Taamusi Qumaq facts for kids

Taamusi Qumaq (born January 1, 1914 – died July 13, 1993) was an important Inuit leader, writer, and politician from Nunavik, Québec, Canada. He worked hard to keep the Inuit language and traditional culture alive. Even though he never went to a formal school, Qumaq wrote a huge 30,000-word Inuktitut dictionary and an encyclopedia about Inuit customs and knowledge. He only spoke Inuktitut.

Qumaq understood how Canadian and Quebec governments worked. He helped blend these systems with the Inuit way of life to make things better for his community. In 1956, he helped start the first non-government cooperative in the Canadian Arctic in Puvirnituq. Later, he helped set up Rankin Inlet in the Northwest Territories. He returned to Puvirnituq in 1960 and started its first village council, leading it from 1962 to 1968.

From 1972 to 1977, he strongly disagreed with the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement, which was a land claims deal. He led a group called Inuit Tungavingat Nunamini, which opposed the agreement. In 1983, he took part in Quebec meetings about Aboriginal rights and self-government for Nouveau-Québec. In 2010, his life story, Je veux que les Inuit soient libres de nouveau (I want Inuit to be free again), was published in French. A bilingual version in French and Inuktitut came out in 2020.

Understanding Taamusi Qumaq's Name

The name Qumaq was originally a single name used by the Inuit. In 1917, when he was baptized, he was given the Christian name Taamusi (Thomas). Over time, Qumaq became his family name.

Early Life and Family Journeys

Qumaq was born on Niqsiturlik island, close to Inukjuak, in January 1914. His parents were nomadic, meaning they moved around a lot. His family traveled between Kuujjuarapik and Puvirnituq using dog sleds. They hunted animals like walrus, seals, and fish for food. They also collected fox furs to trade for supplies from Europe at trading posts near Inukjuak and Puvirnituq. In 1920, Qumaq's mother was part of the filming for a famous movie called Nanook of the North.

When Qumaq was 13, his father died in a boating accident. Without his father to teach him, Qumaq learned how to hunt and build an igloo from other Inuit families. In 1931, he settled in Puvirnituq with his mother and siblings.

Life as an Adult

In 1937, Qumaq married Maina Milurtuq. In the years that followed, there were not many animals to hunt, and his community faced hunger. This was made worse because trading posts closed, the value of fox furs dropped, and supplies became harder to get during World War II. However, Qumaq, with the help of other hunters, was able to provide for his family and the elders.

Mail was flown from Moose Factory to Inukjuak. Qumaq was responsible for carrying all the mail to Puvirnituq, Akulivik, Ivujivik, and Salluit using just one dog sled. He would bring the mail to Puvirnituq, where another person would pick it up to take it farther north.

In 1952, many Inuit near Akulivik and Puvirnituq moved to Puvirnituq itself. With the start of social welfare programs, Qumaq began working at the new Hudson's Bay Company store, earning $150 a month. In 1958, he traveled with members of the Hudson's Bay Company to set up a general store north of Churchill, Manitoba. Due to bad weather, they ended up in Rankin Inlet, where he lived for two years.

Also in 1958, prefab wooden houses started appearing in Puvirnituq. Before this, Inuit lived in igloos in winter and tents in summer. When Qumaq returned to Puvirnituq in 1960, he built his own house and never built another igloo.

Leading His Community: Political Life

In 1961, a government official from Indian Affairs and Northern Development Canada asked for a village council to be elected. No one campaigned for the job, and no names were written on the ballot beforehand. To his surprise, Qumaq was chosen as the head of the village council.

He strongly opposed the federal residential school that had opened in 1958. Through a public vote in 1969 (89 to 9), he helped replace it with a school run by the Quebec government. This new school taught Inuktitut and Inuit culture, along with main subjects in English or French.

Qumaq also supported the new Inuit cooperative general store, which started in 1963. This cooperative eventually grew into a group of cooperatives across Nunavik by 1966. These cooperatives earned money by selling soapstone carvings in the south and by selling goods to local Inuit.

In 1964, Qumaq and representatives from all the other villages in Nunavik met with René Lévesque in Fort Chimo. They talked about Inuit self-rule and their place in Quebec society.

He oversaw the building of houses to make sure everyone had a permanent home. During his life, he saw the arrival of motor boats, skidoos, and alcohol in the community.