Born on this day in 1951, today we honor Zebedee Nungak, an Inuit leader from Nunavik, "Quebec". Raised in the traditional way in Saputiligait, at the age of twelve he was kidnapped by Canadian authorities in 1962 along with Peter Ittinuar and Eric Tagoona, who were taken from their families and sent to Ottawa to attend school. Without their parents knowledge or consent they were subjected to what was called the “Eskimo Experiment", a racist program designed to "expunge them of Inuit culture." Nungak went on to become a leader of his people, instrumental in opposing the James Bay hydroelectric project in the 1970's. Inuit joined forces with the Cree and applied to the Quebec Superior Court for an injunction to stop the project. The court ruled in their favour. After years of negotiations, Nungak was one of the 11 Inuit signatories to the 1975 James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement (JBNQA). It was the first Inuit land claim in Canada. Nungak was described as one of the leading figures in the building of the Inuit region known as Nunavik. He, along with Charlie Watt, were the founding members of the Northern Quebec Inuit Association (NQIA) in 1972. Far from being 'expunged' of Inuit culture, Nungak is a prolific writer, having published over 60 articles in Canadian magazines. He is an ardent advocate of Inuktitut. His writings promote Inuit stories, culture and language. His film "Qallunaat! Why White People are Funny" satirizes what he calls qallunology, the Inuit study of white people. One of the activities that he has engaged in is by hosting games of Uvangaqqaaq ('Me First'), a competitive Inuktitut word game. While doing so, he described himself as "the Alex Trebek of the North".