Navalik Tologanak
Born in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut. Also a survivor of residential school where she attended school in Inuvik for 9 years living at Stringer Hall, the Anglican hostel. Also attended junior high in Yellowknife for a couple of years, living at Akaitcho Hall. Quiting school to return home to her parents to Cambridge Bay helping her mother with 9 other siblings. At home she managed to find jobs with the local settlement office and government of NWT doing jobs as clerical, mostly. Since returning home to Cambridge Bay Navalik has managed to get most of her traditional language back Innuinaqtun and getting to know her relatives and people whom she never knew from being away at residential school.
Learning Innuinaqtun again has given her the talent to write and speak her dialect of the Kitikmeot region, has been now writing a weekly column in the only NWT/Nunavut wide newspaper "News North” since 1995. Also very active in Inuit issues, one of the founders of the local women’s group in Cambridge Bay and also was a past board member for Kitikmeot Region on Pauktuutit – Inuit Women’s Association of Canada and also was a member of the NWT Status of Women. Navalik continues to write in both Innuinaqtun and English for her readers across Canada for News North. Navalik also does volunteer work for her community working with Elders and youth. Also does contract work with various on her spare time. Her goal is to continue speaking and supporting Inuit of Canada. Also wishes to learn some of her cultural identity in sewing which Inuit women still carry the tradition and make it a fashionable and beautiful way showing Inuit culture and traditions. Navalik Helen Tologanak has two beautiful children and one grandson.