Inuit Futures ilinniaqtuit

Tiffany Raddi

Tiffany Raddi was born in Inuvik, NWT in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region where her family is from. Now living in Ottawa, ON Tiffany is in her fourth year of a double major in English and Indigenous Studies at Carleton University. Originally a science major at the University of Lethbridge, Tiffany has found her transition to the humanities to be rewarding and she now sees a career path beyond graduation. After taking an Indigenous Studies course in her second semester at Carleton, Tiffany realized that combining her interests through a double major would offer her the best opportunity to learn as much as possible about both subjects. The advanced courses can feel daunting, but Tiffany says “I’d rather challenge myself to do that, than miss out.” Coming to the humanities from sciences, Tiffany appreciates the critical engagement with social and political issues in these courses.

While working as a Research Assistant on the SSHRC-funded “Government Agents, Literary Agents: Inuit Books and Government Intervention, 1968-1985,” led by Julie Rak and Keavy Martin out of the University of Alberta, Tiffany came to see the difference that can be made by editors who genuinely care about the texts and authors they work with. She learned that the author’s level of involvement in the editing process can greatly affect their satisfaction with the results, as was the case for Mini Aodla Freeman’s Life Among the Qallunaat (1978). Freeman’s memoir was republished in 2015 by University of Manitoba Press, edited by Martin and Rak. Though the editors are not First Nations, Métis, or Inuit (FNMI) Tiffany believes that their efforts to create a meaningful and respectful relationship with Freeman throughout the editing process is reflected in the republished memoir. “That was so inspiring,” Tiffany said. “That just further made me realize that it’s so important to have FNMI at every single stage of [the] process.” Initial findings from the GALA project were presented by the research team, including Tiffany, at the 21st Inuit Studies Conference in Montreal in October 2019.

With Inuit Futures in Arts Leadership, Tiffany worked as a Research Assistant at the Carleton University Art Gallery in the Summer of 2019 where she catalogued the recently donated A.T. Tolley Collection. Working with mentor Sandra Dyck, she collected, verified, and organized information about the new collection, cross-referencing the data provided with records from other galleries and publications. Tiffany was particularly interested in learning about the FNMI artists in the collection, many of whom were new to her. “The best part was being exposed to lots of new artists, especially from Cape Dorset.”

Tiffany is well on her way towards fulfilling her dream of becoming a writer-editor for literature by FNMI authors. By taking a holistic approach to editing, Tiffany hopes to bring as much knowledge as possible to the position of editor in order to help writers bring their pieces to fruition. “I try to be conscientious of what I’m doing and how it impacts others and really [consider] others’ perspectives.” While she is glad to see more works by FNMI writers being published, she is conscious of the benefits of having FNMI peoples involved throughout the process. In pursuing this career path, Tiffany wants to do things a bit differently. “I want to be able to meet these people, to speak with them about their text before I even begin to edit it. That’s the dream.”