Kiviaq
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Kiviaq (born in 1936 outside what is now Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut; also known as David Ward) is a Canadian Inuit lawyer, politician, and former sportsman. He is the first Inuk to become a lawyer, and is responsible for several important advances in establishing the legal rights of the Inuit people; in 2001, he won the legal right to use his single-word Inuktituk name.
He is the subject of the documentary film Kiviaq vs. Canada, by award-winning producer Zacharias Kunuk.
He has served on the Edmonton City Council as an alderman, and (unsuccessfully) run for mayor in the 1970s; in 2003, Edmonton mayor Bill Smith declared March 14 "Kiviaq Day".[1]
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[edit] Athletic career
Raised in Edmonton, Alberta, Kiviaq took to boxing to deal with racially-motivated abuse from other children. He won his first Golden Gloves championship at age 13, and later became a prizefighter, winning 102 of 108 fights.
In 1955, he became the first Inuk (or "Eskimo") to play on the Edmonton Eskimos football team.
[edit] Health
Kiviaq has Meniere's syndrome, and is unable to ride on an airplane without becoming physically ill; consequently, he is unable to return to the Arctic, and remains in Edmonton.
[edit] References
- ^ "Atanarjuat director celebrates modern-day champion", CTV television network, 2006-04-25. Retrieved on 2007-03-02.
