What’s in a name?

Bill Bowick | Jul 01, 2020

What’s in a name? A great deal. That’s what! It’s the sound which captures your attention when someone calls out to you in a crowd. It’s the thing that distinguishes you from all the others in the crowd. It’s the mark you put on important papers as a pledge. It’s something you protect as a symbol of your integrity. It’s something you share with those nearest and dearest to you. It is the owner of things like your social insurance number, your health card number and other labels assigned for the convenience of the bureaucracy.

Canada Day, 1993, was the first time I personally met someone who had been awarded the Order of Canada. I’ve met others since then, including a couple in our own community, but none that impressed me more. Three friends and I had organized a sixteen day back-packing trip on Baffin Island. It began with a flight to Iqaluit, camping over-night in a municipal park and another flight, to Pangnirtung, the next day. Our day in Iqaluit happened to be Canada Day and the Legion was open. Two of us were members so we stopped in for a social.

It was a full room with a happy atmosphere and as we sat soaking up the chatter, an elderly Inuit gentleman crossed the floor towards us. He had a walking cane in one hand, a can of Labatt’s 50 in the other and a white pin on his lapel. With some surprise, one of our members said, “You know, I think that man’s wearing the Order of Canada.” We weren’t sure because none of us had ever seen one before but it turns out that he was right. What’s more, the gentleman joined us at our table and shared his story. He had received the award for his work in getting the federal government to recognize Inuit people by name rather than by their registration number. I was amazed that our government could have been that inhumane so recently. “Oh, yes”, he said. “It’s very recent indeed.” Then he turned to a nice-looking woman in her early forties at the next table. He called her by name and asked if she still knew her number. She did and she repeated it.

Names are important. Or rather, having a name is important. It is the first thing given us by someone who loves us. In most cultures, it is given through some elaborate ceremony. Christians see baptism as a sacrament but it is also a naming ceremony that is anything but trivial. Denying that name is like denying the love of family and community that comes with it. Having a name is a first step towards being an individual, a first step toward being a person. On Canada Day, especially, we should recognize and value every person in this great country. And we should know by name as many as we can remember.