Aglukark, an award-winning Canadian singer, songwriter and storyteller, was the keynote speaker yesterday at the last installment in this year's Interim Place fundraising luncheon series, Her Life, Her Words.
Aglukark, a three-time Juno Award-winner who blends Inuktitut and English lyrics with contemporary music, shared snippets of her life — especially those related to her journey of healing — with the Mississauga Convention Centre audience.
The Aboriginal singer interspersed her talk with a compelling musical performance that included hits O Siem and Suffer in Silence.
“At the core of every single one is a need for allowing ourselves a new beginning,” Aglukark said. “It's about letting go enough and in stages, so that we can heal.”
Aglukark, who grew up in Nunavut, left home for Ottawa after a painful childhood experience to work for the federal government as a communications coordinator.
“The bad terms that forced me to leave home had nothing to do with family,” she explained. “It had to do with other things. The turning point for me was realizing that I don't have to forgive everybody for everything. That's a difficult thing to do. What I have learned is to forgive enough.”
In Ottawa, while creating a documentary on Inuit history for schools, Aglukark wrote and recorded a song for the educational film. Somehow, the seven-and-a-half-minute video landed on a popular music channel.
The success of the video resulted in Aglukark being flooded with offers from music labels. She resisted the tug of fame, preferring the anonymity of her life.
"I am not who you think I am," became her rejoinder for entertainment industry executives who sought her out.
Aglukark finally relented and signed with EMI recording studios.
“As much as it frightened me, I took up the opportunity because I thought if I don't take advantage, I'll never know,” she said.
One winter day in 1998, Aglukark recollects sitting in her van, outside the music studio, sobbing uncontrollably.
“I was trying to figure out, what is it I am afraid of?”
A few days later, things became more clear for Aglukark. She decided to use her talents to focus on something close to her heart — issues facing Aboriginal Peoples.
“That was the real part of healing for me,” said Aglukark, who turned the pain, struggle and dejection in her life into fodder for her music. “It was also about setting an example for my son. If I quit, what will I be telling my son?”
Cindy Cowan, executive director of Interim Place, which helps women and their children escape abusive relationships, said all of the speakers this year were empowering and inspiring.
“The speakers provided a rich and diverse experience,” Cowan said. “The series presented the power of women, the healing and the spirit of creativity.”
rpanjwani@mississauga.net
