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Montreal Inuk searches for identity

"I'm proud to say that I am Inuit and I grew up knowing who I was"

STEVE BONSPIEL
Special to Nunatsiaq News

Aaron Macdevitt spent most of his life in a Montreal suburb, but at age 34, it's not too late for him to explore his Inuvialuit roots. (PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVE BONSPIEL)

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Adopted into a non-native Montreal family as a one-year-old and with little knowledge of his former life, Aaron Macdevitt is trying to re-discover his roots and find out what it means to be Inuit.

"I was born in the bustling town of Inuvik, Northwest Territories," the comedic Macdevitt told Nunatsiaq News.

"Over the years I've always known that I was adopted and it wasn't a shock to find out," said Macdevitt, 34, who has an interesting look to him. He's unsure of what other ethnicities he has in his background due to lack of information about his father, but he knows that his mother was, or is, Inuit.

He grew up in the Montreal suburb of Dorval. His adopted father is from Montreal, and his mother is from England. He has two younger siblings, Chris and Andrew.

Now that he's grown up, he wants to find out more about the family he never knew - his Inuit family.

"In terms of who my biological parents are, there hasn't been any follow up or 'big search' as they call it. I've never really thought about it," he said.

"There are two types of people when it comes to these things. Some people are really curious and have to know, and they'll pursue it and do whatever they can and are ready to be shocked or disappointed. I never really had that natural curiosity, preferring instead to romanticize the idea, never really knowing where I'm from and just being where I happen to be."

Macdevitt said his parents never hid his identity from him. On the contrary, they embraced his heritage and encouraged him to learn more about it. "My parents and aunts have always encouraged my self-exploration through Inuit books. I also learned a lot from the Makivik Corporation's book that profiles Inuit stories.

"I'm proud to say that I am Inuit and I grew up knowing who I was. If you feel welcome within your family and at home you carry that with you. There were never any incidents regarding my identity from anyone in the family."

He never really knew how to go about re-discovering his roots, but he credits his curiosity to his schooling when, while completing his B.A. in geography at Concordia University in Montreal, his mind started to open up to many things and he became more interested in who he was.

The 1990 Oka crisis was also an eye-opener. He observed ugly racist incidents first-hand and even though he was never a target, he knew that he could be one day.

"I never felt any racism growing up. People were curious about our family because of the difference in physical characteristics, but I never experienced any racial slurs," said Macdevitt.

"People have guessed that I was Hawaiian, Indian and Spanish, amongst others. I've compiled quite the list of the different ethnicities I've been associated with."

In late 2003 he decided to cement his status as an Inuk.

"I've always had Inuit status by birthright, but about a year-and-a-half ago I started to find out more about what it means to be Inuit and I applied for an Inuvialuit Regional Corporation number, which basically means that I'm a recognized Inuit beneficiary."

According to the web site, the Inuvialuit Land Claim Agreement (finalized in 1984 as the Inuvialuit Final Agreement) aims to make the Inuvialuit equal and meaningful participants in the national economy and society.

In 1977, IDC received a portion of the land claim settlement funds with the directive to maximize returns for the Inuvialuit by fostering business development.

"There is profit-sharing within the corporation each year, but that was certainly not the reason I pursued the enrolment. I was curious to see whether I was eligible and to learn about the whole process and I enjoyed speaking with people that live and work in Inuvik."

He received a letter welcoming him with his new beneficiary number, dated April 11, 2005, his birthday.

"When I received the letter I was very happy and proud to be recognized," said Macdevitt.

"I think a trip back to my community is certainly in my plans," he said, adding that a promotion exists until 2006 where new Inuit beneficiaries can fly to the NWT at a reduced cost.

"When I do go it'll be to walk the land and get a feel for what it's like to live in the North. I'd like to be exposed to the community and the culture," he said.

Last summer Aaron visited the northern Quebec Cree community of Waswanipi. He was welcomed and treated like a brother and thinks that a trip back to Inuvik might be the same.

"I was told that I wouldn't want to leave at the end of the week because of how much fun it would be," he said. "Sure enough, at the end of the camping, fishing and having a great time with everyone, I was sad to leave and I almost felt a tear when we were in the boat back to the main road."

After working with the Nation magazine for the better part of five years, he moved in to his current job as a communications officer at Soleica, a company that provides IT technical services to aboriginal communities.

"Working with aboriginal companies and staff is like working within a family. You always feel like you're part of something bigger."

Asked what he's learned about himself, he replied, "One of the things I've learned about is our inherent joyfulness and ability to laugh and giggle and enjoy life. These are traits that we all share as aboriginal people."

If you have any questions for Aaron Macdevitt or would like to correspond with him, you can reach him through email at Macdevil@hotmail.com.

Steve Bonspiel is a reporter with the Nation, a weekly newspaper that serves the James Bay Cree.

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