“Respect for our Elders stems from the understanding that their lived experience and survival is something that we have to admire and replicate if we are to keep our culture strong.”

Robert Comeau (rah-bert koo-moo)

law student, Inuit advocate, qajaq-er

IMAGE SOURCE: “Creating Nunavut: Reflections from an Inuk.” Blog post. adventurecanada.com. 11 Jan. 2021. | TEXT SOURCE: “The Stories Of Taqilituq & Ipirvi” in “Nilliajut 2: Inuit Perspectives On The Northwest Passage Shipping And Marine Issues.” Itk.ca. Dec. 2017.

QUOTE CONTEXT: “As Inuit, our family relations have always been crucial to the survival of our people. These family relationships depend upon the strength and knowledge of our Elders… For me, there is no better feeling than being able to sit down and listen to my Grammy tell her stories.”

QUOTE QUESTION: Who are the elders whose lived experience you seek to replicate?

IMAGE CONTEXT: ”My mom and I on a hunt up the Sylvia Grinnell River…After she earned her first university degree, my mom went on to work for public governments and Inuit organizations, always using her privilege to advocate for and better the position of Inuit. This is something that has stuck with me as I follow in her footsteps with my own advocacy.”

IMAGE QUESTION: Who do you stand beside with joy?

MEDIA LITERACY CONTEXT: The quote and photo are from an article and blog post by Robert.

MEDIA LITERACY QUESTION: How do you share respect for your elders on social media?

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“Respect for our Elders stems from the understanding that their lived experience and survival is something that we have to admire and replicate if we are to keep our culture strong.”

Robert Comeau (rah-bert koo-moo)

“Sovereignty begins at home. When you have permanent people living in communities which have been their homes for thousands of years, there will never be any question of them belonging there.”

“Nation-states pretend...that they can just destroy cultures and languages, while the rest of us indigenous people have little voice, so we just have to be very, very loud in the way we can be.”