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Labrador and Aboriginal Affairs
May 12, 2011

The following statement was given today in the House of Assembly today by the Honourable Patty Pottle, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs.

Nunatsiavut Heritage Forum Celebrating and Preserving Inuit Culture

Heritage is vital to all of Newfoundland and Labrador. This vast province is rich in cultural diversity, with strong ancestral ties in each region.

Within the Inuit culture, heritage helps to define us, both as individuals and as a people. It is in the way we speak; it is in our art and in our songs. We witness it in our traditions, our hunting and gathering, the way we use the land, and the way we treat the gifts the land and sea provide us.

It is my great pleasure to inform this Honourable House of the Nunatsiavut Heritage Forum that took place in Hopedale during the first week of May, where I had the opportunity to address delegates and attend sessions.

This was the second year for the forum, which was organized by a steering committee with representatives from the Labrador Interpretation Centre, the White Elephant Museum of Makkovik, the Labrador Institute, and the Torngâsok Culture Centre. Representatives from the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Nunatsiavut Government participated with leaders of the five Inuit communities, non-government organizations and groups who were provided an opportunity to discuss heritage-related issues, concerns and priorities.

The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador recognizes and celebrates the many pieces that weave the fabric of our society together. It was just this past February in Happy Valley-Goose Bay that I was joined by my colleague, the Minister of Innovation, Trade, and Rural Development, when we announced a partnership between the Nunatsiavut Government and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador seeking to foster a better appreciation of the Torngat Mountains National Park and the richness of Inuit culture through the Torngâsok Cultural Centre.

As well, through the Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, the Provincial Government continues to fund the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Program, which is designed to address the increasingly urgent need to preserve Aboriginal culture throughout our province.

One notable outcome of the Nunatsiavut Heritage Forum will see the Torngâsok Culture Centre act as an umbrella organization for the heritage groups in northern and central Labrador. As well, there was discussion concerning the holding of heritage workshops throughout the five Inuit communities.

I am proud of my Inuit heritage. While it is important to share it with the world, it is also important for Inuit people to share and celebrate who we are within our own communities. I encourage the Nunatsiavut Government and other Aboriginal groups throughout our province to continue their work in preserving and celebrating their culture and heritage.

2011 05 12                                                                                 1:55 p.m.

 
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