KANGIRSUMMIUT RESOLVE TO END SPREE OF VIOLENCE

"The threat comes from members of their own extended families or
spouses"

Step-by-step, residents of Kangirsuk are taking a stand against
violence in their community, by speaking out on local radio, and
marching through the streets in a protest spearheaded by the local
justice committee and the school on Oct. 24.

The recently re-elected mayor of Kangirsuk, Joseph Annahatak, who
participated in the march against violence, received more than 75 per
cent of the vote in last week's municipal election, a strong vote of
confidence in his leadership during these hard times.

But restoring peace and harmony in the community won't be easy:
Kangirsuk, population 450, has been rocked for months by a seemingly
unending stream of tragic deaths and violent upheavals.

Annahatak did not want to comment yet on his plans for change in
Kangirsuk.

But he's already dealt with a lot during his last two years as mayor:
the accidental drowning of his cousin, respected interpreter and
translator Martha Kauki, and her family; the loss of two elders who
fell through thin ice while traveling by snowmobile; a young boy who
was frozen to death in a storm; and two young girls who were fatally
injured in separate all-terrain vehicle accidents.

During recent months, an elder was raped, another was assaulted, and a
group of youth, armed with two-by-fours and hockey sticks, threatened
police, barricading them in their lodgings. These incidents are only
the most outstanding in the growing list of sexual and other assaults.

One woman -- one of many in Kangirsuk who spoke confidentially to
Nunatsiaq News for this article -- said she's in shock, and that the
current crisis feels like the plot from "a bad novel." The reality is
that she doesn't feel safe anymore in her own community.

"The danger is omnipresent, and we must act quickly. The two recent
attacks were brutal, and one could have been fatal. But the emotional
impact is incalculable," said a health worker in Kangirsuk.

Elders in Kangirsuk say times have changed for the worse: the young
have no respect for their elders, they accept no rules or
responsibility, not even for their own offspring; and they harass
their parents for money for alcohol and drugs.

"Since this summer the violence has become intolerable. The threat
comes from within, from members of their own extended families or
spouses," the health worker said.

This violence, "always associated with alcohol and drugs," has its
origins in deep emotional distress and the breakdown of the family and
cultural values, reflects the health worker.

Many elders live in constant fear, and are harassed on the
telephone.

"Because of their age and vulnerable physical condition, they cannot
defend themselves and physical trauma has great consequences, even
death."

Despite their concern, many elders say they are too ashamed to discuss
their violent children, who suffer from alcohol and drug problems.

Poverty may be an additional factor in the current social unrest,
another resident suggests.

"We're always told by Qallunaat we have everything, but we have
nothing. We're just trying to get by, to pay for our groceries. It's
hard on everybody," she said. "We're the Third World. We have
sub-standard resources. It's like another country."

Middle-aged Kangirsummiut say they recall, with nostalgia, "the melody
of peace" which once characterized the settlement, known then as Payne
Bay. It was a place where violence was virtually unheard of. Back in
those years, before radio was introduced, community members went to
church with their children and shared food, while elders visited each
other, without fear.

"These practices have disappeared in the everyday life of our
community, they are gone, they're just memories now," says one resident.

Meanwhile, efforts are underway to ensure school is a peaceful place
for children who live in the present, and are deeply affected, say
school staff, by any violence in the community. In September, Sautjuit
School closed for a day, to hear ideas from parents, staff and
municipal leaders about how to improve the atmosphere for students.

Now, there are more monitors in the school corridors, in the
schoolyards and on the bus as well as increased communication with
parents.

"We've put many measures in place, but there is still some friction
and occasional violence, unfortunately. When something happens in the
village, there are repercussions in the school, the kids are more
agitated, and there are some more fights, but less than before: if
it's going well in the village, it goes well here, too," said a school
administrator.