The conclusion among the Inuit as well as the environmentalists is that the prize recognized the politics (Al Gore) and the science (IPCC) and failed to recognize the heart of the movement – the passionate plea of an Inuk woman from the top of the world.

“But maybe the heart will have its time,” says the ever-optimistic Watt-Cloutier. “Maybe the best is yet to come.” Indeed, she plans to open her own institution called The Siila Intention and get the rest of the job done, which includes leading the human rights petition work and speaking engagements. She is currently writing a book called The Right to Be Cold, which details her story, the importance of Inuit culture and the global significance of the Arctic.

Watt-Cloutier feels as though she has come into her own more than ever before. “I’m a good student in life. I work really hard at trying to figure out what makes me tick, what doesn’t, what holds me back and what it is I’m holding onto in terms of the wounding. The stillness here held onto me while I figured out what I needed to do to become whole as a person, to move ahead as a woman, a leader. I’m on a threshold now – the wounding has resolved to peace. It’s the hunter that thrives in me.”

Copyright February 2008 CARP magazine