(Ottawa, ON) February 9, 2021 – On this week’s Roots & Hoots episode, the LHF host, Gordon Spence, is joined by special guest Manitok Thompson who discusses growing up near Coral Harbour, NWT and witnessing the transition from a traditional lifestyle to a modernized way of life, attending Day School and eventually becoming an educator herself.

Manitok and Gordon discuss her role as an educator and politician in the Legislative Assembly of Northwest Territories in 1995 where she served as the Minister of Community and Regional Affairs until the creation of Nunavut in 1999, when she was re-elected in the Nunavut Legislature for the riding of Rankin Inlet South and Whale Cove ridings. Manitok was the first woman to serve as a Cabinet Minister in the Nunavut Government. She has an excellent work ethic, which was instilled in her by hard-working parents, something that has stayed with her throughout her entire life and continues to resonate. She discusses in detail the traditional naming system her people followed which lead to her being given her name, Manitok. In addition to her work as a politician, Manitok is also a pastor for a non-denominational Christian group.

“We are so pleased to have Manitok join us for this podcast. She has led an interesting and illustrious career both as an educator and trailblazing Inuk politician who continues to inspire young Indigenous women through her traditional values, knowledge and compassion.” said LHF’s Executive Director and In-House Legal Counsel, Teresa Edwards.

To listen to Manitok’s full story, visit: https://legacyofhope.podbean.com/

The LHF is a national, Indigenous-led, charitable organization that has been working to promote healing and Reconciliation in Canada for 20 years. The LHF’s goal is to educate and raise awareness about the history and existing intergenerational impacts of the Residential and Day School Systems and subsequent Sixties Scoop on Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, and Métis) Survivors, their descendants, and their communities to promote hope and healing in Canada. The LHF works to encourage people to address discrimination and injustices in order to contribute to the equality, dignity, and respectful treatment of Indigenous Peoples and to foster Reconciliation. The LHF also has 19 exhibitions available for loan and can be shipped across Canada. For more information about the LHF visit the Legacy of Hope Foundation website at www.legacyofhope.ca.

The LHF is working on making its other exhibitions available on line. LHF also has curriculum from K-12 and for adults, along with Activity Guides, aimed at educating Canadians about Indigenous history and the shared history of Residential and Day Schools, the Sixties Scoop, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. The LHF works to develop empathy and understanding so as to eliminate racism and foster Reconciliation.