Jim Netsiapik Kilabuk (1902-1985)

Abstract

Jim Netsiapik Kilabuk was part of the dramatic whaling era, of the relatively tranquil fur-trading era that followed and of the first years of drastic change in the 1960s. Kilabuk served as assistant to, and mentor for, a series of Hudson's Bay Company managers. His many duties, and often those of his family, included interpreting and mediating when sealskins and fox furs were traded over the counter, using the brass Company tokens, and supervising the preparation of beluga and narwhal skins and oil after the communal whale hunts that continued until the early 1960s. At ship time he organized the off-loading of supplies and the loading of the year's produce, involving every man, woman and child available. ... The third era of change for the people of Cumberland Sound, and for all Inuit, is hard to label. It is characterized by urbanization, rapid communication and an ever-accelerating technical change common to much of the world. ... [Kilabuk excelled as a mediator between Inuit and non-Inuit factions, he taught white administrators his language and about the land. He was also instrumental in Pangnirtung becoming the first locality to adopt surnames among its Inuit population.] For most of his life, Kilabuk worked to bring about understanding and harmony between Inuit and Qallunaat in his home region. He was an able pilot through the ebb, flow and turbulence of culture change and is remembered by many with gratitude and affection.