20 questions
1 .What is your full name?
Nicholas Rueben Eric Flowers.
2 . Where and when were you born?
I was born in Grand Fallswindsor.
3 . Where do you live today?
Hopedale, Nunatsiavut, where I grew up.
4 . What’s your favourite place in the world?
At the cabin. I’ve always enjoyed going with my family and friends.
5 . Who do you follow on social media?
Various groups, different types of Indigenous and Inuit artists
6 . What would people be surprised to learn about you?
My high school friends and I will be presenting at the 9th world archeologocial conference in Prague about the importance of self-identity in archeology, based on our experiences in the last couple of years.
7 . What’s been your favourite year and why?
This past year. There have been so many opportunities I had in high school with friends and family. I got to travel to British Columbia for the Canadian Student Leadership Conference and I also traveled to Montreal as part of the Inuit Studies conference and I’ve also been involved in other extra-curricular travel.
8 . What is the hardest thing you’ve ever done?
Final exams when I was in junior high. I remember one was really hard and I felt so good when it was done.
9 . Can you describe one experience that changed your life?
Last fall my grandmother passed away. I knew from that moment that the things she taught me and my sisters, my family, I would do my best to teach the future generations in my community and in Labrador. It changed my life in a powerful way.
10 . What’s your greatest indulgence?
Nature. I really love nature. I always loved being on the land, going out hunting and fishing with my family and I think that spending time in nature is a great way to heal and connect.
11 . What is your favourite movie or book?
“Alone in the Wilderness” is the movie, the book is called “One Man’s Wilderness.” It’s a story about a man named Richard Proenneke and he lived in Alaska for over 30 years and carved out a beautiful life.
12 . How do you like to relax?
I really like to relax by working at different types of crafts, including working at fishing nets, such as salmon nets. I like making the weaves and I’ve been working on nets for capelin. Crafts such as this and sewing traditional Inuit crafts like sealskin and making snowshoes. It’s a great way to relax and practice your culture at the same time.
13 . What are you reading or watching right now?
I really like TV shows like “The Nature of Things” and nature documentaries.
14 . What is your greatest fear?
Losing something important such as your culture. I think my greatest fear is that if our culture was ever lost and the death of our traditional practices.
15 . How would you describe your personal fashion statement?
In the winter I like to wear things crafted by hand, like sealskin mitts and boots. It helps me reflect on the things me and my sisters have learned about our heritage.
16 . What is your most treasured possession?
The sealskin boots my grandmother taught me to make a year ago. They teach the importance of keeping our culture alive.
17 . What physical or personality trait are you most grateful to a parent for?
I’ve always been told that I’m kind and I think that’s something I learned, that when you shows kindness to others you show a sense of community and engagement.
18 . What three people would join you for your dream dinner party?
My two sisters and probably one of my high school friends.
19 . What is your best quality, and what is your worst quality?
I think being patient in many things is my best quality, in anything I choose to do I try my best to be patient. My worst quality is maybe sometimes I tend to overthink things a little. If I’m worried about something I tend to overthink it.
20 . What’s your biggest regret?
Growing up, there were times I didn’t have any interest in taking part in certain things and now looking back on it I realized I should have taken part in everything because as I went through high school and took on this new mindset, it gave me a lot more opportunities.