"Experimental Eskimo" Zebedee Nungak leaves Puvirnituq, Nunavik

On August 14, 1963, Zebedee Nungak left his home in Puvirnituq, Nunavik to go to school in Ottawa.

He was one of at least 3 young boys (Peter Ittinuar, Zebedee Nungak, and Eric Tagoona) and 3 young girls (Rosie Joamie, Jeannie Mike, and Leesee Qaqasiq) selected as part of a Canadian federal government experiment to assimilate Inuit into European culture by having them live with white families and educated in white schools.

On May 24, 1964 the Acting Administrator of the Arctic wrote in a memo to the Director of the Northern Administration Branch of the Department of Northern Affairs as follows
Academic Students in Southern Canada

We have been gratified by the results of the experiment involving Zebedee Nungak, Eric Tagoona and Peter Ittinuar, who are attending school in Ottawa and in grades six, seven, and seven respectively. Their teachers say there is no doubt regarding their passing into the next grade in June. Examination papers which they bring home show that they are achieving above class average and that they are capable of competing with children in southern Canada. Report cards indicate that Zebedee is above average in all subjects, and Eric and Peter in quite a few. All three boys have adjusted well to southern living and have progressed well with extra-curricular activities such as judo, swimming, music, and community sports such as hockey and softball.

They have also made many friends through school, community and church activities.

The memo went on to say

Now that these Eskimos have become accustomed to the higher standards of the Ontario school system and the competitive aura of all aspects of southern living, we think that at least two of them would benefit most by continuing their education in this environment.

In the 2009 the documentary titled “Experimental Eskimos” discussed the experiment.

In the early 1960s the Canadian government conducted an experiment in social engineering. Three young Inuit boys were separated from their families in the Arctic and were sent to Ottawa, the nation's capital, to live with white families and to be educated in white schools. The consequences the experiment would have on the boys, their identity and culture was brushed aside. The bureaucrats did not anticipate the outcome. The three grow up to be political activists and leaders - often at odds with the government that brought them south. They establish aboriginal rights in Canada and are instrumental in the creation of Nunavut, the world's largest self-governed aboriginal territory. But it all comes at a tremendous personal cost. Peter Ittinuar, Zebedee Nungak, and Eric Tagoona recount their stories, achievements and challenges in this film about an attempt at assimilation, empowerment, and the triumph of the human spirit.