Why ajuinata is the Inuktitut word we could all use right now

When Gov. Gen. Mary Simon visited Windsor Castle last month, she may have taught Queen Elizabeth a new word: ajuinata, roughly pronounced aye-yoo-ee-nah-tah.

In fact, it's not a new word at all, but a very old one, Simon later explained to the CBC's Adrienne Arsenault.

"Ajuinata means that if you're confronted with adversity or things that are difficult, you keep going, you don't give up, and you need to make a commitment to continue to make changes," said Simon, the first Indigenous person to hold the office.

It's a word Simon used to applaud the perseverance of Indigenous delegates after Pope Francis apologized for the Catholic Church's role in Canada's residential school system. 

It's also a word she employs when she makes "random calls of kindness" to Indigenous community leaders and other change-makers, a habit she said was inspired by a recent segment on CBC's Ottawa Morning.

In December as part of CBC's Project Give, Ottawa Morning organized surprise calls from Canadian VIPs — including Simon — to people listeners had nominated as in need of a pick-me-up.

"I've always used that word myself for my own work, so now I use it at Rideau Hall," Simon told host Robyn Bresnahan earlier this week.

She explained that the term is so steeped in Inuit culture that it's difficult to think of a single English word that captures its full meaning.

"It's hard to translate almost, because it comes from the language, from the culture," Simon said. "Before we had the communities we were very much out on the land and sometimes things became difficult, so we always said 'ajuinata' — never give up, let's keep going."

There are dialectical differences. Simon, who hails from Nunavik, uses ajuinata or ᐊᔾᔪᐃᑕ, while in Iqaluit, for example, many people would say ajuinaqta or ᐊᔪᐃᓇᖅᑕ. Elsewhere across the North, they might use a different word altogether.

Whichever variation is used, the sentiment behind ajuinata is universal, and these days it could be applied to all kinds of situations, from the war in Ukraine to the lingering COVID-19 pandemic.

Manitok Thompson, executive director of the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation, explained that while the term is deeply rooted in the struggle for survival against the harsh elements of the North, it could easily be used in different contexts, too.

"It would translate to any culture. It's something that's needed now all over the world. They are very powerful words that you have to hold on [to], and that you need to pass on to the young people because it's a different world now," Thompson said.

"Today, it's something that needs to be heard across the board for nurses, for doctors, for patients, for people, for elders, for children, for youth, for mothers, for fathers — these words are very powerful in our culture because we're survivors."