From the classroom to the legislative chambers and so many more adventures, Manitok Thompson has led a remarkable life, two different territories and a hamlet. Born Manitok Bruce in a tent in Coral Harbour, Nunavut, she was raised traditionally with dog teams and little outside contact. Every day, she walked to the nearby federal day school where every attempt was made to separate her from her culture. Her father worked for the Department of Transport and hunted while her mother taught her Inuktitut and the bible and baked bread on the weekends. Named for her aunt who died in childbirth, she actively resisted the school’s attempt to give her an English name.

Since the age of 14, Thompson has worked hard, starting as a Hudson’s Bay store clerk. With an education degree from the University of Saskatoon, a drivers license, an ability to converse in Inuktitut and English, a comfort in southern and Northern living, she’s taught from kindergarten to adult education. Graduating with awards for best marks and best teaching skills, she completed a teacher education program through the NWT government which was partly in Fort Smith and Iqaluit, intended to recruit more Inuit teachers.

With her qualifications, she also worked as an educational consultant and did integrative teaching. She had the chance to continue onto a master’s degree but did not pursue it. Outside of education, Thompson worked as an interpreter, and later successfully ran for hamlet council in Rankin Inlet while working as a teacher consultant. This was the start of her political career.

From there, she was elected to be a member of the legislative assembly in the Northwest Territories and went on to become a cabinet minister. One of her most challenging controversies was voting against gender parity, believing that people should be elected for their skills and fearing women would not be respected if they were elected on the basis of gender parity. Nominated to be premier of Nunavut once the territory was formed, she was more interested in becoming a minister of education.

Ultimately, she ended up reluctantly leading public works and services in a new government, transitioning from a well-established territory with extensive briefing materials to an emerging opportunity with a lot less paper to lean into. During her time in Nunavut politics, Thompson oversaw a range of portfolios including education, human resources, community government, housing, and transportation.

Life after politics, nearly two decades worth, held many more opportunities. As a legislative specialist rewriting the education act and reviewing it, a partner at a music store with her husband, a consultant for small businesses, a teacher in Alberta, an archivist and then the Executive Director of the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation. On the weekends, Thompson volunteers as a pastor for medical patients.

When it comes to inspiration, Thompson says, “I think about how I can help my fellow Inuit wherever I am. That's what my upbringing was: help and do something.” From organizing gospel music festivals, to petitions to advocate for elders to be cared for locally instead of sent away, she’s always looking for ways to empower and support Inuit and First Peoples. Restless without something to do, she’s often sewing, volunteering so people can be served in their language at church, doing whatever she can, no matter how small the task. From setting up for concerts, teaching parka making so her people can feed their families with their new skills, she’s following the lead of her parents who always served their community generously and were her role models.

The other lessons she learned from her parents were taking pride in her appearance, punctuality, being welcoming to strangers, including people with disabilities and everyone who is different. Thompson learned to welcome everyone and to remember that her brain was no smaller than a non-Indigenous person.

Her advice for the next generation is to venture out of their communities and get educated, even though it’s hard, so they can give back, knowing their community will be there when they return. She suggests staying connected with positive people, volunteering, helping neighbours, and getting connected to community. Thompson finds positive people herself in nondenominational churches.

She hopes that Indigenous youth of today will take advantage of all the options that are available to them now. “There's so many more opportunities for you than there were for us. We didn't have much. We didn't have career paths that are open to you. Now you have universities. You have funding, there's all kinds of funding for Aboriginal people. Seek them. Become a business person. Become independent,” she urges.

From a teacher in northern and southern classrooms to legislative chambers and so many more adventures, Manitok Thompson has led a remarkable life. She’s also led two different territories and a hamlet as a politician and worked hard to help her fellow Inuit everywhere she goes. She’s been so many places and given back in so many ways. It’s nearly impossible to sum up such an incredible life of service except to say that no task has been too small and her heart for community has been so big.

Thanks to Alison Tedford Seaweed for authoring this article.