Etulu Etidloie, celebrated Cape Dorset musician, dies

A well-known singer-songwriter from Cape Dorset, Nunavut, has died.

Etulu Etidloie, 75, died early Wednesday morning at Ottawa Civic Hospital, of cancer.

Etidloie was well-known across Baffin Island and in Nunavik for his songs, through which he shared personal memories. 

He started writing music in the 1960s. By the 1970s, word about his talents had spread. 

William Tagoona, a musician based in Kuujjuaq, says he heard of Etidloie's talents before he met him.

"He became part of our world, in the music industry," he said.

The two musicians performed at a concert sponsored by CBC North in Iqaluit, which was at the time called Frobisher Bay, in 1980.

Tagoona says he told Etidloie he liked his music, and Etidloie returned the compliment.

"That's the exchange we had," said Tagoona.

"I can still feel the gymnasium in Iqaluit, when Etulu went on stage and started [to perform] his songs. I knew that Baffin was extremely proud of their own, this was theirs, Etulu was his, and he tore the house down."

Etidloie is survived by two daughters, Alacee and Miali, as well as his wife, Leetia.

There will be a funeral in Cape Dorset to celebrate Etidloie's life, but a date has not yet been set.