MONTHLY E-NEWSLETTER
MAY 2021
An aerial view of the Iqaluktuuq region.
Happy International Museum Day!
Around the world today, we're celebrating museums as important places for cultural exchange, mutual understanding, and dialogue about important issues. As a museum and cultural centre dedicated to the renewal of Inuinnait knowledge, language and culture, we are a place of reconnection and hope. We also see ourselves as an organization that can and should instigate positive change in our communities and beyond. Since 2019, we have been collaborating on a project that we aspire will do just that...

NUNAMIUTUQAQ
BUILDING FROM THE LAND


On International Museum Day, we are excited to share that we are undertaking a pilot project to bring new green energy technologies and materials to the Arctic, integrating them with local knowledge and priorities, evaluating the feasibility of concepts, and creating a community of practice that will one day make our long-term dream of a larger, purpose-built cultural centre possible. We're working with the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology's (SAIT) Green Building Technologies Lab (GBT)—a leader in applied research, innovation, and green building design. 

Construction will begin next month in Calgary on a prefabricated green building that will be deconstructed and shipped up to Cambridge Bay on this summer’s barge. Once it arrives in town, the SAIT team will travel to Cambridge Bay to begin construction and re-assembly, training community members in the process. The pilot building will be scalable as a model for similar structures, or larger and more complex builds. We are prioritizing sustainability, energy efficient design, renewable sources, community engagement, the creation of local jobs and capacity, and are working to solve infrastructure issues faced by remote communities. 
 
At the heart of our research is a commitment to create something ‘from the land’—in Inuinnaqtun, nunamiutuqaq. We are conceptualizing how a building is integrated with its environment, harmonizing with the surrounding landscape rather than being at odds with it. 

We have spent 25 years dedicated to the renewal of Inuinnait culture and the Inuinnaqtun language. Through every step and every new idea, we have gathered knowledge, learned lessons, and built our capacity to take on a project like this.  

Industry partners from coast to coast to coast have stepped up to work alongside the PI/KHS and SAIT, sharing their knowledge and expertise to navigate the challenges and excitement around building sustainably in the Arctic. Together, we are developing an initial design of a 750 square foot green building, rooted in Inuinnait culture but integrating leading green technology solutions adapted specifically for our needs.

A deep history informs this project and the need to design, conceptualize and re-conceptualize ideas. As we relearn and revitalize traditions, we find ourselves piecing together knowledge and taking steps back to gain perspective. 
Land camps have always been place for us to gather around a specific project or activity of focus and research, practice, adapt, adjust, learn, teach and grow together. Working with a tangible model onsite will help us test our research and the technologies being used. 
Decades of archaeological investigations into historic structures and oral heritage interviews with Elders have given us insight into what Arctic and Inuinnait architecture has looked like and could look like.

This partnership with SAIT is empowering us to build towards a sustainable future. Not only are we investigating what that means in terms of green building design, but what that means after 25 years as we build on our strengths and visualize a future where our language and culture are thriving. 
 
We couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate International Museum Day—collaborating across sectors, exchanging knowledge, building an understanding of our challenges, and learning from each other, as we build a pathway towards a future space and place that embodies our living culture.   
 
Check out our new project website to learn more about our plans, including how we're taking ownership of our carbon footprint and creating an organizational Climate Action Strategy: www.nunamiutuqaq.ca

Read the full media release here

Ideas for Teachers 
Scott Polar Institute's great cross-curriculum ideas to get children away from a computer screen. Designed for primary school children, but adaptable for other age groups.  

Teacher Resources from the University of Toronto 
The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education has a great list of resources for teachers. 


Nunami 
As board games regain popularity during the pandemic, a new game is teaching Canadians about Inuit culture, traditions and land.


Small Business Support Program Relief Funding 
The Government of Nunavut's Small Business Support Program is offering additional funding for small businesses in Nunavut who continue to be adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The deadline is May 31, 2021.

Indigenous Peoples Resilience Fund
The Indigenous People Resilience Fund is an Indigenous-led effort to respond to urgent community needs while taking a long-term view on building community resilience. Indigenous-led organizations working to foster resilience in Inuit, Metis, and First Nations communities are eligible to apply for monthly intakes. 

An old Thule house site at Ayuk Point, during a July 2019 archaeology trip.

On March 6, 2021, our 25th anniversary, we reconfirmed our commitment to reawakening our language and culture. We are all in for Inuinnaqtun. 

Stand with us to support healing. Every dollar directly supports initiatives that empower Inuinnait to find our voices and reconnect to our ancestors and the worldview that is ours to steward.

Visit www.kitikmeotheritage.ca to learn more about us and the important work that we do. 

Have a question? Contact us at info@kitikmeotheritage.ca


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We're a leader for culture and heritage in Nunavut, guided by an Inuinnaq Executive Director and Inuinnait Board. We address projects of critical importance to the revival of Inuit culture, language and history and focus on the critical needs of Inuinnait—a distinct regional group of Inuit living in the Central Canadian Arctic.

MISSION To preserve and renew Inuinnait knowledge, language and culture for the benefit of all Inuit.

VISION To concentrate and connect the resources, expertise and technology critical to Inuinnait cultural and linguistic survival.