Zebedee Nungak

Zebedee Nungak (ᔭᐃᐱᑎ ᓄᓐᖓᖅ; Jaipiti Nunngaq; born 23 April 1951) is a Canadian Inuit author, actor, essayist, journalist, and politician.

As a child, Nungak was taken from his home in the community of Saputiligait, along with two other children, for the purposes of an experiment by the Canadian government to "[expunge] them of Inuit culture and groom them to become northern leaders with a southern way of thinking."

Nungak later became pivotal in securing successful land rights claims and the creation of his home territory of Nunavik.

In his early career, Nungak worked as a translator and interpreter for the Canadian government.

He then became one of the founding members of the Northern Quebec Inuit Association, and a signatory to the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement.

During the aboriginal rights constitutional conferences, Nungak was the co-chair of the Inuit Committee on National Issues.

He later served as vice president, and eventually president, of the Makivik Corporation, where he actively worked to ensure the recognition of Inuit rights.

Nungak was born in the community of Saputiligait, Nunavik, Quebec, a small village south of Puvirnituq on 23 April 1951.

The location was listed as "Kenoruk's camp" by the Anglican priest who had recorded his birthplace, Nungak musing that it was likely due to the inability for the reverend to spell the location's name correctly.

He had received the E-number E9-1956, a disc number assigned to Inuit in the east which was abolished in 1978.

Nungak's mother was biracial, having been born to an Inuit mother and a Scottish father; Nungak never met his maternal grandfather.

He was one of seven children, alongside Talasia, Poasie, Harry, Aliva, Alasie, and Joanasie.

Nungak's name at birth was listed as Jabedee Noongoak, later in life, he had to have a lawyer certify that the two names belonged to the same person.

Until he was 12 years old, Nungak attended day school at the Povungnituk Federal Day School.

When Nungak was 12 years old, on 14 August 1963, he was taken as a part of what was called the "Eskimo Experiment" by the Government of Canada.

He, along with two other children, Peter Ittinuar and Eric Tagoona, to finish high school in the south of Canada.

The three children, chosen due to their high test scores, were taken from their homes without their families' consent and housed with English-speaking middle-class families in the city of Ottawa.

Nungak as part of the experiment, attended three schools: Ottawa's Parkway Public School, J.H. Putman Public School, and Laurentian High School.

Nungak, alongside Ittinuar and Tagoona, excelled at physical sports such as judo and swimming.

The three appeared on the cover of the 1964 edition of Judo World magazine.

Nungak, reflecting on his experiences and his treatment by his host families, described having "nothing bad to say about anybody during that period."

The ramifications would come due to Nungak's isolation from his community, Nungak was not around for the birth of his youngest sister, nor for the death of his grandmother.

Nungak was isolated from his family who were left unable to contact him following his relocation to Ottawa.

Once Nungak had returned, he faced ridicule from his Inuit peers, but felt simultaneously unable to fit into the southern society he was taken to.

Nungak had lost key skills that other members in his community had developed; he was unable to remove the seal's bile sack, or cut snow blocks using a pana, snow knife.

The experiment, with archived documentation, was conducted as to determine if the Inuit had the same level of intelligence as their non-Inuit counterparts.

The program had been devised to "expunge them of Inuit culture and groom them to become northern leaders with a southern way of thinking."

While conducting the experiment, the Canadian government acknowledged the possible ramifications of the program in destroying family ties, as well as Inuit culture.

The Canadian government would later conduct a similar program in 1965, resettling four Inuit girls.

At the age of 19, he started working as a government translator and interpreter, and returned to his home community during the 1970s.

He also worked as an editor for Tukisinaqtuk "Message", a trilingual newsletter, and as a broadcaster for CBC North Iqaluit.

He, along with Charlie Watt, were the founding members of the Northern Quebec Inuit Association (NQIA) in 1972.

Nungak served as its secretary-treasurer.

The association represented the Inuit, working alongside the Grand Council of the Crees, in negotiations with the governments of Quebec and Canada for the first land claim on behalf of the Inuit.

In 2009, a film detailing their experiences The Experimental Eskimos was made by filmmaker Barry Greenwald.

As a result of their extended time as part of the experiment, Nungak and Ittinuar realized they had a unique perspective of both the north and south.

Nungak joined the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs with the goal of establishing Inuit self-government.

In a 2011 interview, Nungak said that over the course of his political career, he has "crossed antlers with prime ministers, premiers and Québec separatists".

Nungak was described as one of the leading figures in the building of the Inuit region known as Nunavik.

In 2017, in recognition to his services to the Inuit of Northern Quebec, he was awarded the National Order of Quebec by Premier of Quebec Philippe Couillard.