Inuit culture was recently strengthened in Manitoba and Nunavut, Canada.
Last Thursday, Manitoba celebrated Inuit culture and contributions with a special event at the Manitoba Legislative Building as part of efforts to strengthen ties with Nunavut.
More than 500 residents of Manitoba are Inuit, about the same number as those living in a small Nunavut community.
From May 5 to May 13, 2011, a selection of the Hudson’s Bay Company Archives’ extensive historical resources relating to Canada’s North and Nunavut, featuring written records, photographs and films are on public display around the grand staircase of the legislature.
This archival material includes:
- chronicles of the relationships between the Hudson’s Bay Company and Inuit through the 19th and 20th centuries,
- the only written evidence of Inuit contributions to shaping the social, economic and political fabric of Canada in the early days,
- traditional Inuit clothing, handcrafted by Inuit seamstresses who are recognized as some of the finest fur and leather clothiers in the world, will be showcased along with
- Inuit throat singers and drum dancers.
Please note that “Manitoba and Nunavut signed an agreement last November to build on a long history of co-operation by further strengthening cultural ties and working towards shared goals.”
Another good news for Inuit in Nunavut is the official opening of Piqqusilirivvik Inuit Cultural School last Wednesday in Clyde River, Nunavut, a hamlet of about 820 on the coast of northeastern Baffin Island.
Being the first inuit cultural school for both Nunavut and Canada, Piqqusilirivvik Inuit Cultural School ‘s goals are:
- to preserve the Inuit culture in Nunavut, where 84 per cent of the population is Inuit, by
- teaching youth the Inuktitut language and
- teaching traditional activities such as hunting, craft-making, and Arctic outdoor survival.
The first set of 26 students — one selected from each community in Nunavut — are expected to begin classes with 14 instructors this September.
Manitoba, Canada
News Release
May 5, 2011
MANITOBANS CELEBRATE INUIT CULTURE,
STRENGTHEN TIES WITH NUNAVUT: SELINGER
The Province of Manitoba is celebrating Inuit culture and contributions with a special event at the Manitoba Legislative Building today as part of efforts to strengthen ties with Nunavut, Premier Greg Selinger has announced.
“We are proud of the unique relationship between Nunavut and Manitoba,” said Selinger. “The event at the Legislative Building today provides Manitobans a chance to celebrate that relationship and builds on a long history of friendship and co-operation.”
The played a pivotal role bringing Manitoba’s Inuit community together for the celebration. More than 500 Inuit are residents of Manitoba, about the same number as those living in a small Nunavut community. The province provides support to the Manitoba Urban Inuit Association to help it promote Inuit culture and enhance peoples’ quality of life through programs and services that help orient them to the southern culture and environment and stay connected to their heritage, Selinger said.
A selection of the Hudson’s Bay Company Archives’ extensive historical resources relating to Canada’s North and Nunavut, featuring written records, photographs and films will be on display at the event. They chronicle the relationships between the Hudson’s Bay Company and Inuit through the 19th and 20th centuries. The records provide, in some cases, the only written evidence of Inuit contributions to shaping the social, economic and political fabric of Canada in the early days. Traditional Inuit clothing, handcrafted by Inuit seamstresses who are recognized as some of the finest fur and leather clothiers in the world, will be showcased along with Inuit throat singers and drum dancers. Some of the archival material will remain on public display around the grand staircase of the legislature until May 13.
Manitoba and Nunavut signed an agreement last November to build on a long history of co-operation by further strengthening cultural ties and working towards shared goals.