This will bring some closure to the painful trauma they have experienced of losing their livelihood.”
The killing led to a loss of independence
For many, Ahtami said, it feels as if the murders happened yesterday. The pain remains raw and the trauma is passed down through generations, he said.
Genocide took place in all communities in Nunavik. Inuit were not consulted. Atami said the dogs were killed in front of their families and crying children.
One woman Ahtami spoke to said she begged police to save one of her nine dogs.
“But the police didn’t listen,” said Atami. “I shot all the dogs.”
In some cases, dogs did not die immediately and were left with gunshot wounds. Many of their bodies were then burned.
Losing a dog changes an Inuit’s life forever, Ahtami said.
“They were unable to return to the camp,” said Atami. “They couldn’t go back to the trap line. There was nothing they could do anymore.”
The dogs were used to sniff out seal breathing holes in the sea ice and to pull sleds during hunting trips. Atami said it was also used as food during times when the Inuit faced famine.
Without dogs, snowmobiles were the only way Inuit could get around on land and ice. This machine was expensive and not as reliable as a sled dog that could get you home in a snowstorm.
The Inuit eventually imported huskies from Greenland and created a new dog team. Today, the Inuit of Nunavik hold annual dog races spanning 400 to 500 kilometers.
Atami said he hopes the families of sled dog owners will receive compensation from the federal government, with some of the money going toward cultural programs to educate young people on how to raise and care for sled dogs. Ta.
“The Inuit were worried about losing their identity, and they are now regaining it,” said Atami.
Natan Obed, head of the national Inuit organization, said the federal government’s apology is a meaningful step toward improving relations between the federal government and Nunavik’s Inuit.
“This is not only to fulfill a government’s duty and solemn responsibility, but also to create a positive outlook for the future so that those who have been wronged can feel as though they are respecting their humanity and acknowledging their guilt and harm.” I think it also unlocks the potential for further cooperation,” said Obed, chairman of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami.
“It’s an important part of healing.”
