Autobiography in French and Inuktitut
Hunter, fisherman, trapper and politician, Taamusi Qumaq (1914-1993) is considered one of the great thinkers of the Inuit of Nunavik. Although unilingual in Inuktitut, this "exceptional character", as Louis-Jacques Dorais presents it in this book, devoted his life to recording, in writing, the life of his family and their language - for which he deserved the recognition of several institutions, including that of the National Assembly of Québec. Born in a hunting camp near Inukjuak on the eastern coast of Hudson Bay, Taamusi Qumaq takes a personal and thoughtful look at the world around him, recording the great changes of the 20th century. From the shooting of Robert Flaherty's world famous film, Nanook of the North, to the echoes of the Second World War, to the rise of Quebec sovereignty - an exceptional fact among the Inuit, he will make René Lévesque his political model - up to the signatures of the first agreements on the progressive autonomy of Nunavik, Qumaq assists and participates in the transformation of the Inuit world. His autobiography, whose translation will be found here in French, is a document of great importance, both for the Inuit who will find a model in him, and for readers around the world who access his fascinating cultural universe through his words.
With an introduction, notes and a chronology by Louis-Jacques Dorais, professor at Laval University. This work is published in collaboration with the Avataq Cultural Institute.
Taamusi Qumaq ᑖᒧᓯ ᖁᒪᖅ, Je veux que les Inuit soient libres de nouveau. Autobiographie (1914-1993). ᐃᓄᓐᓂᒃ ᐃᓱᒣᓐᓇᕿᖁᔨᒋᐊᓪᓚᐳᖓ ᐃᓅᓯᕐᒥᓂᒃ ᐊᓪᓚᑐᕕᓂᖅ (1914-ᒥᑦ 1993-ᒧᑦ), Québec, Presses de l'Université du Québec, «Jardin de givre» series, 2020, 328p.
ISBN 978-2-7605-5239-5