'Shy, smart and bright' Savanna Pikuyak mourned at candlelight vigil

Choking back tears, neighbours, friends and family of 22-year old Savanna Pikuyak prayed together in front of the home where she was found dead this weekend, just days after she had movedto Ottawa.

Mahasi Nateela, a friend of Pikuyak's, arrived with flowers in hand, and laidthem down among thecandles and cards left in front of the house. Nateela remembered meeting Pikuyakin 2016 at the Northern Youth Abroad program they both participated in.

"She was very smart and bright. She was shy but sarcastic," said Nateela. "She was a great person."

Pikuyak was a young Inuk womanwho left her hometown of Sanirajak, Nvt., to pursue her dream of becoming a nurse by studying at Algonquin College.

That dream was dashed on Sunday morning, when police responded to a 911 call that a woman had been seriously stabbed at 34 Woodvale Green anda man with a knife was still inside the two-storey rowhome in southwest Ottawa.

Pikuyak was found dead from her injuries, and police suspect was also sexually assaulted, CBC News has learned.

Ottawa police have charged 33-year-old Nikolas Ibey with second-degree murderafter he allegedly called police and turned himself in. They arrested him at the homewhere Pikuyak was found on Sunday.

According to sources, Ibey was her roommate and the two had met only recently through a Facebook rental advertisementhe had posted for a room in thehome.

Loss devastating for Inuit community

Pikuyak, an active member of her community with a great interest in learning about Inuit culture, attended a Students on Ice educational programfor youthin Greenland, as well asNunavut Sivuniksavut, a post-secondary education program in Ottawa specifically for Inuit youth.

In a Facebook post, Nunavut Sivuniksavut said it was deeply saddened by Pikuyak's death.

"Although she was small in stature, Savanna was a force to be reckoned with," the post read.

Aliqa Illauq, a teacher at Nunavut Sivuniksavut who attended the vigil, said Pikuyak's loss has been devastating for the community.

"When one of us gets hurt, we all get hurt," she said.

"This was an absolute tragedy, and a great reminder of the oppression and the continued challenges we as Inuit go through just to further our education," Illauq said, adding Inuit have to travel thousands of milesand spend a lot of money to pursue further schooling.

She added that the housing crisis in Ottawa has disproportionately affected Inuk students who need to seek cheaper housing, putting their safety at risk.

"There are so many Inuit such as Savanna," she said.

Pikuyak had rented the $750-roomIbey advertised on Facebook, which notedthe home's "close proximity to Algonquin College" as a selling point.

"This could have been me, this could have been anybody that I know," said Illauq.

Illauq said that while she doesn't knowif the murder was racially motivated, Pikuyak's death is a sore reminder of the importance of raising awareness aboutmissing and murdered Indigenous women.

"As an Indigenous woman, but more specifically as an Inuk woman, my chances of surviving in this country lessened the moment I took my first breath," she said."We need to make sure this doesn't continue so our children have more of a chance than we do."

That's why Illauq wore a red handprint across her face to the vigil.

"I wear this not only for Savanna now I wear [it] to show that we will not be quiet anymore. We are not going to sit in a corner and be nice little Eskimos where our voices are not going to be heard."

Justice for Savanna

In a statement released Sept. 13, Algonquin College said the college community is also mourning Pikuyak's loss.

First-year Algonquin College student Hayley Totalikalso attended the vigil to honour her friend, who she had beenlooking forward to hanging out with for the first time in years. The two were supposed to go to school together.

"I feel heartbroken yet furious," she said.

"There's just too many Indigenous women taken from us, from our families, from our communities."

A red dress now hangs in front of the home inhonour ofmissing and murdered Indigenous women, along with an orange T-shirt that reads #JusticeForSavanna.

Loved ones placed candles at the home duringthe vigil, as many wept and hugged, and otherslaughed and told stories of the young woman they cherished.

Joan Deib, a friend of Pikuyak's, organized the vigil. The two became close when Pikuyak travelled to Dawson Creek to give birth to her son Kalluk in August 2020. Deib gave birth at the same time, and remembered how they helped each other through postpartum depression.

"She was kind. She cared so deeply," Deib said. "That's how I'll remember her all the time."

Deib said she organized the vigil to remember and honour her friend, but also show support albeit from a distance for her family in Nunavut.

"She'll never leave our hearts and minds. We are going to make sure there's justice for her, whatever [form] that takes," she said.