Solomon Uyarasuk inquest begins today in Igloolik, Nunavut

Igloolik residents have many questions around the death of 26-year-old Solomon Uyarasuk, who was well-known in the High Arctic hamlet of 1,500 and beyond. 

Uyarasuk was an acrobat with the circus group ArtCirq, with which he travelled to Mexico, France and Timbuktu, Mali, to perform. He, and his death, are also the subject of a recent feature documentary, Sol.

In September 2012, Uyarasak was arrested early in the morning for assault. At the time of the arrest, police said he appeared highly intoxicated. They placed Uyarasuk in an RCMP cell. A short time later, police say they found Uyarasuk unresponsive. Police, a nurse and a guard were not able to resuscitate him.

A coroner's inquest is mandatory after someone dies in police custody.

By the end of this week, a six-person jury is expected to determine the cause of death and whether it was homicide, suicide, natural, accidental or undetermined.

The jury will also write recommendations to prevent similar deaths from happening in the future, though these recommendations are not legally binding.

Family looking for answers

Uyarasuk's niece, Aluki Kotierk, will be in Igloolik for the inquest. She shared her concerns about her uncle's death on Facebook last week. She says she's hopeful this inquest will provide some closure for her family.

"My uncle will never return to be with us. But my great wish is this is a step towards bringing closure to my family rather than re-opening and being a trigger for other festering wounds."

But Kotierk worries the system will not be looking out for her family or understand the Inuit view. 

"I am digging deep within me to have an open and loving perspective that does not prejudge the process. I hope it is a compassionate process that has the well-being of people at the centre."