In October 2016 I organized a talk with Elisapee Ishulutaq at the Aboriginal Gather Place in Emily Carr University of Art and Design because she was in town for the opening of Remembering A Future, Too at Marion Scott Gallery | Kardosh Projects. When the video video the gallery brought wouldn’t play, the presentation became a conversation between the two of us. My favourite story was how as a little girl she rode on the back of her father’s kayak. During one crossing she had to straddle a caribou they were bringing home from the hunt. Afterwards, we did a tour of the Emily Carr printmaking and painting studios to meet and talk to students about their work. All of this was translated by her grandson Luke since Elisapee speaks only Inuktitut.
The whole visit was amazing - it was really amazing to hear her voice and her songs in Inuktitut. That she didn't even speak english was a reminder to me that it wasn't so long ago that nobody spoke english on North America - or even call this place by that name.
I had students and faculty coming up to me for days afterwards saying how moved they were by her presence, warmth and knowledge. It was fantastic to have an elder, over 90 years old, talking about her recent work with students who are just staring their careers.
Photo: Michelle Sound