The sky’s the limit
Angus Andersen working to raise the profile of Inuit people in St. John’s
“The Inuit-specific centre I wish to create would not and plans not to compete with St. John’s Native Friendship Centre. In fact, I’d prefer to have it work in partnership with them.”
Angus Andersen Andersen often uses positive ways to promote understanding. One of his latest projects is the “Inuk Word of the Day” Twitter feed. It’s taking off and gathering followers each day.
Angus Andersen has so many ideas, it’s a wonder his head can fit them all. He’s an advocate, a protester, a teacher, a radio show host, an artist and often an ambassador for his people — the Inuit of Newfoundland and Labrador.
His path in life involves creating understanding and respect between his people — indeed all Indigenous peoples — and those who are non-indigenous.
Born in North West River, and raised in Nain and the Torngat Mountains, Andersen moved to St. John’s when he was 36, bent on studying at Memorial University. He didn’t get accepted, but one of fate’s wrinkles eventually saw him working with and for MUN, as a translator helping academics to research the history, arts and the languages of the North. “I came here for MUN,” he explains. “Never got in. Now I work with several departments on contract on as-needed basis.”
Now 55, he has a myriad of projects ranging from his art to his efforts to build and strengthen the Urban Inuit Committee organization and construct a social media network to connect, help and champion the Inuit who live in St. John’s, as well as those visiting the city to work or study or obtain medical services.
“As part of a National Aboriginal Strategy set forth by Northern Affairs in Ottawa, I and many other Inuit now living in major cities are doing what we can to better help fellow Inuit with the struggles of urban living,” he says.
“One of my major long-term goals is to see an Inuit ownedand-run centre in St. John’s to better help Inuit living here, visiting here or here because of medical issues.”
He says there are about 300 Inuit who live in St. John’s, and about 800 or 900 more who are here as what he calls transients, such as students.
“The Inuit-specific centre I wish to create would not and plans not to compete with St. John’s Native Friendship Centre. In fact, I’d prefer to have it work in partnership with them,” Andersen says.
While he’s not afraid to speak out on issues affecting Indigenous people, Andersen often uses positive ways to open doors to promote understanding. One of his latest projects is the “Inuk Word of the Day” Twitter feed. It’s taking off, gathering followers each day. “I went from just a few followers to hundreds from all over the world,” he says with a grin. “And it’s growing. I couldn’t believe so many people would be interested.”
But the often quiet-spoken Andersen seems to attract attention. He’s been the focus of many media stories because of his storytelling, his art projects and his advocacy.
He works to bring Muskrat Falls and other environmental issues to the public eye and to raise awareness of murdered and missing indigenous women.
Community work doesn’t always pay
Seeing the good of his work gives him some satisfaction, but he admits it’s hard to make a living. He doesn’t have a cellphone, and depends on social media to communicate, most days. His only access to Wi-fi is in a public hotspot. So, he frequents coffee shops and other areas where a signal can be had to do his social media work, always being sure to make a purchase from the vendor if it’s a commercial venue.
In March, he was asked to leave a local mall because he was accused of loitering. Andersen had just bought a coffee and was using his laptop as he waited to meet some people who were working with him on the Urban Inuit Committee.
He questioned the security guard and offered to show receipts to prove he was a mall customer. The guard responded by telling him to get out in 30 minutes or the police would be called. Andersen was shocked and tweeted what was happening. His post immediately attracted up retweets and multiple comments.
He left the mall within the 30-minute deadline, but he made a formal complaint to the mall’s owners and was prepared to bring the issue to the Human Rights Commission if necessary. He believes he was targeted because he was Indigenous. He said many others were sitting in the area using devices, but he was the only one to be asked to leave. While the Avalon Mall’s owners, Crombie REIT declined comment for this story, CBC reported in March that the company apologized to Andersen, though he was asking for a public apology. The company and Andersen are still talking.
“I have to get back to my art,” he says thoughtfully. “Doing all this (community work) takes so much time, I let it slide for a while.”
Andersen teaches Inuktitut online and in person. And he carves soapstone. You may have seen some of his work in the television series “Frontier,” starring Jason Momoa and produced by local actor/producer/writer Allan Hawco of Take the Shot Productions. He’s hoping for more work like that — it pays well.
He’s trying to generate interest in opening a retail outlet in St. John’s to be owned and operated by Indigenous people. The reaction so far has been positive, he says.
Former journalist
Andersen worked for about eight years as a journalist for the Okâlakatiget Society in Nain, and says he did some freelance reporting for the CBC. It was his background in broadcasting and his love of music that led to him proposing a radio show for CHMR.
The result was “Nunakakkaasimajut (First Peoples First Occupants),” a bilingual talk show (Inuktitut and English) featuring 100 per cent Canadian Indigenous music. It won the National Campus and Community Radio Association’s Neskie Manuel award 2018.
Andersen combs Youtube looking for original artists, but as his show becomes more known, they have begun submitting mp3s and CDS to the program.
His scope is not limited to the things covered in this story. Google him. He’s got a story that is as big as the sky.
If you’d like to catch Andersen’s show, it’s broadcast live on CHMR 93.5 MUN Radio Thursdays from 2-4 p.m.