First Words: Jordan Konek speaks Inuktitut
CBC News | Posted: May 22, 2019 8:39 PM | Last Updated: May 22, 2019
First Words is a weekly podcast focused on Indigenous languages. Each week, we welcome a new guest into the hosting chair to teach us some words in their language.
Jordan Konek is an Inuit reporter originally from Arviat, Nunavut who works for Igalaaq, which is a daily CBC news program in Inuktitut filmed in Iqaluit.
"There's a lot of people from the territory that tune into Igalaaq, it's a very popular show in Nunavut mainly because [it's in] Inuktitut," said Konek.
"We tell stories from the territory, and we also speak to different people from across Canada and the issues that matter to Nunavummiut."
Konek was the first person in the history of CBC to broadcast a story on The National in the Inuktitut language.
"I went to Arviat — where I come from — and spoke to the community about the polar bear issues they've been having," said Konek.
"The National was interested in the story, and one of the producers had asked me, 'can you get the recording done in five minutes?'"
"I said, 'that's not going to happen, it's not my language.'"
The producer from The National called Konek back, and asked him to record it in Inuktitut, and history was made.
For Konek's Inuktitut word of the day, he chose a word that many people used to describe a photo of his grandmother that recently went viral on Twitter — the word is power.
"People were commenting on [how her] face shows confidence and she has a lot of power in her face," said Konek.