MONTREAL -- November 7th is International Inuit Day and Canada's Governor General Mary Simon sent a message to Canadians on the occasion to talk about her journey to becoming the first Indigenous Governor General in the country's history and of her people's struggles and resilience.
"I am a proud Inuk, born in Nunavik, Quebec, in Canada's Arctic," she wrote in a release. "The stories of my life are anchored in my love of my maternal language—Inuktitut—and the traditional ways of our people, the Inuit."
Simon wrote that there are around 15,000 Inuit living in 15 communities across Nunavik, which comprises the 443,684 square kilometres in the northern third of Quebec.
Simon recalled living off the land and waters as a child by hunting, fishing and gathering food, calling it "the foundation of my early life."
"Some of my favourite moments are of laying in our tents along the George River, on a bed of spruce boughs and caribou skins, listening to the birds singing early in the morning and the dogs barking and playing in the snow," she wrote. "These are fond memories of my younger years."
However, Simon related the less possitive side of her upbringing that saw the traditional Inuit way of life negatively affected by colonialism and that the memories she has of her childhood are "absent from the Canadian narrative."
"Yet, adversity often leads to strength, and the Inuit across Canada's Arctic have found ways to move forward," she wrote.
The creation of the Nunavut territory and work to promote healing and positive change are examples she gave of her people's work to regain what was lost.
"We must take back our traditional values and rights," she wrote. "We are committed to sharing a culture and language that reflects the vibrancy of my youth."
International Inuit Day was established in 2006 by the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC), an international organization that represents Indigenous arctic peoples.
"I am heartened by the fact that our stories are starting to be seen and heard, through music, art, literature, research, environmental stewardship, new governance arrangements and new perspectives on Canada's history," wrote Simon saying being an Inuk Governor General is not a responsibility she takes lightly.
