What I Remember, What I Know: The Life of a High Arctic Exile - Softcover

Audlaluk, Larry

Softcover

ISBN 10: 177227237X ISBN 13: 9781772272376

Publisher: Inhabit Media, 2021

Synopsis

Larry Audlaluk was born in Uugaqsiuvik, a traditional settlement west of Inujjuak in northern Quebec, or Nunavik. He was almost three years old when his family was chosen by the government to be one of seven Inuit families relocated from Nunavik to the High Arctic in the early 1950s.They were promised a land of plenty. They were given an inhospitable polar desert.

Larry tells of loss, illness, and his family’s struggle to survive, juxtaposed with excerpts from official reports that conveyed the relocatees’ plight as a successful experiment. With refreshing candour and an unbreakable sense of humour, Larry leads the reader through his life as a High Arctic Exile―through broken promises, a decades-long fight to return home, and a life between two worlds as southern culture begins to encroach on Inuit traditions.

About this title

About the Author

Larry Audlaluk was born in Uugaqsiuvik, a small camp west of Inukjuak in northern Quebec. He was relocated to the High Arctic with his family when he was two years old. Larry was inducted into the Order of Canada for his years working as an ambassador for the people of Grise Fiord, Canada's northernmost civilian settlement, and is the community's longest-living resident.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Many stories have been written about how Inuit families were relocated to the High Arctic. The one most written about is economic opportunity. The other is sovereignty.  The writers are always careful to use the word “claims” when they’re talking about sovereignty, as if to make our claims untrue. The story is long, complicated, and documented by various groups, besides the official records. It has been told from so many angles and moods, from social and political perspectives. I will tell you the story of my family’s relocation from personal experience.

Edition details

• Publisher: Inhabit Media
• Publication date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 177227237X
• ISBN 13: 9781772272376
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 280