Commissioner of Nunavut Eva Ariak travelled to Baker Lake on Tuesday, May 21, to hand out a number of Commissioner's Awards to local residents.
Among the awards presented that night was one to Jimmy Taliqpasik Nugyougalik for bravery.
Nugyougalik modestly told the story that would eventually lead to him winning the award 20 years later.
He recalled that he and a friend were on their way to the airport one day during the second or third week of July.
He said they were picking up a friend who was visiting Nunavut for the first time and, along the way, he noticed two young boys in a canoe on Baker Lake.
“We picked up our friend, Nhan, from Vancouver, B.C., and we were heading back towards town,” said Nugyougalik. “I was riding in the back of the truck and, as we got near to Peter’s Garage, about halfway to town, I thought I could hear something.
“I yelled to Karen (Yip) who was driving, to stop the truck. I heard yelling and shouting, so I started looking toward the lake and couldn’t see the canoe anymore.
“Banging loudly on the truck roof, I told the driver to drive to town, as fast as she could, to go to Lyle Ford’s beach. I ran inside the house and told Lyle to rush and help get two people who tipped in a canoe.”
Nugyougalik said he grabbed his boat and started pulling it into the lake. On the water, he spotted one boy and went directly to him. He was struggling, trying to get to shore. Nugyougalik grabbed him and easily threw him into the boat.
He said he looked for the other boy but couldn’t see him. He was worried that they were too late and he had sunk.
“After rounding a chunk of ice, we finally saw him. I grabbed him and also effortlessly threw him into the boat and headed to shore.
“One boy was able to walk, but the other collapsed. Darryl Simailak and I carried him to the truck and Karen sped us all to the health centre.”
At the awards ceremony in May, the mother of one of the boys was crying and said that her son who was 15 years old at the time, was now 35.
ᑲᒥᓯᓇ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒧ ᐃᕙ ᐊᕆᐊᖅ ᑎᑭᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᖃᒪᓂᑦᑐᐊᕐᒧᑦ ᐊᐃᑉᐹ, ᒪᐃ 21, ᑐᓂᓯᔭᖅᑐᖅᖢᓂ ᑲᒥᓂᓴᒧ ᐃᓕᓴᕆᔭᐅᔾᔪᑎ ᓄᓇᓕᖕᒥᐅᓄ.
ᐃᓕᓴᕆᔭᐅᓂᖃᖅᑎᓪᓗᒋ ᐅᓐᓅᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᔪᒥ ᐃᓕᓴᕆᔭᐅᖃᑕᐅᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᖃᒪᓂᑦᑐᐊᕐᒥᐅᑕᖅ ᔨᒥ ᑕᓕᖅᐸᓯᒃ ᓄᒡᔪᒐᓕᒃ ᑕᑎᑐᓂᖓᓄ
ᓇᒡᔪᒐᓕᒃ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᓚᐅᖅᐳᖅ ᑐᓂᓯᓂᐊᕐᓂᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᓵᓚᒃᓴᕐᓗᓂ ᐃᓕᓴᕆᔭᐅᔾᔪᑎᒥᒃ ᐊᕐᕌᒍ 20 ᐊᓂᒍᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ.
ᐃᖃᐅᒪᕗᖅ ᐱᖃᓐᓇᕆᔭᖓᓗ ᒥᑦᑕᕐᕕᓕᐊᖅᑎᓪᓗᒋ ᑭᖑᓪᓕᕐᓘᒡᕙ ᖑᕝᕙᓘᓃᑦ ᐱᖓᔪᐊ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕈᓯᖅ ᔪᓚᐃᒥ.
ᐅᖃᖅᐳᖅ ᐊᐅᒃᓯᖅᑎᓪᓗᒋ ᐳᓛᖅᑐᖅ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒧ ᓯᕗᓪᓕᖅᐹᒥ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ, ᒥᑦᑕᕐᕕᓕᐊᖅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ, ᐅᔾᔨᕈᓱᓚᐅᕋᒥ ᒪᕐᕈᑦ ᓄᑲᑉᐱᐊᑦ ᐅᒥᐊᕐᒦᑦᑑᒃ ᖃᒪᓂᑦᑐᐊᕐᒥ.
“ᐱᖃᓐᓇᕆᔭᕗᑦ ᐊᐃᓚᐅᖅᐸᕗ, ᓇᓐ, ᕚᓐᑯᕗ, B.C.−ᒥᐅᑕᖅ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐅᑎᓕᖅᑎᓪᓗᒋ ᓄᓇᓕᖕᒧᑦ,” ᐅᖃᖅᕈᖅ ᓄᒡᔪᒐᓕᒃ. “ᐃᑭᒪᓪᓗᖓ ᓄᓇᓯᐅᑉ ᑐᓄᐋᓂ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ, ᖃᒡᓕᓪᓗᑕ ᐲᑕᐅᑉ ᓄᓇᓯᐅᑎᒃᖁᕕᐊᓄ, ᖃᒡᓕᓪᓗᑕ ᓄᓇᓕᖕᒧᑦ, ᑐᓴᖅᑰᔨᓪᓗᖓ.”
ᑐᖅᖢᓛᖅᖢᖓ ᑭᐅᕋᓐᒧ (ᔨᑉ) ᐊᖁᑎᐅᔪᖅ, ᓄᖅᑲᖁᓪᓗᒍ ᓄᓇᓯᐅᑦ. ᑐᓴᖅᖢᖓ ᑐᖅᖢᓛᖅᑐᖅ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᕆᐊᓛᖅᑐᑦ, ᖃᐅᔨᓴᓕᖅᖢᒍ ᑕᓯᖅ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑕᑯᔪᓐᓇᐃᓪᓕᓪᓗᓂᐅᒃ ᐅᒥᐊᖅ.”
“ᑲᓱᒃᑐᕐᔪᐊᖅᖢᓂ ᖁᓛᑕ ᓄᓇᓯᐅᑎᐅᑉ, ᐅᖃᐅᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᓄᓇᓕᖕᒧᖓᖑᖁᓪᓗᒍ, ᓱᑲᓕᔪᓐᓇᕐᓂᓕᒫᕐᒥᓂ, ᑕᐃᖁᖓᖑᓗᑎᒃ ᓚᐃᔪᒃ ᐃᑭᒃᐱᐊᕐᔪᐊᑕ ᓯᒡᔭᖓᓄ. ᐅᓪᓚᒃᖢᖓ ᐃᒡᓗ ᐃᓗᐊᓄ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐅᖃᐅᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᓚᐃᔪ ᑐᐊᕕᕐᓗᓂ ᐃᑲᔪᕆᐊᕐᓕ ᒪᕐᕈᒃ ᐃᓅᒃ ᐳᓯᒃᑕᐅᔪᑦ ᐅᒥᐊᕐᒧᑦ.”
ᓄᒡᔪᒐᓕᒃ ᐅᖃᖅᐳᖅ ᐅᒥᐊᓂ ᐱᓪᓗᓂᐅᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐅᓂᐊᓕᖅᐸᓂ ᐅᒥᐊᓂ ᐃᒪᕐᒧᑦ, ᓇᓂᓪᓗᓂᐅᒃ ᐃᓚᖓ ᓄᑲᑉᐱᐊᖅ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐅᐸᑲᐅᑎᒋᓪᓗᓂᐅᒃ. ᐊᒃᓱᕈᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ, ᓄᓇᓕᓇᓱᒃᖢᓂ. ᓇᒡᔪᒐᓕᒃ ᑎᒍᒥᔾᔨᔪᓐᓇᑦᑎᐊᖅᖢᓂ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓂᐅᓪᓗᓂᐅᒃ ᐅᒥᐊᖅ ᐃᓗᐊᓄ.
ᐅᖃᖅᕈᖅ ᐱᖃᑎᖓ ᓄᑲᑉᐱᐊᖅ ᕿᓂᖅᓕᖅᖢᓂᐅᒃ ᑭᓯᐊᓂᓕ ᑕᖁᔪᓐᓇᖏᖦᖢᓂᐅᒃ. ᐃᓱᒫᓗᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᑭᖑᕙᓗᐊᕐᒪᑕ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑭᕕᓇᓱᒋᓪᓗᓂᐅᒃ.
“ᐅᐃᔾᔮᕋᓪᓚᓚᐅᖅᖢᑕ ᓯᖁᕕᓂᕐᒥᒃ, ᑕᑯᓕᑕᐃᓐᓇᖅᐸᕗᑦ. ᑎᒍᓪᓗᒍ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᒃᓱᕈᑦᑎᐊᖅᖢᖓ ᓂᐅᓪᓗᒍ ᐅᒥᐊᕐᒧᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓄᓇᓕᔭᖅᑐᓕᖅᖢᑕ.”
“ᐊᑕᐅᓯᖅ ᓄᑲᑉᐱᐊᖅ ᐱᓱᒍᓐᓇᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ, ᑭᓯᐊᓂ ᐱᖃᑖ ᐅᕐᕈᐃᓐᓇᖅᖢᓂ. ᑎᐅᕈ ᓯᒪᐃᓚᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐅᕙᖓ ᑭᕕᒃᖢᑎᒍ ᓄᓇᓯᐅᑎᓕᐊᕈᑎᓪᓗᑎᒍ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑭᐅᕋᓐ ᑐᐊᕖᓐᓇᖅ ᐋᓂᐊᕕᓕᐊᕈᑎᓪᓗᑎᒍ.”
ᐃᓕᓴᕆᔭᐅᓐᓇᒥ ᒪᐃᒥ, ᐊᓈᓇᒋᔭᐅᔪᖅ ᓄᑲᑉᐱᐊ ᐃᓚᖓᑕ ᕿᐊᓪᓗᓂ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐅᖃᖅᖢᓂ ᐃᕐᓂᓂ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᖃᓚᐅᕋᒥ 15-ᓂᒃ ᑕᐃᔅᓱᒪᓂ, ᒫᓐᓇᐅᔪᖅ 35−ᓂ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᖃᓯᔪᖅ.