“Take everything one day at a time. Today is all that really matters,” says Terri-Lee Kuptana. She was born and raised in Tuktoyaktuk until she had to leave to go to high school in Inuvik. Her childhood was full of outdoor play. Her first job at the age of 12 was as a surveyor’s assistant. She worked every summer and she loved working with and for people. She went on to work with preschool children, then as a youth assistant at the youth centre, then later as the youth coordinator.

Kuptana went back to school in Inuvik to get an office administration certificate then the diploma. When she came home she was the Employment and Training Officer for the Tuktoyaktuk Community Corporation where she worked for nine years. Working there shaped her to be who she is today and she loves interacting with people of all ages. At one point, she was a kindergarten teacher substitute for three weeks. It’s her ninth year as a family worker for the Healthy Family Program, a job she loves. She loves seeing the changes in parent child interactions, in parenting styles and the benefits of what she does.

Thinking of her current role, Kuptana sees the benefit of families being supported by one of their own community members and having that support network. The Healthy Family Program includes cultural and traditional activities like berry picking, making winter clothing, sewing hats, mukluks, bonnet making and hopefully dry fish making. Building trust is the most important component, she believes and each family is different.

Living in such a small community, the phrase, “It takes a whole community to raise a child” rings especially true. Everyone watches out for the children and when a community member is lost, the whole community feels it. Everyone knows everybody and it’s like a close-knit family. The separation mandated by Covid was keenly felt because everyone having to be in their own homes severed the connective tissue of the community.

Kuptana’s advice for Indigenous students who have to leave their home communities to go to post secondary or training is based on her own experience, when she went to Inuvik, a half hour plane ride away that was costly. “I knew in my heart and in my mind that I wanted to further my education. So I had to sacrifice…. I had to keep remembering why I'm doing it.” Some days she would call home saying she was done and her mom would encourage her.  “It is scary, it is different, it's hard,” she recalls, even though she was able to bring her husband and kids. “You just have to keep going, continue with your support team… Just never stop believing in yourself… Always think that something good is going to come out of this, and home will always be there. You can probably leave and come back and work like I did. There's a lot of benefits in post secondary education,” she continues.

When it came to obstacles, Kuptana left grade 12 two months before graduation because she was pregnant and had her first daughter in August. While there was a daycare onsite, she left out of shame and to avoid being mocked or talked about. She was one course short of graduating and she later finished it and graduated with her son. She also lost two children. “Grief and loss can do a lot to a person,” she reflects.

Other challenges Kuptana faced included being an intergenerational survivor of residential schools, a witness to gambling, drinking, and fighting. In 2020, she was diagnosed with PTSD and she had to relearn coping mechanisms. One of the biggest impacts she had was having a COVID-style funeral for her father. The faith her mother instilled in her got her through the struggles, along with her love of gospel music and Inuvaluit drum dancing and powwow dancing. She credits her family for saving her and she uses her experiences to help others feel less alone.

When it comes to inspiration, her people inspire her, and her parents inspired her, the way they gave all they had to raise her the best they could and sacrificed a lot. Her children and godmother inspire her, as well as a lot of elders who are no longer with us. Kuptana’s also inspired by a close friend who has been by her side through thick and thin.

In closing, Kuptana says, “Whatever it is you’re going through…please just tell yourself that something good is going to come from it and keep reminding yourself that you are doing your best and you are loved and cared for, you are beautiful and never stop being you…”

Supporting families in raising their kids, Terri-Lee Kuptana brings in traditional and cultural activities and the power of trust. Working since she was twelve years old, she got her strong work ethic from her parents. Knowing it takes a community to raise a child, she’s part of the support system parents in Tuktoyaktuk can rely on.

Thanks to Alison Tedford Seaweed for authoring this article.