Join us on Wednesday, May 15th, 2024 from 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm (PST), for “Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami: The National Voice of All Inuit in Canada.” In this Indigenous Speakers Series session, we will have a conversation with Natan Obed, Canada’s National Inuit Leader. Natan Obed is the president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the national representational organization protecting and advancing the rights and interests of Inuit in Canada. The organization represents 65,000 Inuit, most of whom live in communities spread across Inuit Nunangat. In this conversation, we will explore the implications of truth, reconciliation and redress amongst the Inuit.
Join us virtually on Wednesday, May 15th, 2024 from 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm (PST), for “Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami: The National Voice of All Inuit in Canada.” This virtual event is presented by the Indigenous Speakers Series.
Speaker Bio
Natan Obed,
BA – Tufts Univ.;
H/Ph.D. LL.D. – Queen’s Univ. & Univ. of Northern BC;
President, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami;
Founder, Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee
Natan Obed is serving his third term as President of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the national organization working to ensure that Inuit in Canada prosper through unity and self-determination. He is originally from Nain, Nunatsiavut, and currently lives in Ottawa. A skilled negotiator and consensus builder, Obed is the architect of the Inuit Crown Partnership Committee, a collaborative leadership table devoted to addressing the most urgent policy challenges facing Inuit, as well as creating conditions for Inuit to thrive.
He has devoted his career to working on behalf of Inuit. Working with Inuit Treaty Organizations, he led the development and implementation of national strategies intended to bring about transformational change in the areas of suicide prevention, research, food security and climate change, and is now forging a path to build an Inuit Nunangat University. He is a graduate of Tufts University, holds honorary degrees from Queen’s University and the University of Northern British Columbia, and is the father of Panigusiq and Jushua Obed, his two teenage sons.
Moderator
Derek K Thompson – Thlaapkiituup, Director, Indigenous Engagement
Description
Written by Derek K Thompson – Thlaapkiituup
The term pan-Indigenous is a philosophical and political approach intended to enable a cultural homogenization of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples in Canada regardless of ancestral distinctions and cultural differences. This approach sometimes limits our ability to really understand and appreciate the unique features and richness that uniquely define First Nations, Inuit and Métis cultures and peoples. What do we know about First Nations in BC, and across Canada? About Métis peoples? And, particularly, what do we know about Inuit peoples?
The majority of Inuit live in 51 communities spread across the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (Northwest Territories), Nunavut, Nunavik (Northern Quebec), and Nunatsiavut (Northern Labrador). This vast region is called Inuit Nunangat, and it encompasses 40% of Canada’s land area and 72% of its coastline. The existence of Inuit in the north dates back to over 5,000 years, with some as far back as 8,500 years, linking ancestral connections to place and belonging between ancient first peoples and contemporary Inuit people.
The Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami is the national representational organization protecting and advancing the rights and interests of Inuit in Canada. The organization represents 65,000 Inuit, most of whom live in communities spread across Inuit Nunangat, and it is led by President Natan Obed, Canada’s National Inuit Leader. Please join me for this important conversation with President Obed as we explore the implications of truth, reconciliation and redress amongst the Inuit.
Topic: Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami: The National Voice of All Inuit in Canada
Date: Wednesday, May 15th, 2024
Time: 12:00 – 1:30 pm (PST)
What Will I Learn?
You will learn about a unique Inuit perspective in regards to the processes of truth and reconciliation.
Continue Learning
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