Online Resources Support Inuktut Literacy Development
Adapt. Innovate. These are words that many people and businesses have had to embrace on a much grander scale over the past few months as the current pandemic causes a major shift in our systems, businesses and daily lives. Nationwide school closures have brought to light many societal and economic issues, one of the most apparent being interrupted learning and access to educational materials for much of the world’s student population.
In response to the current COVID-19 crisis and the system-wide school closures in Nunavut, Canada, Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI) and Inhabit Media have partnered to launch online resources encouraging ongoing Inuktut literacy development. In a world where digital learning is at the forefront, both organizations are committed to ensuring that Inuit children and youth have access to high-quality Inuktut books and educational resources to support language learning from home.
“NTI is proud to contribute to Inuktut learning, connecting families and enabling all of us to stay at home as much as possible,” said NTI President Aluki Kotierk.
NTI is working with Inhabit Media and Inuit educators to create new educational resource packages, some of which include literacy activities and downloadable audio books, to support Inuktut literacy development. Each week this crisis continues, new books and resources are added to support Nunavummiut (residents of Nunavut), ensuring their language remains strong.
“We want to support learning from home, and to encourage people to use this time to come together and strengthen our language,” said Louise Flaherty, Co-Founder of Inhabit Media.
Thanks to NTI and Inhabit Media, a variety of Inuktut books, for toddlers to teens, are readily available online at nti-inhabit.com, along with tips on teaching kids how to read.
About Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.
NTI coordinates and manages Inuit responsibilities set out in the Nunavut Agreement and ensures that the federal and territorial governments obligations.
About Inhabit Media
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Incorporated in 2006, Inhabit Media is the first Inuit-owned, independent publishing company in the Canadian Arctic. Its goal is to promote and preserve the stories, knowledge and talent of the Arctic, while also supporting research in Inuit mythology and the traditional Inuit knowledge of Nunavummiut. For over a decade, Inhabit Media has worked with Elders and storytellers from across the Canadian Arctic to ensure that the region’s unique Inuit oral history is recorded and not lost to future generations.
SAY is excited to share a sneak peek of Inhabit Media’s upcoming cookbook Niqiliurniq: Recipes from Igloolik (to be released this fall). Created by five women (Micah Arreak, Annie Désilets, Lucy Kappianaq, Glenda Kripanik, and Kanadaise Uyarasuk) from Nunavut, this cookbook “was born from the idea of creating bonds between country food and healthy store-bought products”. Filled with a variety of meal ideas and treats, this cookbook is a resource meant to inspire people to be more hands-on, cooking meals from scratch while using simple and affordable ingredients. It not only provides creative alternatives to pre-packaged food, but it also shares nutritional knowledge.
As many more home-cooked meals have been made these past few months, maybe some of you have discovered your inner chef, or maybe you’re struggling to come up with yet another meal idea. Regardless of your culinary skills and motivations, we hope you find inspiration in the following pizza recipe directly from the pages of Niqiliurniq: Recipes from Igloolik, courtesy of Inhabit Media.
Offering a glimpse into singer-songwriter Anachnid’s spiritual universe, Dreamweaver is a marriage of emotion and sound—a blend of electro-pop, trap, indie, soul and hip hop, and animal sounds, drum and flute, evocative of her ancestral cultures. This is the multidisciplinary Oji-Cree and Mi’kmaq artist’s first album.
Based out of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, “Anachnid” (woman from the sky who falls on earth) is a hybrid between her name, Anna-Khesic Kway Harper, and her totem animal, the spider. It’s what she uses as her stage name to channel her ancestors and creativity. She is a contemporary Indigenous artist, and just as unique and versatile as a spider. Anachnid represents diversity in music—mixing traditional sounds with technology, exploring different genres and adapting to the roots of other artists with whom she performs.
Spring 2019, Anachnid won Indigenous Songwriter of the Year at the Indigenous Music Awards for her first-ever single “Sky Woman”, a stand-out amongst nearly 200 other artists from across Canada.
In an interview with Digital Drum, she had the following advice for aspiring artists: “Don’t let someone else’s behaviour be an indicator of your own worth. Surround yourself with friends who motivate you to do these projects. It’s okay to fail because that’s what makes you brave. That’s what makes you able to surpass your fears.”
With a promising career ahead of her, Anachnid represents the voice of a new generation of Indigenous creators—strong, emancipated and non-negotiable.