Daughter, friend, high-school graduate. Born Dec. 1, 1990, in Montreal. Died June 4 in Puvirnituq, Nunavik, of a blood infection, aged 19.
Mary Qinuajuak loved to laugh. When she laughed, her whole body shook. Mary also loved school and small children and Akulivik, Nunavik, the picturesque town on Hudson Bay where she lived.
Mary was the daughter of Annie Qinuajuak and Moses Fleming. The couple had broken up by the time Mary was born, and she was raised by her mother. Annie's parents pitched in, too. In spring and summer they took Mary, and, a year later, Taaniali, the first of three children Annie adopted, to their camp on the tundra.
Mary helped out a lot. She played outside with her siblings, took them to buy snacks and bathed them at night. When the quakuvik, the community freezer, was stocked with Arctic char, caribou - or Mary's favourite, whale blubber - Annie would send her over to pick up something for dinner.
Mary's grandmother taught her throat singing, which Mary enjoyed practising at home. In summer, she swam in Hudson Bay and biked. In winter, she skated and went sliding.
Overweight even as a child, Mary had to put up with her share of teasing. One day, she told her mom she didn't want to go to school any more. Annie consoled Mary, telling her, "They're just jealous because you're so smart."
Adam Feather began teaching at Akulivik's Tukisiniarvik School in 2007. A colleague offered Adam this advice: "If you get Mary on your side, the other students will follow." Mary and her classmates were in Secondary III when Adam arrived. The school had not graduated any students since 2003.
Mary's dream was to become a police officer. Though she knew that meant going to college in Montreal, she planned to return to work in her community. Her cousins Lily and Maggie, both high-school graduates, were her inspiration.
Sociable and outgoing, Mary had 500 friends on MSN - which is especially remarkable considering Akulivik has a population of 600.
In March, Mary suffered a setback. A younger girl from Akulivik whom Mary was escorting from Montreal to home was found to be carrying drugs. Mary lost her spot on the Junior Canadian Rangers' cadet corps. Even so, Mary was looking forward to graduating and to a much-anticipated graduation trip to Kenya.
The week of her final English exam, Mary developed a high fever and intestinal trouble. She insisted on writing the exam, but early the next morning, she was flown to hospital in Puvirnituq, 100 kilometres away. She died there later that day.
On June 16, four students graduated from Tukisiniarvik School - one was Mary. In Kenya, Mary's classmates planted an acacia tree in her honour.
By young-adult author Monique Polak, who met Mary through Quebec Roots, a Blue Metropolis Foundation literacy project.