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Meeka Kilabuk
Second Prize winner
| I was raised by very patient and loving parents who held very different talents and skills which complimented each other to their large dynamic family. My father was good with mechanical, artistic and technical while my mother was skilled in traditional and contemporary clothes making, social and spiritual leader in our community.
SEALS, SEALSKINS, AND MORE SEALSThere was always seal meat to eat on regular basis, sealskins to clean, prepare for stretching, framing and cleaning them perfect for upcoming sales to the Hudson’s Bay Company. Throughout my childhood I saw my seven brothers hunting seals for food and pelts to sell and that meant my sisters, my sisters-in-law, aunts and cousins working hard to get all the pelts dried. Of course some were made into clothing and the rest to sell. This was year around way of life. I remember when I was five when I was strong enough to carry baby in my own amautii to help one of my sisters while she worked on the sealskins. There were all the other little girls who did amaqtuaq which means “helping to care for a baby in amautii” during the crucial part of flenching of the pelts. This increased our skills in caring for a baby and bonding with our family.
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Second Prize Nunavut Arctic College
Natural ringed seal skin coat, by Meeka Kilabuk
Presented at NAFFEM 2009
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My father was Hudson’s Bay man, who worked for over 45 years and ran the store in Pangnirtung for many years. With that I was exposed to the store life that included buying sealskin pelt, storing them in the warehouse and saw my mother and also helped her when it was time to wash all the sealskins during the summer months before they were shipped to southern Canada. I saw how my father sorted different kinds of sealskins and how he did an inventory before he and my brothers packed the skins in a bale for shipment during October. I’ve had an opportunity to buy sealskins when I began to work in HBC store in my early teens during summer months and during the sealift time when everyone else were busy unloading the ship for another years’ supplies for the store.
MAKING NUNAVUTI am one of the Nunavut leaders and only woman that helped to designed, plan and establish the Nunavut Territory and the Land Claims Agreement. Both accomplishments are reflected in the pieces of federal legislation, namely: Nunavut Act and Nunavut Land Claims Act. I am one of the founding members of the Inuit National Organization in 1971, regional organizations, national women’s association, and all related organizations in Nunavut, including Nunavut People with Disabilities Association. Par all to the Inuit/Nunavut Land Claims organizations, I was one of the Commissioners that planned, designed, structured, and established Nunavut Territory and its legislative Assembly that was born on April 1, 1999.
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I was honored to meet and have an audience with the Pope John Paul II on May 17, 2000 at Vatican, Italy. During this important day, I spoke with the Pope briefly and he told me: ‘Nunavut – Good, No War’ reflecting the making of Nunavut through comprehension land claim negotiations for close to thirty years without war. It was one of highlight of my life especially when I presented him the new Nunavut Flag and he blessed me and the flag on that day. I was in Italy for three weeks on a speaking tour throughout the country talking about our culture, way of life and food, and about the work I did for Nunavut. I was warned by Canadian Embassy not to talk about seals because it was sensitive issue in that country and I told them that I was there to talk about our way of life which included eating seal meat, and everything we did with seals. It proved to be great educational tour for Italians without getting into confrontational meetings.
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DESIGNERI feel comfortable about putting on paper what I envision clothing in this colder climate. I have an exposure since childhood the traditional design concepts as I watched my mother, aunts, sisters and cousins making clothing for winter and for travelling. We were told that the design of the garment was for warmth first and function of the clothing. While I design the contemporary garments, I take into account the traditional concepts as well as styles to consider, depending on gender, age and occasion. I hope to pass on our traditional concepts into the international community so that not only will people wear beautiful garments, they will also feel warm and happy with smile. (Meeka Kilabuk was also the First Prize winner of the 2008 contest)
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I’ve
been slowly writing books for publication and possibly manual how to do
traditional sealskin preparation, stretching and framing. I also paint
with oil, acrylics’ and watercolors, and have been sewing design panel
made out of beads for my amautii. I’ve been involved with making of
movies in Nunavut over the years, and the latest one called
‘Necessities of Life” that recently won Genie Best Film, Best Director,
and Best Lead Role which was played by fellow Inuit Natar Ungalaaq from Igloolik. I did casting for Inuit actors from Iqaluit and did interior design for tent scenes during summer time for the film. When I was a small child, I was first in National Film Board movie called “Pangnirtung”. I also get involved in props for the movies that are Inuit implements and traditional fur clothing.
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Pictures of Meeka Kilabuk at NAFFEM 09
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At NAFFEM 2009
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With a journalist
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With Hon. Daniel Shewchuck of Nunavut
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