Two Order of Nunavik awards were announced at this year’s Makivvik AGM in Umiujaq. Daniel Annanack and Josepi Padlayat received the honour, which is conferred annually upon Inuit men and women for outstanding achievements in different fields.

Daniel Annanack was nominated due in large part to his tireless efforts working with youth at Ulluriaq School in Kangiqsualujjuaq. Daniel has been a teacher at Ulluriaq School for almost 20 years, working with students who are not in the regular academic stream.

Born in 1967, Daniel went to Federal Indian Day School in the community and was able to grow up in learning from his father and his elders. Before joining the school, he ran a hunting camp for years where his easy-going personality made his clients feel welcome.

Daniel’s impact has been significant. Daniel has helped many challenged youths become productive members of the community and while not all of students have been successful, Daniel still shows up to share what he can and try to make a difference. He became a surrogate parent to many of the boys in his class and his tireless efforts have earned him nothing but respect from the community and the school where he is described as “irreplaceable.”

For his outstanding lifetime efforts on behalf of Inuit in Nunavik in the field of communications and culture, Makivvik also announced Josepi Padlayat as a recipient of the Order of Nunavik.

Leadership comes naturally for Josepi. He has acted as chairperson of the Board of Directors for the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services and has stayed involved with the board. He has also been involved with Avataq Cultural Institute from its beginning and has also served as its president.

Born in 1947, Jospei attended Federal Day School in Salluit before going to high school in Ottawa. Upon his return to the community at 18 years old, he worked as an interpreter at the Salluit nursing station. He later returned south to be part of the Northern Quebec Inuit Association (NQIA) at its inception in the early 1970s. He was appointed Communication Officer for the NQIA in 1973 and helped coordinate the beginning of FM stations in the region, working to convince the CRTC of each village about the importance of having HF radios in even small villages for safety and medical reasons. He would go on to be president of Taqramiut Nipingat Inc.

Makivvik recognizes the achievements of both 2023 Order of Nunavik recipients as well as their invaluable contributions to the Inuit of Nunavik.