Description
Rose Marie Iriarr̂uk Nirliq Tuuqłak Kirby (née Thrasher) was born at the Hornaday River in 1946, during a time when Inuvialuit lived nomadically. She spent her early years travelling with family around the Paulatuuq area following the changing seasons. In 1968, Rose finally found a religion that embraced her Inuvialuit culture and values. She was the first Inuk woman to become a Bahá'í, leading her to her Bahá’í husband Tom Kirby. Rose had a long career as an educator in Fort McPherson, Aktlarvik, Inuuvik, and Paulatuuq, then as an Inuvialuktun Language Specialist for her local education board. She has devoted her life to educating others about her Inuvialuit culture, history, and language. Today, Rose lives in Inuuvik, Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR), with her daughter Cheryl and granddaughters Brianna and Aubri (and their two chihuahuas, Daisy and Mocha).
Kunuuksayuukka: The Spirit of Winter Storms is a story of Inuvialuk (Western Arctic Inuk) Elder Rose Kirby’s early life, beginning from her vibrant traditional life on the land, to being taken away on a “ship of tears” to residential school in Aktlarvik (Aklavik), before moving around different DEW Line sites following her father Joseph Saraana Thrasher’s work. Known for her powerful memory and storytelling skills, Rose vividly recounts stories from her childhood and even infancy.
Kunuuksayuukka: The Spirit of Winter Storms honours the important lessons that Rose has learned from her Elders and family, through watching how they interacted with one another, as well as with the larger natural world. Rose uses Kunuuksayuukka—the spirit of winter storms—and its slow disappearance from her life, to describe her own transition from traditional, nomadic life on the land to moving into housing settlements created by tan’ngit (white people).
Through almost 300 pages, Rose’s book weaves through candid stories of human relationships, loss, love and care for one another, humour, pain, strength, and resilience. Most importantly, it is a heartfelt tribute to Inuvialuit culture, language, history, life, and experiences—all through the eyes of an Inuvialuk who has learned to move with the changing world as she grew up. This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to learn about how Inuvialuit lived long ago. 25 b&w photographs.