Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami
| Abbreviation | ITK |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1971 |
| Founder | Tagak Curley |
| Type | Inuit organization |
| Legal status | active |
| Purpose | advocate and public voice, educator and network |
| Headquarters | Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
| Location |
|
| Coordinates | 45°25′20″N 075°41′43″W / 45.42222°N 75.69528°WCoordinates: 45°25′20″N 075°41′43″W / 45.42222°N 75.69528°W |
Region served | Canada |
Official language | English, Inuktitut |
president | Terry Audla |
| Website | http://www.itk.ca/ www.itk.ca/ |
The Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (Inuktitut syllabics: ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᑕᐱᕇᑦ ᑲᓇᑕᒥ, literally "Inuit United with Canada"[1]) is a nonprofit organization in Canada that represents over 50,400[2] Inuit. It was founded in 1971 by Tagak Curley as the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada (or in English, Inuit Brotherhood),[3] in Edmonton, Alberta and moved to Ottawa, Ontario in 1972.[4]It grew out of the Indian and Eskimo Association that was formed in the 1960s.
The organization represents Inuit living in four regions of Canada: Nunatsiavut (in Labrador), Nunavik (in Northern Quebec), Nunavut, and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region of the Northwest Territories/Yukon. Its headquarters are in Ottawa, Ontario, the capital of Canada. The status vis-à-vis the growing population of Inuit living outside the land claims regions remains unclear.
One aim of the organization is to preserve Inuit culture and Inuktitut (the Inuit language). To this end the ITK publishes a cultural magazine named Inuktitut three times a year with content in Inuktitut, using Inuktitut syllabics, the Inuktitut Latin alphabet, English, and French.
The organization also represents the Inuit in matters with the Government of Canada, and advocates publicly on the population's behalf.
ITK is governed by a board of directors and president. The board of directors consists of the Presidents of the four regional Land Claims Organizations, Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated (NTI), Makivik Corporation, Nunatsiavut Government and the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation who are all voting members. Non-voting members are the presidents from the National Inuit Youth Council (NIYC) and Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC Canada). Generally, the president of ITK does not vote at board meetings, the exception is in event of a tied vote.[5] Any eligible Inuk can run for president. The board of directors votes for the president.
Rosemary Kuptana, then President of ITK, declared on July 27, 1995 that the Inuit of northern Quebec would boycott the October 30, 1995 referendum on sovereignty which failed to address self-government and land claim issues. [6]
Terry Audla was elected President of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami on 6 June 2012.[7]
On September 17, 2015, in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, Natan Obed was elected president of ITK with 54% of the vote. [8]
References
- ↑ postscript on Aboriginal Titles, Katherine Barber, Government of Canada Translation Service"
- ↑ Statistics Canada, 2006 Census
- ↑ Pound, Richard W. (2005). 'Fitzhenry and Whiteside Book of Canadian Facts and Dates'. Fitzhenry and Whiteside.
- ↑ Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK)
- ↑ Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami Organizational Structure
- ↑ Pound, Richard W. (2005). 'Fitzhenry and Whiteside Book of Canadian Facts and Dates'. Fitzhenry and Whiteside.
- ↑ Nunatsiaq News, New national Inuit president strikes all the right notes
- ↑
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