Inuit Art Quarterly - Taqramiut Nipingat Incorporated: 50 Years of Northern Voices

IN THIS ISSUE:

Puppets, Pop and Producing Beatrice Deer: Triple Threat — Elisapie Ballad of the Former Radio DJ — Inuktitut on the Airwaves A TNI Retrospective

Taqramiut Nipingat Incorporated

50 Years of Northern Voices

CONTENTS

38.1

Inuit Art Quarterly Taqramiut Nipingat Incorporated

Front

Features

Back CURATORIAL NOTES

03 Message from the Inuit Art Foundation

58 ᐆᒻᒪᖁᑎᒃ uummaqutik: essence of life curated by asinnajaq

05 From the Editor

PROFILE

06 Impact Update

60 Akinasi Silaapik Partridge

by Phebe Bentley

5 WORKS

12

Sound Waves in Art

by IAQ staff

LAST LOOK

64 Young Man with MP3 Player Pitseolak Qimirpik

by Napatsi Folger

CHOICE

16

Untitled Veronica Kadjuak Manilak

by Jasmine Freeman

18

Hunter with Walrus Head Arnaituk Qoperqualuk

by Christine Qillasiq Lussier

CHOICE

ARTISTS’ CORNER

22 All-Inuit Peer Assessment

FEATURE

26 Performing, Producing and Everything In-Between

Beatrice Deer’s journey to multidisciplinary powerhouse.

FEATURE

36 From Broadcast Booth to Centre Stage

by Kim Wheeler

How a teenage start in radio broadcasting led Elisapie to superstardom.

PLAYLIST

42 Your Nunavik Discography LEGACY

44 A Vision that Became Reality

by Claude Grenier and Julie Grenier

Two TNI Directors celebrate 50 years.

ON THE COVER

Niap — Ellashuk Pauyungie 2015 Charcoal 48.3 × 61 cm © THE ARTIST

LEFT

Akinasi Silaapik Partridge — Atigit 2020 Alcohol marker and archival pen fineliner 21.6 × 16.5 cm PHOTO SAM HOPKINS © THE ARTIST

ABOVE

A satellite dish for TNI radio, 94.1 FM, installed

by TNI in Puvirnituq, Nunavik, QC, 2017 COURTESY TAQRAMIUT NIPINGAT INCORPORATED

Taqramiut Nipingat Incorporated

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MASTHEAD PUBLISHER

EDITORIAL

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Inuit Art Quarterly is published by the Inuit Art Foundation.

Executive Director and Publisher (outgoing) Alysa Procida

President Heather Igloliorte Victoria, BC

Established in 1987, the Inuit Art Foundation is a not-for-profit charitable organization that provides support to Canada’s Inuit arts communities and is the sole national body mandated to promote Inuit artists and art within Canada and internationally.

This magazine relies on donations made to the Inuit Art Foundation, a registered charitable organization in Canada (BN #121033724RR0001) and the United States (#980140282).

The Inuit Art Foundation gratefully acknowledges the support of the Government of Canada through contributions from the Reconciliation Secretariat at Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada and the Department of Canadian Heritage, as well as the Ontario Arts Council, Canada Council for the Arts and Ontario Creates.

Subscriptions subscribe@inuitartfoundation.org Canada: $33/yr. Excludes GST/HST. US: $44/yr. Elsewhere: $48/yr.

GST/HST #121033724RT0001.

The Inuit Art Quarterly is a member of Magazines Canada.

Publication date of this issue: March 15, 2025 ISSN 0831-6708 Publication Mail Agreement #40050252 Postmaster send address changes to Inuit Art Foundation.

Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Inuit Art Foundation 1655 Dupont Street Toronto, ON, M6P 3T1 (647) 498-7717 inuitartfoundation.org

Interim Director Mark Turner Guest Editor Julie Grenier Tauttunnguaqti Napatsi Folger Managing Editor (interim) Jessica MacDonald Managing Editor (on leave) Erin Sylvester

Vice-President Reneltta Arluk Ottawa, ON Secretary-Treasurer Julie Grenier Kuujjuaq, Nunavik, QC Isabelle Uyaralaaq Avingaq Choquette Montreal, QC Linda Grussani Ottawa, ON Claudette Knight Toronto, ON

Associate Editor Melissa Kawaguchi

Michael Massie Kippens, NL

Associate Editor Emily Lawrence

Ryan Rice Toronto, ON

Assistant Editor Tiffany Raddi Copy Editor Carly Brooks Fact Checker Michelle Sones Advertising Manager Nicholas Wattson Art Director Maegan Fidelino Arctic Arts Summit Platform Managing Editor Charissa von Harringa Colour Gas Company Printing TwinPro Graphics Inc.

—

FOUNDATION Operations Manager Carolyn Gordon

Special Projects Officer Leanne Inuarak-Dall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRODUCTION WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE PUBLISHER IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN. THE INUIT ART QUARTERLY IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR UNSOLICITED MATERIAL. THE VIEWS EXPRESSED IN THE INUIT ART QUARTERLY ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF THE INUIT ART FOUNDATION. PRINTED IN CANADA. DISTRIBUTED BY MAGAZINES CANADA.

Salesforce Administrator Special Projects Officer Malayah Maloney Brittany Holliss

FROM TIME TO TIME WE MAKE OUR SUBSCRIBERS’ NAMES AVAILABLE TO COMPANIES WHOSE PRODUCTS OR SERVICES WE FEEL MAY BE OF INTEREST TO YOU. TO BE EXCLUDED FROM THESE MAILINGS, PLEASE SEND YOUR REQUEST, ALONG WITH A COPY OF YOUR SUBSCRIPTION MAILING LABEL, TO THE ADDRESS ABOVE.

Artist Portal Coordinator (outgoing) Alessandra Montefiore

Inuit Art Quarterly

Artist Services Manager Amy Norman Awards Manager Paige Connell

Marketing and Communications Manager Maggie Hinbest Social Media Coordinator Erin Robertson

Program Officer Kyle Natkusiak Aleekuk

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MESSAGE FROM THE INUIT ART FOUNDATION

Thank you for reading the Inuit Art Quarterly and for your ongoing support of Inuit art.

Jutai Toonoo — TV Head c. 2002 Stone 30.5 × 7.6 × 5 cm

This dynamic issue examines the history and celebrates the ongoing work of northern communications powerhouse Taqramiut Nipingat Incorporated (TNI). Guest edited by Inuk artist and IAF Board Member Julie Grenier, who is TNI’s Director General, it is a tribute to the creativity and drive of Inuit in Nunavik, and to all the people who have produced and continue to produce Inuktitut radio and television programming at TNI. We’re thrilled to highlight this important work and see what TNI does next.

Speaking of the future, the Inuit Art Foundation is ushering in an exciting period of transition, and we are glad that you continue to be on this journey with us. Earlier this year Alysa Procida concluded her impressive tenure as Executive Director and Publisher at the Foundation after nearly a decade—a time marked by growth and vision within our organization as well as remarkable development across Inuit arts. With Alysa’s vision for this organization, our dedicated staff and your ongoing support, we have been able to make space for Inuit leadership at all levels of the IAF and IAQ, and now we are poised to take another exciting step forward together. We look forward to sharing news about our staffing changes with you, so keep an eye out for updates in our newsletters and online stories over the coming months. In the meantime our staff will continue to deliver top-tier service to Inuit artists and a world-class magazine to you, our valued readers.

As always your support of Inuit art through subscriptions, donations and engagement with Inuit artists is of utmost importance to us and the greater Inuit art community. On behalf of the Board of Directors, please allow me to express our deep appreciation to you for providing opportunities for artists to create, connect and share their work with the world. Nakummek.

COURTESY CARLETON UNIVERSITY ART GALLERY PHOTO JUSTIN WONNACOTT © THE ARTIST

IAF Board President

DR. HEATHER IGLOLIORTE

COVER SPOTLIGHT

Niap COVER SPOTLIGHT This drawing of the late Elashuk Pauyungie (1941–2014), one of Nunavik’s most recognized radio voices, was commissioned

by Taqramiut Nipingat Incorporated in November 2015, shortly after Pauyungie’s passing. Made by Nancy Saunders before she was known as Niap, the drawing was reproduced as a limited edition of ten printed copies signed by the artist. Niap created this drawing using an old picture of Pauyungie working on the editing of her own radio show. Here, she uses the analogue splicing technique, which involves taking the audio reel and slicing it with a utility knife on an angle to

Taqramiut Nipingat Incorporated

remove the unwanted sequences. She would then reassemble it with special tape. Pauyungie never used modern technology to edit her shows, preferring instead to edit the analogue way.

The original drawing was framed and gifted to Pauyungie’s daughter, Louisa Pauyungie, on the celebration of TNI’s 40th anniversary, and the 10 copies continue to be gifted to those who spent their lifetimes contributing to communications in Nunavik.

JULIE GRENIER

Guest Editor

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FROM THE EDITOR The cover of ᑕᖅᕋᒥᐅᑦ (Taqramiut); The Northerners; Les Septentrionaux (1974) COURTESY TAQRAMIUT NIPINGAT INCORPORATED

In 2025 Taqramiut Nipingat Incorporated (TNI) celebrates the 50th anniversary of its incorporation. It’s hard to believe that only 50 years ago, Inuit in Nunavik were fighting for the right to have a communications system that would connect the remote communities of Nunavik. Today, TNI is heard and watched all over the Arctic and beyond Canadian borders by Inuit looking to hear their language, keep up with the activities in their communities, hear about the stories of the past, check the weather and vibe to some good tunes.

Inuit on the road to stardom. Art takes on many forms, and through the media mic and lens, not only is art created, it is also promoted and displayed for the world outside of our own to see.

Inuktitut is in decline, and hearing it being consistently spoken from a young age is essential to the preservation of our language and the strength of our culture. Radio and television hold more importance than most people realize, not only for Inuit society, but for Indigenous peoples all over the world. In an age of streaming platforms and web-based podcasts, with internet access in the North both slow and unreliable even in 2025, free-access TV and radio are essential services and important forms of entertainment for all Inuit in Nunavik. The traditional radio and linear TV future is uncertain, but as Claude and I discuss in our Legacy, one thing is clear: they are still a very important part of Inuit daily life. The day that radio gets shut down, or TV programming in Inuktitut cut out, our people will be in mourning for something they didn’t realize was so integral to life in the North.

While I have the ‘mic’, I want to use the opportunity to thank every single person who has contributed to TNI in one way or another. From our avid listeners to our employees, producers and Board of Directors, there are so many people without whom TNI would not be where it is today. Nakurmiimmarialuk iluunnasi!

I have been with TNI for half my life, starting as a summer student, then beginning my career in communications over 20 years ago and working as Director General for the last 6. Claude Grenier, my father, was the Director General for 19 years before me and having the opportunity to write an article with my dad, after following in his footsteps and learning so much from him, is a privilege. But more than that, having the opportunity to celebrate this 50-year anniversary by telling TNI’s story alongside so many wonderful writers and artists—knowing I was in some way connected to their past and their future—makes it all the more special.

When doing research for this issue, I went on a journey of rediscovery, relearning just how important a role radio and television play in the lives of Inuit across the country. In Five Works and Last Look you will see how communications is depicted in its many forms by artists like Annie Pootoogook (1969–2016) and Goota Ashoona, who have interpreted it through their work.

I love how Pitseolak Qimirpik’s Young Man with MP3 Player (2010) reminds me of my kids, who always have an earbud in, listening to their favourite tunes. Further into the book you will find an interview with Beatrice Deer, who shares her personal journey as a young girl turned woman following a dream turned reality as a performer, producer and everything in-between. As Kim Wheeler unpacks in her Feature on world-renowned performer Elisapie’s early career, the small communications society that is TNI has launched many Taqramiut Nipingat Incorporated

Julie Grenier Guest Editor 5

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5 WORKS

Sound Waves in Art IAQ staff share some of their favourite works that depict sound, music and the connections they represent.

2/

Annie Pootoogook

Listening to the Radio (2005–06) In this warm scene, a family gathers around the radio, where Inuktitut syllabics float into the air, carrying voices and stories from their community. The father sits in reflection as he listens and eats, while the mother splits her attention between her meal and the child. The walls hold belongings—a clock, harpoon, textiles and a dreamcatcher—each

rooted and cherished. Annie Pootoogook (1969–2016) shows how moments of solitude and togetherness coexist here. Like a heartbeat, the radio anchors this family to home and to one another.

CHARISSA VON HARRINGA

Arctic Arts Summit Platform Managing Editor

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Jason Sikoak

Cause I’m Happy (2021) Jason Sikoak captures a seal’s joy as they don a pair of headphones in this digital illustration. Their wide-eyed stare and slack jaw— highlighted by the heavier shading of fine white lines on their cheeks— suggests that this is an exhilarating experience. Perhaps they are tuning in to Radio 99.9 FM and listening to stories in Inuktitut.

Or perhaps they are captivated by the soaring vocals of Nunatsiavut classical soprano Deantha Edmunds, CM. Whatever the case, they seem delighted by the sounds transmitted by the radio waves reverberating between their ears.

TIFFANY RADDI

Assistant Editor

ABOVE (LEFT)

ABOVE (RIGHT)

OPPOSITE (TOP)

OPPOSITE (LEFT BOTTOM)

Jason Sikoak — Cause I’m Happy 2021 Digital drawing

Annie Pootoogook — Listening to the Radio 2005–06 Coloured pencil and ink 41.6 × 51 cm

Mark Bennett — I’m Tired 2022 Vinyl wall installation 50.8 × 76.2 cm

REPRODUCED WITH PERMISSION DORSET FINE ARTS COURTESY VANCOUVER ART GALLERY © THE ARTIST

© THE ARTIST

Goota Ashoona — Accordion Player Ornament 2022 Whale bone and copper wire 14 cm × 8.9 cm × 3.8 cm

© THE ARTIST

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COURTESY LA GUILDE © THE ARTIST

Spring 2025

5 WORKS

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I’m Tired (2022)

Och till Lavskrikan (And to the Siberian Jay) (2023)

Mark Bennett

While minimalistic in form, Mark Bennett’s vinyl wall graphic is a complex reflection on being an artist in the digital age. Blue vertical lines of varying lengths depict an audio waveform moving between low and high volume—it visualizes Bennett saying, “I’m tired.” The waveform is flanked by yellow dots and white zig-zag lines above and below, reminiscent of Inuit tattoo designs, a nod to

Carola Grahn

the artist’s culture. With this composition, Bennett makes a statement about how important digital communication is for Inuit artists and cultural producers as a means through which critical discussions or even statements like “I’m tired” can safely be heard.

In the forested sculpture park of the Wanås Konst Centre for Art and Learning in Sweden stood a shining, futuristic form; it looked almost like an alien parking meter with a beak.

When visitors inserted a special token, the megaphone of Carola Grahn’s sculpture played joiks: a traditional form of Sámi vocals that expresses relationships to people, nature and the spiritual world through chanted song.

Selected by Grahn from the national archive, Statens musikverk, the songs that played were recorded a century ago and passed down through generations. So looks can be deceiving—this sculpture is not from a time to come but rather is a call from the past and a reminder of tradition.

MAEGAN FIDELINO

Art Director

EMILY LAWRENCE

Associate Editor

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Goota Ashoona

Accordion Player Ornament (2022) There’s something cherubic about the lack of body on this palm-sized figure when taken together with the instrument and the little rounded “O” of the mouth—maybe it’s because the piece is labelled as an ornament, making me immediately think of Christmas trees. Although she omitted most of the body, Goota Ashoona was meticulously detailed about the figure’s face and accessories: the textured centre of the bone acts as the ruff of a parka hood, with careful attention paid to the accordion’s treble keyboard and bass buttons. Looking at the expanded bellows, shaped like crescent moons radiating outward from the accordion’s centre, I can almost hear one last loud note.

COURTESY WANÅS KONST PHOTO ANDERS NORSELL © THE ARTIST

JESSICA MACDONALD

Managing Editor Taqramiut Nipingat Incorporated

ABOVE

Carola Grahn — Och till Lavskrikan (And to the Siberian Jay) 2023 Aluminum, tokens and audio 120 × 25 × 40 cm

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Mattiusi Iyaituk, Shaman comes out of Sea Creatures Eye, 2001.

 Spotlight on Nunavik artist MATTIUSI IYAITUK

1356 Sherbrooke St. W. Montreal (QC) H3G 1J1 laguilde.com Follow us @LaGuildeMTL

“Resilience” 2024 Manasie Akpaliapik (1955 -) Ikpiarjuk, Nunavut & Ontario Weathered bowhead whale skull,African wonderstone, black stone,Alabaster, Caribou antler, Abalone 74.0” x 59.0” x 26.0”

Visit us online: • Expert Appraisal • Online Gallery • Consignment • Purchase

Inuit Art Quarterly

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Spring 2025

SHUVINAI ASHOONA - # 148-2778 - 50.5” X 77” - COLOURED PENCIL & INK

606 VIEW STREET - VIC TORIA, BC - 250.380.4660 W W W . M A D R O N A G A L L E R Y . C O M

Taqramiut Nipingat Incorporated

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CHOICE

Veronica Kadjuak Manilak Untitled

by Jasmine Freeman

Inuit Art Quarterly

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Spring 2025

CHOICE

Manilak’s cotton-candy pink snowscape next to complementary emerald-green walruses brings this scene to life and provides a vivid backdrop for the story of our interconnectedness to the land to unfold.

It’s been a year and a half since I moved into my new home. With all of our boxes unpacked, we consider ways to decorate blank walls behind couches and bare mural-length stretches of hallway. But I want pieces that do more than fill the emptiness; I want pieces that invite a cluttered mind to pause and ponder. In my hunt for visual storytelling, I encountered one artist’s sewn depictions of life and home on the land.

Known for her wallhangings, textile artist Veronica Kadjuak Manilak, from Kangiqliniq (Rankin Inlet), NU, stitches story and oral tradition in this untitled tapestry. When I first laid eyes on this wallhanging, I was immediately drawn to the two seemingly symmetrical black walruses wearing grey fringed parkas with amber collars. Their dark fur is an eye-catching contrast to the surrounding delicate pastel pink and cream stroud. Upon closer inspection, I noticed the parka donned by one of the walruses has a larger hood, suggesting a female walrus wearing an amauti next to her male counterpart. This scene encouraged me to carefully examine the rest of the piece: What other qualities have I mistaken as identical?

I first observed the layered textural complexity of the rest of the piece through Manilak’s use of stroud, a coarse woollen fabric, in the amauti and parka. With embroidery floss, the artist created individual stitches to develop and draw attention to intricate details. The walrus tusks are two-toned and the impression of shading creates depth, giving them a three-dimensional, lifelike appearance. Structures framing the inner border resemble fish bones, feathers or the parallel venation of leaves. From the whiskers on the snouts of the green walruses, to the dappled coats of near-kissing seals, to the kakivak resting on the iglu, the addition of stitched lines transforms suggestive or abstract designs into fully recognizable elements enriched with a sense of life

and movement. I’m amazed at how these seemingly simple lines elevate the beauty of this piece.

When I zoom out of individual features and take in the breadth of the entire piece, I appreciate how each element works together. Manilak’s cotton-candy pink snowscape next to complementary emerald-green walruses brings this scene to life and provides a vivid backdrop for the story of our interconnectedness to the land to unfold. I think of crisp, white snow touched by a setting sun and night skies that dance with trailing swaths of northern lights. I’m reminded of an Inuit traditional story that said the movement of the northern lights is caused by spirits of the dead playing soccer with a walrus skull and wonder if this is the meaning behind the inclusion of the large walrus heads. Cream wool edges embroidered with undulating vines bear striking cerulean petals and an outermost crossed blanket stitch to match. Again, Manilak heightens the vibrancy of the landscape through complementary colour pairing, sewing these petals next to tangerine leaves.

Manilak has mastered the ability to first capture the eye with a captivating centrepiece and then provide endless details to savour. But I wonder what I’m missing out on, not being able to trace my fingertips over the sewn ridges and coloured fabrics. Based on what I can see through the image, I think the sensory stories would be just as evocative as the visuals.

— Jasmine Freeman is a writer and beader currently living in Edmonton, AB. Through her beading business Nunaaluk, Freeman creates contemporary expressions of Inuit jewellery that explore the intersectionality of Indigeneity and identity. Her family is from Cape Hope Islands, NU, and Caba, Philippines.

Veronica Kadjuak Manilak — Untitled n.d.

Stroud, thread and embroidery floss 86.4 × 66 cm COURTESY WADDINGTON’S AUCTIONEERS AND APPRAISERS, TORONTO © THE ARTIST

Taqramiut Nipingat Incorporated

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CHOICE

Arnaituk Qoperqualuk Hunter with Walrus Head

by Christine Qillasiq Lussier

Arnaituk Qoperqualuk — Hunter with Walrus Head c. 1955 Stone and antler 17.8 × 10.2 × 11.4 cm COURTESY INUIT GALLERY OF VANCOUVER © THE ARTIST

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CHOICE

Hunter with Walrus Head (c. 1955) was sculpted in Salluit, Nunavik, QC, by Arnaituk Qoperqualuk (1916–2004).

This piece, made from stone and antler, depicts an Inuk hunter in traditional attire carrying a walrus head facing backward, resting against and covering the hunter’s back. The hunter leans forward to balance the heavy weight of the head that is tied to him with a horizontal strap that covers his upper arms and chest.

Despite the worn quality of the stone, Qoperqualuk’s details clearly render the scene of a hunter and his fruitful catch. He holds in his right hand a large, sharp tusk that faces upward, signalling a readiness to fend off potential predators. While alert, he also appears tired, revealed by weary eyes and parted lips.

Though I only became aware of this sculpture months before writing this article, it is significant to me. Qoperqualuk is the husband of my namesake, Qillasie, my maternal great-grandmother. I can imagine him sitting down and creating this sculpture surrounded by our family, digging into the stone and using the materials from his own catch to create the walrus’s tusks. I am sure he recalled the likeness of this animal clearly and was able to depict it with finesse, as seen in the attention to detail in the opening of the mouth of the walrus and the proportions of its head relative to the hunter. Outside of his art practice, Qoperqualuk would likely provide his family or Inuit from other camps with walrus for fuel, food, tents, boat covers and lines, harpoons, knives, combs, sculptures and parts of dog harnesses.

The sculpture also evokes an innate aspect of interconnection between Inuit, animals and the land, notably before the arrival of Qallunaat. The walrus head appears to almost be part of the hunter’s anatomy.

The strap is the only indication that the walrus is a

Taqramiut Nipingat Incorporated

distinct being from the hunter. He holds and carries knowledge about hunting and walruses about him, literally and figuratively. In the same way, walruses were an integral part of Inuit daily life.

Hunter with Walrus Head also makes me think about Qoperqualuk’s life journey and the complex teachings that were needed to effectively hunt before contemporary technologies. This would have included fashioning sophisticated equipment, tools and attire by cutting up the parts. Skillful knowledge is required to create a strap likely composed of the animal’s tendons, similar to the one depicted in this piece, to carry the head efficiently. Such innovative knowledge is entrenched in these deep-rooted relationships with the land. My hope is that Inuit youth find inspiration from seeing artworks like this, encouragement to see themselves embodying these incredible feats of Inuit knowledge, whether it be hunting, sculpting or engaging in cultural activities that enhance Inuit pride and empowerment.

At first glance, this sculpture seemed quite simple and straightforward to me, but it quickly reminded me of the various layers of understanding, expertise and proficiency required to conceptualize and realize such a piece.

— Christine Qillasiq Lussier is an Inuk Quebecer born in Puvirnituq, Nunavik, QC, and raised around Tio’tià:ke (Montreal), QC. She is affiliated with the northern village of Kuujjuaraapik, Nunavik, QC, and her family is from Salluit. She is completing her doctoral studies at Concordia University in Inuit oral history. Lussier is interested in community and youth engagement and cultural resurgence, and works with Inuit youth in foster care.

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Please donate today to support the production of the IAQ. Give online at inuitartfoundation.org/donate or by scanning the QR code.

ARTISTS’ CORNER

All-Inuit Peer Assessment Supporting an Inuit-specific adjudication process for grants, scholarships and awards Peer Assessors play a vital role in supporting Inuit artists and scholars to develop their careers. The Inuit Art Foundation (IAF) is proud to assemble Peer Assessment Committees composed entirely of Inuit artists and arts professionals across all of our grants and awards programming.

Having Inuit applications reviewed

by Inuit is crucial to supporting cultural expression and artistic self-determination;

our Peer Assessors know the Inuit art landscape in all forms, including the visual arts, performance, film and literary landscapes. In three-person committees assembled with a view to balance—ensuring diverse viewpoints and lived experiences are represented—Peer Assessors engage in open, thoughtful discussion to review and recommend applicants for a specific IAF funding program.

Every year the pool of Inuit applicants for IAF funding and awards grows; the culturally specific knowledge that Inuit Peer Assessors bring allows them to evaluate applicants in context, guided by the values of Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, or Inuit ways of knowing and being. We thank the generous donors who make Peer Assessment Committees and all other opportunities for Inuit artists possible.

To find out more about Peer Assessment at the IAF, visit inuitartfoundation.org/peer-assessor

Inuit Art Quarterly

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Spring 2025

ARTISTS’ CORNER

Being assessed by an all-Inuit committee as an Inuk artist was deeply meaningful to me. Not only did I feel truly seen and heard by my peers, which is invaluable in itself, but I also received support from the IAF due to their belief in me as an artist. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to continue my work as a bead artist with the IAF’s support. Thank you!”

Kailin Aleekuk 2023 SUTAARUTIT RECIPIENT

It feels vulnerable sending away artwork that’s made with such care and deep personal meaning. I feel more comfortable sharing my artwork, intentions and goals with peers.”

Gayle Uyagaqi Kabloona 2023 KENOJUAK ASHEVAK MEMORIAL AWARD SHORTLISTED ARTIST AND MULTI-YEAR INDIGENOUS VISUAL ARTISTS’ MATERIALS GRANT RECIPIENT

Having my work assessed by an all-Inuit Peer Assessment Committee was incredibly meaningful. Knowing my application was reviewed by fellow Inuit artists who share and understand our Inuit culture gave me a deep sense of unity in our creativity.

That connection to my community strengthened my confidence in sharing my art with fellow Inuit as well as with the wider world. By bridging together Inuit stories with others, we create an understanding and appreciation for our stories, fostering a shared human experience.”

Ujarak Appadoo 2023 TURAAGAQ RECIPIENT

OPPOSITE

Jessica Malegana — Community Effort 2023 Digital illustration © THE ARTIST

Taqramiut Nipingat Incorporated

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Representing the Top Canadian Inuit Artists Shuvinai Ashoona Darcie Bernhardt Michael Massie Niap Jessica Winters and more...

www.feheleyfinearts.com gallery@feheleyfinearts.com 65 George Street, Toronto 416 323 1373

Michael Massie INTENSI-TEA, 2021 sterling silver & paudauk wood 8 x 8 3/4 x 7 1/8 in.

Discover the Arctic with Carole Gobeil Meet Carole Gobeil, your polar travel specialist and Travel Nunavut Member since 2008.

Polar obsessed since 2005, talk to someone who has been there (and more!)

Ottawa travelers, come and meet Carole at the Ottawa Travel Show April 12th and 13 at Rogers Center. carole@carolegobeil.ca www.carolegobeil.ca 613 795 2824 Affiliate of Trevello Travel Group Tico permit #50013851

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Inuit Art Quarterly

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Wholesaling Inuit art since 1967

Lucassie Echalook

lvy wvl

“This woman caught a fish, a very big fish, and is happy as she will bring it to her family.”

bN xN wvlg xQJxl wvlbZ xoxog wMui uNixoCu 28 ½ x 17 x 7 cm Serpentine

19950 Clark Graham Ave. Baie-D’Urfé, QC H9X 3R8

514-457-9371 www.artnunavik.ca

ᑕᕐᕿᑕᒫᑦ tarqitamaat.ca

Artist of the month Mattiusi Iyaituk Iqaluullamiluuq helps a lost hunter at sea by calling him with her beautiful voice, Granite, serpentine, caribou antler and India ink, 2013 Photo: Avataq Cultural Institute, Marie-Christine Couture

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and

— translated by MKL Consulting Inc.

EVERYTHING IN-BETWEEN ᑦᔭᓗᑖᑐᖅ ᐊᒥᓱᐃᑦ ᓯᕗᕌᓐᓂ, ᕐᕿᑎᕆᔪᖅ ᓱᓇᓕᒫᓕᕆᑦᓱᓂᓗ ᑖᒃᑯᐊ ᐊᑯᓐᓂᖓᓂ

— ᐃᓄᑦᑎᑑᓕᕐᑎᑕᐅᔪᖅ MKL Consulting Inc.-ᒧᑦ

PERFORMING, PRODUCING

For Beatrice Deer, creativity started at a young age. The singer-songwriter and visual artist from Quaqtaq, Nunavik, QC, began sewing and making music in her early teens, releasing her first album in 2004. Fast forward two decades and Deer is now a multi-nominated musician with seven albums under her belt and an eighth on the way, a successful beader and designer who has made garments for Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, CC, CMM, COM, and an ambitious producer who has produced, directed and hosted countless innovative TV shows and podcast episodes, including many in Inuktitut. In this conversation, the IAQ chats with Deer about her impressive creative journey, reflecting on her 20-year evolution as an artist and multimedia producer.

INUIT ART QUARTERLY: When did you start working creatively?

BEATRICE DEER: I started sewing when I was 13 years old and I never stopped.

Then I started making music at 15. I wrote my first song with my cousin Jaaji from the band Twin Flames. He was playing guitar and we made the words together. For a very long time I just wrote melodies and lyrics for my songs that I made with my ex-husband for… around 12 years. I formed Beatrice Deer Band after my divorce and I’ve been with them since 2012.

IAQ: How many albums have you made?

BD: Seven—Just Bea (2004), a self-titled album Beatrice Deer (2010), An Arctic Christmas (2010), Fox (2015), My All To You (2018), SHIFTING (2021) and Little Songs (2023), and I’m working on my eighth right now. We’ll release it in 2025.

Inuit Art Quarterly

PREVIOUS

ABOVE

OPPOSITE

Portrait of Beatrice Deer, 2023

Beatrice Deer performing at the Arctic Arts Summit event Nuihařuq in Whitehorse, YT, 2022

Beatrice Deer performing at Montreal First Peoples Festival, Montreal, QC, 2018

PHOTO CHRISTYNA PELLETIER

PHOTO DANIEL HABER

PHOTO KNUT ÅSERUD

IAQ: How exciting!

BD: Very exciting.

IAQ: Has your music changed a lot since the beginning of your career?

BD: Very much. With my life experience, my evolution. I’ve grown a lot emotionally, I’ve healed a lot too. Vocally, I can say that I’m a better singer than when I was young and also have an amazing band who are exceptional musicians. My music has definitely changed.

IAQ: You worked at Taqramiut Nipingat Incorporated (TNI) for quite a while.

What role did that have in your career?

BD: Before I became an official employee for TNI, I was doing contract work for them as a TV show host and was doing voiceover work. Then I applied for the

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role of Director of Television Production and Post-Production around 2016. I was already a musician when I applied for the job, which TNI knew. I told them that I would really love the support from my employer when I had to go away on gigs, so we made an agreement where I was able to travel for my music as long as I met my deadlines in television production.

TNI really gave me the work ethic and the work experience to plan for television production, to travel in the North to produce TV shows and to really look for things that I want the people of Nunavik to learn about. I focused a lot on [the topics of] physical and mental health when I was producing TV shows, as well as cultural activities. That experience of being both in front of and behind the camera, directing and producing TV shows, led to the creation of my own podcast Northerned, which was released in 2024, also in video format.

Spring 2025

ᐲᑐᕆᔅ ᑎᐊ ᓄᐃᑎᕆᕙᓪᓕᐊᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᐅᑭᐅᑭᑦᑐᐊᐱᐅᑦᓱᓂᓱᓕ. ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᑎ-ᐃᖕᖏᕈᓯᓕᐅᕐᑎ ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᔪᑦᓴᓂᓪᓗ ᓴᕐᕿᑎᕆᔨ ᖁᐊᕐᑕᒥᐅᔭᖅ, ᓄᓇᕕᒻᒥ, ᑯᐯᒻᒥ, ᒥᕐᓱᕆᐊᖕᖓᖃᑦᑕᓯᒪᔪᕕᓂᖅ ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑖᕈᑎᓕᐅᕐᓱᓂᓗ ᐃᓅᓱᑦᑐᕖᖕᖓᐅᓱᓂ, 2004-ᒥ ᓄᐃᑦᓯᒋᐊᖕᖓᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᓂᑦᔭᕈᑎᒥᒃ. ᓯᕗᒧᐊᕆᐊᕐᓗᑕ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᓄᑦ ᐊᕙᑎᓄᑦ, ᑎᐊ ᐊᒥᓱᕕᑦᓱᓂ ᑎᒃᑯᐊᑕᐅᒍᑎᖃᕐᓯᒪᓕᕐᖁᖅ ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᑎᐅᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᓯᑕᒪᐅᔪᖕᖏᒐᕐᑐᓂᒃ ᓂᑦᔭᕈᑎᓕᐅᕐᓯᒪᓕᕐᑐᖅ ᓯᑕᒪᐅᔪᖕᖏᒐᕐᑐᖓᑦ ᓄᐃᓛᓕᕐᒥᑎᓪᓗᒍ, ᓴᐸᖓᓕᐅᕐᓯᑎᒃ ᐊᓐᓄᕌᓕᐅᕐᓯᑎᐅᑦᓱᓂᓗ, ᐊᑕᓂᐊᓘᑉ ᑭᒡᒐᑐᕐᑎᖓᓂ ᒥᐊᔨ ᓭᒪᒥᒃ, CC, CMM, COM ᐊᓐᓄᕌᓕᐅᖃᑦᑕᓯᒪᓕᕐᑐᖅ, ᑎᑭᐅᑎᔭᖃᕈᒪᔫᑦᓱᓂᓗ ᓴᕐᕿᑎᕆᔨᐅᓂᕐᒥᒃ, ᓴᕐᕿᑎᕆᓯᒪᓕᕐᑐᖅ, ᑐᑭᒧᐊᑦᑎᓯᑦᓱᓂ ᑐᖕᖓᓱᑦᑎᓯᔨᐅᑦᓱᓂᓗ ᐅᖄᔨᐅᓂᒃᑯᑦ ᐊᒥᓱᓂ ᐊᑦᔨᐅᖏᑦᑐᓂ ᑕᓚᕖᓴᒃᑯᑦ ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᔪᑦᓴᓂ ᓂᐱᓕᐅᕐᓯᒪᔪᒃᑯᓗ ᑐᓴᕐᑕᐅᒐᑦᓴᔭᐅᑦᓱᑎᒃ ᑲᔪᓯᑦᑕᑐᓂ, ᐃᓚᖃᕐᒥᔪᑦ ᐊᒥᓱᓂᒃ ᐃᓄᑦᑎᑑᕐᑐᓂᒃ. ᑕᒡᒐᓂ ᐅᖄᖃᑎᒌᓐᓂᒥ, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐅᖄᖃᑎᖃᕐᑐᖅ ᑎᐊᒥᒃ ᐅᐱᒋᓇᕐᑐᐊᓗᒻᒥᒃ ᓄᐃᑎᕆᔨᓪᓚᕆᐅᓂᒃᑯᑦ ᐊᑑᑎᓯᒪᔭᖓ ᐱᓪᓗᒍ, ᐃᓱᒪᒋᑦᓱᒍ 20-ᓂᒃ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᓂᒃ ᐊᓯᑦᔨᐸᓪᓕᐊᓂᕆᓯᒪᔭᖓ ᓴᓇᖕᖑᐊᑎᓪᓚᕆᐅᓂᒃᑯᑦ ᐊᑦᔨᒌᖕᖏᑐᑎᒍᓪᓗ ᑐᓴᕋᑦᓴᓕᐅᕐᑎᐅᓂᒃᑯᑦ.

ᐃᓄᐃᑦ: ᖃᖓ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕆᐊᓯᓐᓂᕿᑦ ᓄᐃᑎᕆᓂᒃᑯᑦ?

ᐲᑐᕆᔅ: ᐊᓕᐊᓇᕐᑐᒪᕆᒃ.

ᐲᑐᕆᔅ ᑎᐊ: ᒥᕐᓱᕆᐊᖕᖓᓯᓚᐅᓯᒪᕗᖓ 13-ᓂᒃ ᐅᑭᐅᖃᓱᖓ ᑲᔪᓯᓯᒪᔪᖓ ᓄᕐᖃᓚᐅᕐᓯᒪᓇᖓ. ᐊᓱᐃᓚ ᑐᓴᕐᓂᔮᕈᑎᓕᐅᕆᐅᓯᓚᐅᕐᓯᒪᒻᒥᔪᖓ 15-ᓂᒃ ᐅᑭᐅᖃᓕᕐᓱᖓ. ᐃᖕᖏᕈᓯᓕᐊᕆᓯᒪᔭᕋ ᓯᕗᓪᓕᐹᖅ ᐊᓪᓚᓚᐅᕐᓯᒪᔭᕋ ᐃᓚᖃᕐᓱᖓ ᐊᓂᑦᓴᕋᓂᒃ ᔮᔨᒥᒃ, ᑖᓐᓇ ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᑎ Twin Flames-ᒥ. ᑯᑭᑦᑕᐸᑦᑎᓗᒍ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᓕᐅᖃᑎᒌᓚᐅᕐᓯᒪᔪᒍᒃ. ᐊᑯᓂ ᐊᓪᓚᑐᐃᓐᓇᐸᓚᐅᕐᑐᖓ ᑐᓴᕐᓂᔮᕈᑎᓂᒃ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᖏᓐᓂᓗ ᐃᖕᖏᕈᓯᓕᐊᕐᒪ ᐊᖑᑎᒋᓯᒪᔭᕋ ᐃᓚᒋᑦᓱᒍ…12-ᒐᓚᓐᓂᒃ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᓂᒃ. ᓄᐃᑦᓯᓕᓚᐅᕐᓯᒪᔪᒐ ᐱᑐᕆᔅ ᑎᐊ ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑖᖃᑎᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᐊᖑᑎᒐᓂᒃ ᐊᕕᑦᓯᓯᒪᓕᕐᓱᖓ, ᑖᒃᑯᐊᓗ ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᖃᑎᒋᓯᒪᓕᕐᑕᑲ 2012-ᒥᓂᑦ.

ᐃᓄᐃᑦ: ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᕈᓰᑦ ᐊᓯᑦᔨᓯᒪᓚᕆᒃᑲ ᑌᒪᖕᖓᓂᑦ ᐱᒋᐊᓕᕐᓂᕋᕕᑦ? ᐲᑐᕆᔅ: ᐃᓱᒣᓐᓇᖅ. ᐃᓅᓯᕋᓂ ᐊᑑᑎᓯᒪᔭᒃᑲᓄᑦ, ᐱᕙᓪᓕᐊᓂᕆᓯᒪᔭᕋᓄᑦ. ᐱᕈᕐᓯᒪᓪᓚᕆᒃᑯᖓ ᐃᑉᐱᓂᐊᕐᓂᑯᑦ. ᒪᒥᓯᒪᓪᓚᕆᑦᓱᖓᓗ. ᓂᐱᒐᒍᑦ, ᐅᖃᕈᓐᓇᑐᖓ ᐃᖕᖏᓯᑎᐅᓂᕐᓴᐅᓕᕆᐊᖅ ᐃᓅᓱᑦᑐᓚᐅᕐᓯᒪᓂᕋᓂᑦ ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᑎᑦᓯᐊᒪᕆᐊᓗᓐᓂᓗ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᖃᑎᕐᓱᖓ ᑐᓴᕐᓂᔭᕐᑎᓯᓯᑎᐊᓗᓐᓂᒃ. ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᓕᐅᕈᓯᒐ ᐊᓯᑦᔨᓯᒪᓪᓚᕆᑦᑐᖅ. ᐃᓄᐃᑦ: ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᑦ ᓂᐱᖓᒃᑯᓂ (TNI) ᐊᑯᓂᒍᓗᒃ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᓯᒪᒻᒥᔪᑎᑦ. ᑕᒪᓐᓇ ᖃᓄᖅ ᐊᑑᑎᖃᕐᓯᒪᕙ ᐱᔪᓐᓇᓂᕆᔭᕐᓄᑦ?

ᐃᓄᐃᑦ: ᖃᑦᓯᓂᒃ ᓂᑦᔭᕈᑎᓂᒃ ᓄᐃᑦᓯᓯᒪᓕᕐᕿᑦ?

ᐲᑐᕆᔅ: ᐱᓇᓱᑦᑎᕈᓪᓚᕆᓚᐅᕐᓇᖓ ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᒃᑯᓂ, ᐊᖏᕈᑎᑎᒍᑦ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕈᑦᔨᖃᑦᑕᓚᐅᔭᒃᑲ ᑕᓚᕖᓴᒃᑰᑦ ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᔪᓂᒃ ᑐᖕᖓᓱᑦᑎᓯᔨᐅᑦᓱᖓ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᔪᓂᒃ ᓂᐱᓕᐅᕐᓯᒪᔪᑎᒍᑦ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᑎᐅᑦᓱᖓ. 2016-ᒥ ᐱᓇᓱᒐᕐᒧᑦ ᐃᓕᒐᓱᐊᓯᓚᐅᕐᓯᒪᔪᖓ ᑕᓚᕖᓴᒃᑰᑐᑦᓭᑦ ᓄᐃᑎᕐᑕᐅᓂᖓᓄᑦ ᑲᒪᔨᐅᔪᒧᑦ. ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᑎᐅᓕᕇᓚᐅᔪᖓ ᑖᑦᓱᒧᖓ ᐱᓇᓱᒐᕐᒧᑦ ᐃᓕᒐᓱᐊᓕᕐᓱᖓ, ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᒃᑯᓗ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᓚᐅᔪᔪᑦ. ᐅᖃᐅᑎᓚᐅᔭᒃᑲ ᐅᐱᒍᓱᓪᓚᕆᒐᔭᕆᐊᖅ ᐃᑲᔪᕐᓯᒪᔭᐅᓂᖃᕈᒪ ᐱᓇᓱᕝᕕᒐᓄᑦ

ᐲᑐᕆᔅ: ᓯᑕᒪᐅᔪᖕᖏᒐᕐᑐᓂᒃ—ᐲ ᑐᐃᓐᓇᖅ (2004), ᐃᒻᒥᓂᓪᓗ ᑌᓯᔪᖅ ᓂᑦᔭᕈᑎᒃ ᐲᑐᕆᔅ ᑎᐊ (2010), ᐅᑭᐅᕐᑕᑐᒥ ᖁᕕᐊᓱᕝᕕᒃ (2010), ᑎᕆᒐᓐᓂᐊᖅ (2015), ᐊᓯᑦᔨᓂᖅ (2021) ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᖕᖏᓗᑦᑖᕈᓯᐊᕈᐃᑦ (2023), ᒫᓐᓇᓗ ᓯᑕᒪᐅᔪᕐᑑᒍᑎᖓᓂᒃ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᓕᕐᒥᔪᖓ. ᓄᐃᓛᕐᑕᕗᑦ 2025-ᒥ. ᐃᓄᐃᑦ: ᐊᓕᐊᓇᖅ!

ᓯᕗᓪᓕᖅ

ᐊᑦᔨᖑᐊᖓ ᐲᑐᕆᔅ ᑎᐊᑉ, 2023

ᐊᑦᔨᓕᐅᕆᔪᖅ CHRISTYNA PELLETIER

ᒪᑉᐱᒐᐅᑉ ᐁᑉᐹᓂ

ᐲᑐᕆᔅ ᑎᐊ, ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᑐᖅ ᐅᑭᐅᕐᑕᑐᒥᐅᑦ ᓴᕐᕿᑎᕆᔨᐅᓲᑦ ᑲᑎᒪᓂᖓᓐᓂ Nuiharuq-ᖑᓂᕋᕐᑕᒥ Whitehorse, YT-ᒥ ᐊᑦᔨᓕᐅᕆᔪᖅ KNUT ÅSERUD

ᓴᐅᒥᐊᓂ

ᐲᑐᕆᔅ ᑎᐊ, ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᑐᖅ ᒪᓐᑐᕆᐊᒥ ᓄᓇᖃᕐᖄᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᓇᓪᓕᐅᓂᕐᓯᐅᑎᑦᓯᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ, ᒪᓐᑐᕆᐊ, ᑯᐯᒻᒥ, 2018 ᐊᑦᔨᓕᐅᕆᔪᖅ DANIEL HABER

Taqramiut Nipingat Incorporated

29

Performing, Producing and Everything In-Between

IAQ: What, if anything, do you think launched your career as an artist and performer? Was it your hard work accumulating until you felt you were a success?

Or did you attend or perform at a specific event that made you feel like you had “made it”?

BD: It’s over 20 years of consistent work, from tiny little performances to bigger and bigger ones.

I really felt like in the summer of 2024 I had my biggest performances as an artist, if you’re looking at the scale of the audience and the stage. I was at la Fête nationale concert on June 23 and the Plaines de chansons concert on July 26, both at the Plains of Abraham in Quebec City, QC, with the province’s biggest stars. But it’s never just one thing. It’s an accumulation of over 20 years of work and passion.

And taking every opportunity that I can to get experience in this field, right?

IAQ: You’re well known for music, but you’ve also been sewing for a long time. I know that you make beautiful beadwork as well. Can you tell me about these other mediums?

ABOVE

BELOW

OPPOSITE (TOP)

Beatrice Deer, wearing her own design, and Arsaniq Deer performing at Aqpik Jam Music Festival, Kuujjuaq, Nunavik, QC, 2024

Sylvia Cloutier and Beatrice Deer throat singing for Diane Dufresne at the Plaines de chansons concert on the Plains of Abraham, Quebec City, QC, 2024

Beatrice Deer behind the scenes at TNI, 2016

PHOTO CHARLIE SHIPALUK

PHOTO YAN TURCOTTE

Inuit Art Quarterly

BD: I’ve always loved sewing since I was a kid.

I’ve done illustrations. I did a bit of graphic design school in college in 2007, even if I didn’t complete the program. I did over two years of that until I dropped out because of personal struggle.

I’ve dabbled in painting and drawing.

IAQ: Do you see any overlap in the different mediums you work in?

COURTESY THE ARTIST

OPPOSITE (BOTTOM)

Album artwork for Beatrice Deer’s album Fox (2015)

BD: I like to wear what I make when I’m performing, like my traditional contemporary garments, especially on a large stage. There’s one top that I made with

30

Spring 2025

ᐊᐅᓪᓚᑲᑦᑕᕆᐊᖃᓯᑐᐊᕈᒪᑦ ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᕆᐊᕐᑐᓗᖓ, ᐊᖏᖃᑎᒌᓯᓚᐅᕐᓯᒪᔪᒍᑦ ᐊᐅᓪᓚᑲᑦᑕᕈᓐᓇᓂᐊᕐᑎᓗᖓ ᐱᔭᕆᕐᓯᒪᒋᐊᓕᒃᑲ ᑕᓚᕖᓴᒃᑰᑐᑦᓭᑦ ᐱᔭᕆᕐᓯᒪᑦᓯᐊᓂᐊᕐᐸᑕ. ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᒃᑯᑦ ᐱᓇᓱᒍᓯᑦᓯᐊᒥᒃ ᑐᓂᔨᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐅᕙᓐᓂᒃ ᐱᒍᓐᓇᓯᑎᑦᓯᓱᑎᓪᓗ ᐸᕐᓇᕈᓐᓇᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᑕᓚᕖᓴᒃᑯᑦ ᓄᐃᔪᑦᓴᓂᒃ, ᐊᕐᕕᑕᕈᓐᓇᑎᑦᓯᓱᑎᓪᓗ ᐅᑭᐅᕐᑕᑐᒧᑦ ᓄᐃᑎᕆᒍᑎᒋᓂᐊᕐᑕᑲᓂᒃ ᑕᓚᕖᓴᒃᑰᑐᑦᓴᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᕿᓂᕈᓐᓇᓯᑎᑦᓯᓱᑎᒃ ᓱᓇᑐᐃᓐᓇᓂᒃ ᓄᓇᕕᒻᒥᐅᓄᑦ ᐃᓕᑦᓯᔭᐅᖁᔭᒃᑲᓂᒃ. ᑕᑯᓐᓇᕋᓱᐊᓪᓚᕆᑦᓯᒪᔪᖓ ᑎᒥᒃᑯᑦ ᐃᓱᒪᒃᑯᓗ ᖃᓄᐃᖕᖏᓯᐊᕈᑎᐅᒍᓐᓇᑐᓂᒃ ᑕᓚᕖᓴᒃᑯᑦ ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᑎᓚᖓᑦᓱᒋᑦ, ᐃᓕᕐᕈᓯᒃᑯᓗ ᓱᓇᓱᐊᕈᓯᐅᔪᑦ. ᑕᒪᓐᓇ ᐊᑑᑎᓯᒪᔭᕋ ᐊᑦᔨᓕᐅᕈᑎᐅᑉ ᓯᕗᕋᓂ ᑐᓄᐊᓂᓗ, ᑐᑭᒧᐊᑦᑎᓯᓂᖅ ᓴᕐᕿᑎᕆᓂᖅ ᑕᓚᕖᓴᒃᑰᑐᑦᓴᓂᒃ, ᐱᒍᓐᓇᓯᒍᑎᒋᓯᒪᔭᕋ ᓇᒻᒥᓂᖅ ᑐᓴᕐᑎᓯᒍᑎᓕᐅᕐᓂᒥᒃ ᓂᐱᓕᐅᕐᓂᑯᑦ ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᑎᑦᓯᓂᒃᑯ Northerned-ᒥᒃ, ᓄᐃᒋᐊᖕᖓᓚᐅᔪᒥᒃ 2024-ᒥ ᑕᕿᕋᓕᔭᖑᑦᓱᓂ (ᐊᐅᓚᔫᖑᑦᓱᓂ). ᐃᓄᐃᑦ: ᓇᓕᑭᐊᖅ, ᐱᒋᐊᕈᑎᐅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᐱᔪᓐᓇᓂᕆᔭᕐᓄᑦ ᑐᓴᕐᓂᔮᕐᑎᓯᔨᐅᓂᕐᓄᓗ? ᐱᓇᓱᐊᒻᒪᕆᑦᓯᒪᔭᑎᑦ ᑲᑎᕐᓱᓯᒪᓕᕐᒪᑕᑭᓯᐊᓂ ᐱᒍᓐᓇᓯᓯᒪᓕᕆᐊᖅ ᐃᑉᐱᓂᐊᕐᓯᒪᕕᑦ? ᐅᕝᕙᓘ ᐃᓚᐅᑦᓱᑎᑦ ᐅᕝᕙᓗᓐᓃᑦ ᐊᒥᓱᐃᑦ ᓯᕗᕋᓐᓂ ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑕᓱᑎᑦ ᓇᓂᑭᐊᖅ ᐃᑉᐱᓂᐊᓚᕿᒍᑎᒋᓯᒪᔦᑦ “ᐱᒍᓐᓇᓯᓂᕐᓂᒃ”? ᐲᑐᕆᔅ: ᐊᓯᑦᔨᑲᑕᖕᖏᑐᒃᑯᑦ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᓂᖅ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᐃᑦ 20ᐅᖓᑖᓄᑦ, ᒥᑭᔪᐊᐱᓐᓂᒃ ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᕆᐊᕐᑐᓯᒪᓃᕐᓂᑦ ᐱᒋᐊᕐᓱᓂ ᐊᖏᓕᕙᓪᓕᐊᔪᓄᑦ ᑎᑭᑦᓱᓂ. ᐃᑉᐱᓂᐊᕐᓯᒪᕗᖓ 2024 ᐅᐱᕐᖔᖓᓂ ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᑎᐅᓂᒃᑯᑦ ᐊᖏᓂᕐᐹᐅᓯᒪᒋᐊᖓᓂᒃ ᐊᒥᓱᑦ ᓯᕗᕌᓂ ᐃᖕᖏᕆᐊᕐᑐᖃᑎᐅᓯᒪᑦᓱᖓ. ᑯᐯᒃ ᓇᓪᓕᐅᓂᕐᓯᐅᕕᖓᓂ ᔫᓂ 23-ᖑᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑯᐯᒻᒥ ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᑎᒻᒪᕇᑦ ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᑎᑕᐅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᔪᓓ 26-ᖑᑎᓪᓗᒍ. ᐊᑕᐅᓯᑐᐃᓐᓇᐅᓯᒪᖕᖏᑐᖅ. ᐊᒥᓱᐃᑦ ᓄᐊᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᓂ 20-ᓂ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᓂᕆᓯᒪᔭᒃᑲᓂ ᐆᒻᒪᒥᐅᑕᕆᓯᒪᔭᒃᑲᓂᓗ. ᐊᒻᒪᓗᑦᑕᐅᖅ ᐱᒍᓐᓇᕕᓕᒫᒃᑯᑦ ᐃᓚᐅᕕᖃᖃᑦᑕᓂᖅ ᐱᒍᓐᓇᓯᕙᓪᓕᐊᕈᑎᑦᓴᑲᓄᑦ ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᑎᐅᓂᒃᑯᑦ, ᐃᓓ? ᐃᓄᐃᑦ: ᖃᐅᔨᒪᔭᐅᒍᑎᖃᑦᓯᐊᕋᕕᑦ ᐃᖕᖏᕈᓯᓕᐊᕆᓯᒪᔭᑎᓐᓂᒃ, ᑭᓯᐊᓂ ᐊᑯᓂᐅᓕᕐᑐᖅ ᒥᕐᓱᑎᐅᓯᒪᓕᕐᒥᔪᑎᑦ. ᖃᐅᔨᒪᕗᖓ ᐱᐅᔪᒻᒪᕆᐊᓗᓐᓂᒃ ᓴᐸᖓᓕᐅᓲᖑᑎᓪᓗᑎᑦ. ᐅᖃᐅᑎᒐᔭᕐᕿᖔ ᑕᒪᒃᑯᐊ ᓴᓇᓲᑉᐱᑦ ᒥᑦᓵᓄᑦ? ᐲᑐᕆᔅ: ᒥᕐᓱᒋᐊᒥᒃ ᐊᓕᐊᒋᔭᖃᕐᖁᖓ ᐱᐊᕋᐅᓕᕐᓂᕋᒪᓂᑦ. ᐊᓪᓚᖑᐊᓲᖑᒻᒥᔪᖓ. 2007-ᖑᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᐳᕐᑐᓂᕐᓴᒥ ᐃᓕᓂᐊᕕᒻᒦᓚᐅᕐᓯᒪᒻᒥᔪᖓ ᐊᓪᓚᖑᐊᕈᓯᕐᓂᒃ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᓱᖓ, ᐱᔭᕇᕐᓯᒪᖕᖏᑕᕋᓗᐊᕋ. ᒪᕐᕈᓂᒃ ᐊᕿᕐᕌᒎᓐᓂᒃ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᓱᒍ ᓄᕐᖃᕆᐊᖃᓚᐅᕐᓯᒪᔪᖓ ᐃᓅᓯᕋᓂ ᐅᖁᒣᓪᓗᓗᐊᒧᑦ. ᒥᖑᐊᖕᖑᐊᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᐊᓪᓚᖑᐊᕐᓂᒥᓪᓗ ᐅᑦᑐᕋᕐᓯᒪᒻᒥᔪᖓ. ᐃᓄᐃᑦ: ᑖᒃᑯᐊ ᐊᑦᔨᒌᖕᖏᑐᑦ ᐱᒍᓐᓇᑕᑎᑦ ᐱᑐᑦᓯᒪᐅᑎᖃᕐᑐᕆᕕᒋᑦ? ᐲᑐᕆᔅ: ᓴᓇᔭᕕᓂᒃᑲᓂᒃ ᐊᑐᕆᐊᒥᒃ ᐊᓕᐊᒋᔭᖃᕐᑐᖓ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᓯᕗᕌᓐᓂ ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᓕᕋᒪ, ᐅᑦᑐᑎᒋᓗᒋᑦ ᐅᓪᓗᒥᕐᓯᐅᑎᐅᒐᓗᐊᕐᓱᑎᒃ ᐱᕐᖁᓯᑦᑎᓅᓕᖓᔪᑦ ᐊᓐᓄᕌᑦ, ᐱᓗᐊᕐᑐᒥᒃ ᐊᒥᓱᐃᑦ ᓯᕗᕌᓐᓃᓕᕋᒪ. ᑭᐊᑎᓕᐅᕐᓯᒪᒻᒥᔪᖓ ᕿᓪᓛᒋᐊᕐᓱᓂ ᑕᐅᑦᑐᓕᒻᒥ ᑯᓪᑎᒥᒃ ᕿᕐᓂᑕᒥᓪᓗ ᐃᓕᑦᑎᐅᑎᖁᕐᒥᒃ ᐊᑐᕐᓱᖓ, ᐅᓪᓗᒥᐅᓕᕐᑐᒨᓕᖓᓪᓚᕆᒐᓗᐊᕐᓱᓂ ᐸᒻᒪᑑᒐᒥ. ᐊᓪᓚᖑᐊᕐᓯᒪᒻᒥᔪᖓ ᓂᑦᔭᕈᑎᓕᐊᕐᒪ ᐴᖏᑦᑕ ᑕᕐᓴᓴᖏᓐᓂᒃ. ᐅᑦᑑᑎᒋᓗᒍ ᑎᕆᒐᓐᓂᐊᖅ ᓂᑦᔭᕈᑎᐅᑉ ᐴᖓ, ᓄᑲᕆᓯᒪᔭᕐᒪ ᔮᓇᔅ ᑎᐊᖑᓯᒪᔫᑉ (1972–1989) ᐊᓪᓚᖑᐊᕐᓯᒪᔭᖓᓂᒃ ᐊᑐᓚᐅᔪᖓ, ᐊᕐᓇᖑᐊᖅ ᓰᕐᖁᕕᐊᓪᓗᖓᔪᖅ ᐱᖕᖑᐊᕈᓯᑐᖃᕐᒥᒃ ᐱᖕᖑᐊᑐᖅ ᓇᐅᒃᑭᐊᖑᐊᕐᓱᓂ ᑎᕆᒐᓐᓂᐊᑉ ᓂᐊᖁᕕᓂᖓᓂᒃ ᓇᐅᒃᑭᒐᓱᐊᕐᓱᒍ ᑎᒃᑭᐊᒧᑦ ᓴᐅᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᓄᕗᓕᒻᒧᑦ. ᑕᐅᑦᑐᖃᕋᓂ, ᕿᕐᓂᑕᒧᑦ ᖃᑯᕐᑕᒧᓪᓗ ᐊᓪᓚᖑᐊᓯᒪᔪᖅ, ᓴᓇᒋᐊᓪᓛᓯᒪᔭᕋ ᓄᐃᑕᓪᓚᕆᑦᑐᓕᐊᕆᑦᓱᒍ ᑐᖑᔪᑕᕐᒥᒃ ᖁᕐᓱᑕᒥᓪᓗ ᓴᕐᕿᔮᕈᑎᖃᕐᑎᓱᒍ.

ᒪᑉᐱᒐᐅᑉ ᐁᑉᐹᓂ (ᖁᓛᓂᑦᑐᖅ)

ᐃᓄᐃᑦ: ᐊᒥᓱᑦ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᒥᕐᓱᒋᐅᕐᓯᒪᒻᒪᑕ ᐊᓈᓇᑦᓯᐊᒥᓂᑦ

Taqramiut Nipingat Incorporated

31

ᒪᑉᐱᒐᐅᑉ ᐁᑉᐹᓂ (ᐊᑖᓂᑦᑐᖅ)

ᐲᑐᕆᔅ ᑎᐊ, ᒥᕐᓱᓯᒪᔭᒥᓂᒃ ᐊᑐᕐᑐᖅ ᐊᕐᓴᓂᖅ ᑎᐊᓗ ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᑑᒃ ᐊᕐᐱ ᔮᒻ ᑐᓴᕐᓂᔭᕐᑎᓯᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᑯᑦᔪᐊᒃ, ᑯᐯᒻᒥ, 2024

ᓯᓪᕕᐊ ᑯᓗᑦᓰ ᐲᑐᕆᔅ ᑎᐊᓗ ᑲᑕᑦᔭᑑᒃ ᐃᓚᒋᔭᐅᑦᓱᑎᒃ Diane Dufresne-ᒧᑦ ᑯᐯᒃᒥ ᑐᓴᕐᓂᔮᕐᑎᓯᓂᖃᕐᑎᓗᒋᑦ ᐁᐸᔭᖄᒻ ᓇᑎᕐᓇᖓᓂ, ᑯᐯᒃᒥ, 2024

ᐊᑦᔨᓕᐅᕆᔪᖅ ᓵᓕ ᓯᕐᐸᓗᒃ

ᐊᑦᔨᓕᐅᕆᔪᖅ YAN TURCOTTE

ᖁᓛᓂ (ᖄᖓᓂᕐᓯᖅ)

ᐲᑐᕆᔅ ᑎᐊ, ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᑦ ᓂᐱᖓᒃᑯᓂ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᑐᖅ, 2016 ᐲᑐᕆᔅ ᑐᓂᓯᒪᔭᖓ

ᖁᓛᓂ (ᐊᑖᓂ)

ᓂᑦᔭᕈᑎᐅᑉ ᐴᖓᓂ ᐊᓪᓚᖑᐊᕐᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐲᑐᕆᔅ ᑎᐊ ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᕈᑎᓕᐊᕆᓯᒪᔭᖓ ᑎᕆᒐᓐᓂᐊᖅ (2015)

Performing, Producing and Everything In-Between

shiny gold-and-black fabric with a traditional pattern, but very modern in that it’s form fitting. I have also designed a few of my album covers. For Fox, I used my late sister Janice Deer’s (1972–1989) drawing of a woman kneeling playing a traditional game with a fox skull, trying to pin a needle through the skull. It’s a black-and-white drawing and I designed the bold, graphic turquoise and yellow background.

IAQ: Most people have learned to sew from their grandmothers and mothers.

Was anyone in particular instrumental to your sewing education?

BD: I was watching my mother and my auntie. There was Christina Kleist, a friend who taught me how to sew when I was a young teenager. There was Daisy Tukkiapik-Angnatuk (1966–2024), my nanny when I was born, who taught me how to make the amauti. It’s so special to me that she taught me how to make it.

Learning different techniques from different women and just observing the women who have taught me. Also, learning from my own mistakes and trial and error. . . . It’s always humbling. You can’t be too confident when it comes to sewing.

IAQ: Can you tell me about your puppet work with TNI? Was it a new kind of challenge, or was it in line with your existing skill set?

ABOVE (TOP)

ABOVE (BOTTOM)

Behind the scenes at TNI, 2019

Behind the scenes at TNI, 2019

PHOTO BEATRICE DEER

PHOTO PATRICK PARÉ

BD: Oh, the puppets. I had never come across any puppets in my career, but I was trying to create a TV show that was educational for Inuit teenagers— something relatable and funny but that leaves an impression. Inuit-looking puppets didn’t exist, so I had to make them. I went on YouTube and found tutorials. I bought all the materials and made the three puppets—Siasi, Noah and Masik. I created the characters and wrote and directed all the episodes of Uvikkauvugut – Puppet Show (2019–2023) with the team—I really couldn’t have done it without them. I also found an experienced puppeteer, Anne Lalancette, to teach the crew. For the first season I insisted on having Inuit puppeteers and they were trained by Anne.

I had no idea how difficult it was going to be to make a puppet show, but with everyone’s patience and hard work, it turned out to be a very good show.

The teenagers loved it. The show dealt with different topics, like teen pregnancy, social media etiquette, bullying and all of the different social issues that we see a lot in the North, and how to cope and deal with them in a healthy way.

OPPOSITE

Behind the scenes of Uvikkauvugut – Puppet Show (2019–2023)

IAQ: That’s great. And it was all in Inuktitut?

COURTESY BEATRICE DEER

Inuit Art Quarterly

32

Spring 2025

ᐊᓈᓇᒥᓂᓪᓗ ᐃᓕᑦᓯᓱᑎᒃ, ᑭᓇᓕᑭᐊᖅ ᐃᑲᔪᕐᓯᒪᓪᓚᕆᑦᑐᖅ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᒃ ᒥᕐᓱᕆᐅᕐᓴᑎᓪᓗᑎᑦ? ᐲᑐᕆᔅ: ᐊᓈᓇᒐᓂᒃ ᐊᔭᑯᓗᒐᓂᓪᓗ ᑕᑯᓐᓇᓯᒪᔪᖓ. ᑲᔅᑏᓇ ᑲᓓᔅᑦ, ᐱᖃᑎᒐ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᑎᑦᓯᓯᒪᒻᒥᔪᖅ ᐅᕙᓐᓂ ᐃᓅᓱᑦᑐᕕᖕᖓᐅᑎᓪᓗᖓ. ᑏᓯ ᑕᕐᕿᐊᐱᒃᐊᕐᓇᑐᖅ (1966–2024), ᐯᕐᓯᔨᒋᓯᒪᔭᕋ ᐃᓅᓕᕐᑎᓗᖓ, ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᑎᑦᓯᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᐅᕙᓐᓂ ᐊᒪᐅᓯᐅᕐᓂᒥᒃ. ᐅᕙᓐᓄᑦ ᑖᓐᓇ ᐱᒻᒪᕆᐊᓗᒃ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᑎᓯᒪᒻᒫᖓ ᑖᑦᓱᒥᖓ. ᐃᓕᓐᐊᕕᒋᑦᓱᒋᑦ ᐊᑦᔨᒌᖕᖏᑐᐃᑦ ᒥᕐᓱᕈᓯᖏᑦ ᐊᑦᔨᒌᖕᖏᑐᐃᑦ ᐊᕐᓀᑦ ᑕᑯᓐᓇᑐᐃᓐᓇᓱᖓᓗ ᐊᕐᓇᓂᒃ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᑎᑦᓯᔨᒋᓯᒪᔭᒃᑲᓂᒃ. ᐊᒻᒪᓗᑦᑕᐅᖅ, ᐃᓕᑦᓯᒍᑎᖃᕐᐸᓱᖓ ᑕᒻᒪᕈᑎᒃᑲᓂᒃ ᐅᑦᑐᕋᕆᐊᓪᓚᓱᒋᑦ ᑕᒻᒪᑕᒃᑲ…. ᒥᑭᓪᓕᑎᖏᓐᓇᓕᒫᕆᐊᖃᕐᓇᑐᖅ. ᐱᓯᑎᐊᓘᔪᕆᒋᐊᖃᕐᓇᖏᑦᑐᖅ ᒥᕐᓱᑐᖃᓕᕋᒥ. ᐃᓄᐃᑦ: ᐅᖃᐅᑎᒍᓐᓇᕿᖕᖔ ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᒃᑯᓂ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᓱᑎᑦ ᓄᐃᓚᐅᕐᓯᒪᔭᕐᐱᑦ ᒥᑦ ᒥᑦᓵᓄᑦ, ᐃᓄᖕᖑᐊᕈᓗᓐᓂᒃ ᐊᒡᒐᒧᑦ ᓂᒪᑦᑎᑕᐅᖑᐊᓲᓂᒃ? ᐱᒐᓱᐊᕆᐊᖃᒻᒪᕆᑦᑑᓯᒪᕚ ᓄᑖᖑᑦᓱᓂ, ᐅᕝᕙᓘ ᐃᓚᒋᔭᐅᑐᐃᓐᓇᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᐱᔪᓐᓇᓯᓯᒪᒍᑎᑎᓐᓄᑦ? ᐲᑐᕆᔅ: ᐊᓲ, ᐃᓄᖕᖑᐊᕈᓗᐃᑦ. ᑕᑯᓚᐅᓯᒪᓯᒪᖕᖏᑐᖓ ᐃᓄᖕᖑᐊᕈᓗᓐᓂᒃ ᐊᒡᒐᒧᑦ ᓂᒪᑦᑎᒐᕐᓂᒃ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᓯᒪᓂᓕᒫᕋᓂ, ᑭᓯᐊᓂ ᐅᑦᑐᕋᓱᐊᕐᓯᒪᔪᖓ ᓄᐃᑎᕆᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᑕᓚᕖᓴᒃᑰᑐᑦᓴᓂᒃ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᑎᑦᓯᒍᑎᐅᒐᔭᕐᓗᑎᒃ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐃᓅᓱᑦᑐᖏᓐᓂᒃ—ᑐᑭᓯᓇᕐᑑᓗᓂ ᐃᔪᕐᓇᑑᓗᓂᓗ ᐃᓕᑦᓯᓕᐅᒥᑎᑦᓯᒍᓐᓇᓂᖃᕐᓗᓂ. ᐃᓄᑐᐃᓐᓇᖑᐊᕈᓗᐃᑦ ᐊᒡᒐᒧᑦ ᓂᒪᑦᑎᒉᑦ ᐱᑕᖃᕐᓯᒪᖕᖏᒪᑕ, ᓴᓇᒋᐊᖃᕐᓯᒪᔭᒃᑲ. ᖃᕆᑕᐅᔭᒃᑯᑦ ᑕᑯᓐᓇᑕᐅᓗᑎᒃ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᑎᑦᓯᒍᑎᐅᓲᓂᒃ ᕿᒥᕐᕈᓱᖓ ᓇᕚᓚᐅᔪᖓ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕈᑎᓂᒃ. ᓂᐅᕕᕐᓱᖓ ᑭᖕᖑᒪᓇᕐᑐᓕᒫᓂᒃ ᐃᓄᖕᖑᐊᕈᓗᓕᐅᕈᑎᑦᓴᓂᒃ

Taqramiut Nipingat Incorporated

ᐊᓱᐃᓛ ᐱᖓᓱᓂᒃ ᓴᓇᓕᓚᐅᔪᖓ—ᓯᐊᓯ, ᓄᐊ ᒪᓯᓪᓗ. ᓄᐃᓚᐅᔭᒃᑲ ᑭᓇᑯᖑᐊᖑᓂᖏᑦ ᐊᓪᓚᓯᒪᔪᓕᐊᕆᑦᓱᒋᑦ ᑐᑭᒧᐊᑦᑎᓱᒋᓪᓗ ᑕᓚᕖᓴᒃᑯᑦ ᓄᐃᑕᓚᖓᔪᓕᒫᑦ ᑌᔭᐅᔪᑦ ᐅᕕᒃᑲᐅᕗᒍᑦ— ᐃᓄᖕᖑᐊᕈᓗᐃᑦ ᐊᒡᒐᒧᑦ ᓂᒪᑦᑎᒉᑦ ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᓂᖓ (Uvikkauvugut – Puppet Show) (2019–2023) ᐱᓇᓱᐊᖃᑎᖃᕐᓱᖓ—ᑖᒃᑯᓂᖓ ᐃᑲᔪᕐᑎᖃᖕᖏᓗᖓ ᐱᒍᓐᓇᕋᔭᕐᓯᒪᖕᖏᑐᖓ. ᐃᓄᖕᖑᐊᓂᓪᓗ ᐊᒡᒐᒧᑦ ᓂᒪᑦᑎᓯᔨᐅᓕᓂᕐᒥᒃ, Anne Lalancette-ᒥᒃ ᓇᕝᕚᓱᖓ, ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᑎᑦᓯᑎᑦᓱᒍ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᖃᑎᒃᑲᓂᒃ. ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᒋᐊᖕᖓᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᐃᓄᑐᐃᓐᓇᓂᒃ ᐃᓄᖕᖑᐊᕈᓗᓐᓂᒃ ᓂᒪᑦᑎᓯᔨᐅᖁᔨᓯᒪᔪᖓ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᑎᑕᐅᓂᐊᓕᕐᒪᑕ Anne-ᒧᑦ. ᐱᔭᕆᐊᑐᔫᓚᖓᔪᕆᑦᓯᓯᒪᖕᖏᑐᖓ ᐃᓄᖕᖑᐊᓂᒃ ᐊᒡᒐᒧᑦ ᓂᒪᑦᑎᒐᕐᓂᒃ ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᔪᑦᓴᓕᐅᕆᐊᖅ, ᑭᓯᐊᓂ ᐊᒥᓱᑦ ᕿᓄᐃᓵᕈᓐᓇᓂᖓᓄᑦ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᒻᒪᕆᓐᓂᖓᓄᓪᓗ, ᑕᑯᓐᓇᕋᑦᓴᓯᐊᖕᖑᓚᐅᔪᖅ. ᐃᓅᓱᑦᑐᐃᑦ ᐊᓕᐊᒋᒻᒪᕆᓚᐅᔭᖓ. ᑕᑯᓐᓇᕋᑦᓴᓕᐊᖑᒪᔪᖅ ᓄᐃᑎᕆᓂᖃᓚᐅᔪᖅ ᐊᑦᔨᒌᖕᖏᑐᓂᒃ, ᐅᑦᑑᑎᒋᓗᒍ ᐃᓅᓱᑦᑑᓱᓂ ᐱᐊᕋᑦᓴᖃᕐᓂᖅ, ᖃᕆᑕᐅᔭᒃᑯᑦ ᓄᐃᑕᑎᑕᐅᔪᐃᑦ ᐱᑦᓯᐊᑑᒋᐊᖃᕐᓂᖓᓂᒃ, ᓵᓚᒃᑲᑖᖃᕐᓂᖅ ᐊᓯᓕᒫᖏᓪᓗ ᐊᑦᔨᒌᖕᖏᑐᐃᑦ ᐃᓅᓯᕐᒨᓕᖓᔪᑦ ᑕᑯᕙᑦᑕᓕᒫᕗᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᕐᑕᑐᒥ, ᖃᓄᕐᓗ ᒪᑭᑕᑦᓯᐊᕈᓐᓇᓂᖅ ᓵᖕᖓᓯᒍᓐᓇᓂᕐᓗ ᑕᒪᒃᑯᓂᖓ ᖃᓄᐃᖕᖏᓯᐊᕐᓂᖅ ᐊᑐᕐᓗᒍ.

ᒪᑉᐱᒐᐅᑉ ᐁᑉᐹᓂ (ᖁᓛᓂᑦᑐᖅ)

ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᑦ ᓂᐱᖓᒃᑯᓂ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᑐᖅ, 2019 ᐊᑦᔨᓕᐅᕆᔪᖅ ᐲᑐᕆᔅ ᑎᐊ

ᒪᑉᐱᒐᐅᑉ ᐁᑉᐹᓂ (ᐊᑖᓂᑦᑐᖅ)

ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᑦ ᓂᐱᖓᒃᑯᓂ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᑐᖅ, 2019

ᐊᑦᔨᓕᐅᕆᔪᖅ PATRICK PARÉ

ᖁᓛᓂ

ᐅᕕᒃᑲᐅᕗᒍᑦ - ᐊᒡᒐᒧᑦ ᐊᐅᓚᑎᑕᐅᔪᑦ ᐃᓄᖕᖑᐊᕈᓗᐃᑦ (2019–2023) ᑐᓂᓯᒪᔭᖓ ᐲᑐᕆᔅ ᑎᐊ

ᐃᓄᐃᑦ: ᑕᒪᓐᓇ ᐱᐅᔪᐊᓗᒃ. ᐃᓄᑦᑎᑑᓕᒫᕐᓱᓂᓗ? ᐲᑐᕆᔅ: ᐋ, ᐊᑐᐃᓐᓇᐅᓱᑎᓪᓗ ᖃᕆᑕᐅᔭᒃᑯᑦ ᑕᑯᓐᓇᑕᐅᒍᓐᓇᑐᑦ YouTube-ᑯᑦ. ᐊᑦᔨᒌᖕᖏᑐᓂᒃ ᙯᕐᖁᔨᓯᒪᖃᑦᑕᓚᐅᔪᖓ ᐅᖄᒋᐊᕐᑐᓯᒪᑎᑦᓱᒋᑦ, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐃᑦᔭᕋᑦᓴᓯᐊᑦ ᐅᖄᒍᑎᖃᖁᑦᓱᒋᑦ ᐊᑐᓂ ᓄᐃᑕᑎᑕᑦᑎᓂᒃ, ᐅᑦᑑᑎᒋᓗᒍ, ᑎᓯᕇ ᑲᒻᐳᐸᑦᔅ, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐱᖕᖑᐊᕈᓯᑐᖃᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᐊᔪᕆᔭᖃᖕᖏᑐᖅ. ᐅᕙᓐᓄᑦ ᐅᖃᓕᓚᐅᔪᖅ, ᓄᓇᓕᒻᒥᓄᒎᖅ

33

Performing, Producing and Everything In-Between

ABOVE

BD: Yes, and they’re available on YouTube. I had different guests on, Inuit role models to talk about each topic, like Deseray Cumberbatch, an Inuit Games athlete. She told me that when she went back to her community, the kids were so impressed that she actually spoke to Noah the puppet. We also had Jason Annahatak come on to talk about jealousy and toxic relationship prevention.

Beatrice Deer performing at the Royal Canadian Geographical Society’s Annual College of Fellows Dinner in Ottawa, ON, 2022

PHOTO CHRISTYNA PELLETIER

PHOTO BEN POWLESS/ROYAL CANADIAN GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY

IAQ: What has been the most fulfilling creative work you’ve done?

BD: I’ve done so much—if only one thing was fulfilling, then I would have stopped. Each thing fulfills me in its own way.

I’m always up to something and always want to make something.

Right now, we’re into making music for TV shows and movies, so that’s a lot of fun. And that’s separate from my own music.

My work is always evolving. I have dreams and aspirations— I want to be a fashion designer with a fashion line. I’m going to keep making music. . . . I’m my own company, so I want to grow as a business owner.

Beatrice Deer is a singer-songwriter and visual artist from Quaqtaq. Her music is a combination of traditional Inuit throat singing and indie pop rock. Deer is invested in maintaining her cultural traditions while also incorporating contemporary artistic practices into her music.

IAQ: Creativity in general is fulfilling.

BD: Yeah. And I just want to show my deep appreciation for the support that I get from everywhere, from all people from all over the place that help me and my career, because I wouldn’t be where I am without that.

Inuit Art Quarterly

OPPOSITE

Portrait of Beatrice Deer, 2023

34

Spring 2025

ᐃᒻᒥᒎᕐᒥᓱᓂ ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᕋᓕᐊᕆᓲᒃᑲᓂᑦ ᓇᒻᒥᓂᖅ. ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᑕᑲ ᐊᓯᑦᔨᕙᓪᓕᐊᖏᓐᓇᓕᒫᕐᑐᑦ ᐱᕈᕐᐸᓕᐊᑦᓱᑎᒃ. ᓯᕗᓂᕐᒦᑐᓂᒃ ᐱᔭᖃᕈᒪᓂᖃᕋᒪ ᐊᔪᐃᓐᓇᐅᑎᖃᕐᓱᖓᓗ—ᐊᓐᓄᕌᓂᒃ ᓄᐃᑎᕆᔨᐅᒍᒪᔪᖓ ᓇᒻᒥᓂᖅ ᐋᓐᓄᕌᓕᐊᕕᓂᒃᑲ ᐃᓕᑕᕆᔭᐅᒍᑎᖃᕐᑎᓗᒋᑦ. ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᕈᑎᓕᐅᖏᓐᓇᓚᖓᔪᖓ …. ᓇᒻᒥᓂᕐᓱᑎᐅᒐᒪ, ᐱᕈᕈᒪᕗᖓ ᓇᒻᒥᓂᖃᕈᓐᓇᓯᓗᖓ ᑭᓇᐅᔭᓕᐅᕋᓱᐊᕈᑎᐅᔪᒥᒃ.

ᐅᑎᕐᓯᒪᓕᕐᓱᓂ ᐱᐊᕋᕐᓄᑦ ᐅᖃᐅᑎᔭᐅᖃᑦᑕᑐᕕᓂᐅᓕᕐᑐᖅ ᐊᓕᐊᒋᔭᐅᑦᓱᓂ ᐅᖄᖃᑎᖃᕐᑐᕕᓂᐅᓂᖓ ᓄᐊᒥᒃ ᐃᓄᖕᖑᐊᕈᓗᒻᒥᒃ. ᔩᓴᓐ ᐋᓇᖃᑕᒃ ᐅᖄᒍᑎᖃᓚᐅᔪᒻᒥᔪᖅ ᓯᓐᓇᓂᐅᑉ ᒥᑦᓵᓄᑦ ᐃᓅᖃᑎᒌᑦᓯᐊᖏᓐᓂᐊᓘᒍᓐᓇᑐᒥᓪᓗ ᓯᕗᕐᖐᓯᒪᒍᑎᐅᒍᓐᓇᑐᓂᒃ. ᐃᓄᐃᑦ: ᓱᕐᕃᒍᓇᐅᓐᓂᖁᖅ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐃᓚᖏᓐᓂᒃ. ᓱᓇ ᐱᔭᖃᕈᓐᓇᓯᐊᕐᓂᐸᐅᔮᕐᓯᒪᕙ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᓯᒪᔭᑎᓐᓂ?

ᐃᓄᐃᑦ: ᓴᕐᕿᑎᕆᓂᖅ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᓂᑯᑦ ᐃᓗᓐᓈᒍᑦ ᐱᔭᖃᕐᓂᓚᕆᑦᑕᓕᒃ.

ᐲᑐᕆᔅ: ᐊᒥᓱᐹᓗᓐᓂᒃ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᓯᒪᒐᒪ—ᐊᑕᐅᓯᑐᐃᓐᓇ ᐱᔭᖃᕈᓐᓇᓯᐊᕐᓂᐸᐅᔪᕆᒍᒃᑯ ᓄᕐᖃᑐᐃᓐᓇᕋᔭᕐᓯᒪᒐᒪ. ᐊᑐᓂ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᑕᑲ ᐱᔭᖃᕈᓐᓇᓯᒍᑎᒋᓯᒪᒐᒃᑭᑦ. ᓱᓇᓱᐊᖏᓐᓇᓕᒫᕋᒪ ᑌᒪᖕᖓᓗ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕋᑦᓴᖃᕈᒪᑦᓱᖓ. ᒪᓐᓇᐅᔪᖅ, ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑖᒐᓕᐅᕐᑐᒍᑦ ᑕᓚᕖᓴᒃᑯᑦ ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᔪᓃᑦᑐᓴᓂᒃ ᑕᕐᕋᓕᔮᓂᑦᑐᓴᓂᓪᓗ, ᑕᒪᓐᓇ ᐊᓕᐊᓇᕐᑐᕋᑕ. ᑕᒪᓐᓇᓗ

ᐲᑐᕆᔅ: ᐋ. ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᑎᑦᓯᒍᒪᑐᐃᓐᓇᑐᖓ ᐅᐱᒍᓱᓐᓂᓚᕆᐊᓗᒐᓂᒃ ᐃᑲᔪᕐᓯᒪᔭᐅᑦᓯᐊᓲᖑᓂᕋᓂᒃ ᓇᑭᓕᒫᖅ, ᐃᓄᓐᓂᑦ ᓇᓂᑐᐃᓐᓇᓕᒫᒥᐅᓂᑦ ᐃᑲᔪᕐᒪᑕ ᐅᕙᓐᓂᒃ ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑕᑎᐅᓂᕋᒍᑦ ᐊᓯᖏᑎᒍᓪᓗ ᐱᒍᓐᓇᓲᒃᑲᑎᒍᑦ, ᑕᒪᒃᑯᐊ ᐱᒍᓐᓇᓂᐅᔭᕋᔭᕐᓯᒪᖕᖏᓇᒃᑭᑦ ᑕᒪᒃᑯᐊ ᐱᑕᖃᖕᖏᐸᑕ.

ᒪᑉᐱᒐᐅᑉ ᐁᑉᐹᓂ

ᐲᑐᕆᔅ ᑎᐊ ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᑐᖅ Royal Canadian Geographical Society’s Annual College of Fellows-ᑯᑦ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᑕᒫᑦ ᓂᕆᖃᑎᒌᓐᓂᕆᓲᖓᓂ ᐋᑐᒑ, ᐊᓐᑎᐅᕆ ᒥ, 2022 ᐊᑦᔨᓕᐅᕆᔪᖅ BEN POWLESS/ ROYAL CANADIAN GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY

ᓴᐅᒥᐊᓂ

ᐊᑦᔨᖑᐊᖓ ᐲᑐᕆᔅ ᑎᐊᑉ, 2023 ᐊᑦᔨᓕᐅᕆᔪᖅ CHRISTYNA PELLETIER

ᐲᑐᕆᔅ ᑎᐊ ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᑎᐅᔪᖅᐃᖕᖏᕈᓯᓕᐅᕐᑎᐅᓱᓂ ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᔪᑦᓴᓂᓪᓗ ᓴᕐᕿᑎᕆᔨᐅᑦᓱᓂ ᖁᐊᕐᑕᒥᐅᔭᖅ, ᓄᓇᕕᒻᒥ, ᑯᐯᒻᒥ. ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᒐᓕᐊᖏᑦ ᑲᑎᑦᑎᓯᔪᑦ ᐱᕐᖁᓯᑐᖃᕐᓂᒃ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᑲᑕᑦᔭᕈᓯᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᐅᓪᓗᒥᐅᓕᕐᑐᓗ ᑐᓴᕐᓂᔮᕈᓯᐅᔪᓂᒃ. ᑎᐊ ᑐᖕᖓᕕᖃᓪᓚᕆᑦᑐᖅ ᑲᔪᓯᑎᑦᓯᒍᒪᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᐃᓕᕐᕈᓯᕐᒥ ᐱᕐᖁᓯᕆᔭᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᕈᓯᕐᒥᓄᓪᓗ ᐃᓚᐅᑎᑦᓯᓱᓂ ᓄᑖᕕᖕᖓᓂᒃ ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᕈᓯᐅᒍᓐᓇᑐᓂᒃ.

Taqramiut Nipingat Incorporated

35

Performing, Producing and Everything In-Between

From Broadcast Booth to Centre Stage —

by Kim Wheeler

— translated by MKL Consulting Inc.

ᓈᓚᐅᑎᒃᑯᑎᐅᓂᕐᒥᑦ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᓯᕗᕌᓐᓂ ᐃᖕᖏᓗᑦᑕᕕᐅᑉ ᕿᑎᖓᓄᑦ — ᐊᓪᓚᑕᐅᔪᖅ Kim Wheeler-ᒧᑦ

— ᐃᓄᑦᑎᑑᓕᕐᑎᑕᐅᔪᖅ MKL Consulting Inc.-ᒧᑦ

Learn how an early summer radio job at Taqramiut Nipingat Incorporated gave Juno award-winning artist Elisapie the keys to success as a musician.

ᖃᐅᔨᒋᑦ ᖃᓄᖅ ᐅᐱᕐᖔᒥ ᓈᓚᐅᑎᒃᑰᑎᐅᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᐱᓇᓱᒐᖃᕐᓂᖅ ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᑦ ᓂᐱᖓᒃᑯᓂ ᑐᓂᔨᓯᒪᒻᒪᖔᑦ ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᓕᐅᕐᑏᓂᑦ ᐃᓕᑕᕆᔭᐅᒍᑎᓕᒻᒥᒃ ᐃᓕᓴᐱᒥᒃ ᑎᑭᐅᑎᓚᕿᒍᑎᒋᑦᓱᒍ ᑐᓴᕐᓂᔮᕐᑎᓯᔨᒻᒪᕆᖕᖑᓂᕐᒧᑦ.

Elisapie Isaac’s fourth album, Inuktitut (2023), is full of powerful and poignant cover songs that connect to her youth and growing up in Salluit, Nunavik, QC: loving tributes to a time in her life when she was hanging out with friends and family at the community centre and dancing the weekends away.

But when she wasn’t socializing like most teenagers do, Elisapie was in the studio at Taqramiut Nipingat Incorporated (TNI) where she worked as an intern, interviewing guests and hosting radio shows.

It was on the radio that Elisapie cut her teeth in public speaking and engaging with audiences. By the end of her first week on the job, she was already live on the radio. Elisapie hosted her own youth radio show, which she says was probably just called “Youth Radio Show” at the time.

“That’s kind of how it all started for me,” 1 she says during a video interview from Montreal, QC. She recalled many youth applying for a summer job at TNI and was surprised to be offered what she says was her dream job when she was only 14 years old. “It pretty much led to my whole life changing just because I realized . . . I can do it like they do it on TV. [It’s] such a cool job to highlight people around you, to make everything kind of exciting.”

There is not a word for “artist” in Inuktitut, she explains.

“I think we’re people who are sensitive . . . we’re observers.

That’s how we are when we become either musicians or people on TV or radio. People who are curious about what’s going on,” she says. Elisapie’s awareness that journalists and musicians are both keen observers of human behaviour and details of everyday life is reflected in her work as a storyteller in both disciplines.

With Inuktitut, storytelling meant picking covers that spoke to this earlier time in her life, and accompanying them with music videos that brought out their relevance to her.

As a radio personality, Elisapie says her storytelling job was to “add spice to certain things in order to make everything a little bit more tasty.” She compared it to being a bridge between the people she was interviewing, who were often artists, and the listeners.

Speaking with Elders was Elisapie’s favourite part. “There is a way to talk to Elders—you don’t just talk to an Elder, [you need to show] a lot of respect and you take the time,” she says.

“It was nice to wear that hat of the journalist so I could ask them questions . . . even though I was young, they took me seriously because I worked for TNI.” One of her biggest challenges was working with the different Inuktitut dialects she needed to use for each community. “Our dialect is very different . . . [across] the Hudson Ungava side and Hudson Strait, where I’m from,” she says, discussing the careful parsing it took to work in each dialect correctly. “I was a little bit of a perfectionist. I really wanted to do it well and have a good tone, have a good style, have good energy.”

Elisapie’s ties to TNI are long: her biological mother, Eva Tukiqqik, worked at TNI as a respected TV host for several

ᐃᓕᓴᐱ ᐁᓴᒃ ᓂᑦᔭᕈᑎᓕᐊᕆᓯᒪᔭᖏᑦᑕ ᓯᑕᒪᖓᑦ, ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᑦ (2023), ᓲᖑᔪᐊᓗᓐᓂᒃ ᐃᓗᓕᓕᒃ ᐃᑉᐱᓂᐊᕐᓇᑐᒪᕆᓐᓂᓗ ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᕈᑎᑕᖃᕐᓱᓂ ᐱᑐᑦᓯᒪᒍᑎᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᐃᓅᓱᑦᑑᓂᕕᓂᕐᒥᓄᑦ ᐱᕈᕐᓴᓂᕕᓂᕐᒥᓄᓪᓗ ᓴᓪᓗᓂ, ᓄᓇᕕᒃ, ᑯᐯᒻᒥ: ᓇᓪᓕᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᑐᓂᓯᒍᑏᑦ ᐃᓅᓯᕆᓯᒪᔭᕐᒥᓄᑦ ᐱᖃᓐᓈᒥᓃᖕᖑᐊᐸᑦᓱᓂ ᐃᓚᒥᓂᓗ ᓄᓇᓕᐅᑉ ᐱᖕᖑᐊᕕᖓᓂ ᑖᓂᓯᖕᖑᐊᐸᑦᓱᑎᓪᓗ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕈᓰᑦ ᓄᖕᖑᐊᓂᑕᒫᑦ. ᑭᓯᐊᒥ ᐃᓅᓱᑦᑐᐃᑦ ᐱᐅᓯᕆᒍᓱᓲᖓᓂᒃ ᐃᓅᖃᑎᒋᑦᑐᓃᓐᓂᒥᒃ ᐊᑐᕈᓐᓀᑐᐊᕋᒥ, ᐃᓕᓴᐱ ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᒃᑯ ᓈᓚᐅᑎᒃᑰᑦ ᓂᐱᓕᐅᕐᕕᖓᓂᑉᐸᑐᕕᓂᖅ ᐱᓇᓱᒐᕐᒥᒃ ᐱᒋᐅᕐᓴᓱᓂ, ᐊᐱᕐᓱᑎᐅᑦᓱᓂ ᐅᖄᒋᐊᕐᑐᓯᒪᔪᓂᒃ ᓈᓚᐅᑎᒃᑰᑐᑦᓴᓂᓪᓗ ᑐᓴᕐᑕᐅᑎᑦᓯᔨᐅᑦᓱᓂ. ᓈᓚᐅᑎᒃᑯᑦ ᐃᓕᓴᐱ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᓯᕗᕌᓐᓂ ᐅᖄᒍᓐᓇᓯᒍᑎᖃᕐᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᑐᓵᔪᓂᓪᓗ ᐱᑐᖃᑎᖃᕈᓐᓇᓯᑦᓱᓂ. ᓯᕗᓪᓕᐹᒥᒃ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕈᕆᓯᕐᒥᒃ ᐱᔭᕇᑐᐊᕋᒥ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᓕᕐᓱᓂ, ᓂᐱᓕᐅᕐᓯᒪᖕᖏᑐᒃᑯᑦ ᑐᓴᕐᓴᐅᓯᑦᓴᐅᑎᒋᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᓈᓚᐅᑎᒃᑯᑦ. ᐃᓕᓴᐱ ᓇᒻᒥᓂᖅ ᓈᓚᐅᑎᒃᑯᑦ ᑐᓴᕐᓴᐅᑎᑦᓯᒍᓇᓯᔪᕕᓂᖅ ᐃᓅᓱᑦᑐᓅᓕᖓᔪᒥᒃ, ᑌᑦᓱᒪᓂ ᑌᔭᐅᕐᖁᑐᕕᓂᐅᓂᕃᔪᖅ “ᐃᓅᓱᑦᑐᐃᑦ ᓈᓚᐅᑎᒃᑯᓂᖓᑦ”. “ᑌᒫᑕᒐ ᐱᒋᐊᓪᓚᕆᑦᓯᒪᕗᖓ”,1 ᐅᖃᓚᐅᕐᑐᖅ ᑕᕐᕋᓕᔮᓕᐅᕈᑎᒃᑯᑦ (ᐊᐅᓚᔫᓕᐅᕈᑎᒃᑯᑦ) ᐊᐱᕆᔭᐅᑦᓱᓂ ᒪᓐᑐᕆᐊᓪ, ᑯᐯᒃᒥ. ᐊᐅᓚᔨᔪᖅ ᐊᒥᓱᐃᑦ ᐃᓅᓱᑦᑐᐃᑦ ᐅᐱᕐᖔᒥ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᒐᕐᑖᕋᓱᐊᕐᑎᓗᒋᑦ ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᒃᑯᓂ ᖁᐊᕐᓵᓚᐅᕐᑐᕕᓂᐅᓂᕋᕐᑐᖅ ᐱᓇᓱᒐᕐᑖᑎᑕᐅᒋᐊᒥᒃ ᐱᓇᓱᒐᕆᒍᒪᓂᕐᐹᓯᐊᒥᓂᒃ 14-ᑐᐃᓐᓇᓂᒃ ᐅᑭᐅᖃᕐᓱᓂ. “ᐊᓯᑦᔩᓯᒪᓪᓚᕆᑦᑐᖅ ᐃᓅᓯᕋᓂᒃ ᖃᐅᔨᒍᑎᒋᓯᒪᒐᒃᑯ…ᐱᒍᓐᓇᖁᖓ ᑌᒪᓪᓗᐊᖅ ᑕᓚᕖᓴᒃᑯᓲᑎᑐᑦ. [ᑖᓐᓇ] ᐱᓇᓱᒐᐅᑦᓱᓂ ᐊᓕᐊᓇᕐᑑᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᓄᐃᑕᑎᑦᓯᒍᑎᒋᑦᓱᒍ ᐃᓅᖃᑎᒋᔭᕐᓂ, ᓱᓇᑐᐃᓐᓇᓂᒃ ᕿᑦᑌᖓᕕᖕᖓᑎᑦᓯᒍᑎᐅᔮᕐᓱᓂ.” ᐃᓄᑦᑎᑐᑦ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᕐᑕᖃᖕᖏᑐᖅ ᖃᓪᓗᓈᑎᑐᑦ “artist”-ᓚᔭᐅᔪᒥᒃ, ᐃᓕᓴᐱ ᐅᖃᕐᑐᖅ. “ᐃᓱᒪᔪᖓ ᐃᓅᒐᑦᑕ ᐃᑉᐱᓂᐊᓕᕈᐊᕐᑑᓱᑕ… ᑕᑯᓐᓇᕋᓱᐊᕐᑎᐅᓱᑕ. ᑌᒣᑦᑑᓲᖑᕗᒍᑕᒐ ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᑎᖕᖑᑐᐊᕋᑦᑕ (ᑐᓴᕐᓂᔮᕈᑎᓕᐅᕐᑎᕈᑕᐊᕋᑦᑕ) ᐅᕝᕙᓗᓐᓃᑦ ᑕᓚᕖᓴᒃᑰᓲᕈᑐᐊᕋᑦᑕ ᓈᓚᐅᑎᒃᑯᓗᓐᓃᑦ. ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᑐᑭᓯᒍᒪᓂᖃᕐᑐᑦ ᓱᔪᖃᓕᕐᒪᖔᑦ,” ᐅᖃᕐᑐᖅ. ᐃᓕᓴᐱᐅᑉ ᑐᑭᓯᒪᓂᖓ ᑐᓴᕋᑦᓴᓂᐊᕐᑏᑦ ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᑏᓪᓗ ᑕᑯᓐᓇᕋᓱᐊᕐᓯᑎᒻᒪᓂᐅᓂᖓᓂᒃ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᖃᓄᐃᑦᑑᓂᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᖃᐅᑕᒫᓪᓗ ᐃᓅᓯᐅᑉ ᐃᓗᓕᖏᓐᓂ ᓄᐃᑕᑎᑦᓯᓱᕗᖅ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᑕᒥᒍᑦ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᑐᐊᕐᑎᐅᓂᒃᑯᑦ ᑕᒪᒋᓐᓂ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᓲᒥᓂ. ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑑᒥ, ᐅᓂᒃᑳᑐᐊᕐᓂᖅ ᑐᑭᖃᕐᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᓇᓪᓕᑳᒋᐊᖃᕐᓂᒥᒃ ᐴᑦᓴᓂᒃ ᓄᐃᑕᑎᑦᓯᒍᑎᐅᒍᓐᓇᑐᓂᒃ ᐃᓅᓱᑦᑑᓂᕕᓂᕐᒥᓄᑦ, ᐃᓚᖃᕐᑎᓯᑦᓱᒋᑦ ᑐᓴᕐᓂᔮᕐᑎᓯᒍᑎᐅᑦᓱᑎᒃ ᑕᕐᕋᓕᔮᓕᐊᖑᒪᔪᓂᒃ ᓄᐃᑦᓯᒍᑎᒋᑦᓱᒋᑦ ᓱᓕᓂᕆᔭᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᐃᒻᒥᓄᑦ. ᓈᓚᐅᑎᒃᑯᑎᐅᓯᒪᑦᓱᓂ, ᐃᓕᓴᐱ ᐅᖃᓚᐅᕐᑐᖅ ᐅᓂᒃᖄᑐᐊᕐᑎᐅᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᒐᖓ “ᐅᐊᕈᑦᓯᑐᐃᕌᐱᒋᐊᖃᕐᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᐊᑦᔨᒌᖕᖏᑐᓂᒃ ᑕᒪᒃᑯᐊᓕᒫᑦ ᒪᒪᕐᓯᓕᑎᐊᐱᒍᓐᓇᖁᓪᓗᒋᑦ.” ᐅᑦᑐᕋᐅᑎᖃᓚᐅᕐᑐᖅ ᐃᑳᕈᑎᑎᑐᑦ ᖃᓱᕐᕈᑎᐅᓂᕋᕐᓱᒍ ᐃᓄᓐᓄᑦ ᐊᐱᓲᔭᕐᖃᑦᑕᑕᒥᓄᑦ, ᓱᓇᓱᐊᕐᑎᕙᓪᓘᓯᒪᔪᓄᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓈᓚᑦᑐᓄᑦ. ᐃᓄᑐᖃᕐᓂᒃ ᐅᖄᖃᑎᖃᕐᓂᖅ ᐊᓕᐊᒋᓂᕐᐹᕆᓯᒪᔭᖓ ᐃᓕᓴᐱᐅᑉ. “ᐅᖄᖃᑎᖃᕐᓂᖅ ᐃᓄᑐᖃᕐᓂᒃ ᐱᐅᓯᕐᑕᖃᕐᒥᔪᖅ—ᐅᖃᕕᒋᑐᐃᓐᓇᖃᔭᖕᖏᑌᑦ ᐃᓄᑐᖃᖅ, [ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᑎᑦᓯᒋᐊᖃᕐᑐᑎᑦ] ᓲᓱᒋᔭᖃᑦᓯᐊᓂᐊᓗᒻᒥᒃ ᐅᐃᒪᔮᕈᓐᓀᓗᑎᓪᓗ,” ᐅᖃᕐᑐᖅ. “ᑐᓴᕋᑦᓴᓂᐊᕐᑎᐅᑉ ᓇᓴᖓᓂᒃ ᐊᑐᕆᐊᖅ ᐱᐅᔫᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᐊᐱᕆᒍᓐᓇᓯᖃᑦᑕᓯᒪᒐᒃᑭᑦ…ᐃᓅᓱᑦᑑᒐᓗᐊᕐᓱᖓ, ᐅᕙᓐᓂᒃ ᐅᑉᐱᕆᔭᖃᑦᓯᐊᓯᒪᔪᐃᑦ ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᒃᑯᓂ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᑎᐅᒐᒪ.” ᐊᑕᐅᓯᖅ ᐊᑦᓱᕈᓐᓇᑐᑯᕈᑎᒋᓯᒪᔭᖓ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕈᑎᖃᕋᓱᐊᕆᐊᖅ ᐊᑦᔨᒌᖕᖏᑐᓂᒃ ᐃᓄᑦᑎᑐᑦ ᐅᖄᒍᓯᐅᔪᓂᒃ ᐊᑐᕆᐊᖃᖃᑦᑕᓯᒪᒐᒥ ᐊᑐᓂ ᓄᓇᓕᓐᓅᓕᖓᔪᓂᒃ. “ᐅᖄᒍᓯᕗᑦ ᐊᑦᔨᒌᖕᖏᑐᒻᒪᕇᑦ…[ᐃᓗᓐᓈᓂ] ᑕᓯᐅᔭᕐᔪᑉ ᐅᖓᕙᐅᑉ ᓄᕗᒻᒥᐅᓗ, ᓄᕗᒻᒥᐅᔭᐅᒐᒪ,” ᐅᖃᕐᑐᖅ, ᑐᑭᓯᓇᕐᑎᓯᑦᓱᓂ ᐱᓪᓗᑯᒋᐊᖃᖃᑦᑕᓯᒪᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᐊᑦᔨᒌᖕᖏᑐᐃᑦ ᐅᖄᒍᓰᑦ ᐊᑐᕆᐊᖃᓕᕋᒥᒋᑦ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᓱᓂ. “ᐱᑦᓯᐊᖏᓐᓇᕆᐊᖃᕐᑐᓴᔭᐅᔪᕆᓯᒪᕗᖓ. ᐱᒍᓐᓇᓯᐊᕈᒪᑦᓱᒍ ᓂᐱᖃᑦᓯᐊᓗᖓᓗ, ᐅᖄᒍᓯᖃᑦᓯᐊᓗᖓ, ᕿᑦᑌᖓᓂᖃᑦᓯᐊᓗᖓ.”

Inuit Art Quarterly

38

Spring 2025

PREVIOUS

Portrait of Elisapie COURTESY BONSOUND PHOTO LEEOR WILD

BELOW

Elisapie performing at the 2024 Juno Awards in Halifax, NS COURTESY JUNO AWARDS PHOTO RYAN BOLTON

“I think we’re people who are sensitive . . . we’re observers. That’s how we are when we become either musicians or people on TV or radio. People who are curious about what’s going on.”

“ᐃᓱᒪᔪᖓ ᐃᓅᒐᑦᑕ ᐃᑉᐱᓂᐊᓕᕈᐊᕐᑑᓱᑕ…ᑕᑯᓐᓇᕋᓱᐊᕐᑎᐅᓱᑕ. ᑌᒣᑦᑑᓲᖑᕗᒍᑕᒐ ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᑎᖕᖑᑐᐊᕋᑦᑕ (ᑐᓴᕐᓂᔮᕈᑎᓕᐅᕐᑎᕈᑕᐊᕋᑦᑕ) ᐅᕝᕙᓗᓐᓃᑦ ᑕᓚᕖᓴᒃᑰᓲᕈᑐᐊᕋᑦᑕ ᓈᓚᐅᑎᒃᑯᓗᓐᓃᑦ. ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᑐᑭᓯᒍᒪᓂᖃᕐᑐᑦ ᓱᔪᖃᓕᕐᒪᖔᑦ.”

ᓯᕗᓪᓕᖅ

ᐊᑦᔨᖑᐊᖓ ᐃᓕᓴᐱᐅᑉ ᐊᑐᐃᓇᐅᑎᑦᓯᔪᖅ BONSOUND ᐊᑦᔨᓕᐅᕆᔪᖅ LEEOR WILD

ᖁᓛᓂ

ᐃᓕᓴᐱ ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᑐᖅ ᐊᒥᓱᐃᑦ ᓯᕗᕋᓐᓂ 2024ᖑᑎᓪᓗᒍ, ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᓕᐅᕐᑏᑦ ᐃᓕᑕᕆᔭᐅᓂᖃᕐᑎᓗᒋᑦ ᖃᓕᕚᒃᓯᒥ, ᓄᕙ ᓯᑰᓴᒥ

ᐊᑐᐃᓇᐅᑎᑦᓯᔪᖅ JUNO AWARDS ᐊᑦᔨᓕᐅᕆᔪᖅ RYAN BOLTON

Taqramiut Nipingat Incorporated

39

From Broadcast Booth ot Centre Stage

ABOVE

Elisapie — Qimatsilunga (I Want to Break Free) (stills) 2023 Music video 4 min 19 sec COURTESY BONSOUND

NOTES

OPPOSITE (LEFT)

OPPOSITE (RIGHT)

Stamp featuring Elisapie, for Canada Post’s Indigenous Leaders series

Elisapie onstage at the 2024 Juno Awards 1 accepting the award for Conteporary Indigenous Artist or Group of the Year for Inuktitut (2023), Halifax, NS

COURTESY CANADA POST

COURTESY JUNO AWARDS PHOTO MORGAN HOTSTON

underscoring the role it has played since its founding in 1975, as a means to communicate information between Inuit communities in Nunavik. All of its radio programming is in Inuktitut, just like Elisapie’s fourth album.

Inuktitut was truly a full-circle moment going back to Elisapie’s days at TNI. She played a lot of contemporary music as a radio broadcaster, once interviewing Kirk Hammett from the heavy metal band Metallica. In 2024, she included one of their songs on Inuktitut—“Isumagijunnaitaungituq (The Unforgiven).”

“I feel like TNI [translates] to what I do now as a singer because I talk to people and I like storytelling in between songs,” she says. TNI offered her a place to build the storytelling skills that she would eventually bring to live stages with her musical career. Working in radio, she had to be able to speak to her listeners, to bring them into the story and make them feel like she was speaking directly to them. Performing live, she also has to invite the audience in to share those intimate moments with her on stage.

“I feel like it was preparing me to do what I love doing, what I love in my job as a singer now.”

years, and her uncle George Kakayuk had worked at TNI off and on since 1979, previously serving three nonconsecutive terms as board president. In fact, Elisapie got her musical start as a teenager performing with Kakayuk’s band Sugluk.

Elisapie has a lot of memories from her time at TNI, like sneaking into an Elder’s office and playing their “beautiful Willie Thrasher vinyls,” even though she was told not to touch that particular music collection.

But these days, perhaps a young intern at TNI would be told not to touch Elisapie’s vinyl records. She has come a long way from her days as a youth radio host. In 2024, Elisapie performed at the Juno Awards, where she won the Contemporary Indigenous Artist or Group of the Year award for Inuktitut, which also made the top 10 shortlist for the coveted Polaris Music Prize. Although Elisapie didn’t take home the top prize, she was the only Polaris shortlisted artist to appear on a Canada Post stamp, which was unveiled in June 2024.

At the stamp unveiling ceremony in Montreal, her family came down from Salluit. “They started crying when we revealed the stamp . . . it’s only then I realized—this is a big deal,” says Elisapie.

Being on a stamp is a great honour, usually reserved for political leaders, historical figures and royalty. Elisapie doesn’t see herself as any of these and still wonders why she was selected. But she knows that visibility is important to the young Inuit who until now have rarely seen themselves reflected in media, film, television and books.

“How I see it is more like, ‘How do kids in the North see it?’

[For me, this honour is] to highlight my little queens and kings of the North.”

It’s stories like her stamp unveiling that Elisapie would have covered while at TNI and that TNI still covers today.

The name “Taqramiut Nipingat” translates to “voice of the north,”

Inuit Art Quarterly

All quotes Elisapie, interview with Kim Wheeler, November 2024.

— Kim Wheeler (Anishinaabe/Mohawk) is the executive producer of Words and Culture, an Indigenous languages radio series. She is the host/producer of several audio shows, including The Kim Wheeler Show; Turtle Island Talks; Auntie Up!; and The Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund’s A Day to Listen. She is also a writer/producer for the Juno Awards and Remembering the Children: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Wheeler occasionally writes for The New York Times and Chatelaine.

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Spring 2025

ᐅᓂᒃᑳᑦ ᑖᓐᓇᑎᑐᑦ ᖃᖓᑦᑕᐅᑎᒥᒃ ᓄᐃᑦᓯᓂᕐᑎᑐ ᐃᓕᓴᐱᐅᑉ ᑐᓴᕐᑕᐅᑎᒐᔭᕐᓯᒪᔭᖏᑦ ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᒃᑯᓃᑦᓱᓂ ᐅᓪᓗᒥᓗ ᓄᐃᑎᑕᐅᕙᖏᓐᓇᑐᑦ ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᒃᑯᓄᑦ. “ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᑦ ᓂᐱᖓᑦ” ᑐᑭᓕᒃ “ᓂᐱᖓ ᐅᑭᐅᕐᑕᑑᑉ”, ᓄᐃᑕᑎᑦᓯᒍᑎᐅᑦᓱᓂ ᐊᑑᑎᖃᕐᓯᒪᓂᖓᓂᒃ ᓄᐃᑕᐅᓚᕐᓯᒪᓂᕐᒥᓂᑦ, 1975-ᒥ, ᑐᓴᐅᒪᑎᑦᓯᔨᐅᑦᓱᓂ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᔭᐅᒋᐊᓕᓐᓂᒃ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᓄᓇᓕᖏᓐᓂ ᓄᓇᕕᒻᒥ. ᓈᓚᐅᑎᒃᑯᑐᓕᒫᑦ ᐃᓄᑦᑎᑑᕐᑐᑦ, ᐃᓕᓴᐱᐅᑉ ᓂᑦᔭᕈᑎᓕᐊᕆᓯᒪᔭᖓᑎᑐᑦ. ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᑦ ᑫᕙᓪᓚᓂᓪᓚᕆᐅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᐅᑎᕐᓱᓂ ᑌᑯᖓ ᐃᓕᓴᐱᐅᑉ ᐅᓪᓗᕆᓯᒪᔭᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᒃᑯᓂ. ᐅᓪᓗᒥᑦᓯᐅᑎᓂᒃ ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᓂᒃ ᑐᓴᕐᑕᐅᑎᑦᓯᖃᑦᑕᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᓈᓚᐅᑎᒃᑰᑎᐅᑦᓱᓂ, ᐊᐱᕐᓲᔭᕐᓯᒪᔪᐊᓪᓛᑦ Kirk Hammett-ᒥ ᐃᓚᒋᔭᐅᔪᒥᒃ ᓂᐸᕆᑦᑐᕖᖕᖓᓂᒃ ᐃᖕᖏᕈᓯᓕᐅᕐᑎᓄᑦ Metallica-ᑯᓄᑦ. 2024-ᒥ, ᐃᖕᖏᕈᓯᓕᐊᕆᓯᒪᔭᖓᓂᒃ ᑖᒃᑯᐊ (“The Unforgiven”-ᒥᒃ) ᐃᓚᐅᑎᑦᓯᓚᐅᔪᖅ ᓂᑦᔭᕈᑎᓕᐊᒥᓂ ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᑦ-ᒥ— ᐃᓄᑦᑎᑑᓕᕐᑎᓱᒍ ᐃᒫᒃ “ᐃᓱᒪᒋᔪᓐᓀᑕᐅᖕᖏᑐᖅ.” ᐃᑉᐱᒋᔭᖃᕐᐳᖓ ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᒃᑯᑦ [ᑐᑭᖃᕐᑐᑦ] ᐃᓕᖓᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᐃᖕᖏᑎᐅᓂᒃᑯᑦ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᐸᓕᕐᑕᑲᓄᑦ ᐅᖄᖃᑎᖃᕐᐸᑲᒪ ᐃᓄᓐᓂ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐅᓂᒃᑲᑐᐊᕆᐊᒥᒃ ᐊᓕᐊᒋᔭᖃᕐᓱᖓ ᐃᖕᖏᕈᓯᓕᐊᕐᒪ ᐊᑯᓐᓂᖏᒍ,” ᐅᖃᕐᑐᖅ. ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᒃᑯᓄᑦ ᐃᓂᖃᕐᑎᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᐱᕈᕐᓭᑎᑕᐅᑦᓱᓂ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᑐᐊᕈᓐᓇᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᓄᐃᓕᕋᔭᕐᑕᒥᓂᒃ ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᑎᐅᑦᓱᓂ ᐊᒥᓱᐃᑦ ᓯᕗᕌᓐᓂ ᐃᖕᖏᐸᓂᐊᓱᓂ. ᓈᓚᐅᑎᒃᑯᑦ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᓱᓂ, ᐅᖄᖃᑎᖃᕈᓐᓇᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᓈᓚᒃᑐᓂᒃ, ᐃᓚᐅᑎᑦᓱᒋᑦ ᐅᓂᒃᑲᐅᓯᕐᒧᑦ ᑐᕃᓐᓇᑐᒥᓪᓗ ᐅᖄᕕᐅᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᐃᑉᐱᓂᐊᕐᑎᓱᒋᑦ. ᐊᒥᓱᐃᑦ ᓯᕗᕌᓐᓂ ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᓕᕋᒥ, ᑕᑯᓐᓈᐅᔭᕐᑐᓂᒃ ᐃᓚᐅᖁᔨᓂᖃᓲᖑᒻᒥᔪᖅ ᖃᓂᑖᖃᕈᒪᒧᑦ ᑕᑉᐱᑲᓃᖃᑎᒋᓗᒋᑦ ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᕕᐅᔪᒥ. “ᐃᑉᐱᒋᔭᖃᕐᐳᖓ ᐊᑐᐃᓐᓇᕈᕐᑎᑕᐅᓯᒪᒋᐊᖅ ᐊᓕᐊᒋᒻᒪᕆᑦᑕᕋᓂᒃ ᐱᒍᓐᓇᓚᕿᑎᑕᐅᑦᓱᖓ, ᐊᓕᐊᒋᔭᕋ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᒐᕋ ᐃᖕᖏᑎᐅᓂᒃᑯᑦ ᒫᓐᓇ.”

ᐃᓕᓴᐱᐅᑉ ᐱᑐᑦᓯᒪᓂᖓ ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᒃᑯᓄ ᐊᖏᔫᕗᖅ: ᐴᑯᓗᖓ, ᐃᕙ ᑐᑭᕐᕿᒃ, ᐱᓇᓱᐊᓯᒪᒻᒥᔪᖅ ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᒃᑯᓂ ᓲᓱᒋᔭᐅᓂᖃᑦᓯᐊᓱᓂ ᑕᓚᕖᓴᒃᑯᑎᑦᓯᔨᐅᑦᓱᓂ ᐊᕐᕋᒍᓂ ᐊᒥᓱᒐᓚᓐᓂ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᖓᖓ ᔮᔨ ᖃᕐᖄᔪᒃ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᖃᑦᑕᓯᒪᒻᒥᔪᖅ, ᓄᕐᖃᐸᑦᓱᓂ ᐅᑎᕐᐸᓱᓂᓗ 1979-ᒥᓂ, ᐱᖓᓱᕕᑦᓱᓂᓗ ᑲᑎᒪᔨᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᐊᖓᔪᕐᖃᐅᓯᒪᑦᓱᓂ. ᐊᓪᓛᑦ, ᐃᓕᓴᐱ ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᑎᐅᓂᕐᒥᓂᒃ ᐱᒋᐊᕐᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᐃᓅᓱᑦᑑᓱᓂ ᐃᖕᖏᖃᑎᐅᕙᑦᓱᓂ ᖃᕐᖃᔫᑉ ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᑎᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᓴᒃᓛᒥᒃ ᑌᔭᐅᓯᒪᔪᓄᑦ. ᐃᓕᓴᐱ ᐊᒥᓱᒻᒪᕆᓐᓂᒃ ᐊᐅᓚᔨᒐᖃᕐᑐᖅ ᐱᓇᓱᑦᑎᐅᓂᕕᓂᕐᒥᓂᑦ ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᒃᑯᓂ, ᐅᑦᑑᑎᒋᓗᒍ ᐃᓄᑐᖃᐅᑉ ᐊᓪᓚᕕᖓᓄᑦ ᐃᑎᕆᐊᖅ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᔭᐅᑦᑌᓕᑦᓱᓂ ᑐᓵᒋᐊᕐᑐᓱᓂ “ᓂᑦᔭᕈᑎᓕᐊᕆᓯᒪᔮᐱᑯᓗᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᒍᐃᓕ ᑐᕌᓲᑉ,” ᐅᖃᐅᑎᔭᐅᓯᒪᑦᓯᐊᕋᓗᐊᕐᓱᓂ ᐊᑦᑐᐃᒋᐊᖃᖕᖏᓚᕆᓐᓂᒥᒃ ᑖᒃᑯᓂᖓ ᒍᐃᓕ ᑐᕌᓲᑉ ᓂᑦᔭᕈᑎᓕᐊᕆᓯᒪᔭᖏᓐᓂᒃ. ᐅᓪᓗᒥᐅᓕᕐᑐᓕ, ᐃᒻᒪᖄ ᐃᓅᓱᑦᑐᖅ ᐱᓇᓱᒋᐅᕐᓴᑐᖅ ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᒃᑯᓂ ᐅᖃᐅᑎᔭᐅᓕᕋᔭᕐᑐᖅ ᐊᑐᐃᖁᔭᐅᖕᖏᓗᓂ ᐃᓕᓴᐱᐅᑉ ᓂᑦᔭᕈᑎᓕᐊᕆᓯᒪᔭᖏᓐᓂᒃ. ᐱᒍᓐᓇᓯᓯᒪᓪᓚᕆᑦᑐᖅ ᑌᑲᖕᖓᓂᑦ ᐃᓅᓱᑦᑑᓱᓂ ᓈᓚᐅᑎᒃᑰᑎᐅᓂᕕᓂᕐᒥᓂᑦ. 2024-ᖑᑎᓪᓗᒍ, ᐃᓕᓴᐱ ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᕆᐊᕐᑐᓯᒪᓚᐅᔪᖅ ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᓕᐅᕐᑏᑦ ᐃᓕᑕᕆᔭᐅᒍᑎᑖᕐᑎᓗᒋᑦ, ᐃᓕᑕᕆᔭᐅᒍᑎᑖᕐᓯᒪᑦᓱᓂᓗ ᐅᓪᓗᒥᒨᓕᖓᔪᓂᒃ ᓄᓇᖃᕐᖄᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᑎᓂ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᒥ ᓵᓚᖃᕐᑎᑕᐅᑦᓱᓂ ᓂᑦᔭᕈᑎᓕᐊᕆᓯᒪᔭᒥᓄᑦ ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᑦ, ᑖᓐᓇᓗ ᖁᓕᓂ ᐳᕐᑐᓂᕐᐸᐅᑎᑕᐅᔪᓂ ᐃᓚᒋᔭᐅᓯᒪᑦᓱᓂ Polaris ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑖᓕᐅᕐᑏᑦ ᓴᓚᖃᕐᑎᓯᒍᑎᒋᓲᖓᓄᑦ. ᐃᓕᓴᐱ ᑖᑦᓱᒥᖓ ᐃᓕᑕᕆᔭᐅᒍᑎᒥᒃ ᐊᓂᕐᕋᐅᔨᓯᒪᖕᖏᑲᓗᐊᕐᓱᓂ, Polaris-ᑯᓐᓂ ᐊᑎᕐᓄᑦ ᐃᓚᐅᔪᕕᓂᕐᓂᒃ ᓄᐃᑎᑕᑑᓚᐅᔪᖅ ᑲᓇᑕᐅᑉ ᐊᓪᓚᑕᕐᕕᓕᕆᔨᒃᑯᖏᑦᑕ ᖃᖓᑦᑕᐅᑎᖓᓂ, ᓄᐃᑕᐅᓚᐅᔪᒥ ᔫᓂᒥ. ᖃᖓᑕᐅᑎᒃ ᓄᐃᑕᐅᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᒪᓐᑐᕆᐊᒥ, ᐃᓚᖏᑦ ᓴᓪᓗᒥᐅᑦ ᐁᓯᒪᓚᐅᔪᐃᑦ. “ᕿᐊᓯᓚᐅᔪᐃᑦ ᓄᐃᑕᐅᑐᐊᕐᒪᑦ ᖃᖓᑦᑕᐅᑎᒃ…ᑌᑲᓂᑭᓯᐊᓂᑕᒐ ᖃᐅᔨᓗᖂᒥᓚᐅᔪᖓ—ᐱᒻᕆᐊᓘᒋᐊᖓᓂ”, ᐅᖃᕐᑐᖅ ᐃᓕᓴᐱ. ᖃᖓᑦᑕᐅᑎᒥ ᐊᑦᔨᖑᐊᖃᕆᐊᒥᒃ ᐅᐱᓇᕐᑐᒪᕆᐊᓗᒃ, ᐅᐱᓐᓇᕋᓂ ᓄᐃᑕᐅᕙᓪᓗᓲᖑᒻᒪᑕ ᐱᓂᐊᕐᓂᓕᕆᓂᕐᒥ ᓯᕗᓕᕐᑏᑦ, ᐊᑑᑎᓯᒪᔪᓂᑌᑦ ᐊᑕᓂᐊᓗᐃᓪᓗ. ᐃᓕᓴᐱ ᑕᒪᒃᑯᓄᖓᓕᖓᖕᖏᓇᒥ ᓱᒨᒻᒪᖔᑦ ᓇᓗᖏᓐᓇᓂᕋᕐᑐᖅ ᓇᓪᓕᑳᕐᑕᕕᓂᐅᒻᒪᖔᒻᒥ. ᑭᓯᐊᓂ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᒻᒥᔪᖅ ᓴᕐᕿᔭᕐᓂᖅ ᐱᒻᒪᕆᐊᓘᒋᐊᖓ ᐃᓄᑐᐃᓐᓀᑦ ᐃᓅᓱᑦᑐᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᓯᐊᓚᐅᕐᓯᒪᖕᖏᑐᓄᑦ ᑐᓴᕋᑦᓴᓂ, ᑕᕐᕋᓕᔮᓂ,ᑕᓚᕖᓴᒥ ᐊᑐᐊᒐᕐᓂᓗ. “ᑕᑯᓐᓇᑕᕋᒍᓪᓕ ᐃᒣᓕᖓᓂᕐᓴᖅ, ‘ᖃᓄᖅ ᐱᐊᕃᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᕐᑕᑐᒥᐅᑦ ᑖᑦᓱᒥ ᑕᑯᓐᓇᓚᖓᕙᑦ?’ [ᐅᕙᓐᓄᑦ, ᐅᐱᓇᕐᑐᐊᓗᒃ] ᓄᐃᑕᑎᑦᓯᒍᑎᒋᒐᒃᑯ ᐊᑕᓂᐊᓗᐊᐱᒃᑲᓂᒃ ᐅᑭᐅᕐᑕᑐᒥᐅᓂᒃ.”

— Kim Wheeler (Anishinaabe/Mohawk ᐊᓪᓚᒃ) ᐳᕐᑐᓂᕐᓴᖅ ᓴᕐᕿᑎᕆᔨ ᓄᓇᖃᕐᖄᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᓈᓚᐅᑎᒃᑰᑎᑦᓯᓂᐅᔪᓂᒃ ᑌᔭᐅᔪᒥᒃ ᐅᖃᐅᓰᑦ ᐃᓕᕐᖁᓯᕐᓗ. ᑐᓵᔭᐅᔪᑦᓴᔭᓂᒃ ᓴᕐᕿᑎᕆᔨ ᐅᖄᔨᐅᑦᓱᓂᓗ, ᐃᓚᖃᕐᑐᓂᒃ ᐅᑯᓂᖓ The Kim Wheeler Show; Turtle Island Talks; Auntie Up!; ᐊᒻᒪᓗ Gord Downnie Chanie Wenjack-ᓗ ᑮᓇᐅᔭᖃᕐᑎᓯᕕᖓᓂᒃ A Day to Listen. ᐊᓪᓚᓯᒪᔪᓕᐅᕐᑎ/ᓴᕐᕿᑎᕆᔨ ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᑏᑦ ᐃᓕᑕᕆᔭᐅᒍᑎᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ Remembering the Children: ᑲᓇᑕᓕᒫᒥ ᐅᓪᓗᓯᐅᕐᓂᖅ ᓱᓕᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᑲᓲᑎᓂᕐᒧᓗ. Wheeler ᐃᓚᖓᓂ ᐊᓪᓚᓯᒪᔪᓕᐅᕐᐸᒥᔪᖅ The New York Times Chateleine-ᓗ ᕿᒥᕐᕈᐊᖏᓐᓂ ᐊᑐᐊᕋᑦᓴᐅᔪᓂᒃ.

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ᖃᖓᑦᑕᐅᑎᒃ ᓄᐃᑕᑎᑦᓯᔪᖅ ᐃᓕᓴᐱᒥᒃ, ᑲᓇᑕᐅᑉ ᐊᓪᓚᑖᕐᕕᓕᕆᔨᖏᑦᑕ ᓄᓇᖃᕐᖄᓯᒪᔪᓂᒃ ᓯᕗᓕᕐᑐᓂᒃ ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᑎᑦᓯᒍᑎᖏᒍᑦ

ᐊᑐᐃᓇᐅᑎᑦᓯᔪᖅ CANADA POST (ᑲᓇᑕᒥ ᐊᓪᓚᑖᕐᕕᓕᕆᔩᑦ)

ᑕᓕᕐᐱᒥ

ᐃᓕᓴᐱ 2024-ᒥ ᑐᓂᔭᐅᔪᖅ Juno-ᑯᑦ ᐃᓕᑕᕐᓯᒍᑎᖓᓂᒃ ᒫᓐᓇᓯᐅᑎᓂᒃ ᓄᓇᓕᑐᖃᑦᓴᔦᑦ ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᒐᓕᐅᕈᓯᖏᓐᓅᓕᖓᔪᒥᒃ ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᕋᓕᐅᖃᑎᒌᓅᓕᖓᔪᑦᓱᓂᓗ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᒥ ᐊᑑᑎᔪᒥ ᐃᓄᑦᑎᑐᑦ ᓂᑦᔭᕈᑎᓕᐊᕆᓯᒪᔭᒥᓄᑦ (2023) ᖃᓕᕚᒃᓯᒥ, ᓄᕙ ᓯᑰᓴᒥ ᐊᑐᐃᓇᐅᑎᑦᓯᔪᖅ JUNO AWARDS

ᐊᑦᔨᓕᐅᕆᔪᖅ MORGAN HOTSTON

Taqramiut Nipingat Incorporated

41

ᖃᐅᔨᒪᔭᐅᒋᐊᓕᒃ: 1

ᐃᓕᓴᐱᐅᑉ ᐅᖃᕐᑕᓕᒫᖏᑦ, ᐊᐱᕆᔭᐅᑦᓱᓂ Kim Wheeler-ᒧᑦ, ᓄᕕᒻᐱᕆ 2024-ᒥ.

From Broadcast Booth to Centre Stage

YOUR NUNAVIK DISCOGRAPHY Not just words—this issue includes a playlist to bring you directly into the Nunavik radio broadcasting experience.

From rock to pop, folk to gospel, here are 25 records by Nunavik artists that can be frequently found playing on the Taqramiut Nipingat Incorporated airwaves.

SIDE A

Angava Wasted Time (2005 album)

Beatrice Deer Just Bea (2004 album) My All to You (2018 album)

Won Best Inuit Cultural Album at the 2005 Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards

Charlie Adams Quviasupunga (1997 album) Inuit and Indians (2003 album)

Won the 2024 Juno Award for Contemporary Indigenous Artist or Group of the Year and was shortlisted for the 2024 Polaris Music Prize

Elisapie The Ballad of the Runaway Girl (2018 album) Inuktitut (2023 album)

Geronimo Inutiq feat. Sylvia Cloutier Developments (2008 album)

Jaaji Nunaga (2015 album)

Johnny, Rhoda and Lizzie Gospel Collection (1997 album)

Juurini Saimanirmut (2020 album) Aqqutinni (2023 album)

Inuit Art Quarterly

42

Spring 2025

SIDE B

NIIVI “No Pride in Genocide” (2024 single)

Qalingu Napartuk Young Black Inuk (2009 album)

Qimujuit Cousin (1997 album)

Sinuupa Arctic Darkness (1998 album) Culture Shock (2012 album)

Sugluk “Ajuinarasuasuga (I Tried Hard),” “Fall Away” and “I Didn’t Know” by Sugluk and “Anaanaga” by William Tagoona were all featured on the compilation album Native North America, Vol. 1: Aboriginal Folk, Rock, and Country 1966–1985 (2014), which was nominated for Best Historical Album at the 2015 Grammy Awards and longlisted for the 2015 Polaris Music Prize

“Attama Onnikansigit (My Father’s Story)” b/w “Sunamiq Pigumavit (What Do You Want?)” / “Ajuinarasuasuga (I Tried Hard)” (1975 45 EP) “Fall Away / I Didn’t Know” b/w “Ballad of the Running Girl / Little Boy” 7” (1975 45 EP)

Taima

Won the 2005 Juno Award for Aboriginal Recording of the Year

Taima (2004 album)

Twin Flames Signal Fire (2017 album) “Human” (2019 single) Omen (2020 album)

William Tagoona

Commissioned

by UNESCO as the official song to celebrate the International Year of Indigenous Languages

Northern Man (1978 album) “Anaanaga” (2014 single)

Taqramiut Nipingat Incorporated

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Your Nunavik Discography

A Vision that Became Reality

ᓯᕗᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᑕᑯᓐᓇᒐᐅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᐊᑑᑎᔪᖕᖑᓯᒪᔪᖅ

—

by Claude Grenier and Julie Grenier

— ᐅᓂᒃᑳᑕᐅᔪᖅ ᔫᓕ ᑯᕆᓃᒧᑦ ᑯᓘᑦ ᑯᕆᓃᒧᓪᓗ

— par Claude Grenier et Julie Grenier

Une Vision Devenue Réalité

— Inuktitut translation by MKL Consulting Inc.

— ᐃᓄᑦᑎᑑᓕᕐᑎᑕᐅᔪᖅ MKL Consulting Inc.-ᒧᑦ

— traduction inuktitut par MKL Consulting Inc.

— French translation by RushTranslate

— ᒍᐃᒍᐃᑎᑐᓕᕐᑎᑕᐅᔪᖅ RushTranslate-ᒧᑦ

— traduction française par RushTranslate

50-ᓂᒃ ᐊᕐᕋᒍᕐᑐᓕᕐᓂᒥᒃ ᓇᓪᓕᐅᓂᕐᓯᐅᓂᖃᕐᓱᑎᒃ, ᔫᓕ ᑯᕆᓃ, ᑲᒪᔨᒻᒪᕆᒋᔭᐅᔪᖅ ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᑦ ᓂᐱᖓᒃᑯᓄᑦ (TNI), ᐊᑖᑕᖓᓗ ᑯᓘᑦ ᑯᕆᓃ, ᑲᒪᔨᒻᒪᕆᐅᓯᒪᒻᒥᔪᖅ 1998-ᒥᑦ 2017-ᒧᑦ, ᐅᖄᒍᑎᖃᕐᐴᒃ ᖁᕕᐊᓲᑎᖃᕐᓱᑎᓪᓗ ᓄᐃᑕᐅᓯᒪᓂᖓᓂᒃ, ᐃᖏᕐᕋᓯᒪᓂᖓᓂᓪᓗ ᓯᕗᓂᑦᓴᖓᓂᓪᓗ ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᑦ ᓂᐱᖓᒃᑯᑦ.

Celebrating the 50th anniversary, Julie Grenier, the current Director General of Taqramiut Nipingat Incorporated (TNI), and her father Claude Grenier, former Director General from 1998 to 2017, discuss and celebrate the inception, journey and future of TNI.

ᔫᓕ ᑯᕆᓃ: ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᑦ ᓂᐱᖓ ᑐᓴᕋᑦᓴᓕᕆᔨᐅᔪᖅ ᓄᓇᕕᒻᒥ ᑐᓴᐅᒪᑎᑦᓯᔨᐅᑦᓱᓂ ᑕᑯᓐᓇᕋᑦᓴᖃᕐᑎᓯᔨᐅᑦᓱᓂᓗ ᓄᓇᕕᒻᒥᐅᓂᒃ ᐃᓄᑦᑎᑑᕐᑐᓂᒃ. ᐱᑦᔪᔨᔪᖅ 14-ᓂᒃ ᓄᓇᓕᓐᓂᒃ—ᑐᓴᕐᓴᐅᒍᓐᓇᓱᓂ ᓄᓇᓕᐊᕐᓯᒪᔪᓄᑦ, ᒪᙯᕝᕕᒦᑦᑐᓄᑦ ᐱᑐᑦᓯᒪᕕᐅᒍᓐᓇᓱᓂᓗ ᖃᕆᑕᐅᔭᒃᑯᑦ— ᑕᕿᕐᕋᒥᐅᑦ ᓂᐱᖓᑦ ᖃᐅᑕᒫᑦ ᓈᓚᐅᑎᒥᒃ ᑐᓴᕐᓴᐅᑎᑦᓯᖃᑎᐅᔪᖅ ᑕᓚᕖᓴᒃᑯᑐᓂᓗ ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᑎᑦᓯᓱᓂ ᓄᓇᕕᒻᒥᐅᓄᑦ ᐃᓄᑦᑎᑑᕐᑐᓂᒃ, ᓄᓇᕕᓕᒫᒨᓕᖓᔪᓂᒃ ᓄᓇᓕᒻᒨᓕᖓᑐᐃᓐᓇᑐᓂᓪᓘᓃᑦ ᑐᓴᕋᑦᓴᖃᓲᖅ, ᐅᓂᒃᑳᑐᐊᓂᒃ ᑲᑎᒪᓂᐅᔪᓂᓪᓗ ᐊᑑᑎᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᑐᓴᕐᑕᐅᑎᑦᓯᕙᒻᒥᓱᓂ. ᑐᓴᕋᑦᓴᓕᕆᒍᑏᑦ ᐃᓚᒋᔭᐅᓪᓚᕆᑦᑐᖅ ᓄᓇᖃᕐᖄᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᓄᓇᓕᖏᓐᓄᑦ, ᐱᓗᐊᕐᑐᒥᒃ ᐅᖓᓯᑦᑐᒥᐅᓄᑦ ᐅᐸᒐᓐᓃᑑᒍᓐᓇᑐᓄᑦ. ᐅᖄᖃᑎᒌᒍᑎᐅᒍᓐᓇᑐᑦ, ᑐᓴᐅᒪᒍᑎᐅᓗᑎᓪᓗ ᓱᔪᖃᓕᕐᒪᖔᑦ ᓇᓂᑐᐃᓐᓇᖅ, ᓯᓚᓐᓂᐊᕈᑎᐅᔪᓂᒃ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᒍᑎᐅᓗᓂ ᒪᙯᑦᑐᓄᑦ, ᖃᐅᔨᒪᔭᐅᑎᑦᓯᔨᐅᑦᓱᓂᓗ ᐱᒻᒪᕆᐅᔪᓂᒃ ᑐᓵᒍᑎᐅᑦᓱᓂᓗ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᕐᒥᒃ. ᐊᓂᕐᕋᐅᔪᓕᒫᑦ ᓄᓇᕕᒻᒥ, ᖃᖓᑐᐃᓐᓇᓕᒫᖅ ᓈᓚᒐᓱᐊᓯᒍᓐᓇᑐᑦ ᑕᑯᓐᓇᕋᓱᐊᓯᓗᑎᓪᓘᓃᑦ ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᒃᑯᑦ ᑐᓴᕐᓴᐅᑎᑕᖏᓐᓂᒃ. ᐊᕐᕌᒍᐃᑦ ᐱᒋᐊᕐᐸᓕᐊᓂᕕᓂᐅᔪᑦ ᑐᑭᓯᓇᕐᑎᑫᓐᓇᓚᕗᑦ ᑕᑯᒋᐊᖕᖏᓂᑦᑎᓂᒃ ᐱᕙᓪᓕᐊᓯᒪᓂᖓᓂᒃ ᑐᓴᕈᑎᓕᕆᔨᐅᑉ, 1970-ᐃᑦ ᐱᒻᒪᕆᐊᓘᓯᒪᒻᒪᑕ ᐱᕙᓪᓕᐊᑎᑕᐅᓕᕐᓂᖓᓄᑦ ᓄᓇᕕᐅᑉ. ᑯᓘᑦ ᑯᕆᓃ: 1970-ᐃᑦ ᐱᒋᐊᕐᖃᒥᐅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᐊᖏᖃᑎᒌᒐᓱᐊᕐᓂᒪᕆᖃᕐᓯᒪᕗᖅ ᑯᐯᑉ ᑕᕐᕋᖓᓂ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᑲᑐᑦᔨᖃᑎᒌᓐᓂᖓᓄᑦ (NQIA) ᑯᐯᒃᑯᑦ ᑲᕙᒪᖓᓄᑦ ᑲᕙᒪᑐᖃᒃᑯᓄᓪᓗ ᓄᐃᑦᓯᒍᑎᐅᑦᓱᓂ ᐊᑎᓕᐅᕐᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᒥᒃ ᓯᕗᓪᓕᐹᓪᓚᕆᒻᒥᒃ ᓄᓇᑖᕈᑎᐅᔪᒥᒃ ᑲᓇᑕᒥ, ᔦᒻᔅ ᐯ ᑯᐯᑉ ᑕᕐᕋᖓᑕᓗ ᐊᖏᖃᑎᒌᓐᓂᖓ (JBNQA), 1975ᖑᑎᓪᓗᒍ. ᓲᑭᐊᖑᒐᓗᐊᖅ, ᑐᓴᕋᑦᓴᓕᕆᒍᑏᑦ ᐃᓚᐅᑎᑕᐅᓯᒪᖕᖏᑐᑦ ᐊᖏᖃᑎᒌᒐᓱᐊᕐᑐᓂ ᐅᐱᓐᓇᕋᓂ ᓄᓇᑖᕋᓱᐊᕐᓂᒧᑦ ᐊᖏᖃᑎᒌᒍᑎᐅᑉ ᐃᓗᐊᓂᖕᖏᓚᕿᔪᑦ, ᑌᒣᒻᒪᑦ ᐃᒻᒥᒎᕐᑐᑯᑦ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᑕᐅᒋᐊᖃᕐᓂᖓ ᓄᐃᑕᐅᒋᐊᖃᕐᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᑐᓴᕋᑦᓴᓕᕆᓂᖅ ᓵᖕᖓᔭᐅᖁᑦᓱᒍ.

JG: ᖃᓄᕐᓖ ᐃᓱᒪᑖᖑᓐᓂᖃ ᑐᓴᕋᑦᓴᓕᕆᔨᕐᑖᕆᐊᖃᕐᓂᖅ, ᖃᓄᕐᓗ ᑯᐯᑉ ᑕᕐᕋᖓᓂ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᑲᑐᑦᔨᖃᑎᒌᓐᓂᖓ ᑐᑭᓯᑎᑦᓯᒍᓐᓇᓯᓐᓂᖃ ᑲᕙᒪᑐᖃᒃᑯᓂᒃ ᑐᓴᕋᑦᓴᓕᕆᓂᐅᑉ ᐊᑑᑎᖃᓪᓚᕆᓐᓂᖓᓂᒃ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕈᑕᐅᒋᐊᖃᕐᓂᑯᑦ ᓄᓇᕕᒻᒥ?

CG: ᔫᓯᐱ ᐹᓪᓚᔮᑦ (1974–2024), ᐊᖓᔪᕐᖃᖑᒋᐊᖕᖓᓕᕐᑐᕕᓂᖅ ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᒃᑯᓂ, ᓯᕗᓪᓕᐸᐅᑦᓱᓂ ᐃᓄᑐᐃᓐᓇᐅᓱᓂ ᐱᓇᓱᑦᑎᑖᖑᓯᒪᔪᖅ NQIAᑯᓄᑦ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᓂᐊᓕᕐᑎᓗᒍ ᑐᓴᕋᑦᓴᓕᕆᓂᕐᒨᓕᖓᔪᓂᒃ 1970-ᐃᑦ ᐱᒋᐊᕐᖃᒥᐅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ. ᐊᕐᕕᑕᕐᓂᖃᓯᓚᐅᕐᑐᕕᓂᖅ ᐊᑐᓂ ᓄᓇᓖᑦ ᑲᑎᒪᔨᖏᑦ ᐅᖄᖃᑎᒋᔭᐅᒋᐊᕐᑐᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᑕᒪᓐᓇᓗ ᑐᓴᕈᑎᖃᑦᓯᐊᖏᓐᓂᖅ ᓄᓇᕕᒻᒥ ᐅᖄᔭᑦᓴᒪᕆᐅᖃᑕᐅᑎᓪᓗᒍ. ᐊᕐᕕᑕᕐᓂᖃᕇᕐᓯᒪᓕᕐᑎᓗᒍ, ᕿᒥᕐᕈᐊᖅ ᐊᑐᐊᒐᖅ ᑌᔭᐅᔪᖅ ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᑦ (Taqramiut); The Northerners; Les septentrionaux (1974) ᓄᐃᑕᐅᓕᓚᐅᕐᓯᒪᔪᖅ NQIA-ᑯᓄᑦ, ᐱᖓᓱᓂᒃ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᕐᓂᒃ ᐊᓪᓚᓯᒪᔪᕐᑕᖃᕐᓱᓂ ᑐᓂᔭᐅᓕᕐᓂᒥᔪᖅ ᑲᕙᒪᑐᖃᕐᑯᓄᑦ ᓄᐃᑕᑎᑦᓯᒍᑎᐅᒐᓱᐊᕐᓱᓂ ᐱᒻᒪᕆᐅᓂᖓᓂᒃ ᐃᓄᕐᓴᕈᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᑦ JBNQA-ᒧᑦ, ᐃᓚᒋᔭᐅᑎᓪᓗᒍᑦ ᑐᓴᕈᑎᓕᕆᓂᖅ.

JULIE GRENIER: Taqramiut Nipingat Incorporated is a media society in Nunavik that provides communications and entertainment services to Nunavimmiut in Inuktitut.

Serving 14 communities—as well as accessible on the land, at camps and online—TNI is one of the main sources of daily radio and television broadcasting programs to Nunavimmiut in Inuktitut, including regional and local news, stories, music and live gatherings. Communications are integral for all Indigenous communities, especially for remote communities which can be very difficult to travel to.

They are a means to speak to one another, hear what is happening elsewhere, receive weather forecasts while out on the land, draw attention to important matters and hear the language. Every household in Nunavik will, at some point, tune in to TNI programming.

Let’s put the early years in context before jumping into the development of a communications society, as

Inuit Art Quarterly

JG: ᑖᓐᓇ Northerners ᐊᑐᐊᒐᖅ ᑐᓂᔭᐅᓚᐅᕐᑎᓗᒍ ᑲᕙᒪᒃᑯᓄᑦ, ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᑦ ᓂᐱᖓᑦ ᓄᐃᑕᐅᓕᓚᐅᕐᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᑐᓴᕋᑦᓴᓕᕆᔨᐅᓂᐊᓕᕐᑎᓗᒍ ᓄᓇᕕᒻᒥ. ᖃᓄᐃᑦᑑᓯᒪᕙ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᑕᐅᓂᖓ?

CG: ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᑕᐅᓂᖓ ᐱᒋᐊᕐᓯᒪᔪᖅ 1973-ᖑᑎᓪᓗᒍ, ᓯᕗᓪᓕᐹᑦᓯᐊᒥ ᓄᓇᕕᒻᒥ ᐊᑑᑎᒋᐅᕐᑐᒥᒃ ᑲᑎᒪᓂᖃᓕᕐᑐᕕᓂᖅ ᓴᓪᓗᓂ, ᓄᓇᕕᒻᒥ ᑐᓴᕈᑎᖃᕆᐊᖃᕐᓂᖅ ᑲᑎᒪᐅᑕᐅᑎᓪᓗᖑ, ᓄᓇᓖᑦ ᐊᑐᓂ ᑭᒡᒐᑐᑎᖃᕐᑎᓗᒋᑦ ᑲᑎᒪᔪᓂ. ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᑦ ᓂᐱᖓᑦ ᓄᐃᑕᐅᓪᓚᕆᓕᓚᐅᕐᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᓯᑎᒻᐱᕆ 8, 1975-ᒥ, ᖃᖏᕐᓂᑯᓕᐅᕐᑎᐅᖏᑦᑐᒥᒃ ᑎᒥᖕᖑᒍᑎᖃᕐᓱᓂ, ᑭᖑᓂᐊᒍᑦ

46

Spring 2025

À l’occasion du 50e anniversaire, Julie Grenier, l’actuelle directrice générale de Taqramiut Nipingat Incorporated (TNI), et son père Claude Grenier, ancien directeur général de 1998 à 2017, reviennent sur la création, l’évolution et l’avenir de TNI.

JULIE GRENIER: Taqramiut Nipingat Incorporated (TNI) est une société médiatique basée au Nunavik qui fournit des services de communication et de divertissement aux Nunavimmiut en inuktitut.

Desservant 14 communautés—et accessible également sur le territoire, dans les camps et en ligne—TNI est l’une des principales sources de programmes quotidiens de radio et de télévision en inuktitut pour les Nunavimmiut. Elle diffuse notamment des actualités régionales et locales, des récits, de la musique et des rassemblements en direct. La communication joue un rôle essentiel pour toutes les communautés autochtones, en particulier pour celles qui sont éloignées et difficiles d’accès. Elle permet aux gens de se parler, de se tenir informés des événements ailleurs, de recevoir des prévisions météorologiques lorsqu’ils sont sur le territoire, d’attirer l’attention sur des questions importantes et d’entendre leur langue.

Chaque foyer du Nunavik syntonise, à un moment donné, la programmation de TNI. Avant d’aborder la création d’une société de communication, remettons-nous dans le contexte des années 1970, qui ont été une période clé pour le développement de la région.

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Taqramiut Nipingat Incorporated

ALL COURTESY TAQRAMIUT NIPINGAT INCORPORATED

ᐃᓘᓐᓇᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᑐᓂᓯᔪᖅ ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᑦ ᓂᐱᖓᑦ

TOUTES LES PHOTOS SONT UNE COURTOISIE DE TAQRAMIUT NIPINGAT INCORPORATED

OPPOSITE

ᒪᑉᐱᒐᐅᑉ ᐁᑉᐹᓂ

ABOVE

An Elder and Akinisie Sivuarapik behind the scenes of the episode “Torngat Mountains National Park, an Overview” of Our People, Our Land, Torngat Mountains National Park, 2015

47

PRÉCÉDENT

Les monts Torngat en coulisses des parties 1 et 2 de “Torngats: Voyage à travers le Labrador,” une série de Notre Peuple, Notre Terre (2014–en cours), Parc national des Monts-Torngat, 20155

From top: Sarah Ainalik Ikey and Peta Tayara working with radios behind the sceness

CLAUDE GRENIER: Oui, au début des années 1970, d’importantes négociations ont eu lieu entre l’Association

ᓯᕗᓪᓕᖅ

ᑑᕐᙰ ᖃᕐᖃᖏᓐᓂ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᑐᑦ ᓄᐃᑕᔪᑦᓴᓕᐅᕐᓱᑎᒃ ᓯᕗᓪᓕᒥᒃ ᑐᖓᓕᐊᓂᓪᓗ “ᑐᕐᙰᑦ: ᐃᖏᕐᕋᓂᖅ ᓛᐸᑐᐊᒃᑯᑦ” ᐃᓅᖁᑎᕗᑦ, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ (2014-ᐅᓪᓗᒥᒧᑦ), ᑑᕐᙰᑦ ᖃᕐᖃᖏᑦᑕ ᒥᕐᖑᐃᓯᕐᕕᖓ, 2015

The Torngat Mountains behind the scenes of Part 1 and Part 2 of “Torngats: Journey Through Labrador” of Our People, Our Land (2014–ongoing), Torngat Mountains National Park, 2015

ᖁᓛᓂᑦ: ᓯᐊᔭ ᐁᓐᓇᓕᒃ ᐁᑭ ᐱᑕ ᑕᔭᕋᕐᓗ ᓈᓚᐅᑎᒃᑰᑑᒃ ᖁᓛᓂ

ᐃᓄᑐᖃᕐ ᐊᑭᓂᓯ ᓯᕗᐊᕌᐱᓪᓗ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᑑᒃ ᓄᐃᑕᔪᑦᓴᓕᐊᖑᑎᓪᓗᒍ “ᑑᕐᙰᑦ ᖃᕐᖃᖏᑦᑕ ᒥᕐᖑᐃᓯᕐᕕᖓ, ᕿᒥᕐᕈᓂᖅ” ᐃᓅᖁᑎᕗᑦ, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ, ᑑᕐᙰᑦ ᖃᕐᖃᖏᑦᑕ ᒥᕐᒍᐃᓯᕐᕕᖓ, 2015

EN FACE

De haut en bas: Sarah Ainalik Ikey et Peta Tayara travaillant avec des radios en coulisses AU-DESSUS

Un Aîné et Akinisie Sivuarapik en coulisses de l’épisode “Parc National des Monts-Torngat, un Aperçu” de Notre Peuple, Notre Terre, Parc National des Monts-Torngat, 2015

A Vision that Became Reality

ABOVE

Still of Mark Watt driving a sled dog team from the episode “Father and Son” of Adventures on Inuit Land (2021–ongoing)

the 1970s were important in the development of the region.

CLAUDE GRENIER: Yes, in the early ’70s major negotiations took place between the Northern Quebec Inuit Association (NQIA) and the provincial and federal governments that led to the signing of the first major land claims agreement in Canada, the James Bay Northern Quebec Agreement (JBNQA), in 1975. Unfortunately, communications were not included in the negotiations and therefore were not a part of the land claims agreement, so it became essential that a separate approach be put in place to make sure that communications would be taken care of.

JG: How did the idea of creating a communications society come about, and how did the NQIA convince the federal government that communications were an essential tool for Nunavik?

CG: Josepi Padlayat (1947–2024), who later became the first president of TNI, was the first Inuk hired by the NQIA to work on the communications file in the early 1970s.

A field trip was organized to hold discussions with each community council and the

Inuit Art Quarterly

absence of communications within Nunavik was one of the main topics.

As a result of the field trip, a book entitled ᑕᖅᕋᒥᐅᑦ (Taqramiut); The Northerners; Les septentrionaux (1974) was published by the NQIA in three languages and eventually presented to the federal government to demonstrate the importance of filling the gaps left by the JBNQA, including communications.

JG: Following the presentation of The Northerners to the government, TNI was established as a communications society for Nunavik. What did that process look like?

CG: The process began in 1973 when, for the first time in Nunavik’s history, a meeting about communications took place in Sugluk (now Salluit, Nunavik, QC) with representatives from each community.

TNI was officially created on September 8, 1975, as a not-for-profit organization, which later transitioned to a not-for-profit corporation in 2014.

JG: Although TNI now undertakes different levels of communications, it was essential to determine the first priority for the region.

48

ᖁᓛᓂ

ᐊᑦᔨᖑᐊᖓ ᒫᒃ ᒍᐊᑦ ᕿᒧᑦᓯᑐᖅ ᓄᐃᑕᔪᑦᓴᐅᑎᓪᓗᒍ “ᐊᑖᑕ ᐃᕐᓂᖓᓗ” ᓄᓇᒦᓐᓂᖅ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᓄᓇᖓᓐᓂ (2021–ᐅᓪᓗᒥᒧᑦ)

AU-DESSUS

Image de Mark Watt conduisant un attelage de chiens de traîneau dans l’épisode “Père et Fils” de Aventures en Terre Inuite (2021–en cours)

There was definitely a lot of work to be done, however, it seemed clear that radio communications were urgently needed.

CG: At the time, Nunavimmiut only had access to CBC Northern Service (now CBC North) shortwave frequency radio, which started in the 1960s. CBC Northern Service had a few programs in Inuktitut which were very much appreciated by Inuit.

About a year after the creation of TNI, the first initiative was to establish an inter-community high-frequency (HF) radio link as a communication system for Nunavimmiut. Over time, HF systems were installed in each of the communities and independently operated by each of the community councils.

Another important step was to create local frequency modulation (FM) radio stations in the communities. TNI would record stories and news on cassette tapes, then copies were made for each local radio station and sent by airplane to the communities for local broadcast. This wasn’t an ideal system because of flight delays caused by bad weather, but the communities were finally getting programming in Inuktitut.

Later, recorded cassettes were sent to CBC North in Montreal, QC, to be

Spring 2025

ᑲᖏᕐᓂᑯᓕᐅᕐᑎᐅᖏᑦᑑᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᑯᐊᐳᕇᓴᖕᖑᓂᖃᓕᓚᐅᕐᓯᒪᔪᖅ 2014-ᒥ.

des Inuits du Nord québécois (NQIA) et les gouvernements provincial et fédéral, aboutissant à la signature du tout premier grand accord sur les revendications territoriales au Canada : la Convention de la Baie-James et du Nord Québécois (CBJNQ) en 1975. Malheureusement, les communications n’ont pas été incluses dans les négociations et ne faisaient donc pas partie de l’accord, ce qui a rendu essentiel l’adoption d’une approche distincte pour garantir leur prise en charge.

JG: ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᑦ ᓂᐱᖓᑦ ᐊᑦᔨᒌᖕᖏᑐᓂᒃ ᑐᓴᕋᑦᓴᓕᕆᒍᓯᖃᓕᕋᓗᐊᕐᑎᓗᒍ ᐅᓪᓗᒥ, ᓇᓗᓀᕐᓯᓂᖃᕆᐊᖃᕐᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᓯᕗᓪᓕᐸᐅᑦᔭᐅᔭᕆᐊᓕᒻᒥᒃ ᓄᓇᕕᒻᒥ. ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕋᑦᓴᓕᒻᒪᕆᐊᓘᓯᒪᔪᖅ, ᑭᓯᐊᓂ, ᓱᕐᖁᐃᓯᐊᕐᑐᒥᒃ ᓈᓚᐅᑎᒃᑯᑦ ᑐᓴᐅᒪᑎᑕᐅᓂᐅᒋᐊᓕᒃ ᐱᑕᖃᕆᐊᖃᕐᓂᖓ ᓇᓗᓀᕐᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᑭᖕᖑᒪᓇᕐᑐᓚᕆᐅᒋᐊᖓ.

CG: ᑌᑦᓱᒪᓂ, ᓄᓇᕕᒻᒥᐅᑦ ᓰᐱᓰᒃᑯᑦ ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᓂᒃ ᓈᓚᐅᑎᒃᑯᑦ ᑐᓵᐅᒪᑎᑦᓯᒍᑎᖓᓂᒃ ᑐᓴᒍᓐᓇᑕᑐᐊᖃᕐᓯᒪᔪᑦ (ᐅᓪᓗᒥᐅᓕᕐᑐᖅ ᓰᐱᓰᑯᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᕐᑕᑐᒥ), ᐱᒋᐊᓚᐅᕐᑐᕕᓂᕐᒥᒃ 1960-ᓂ. ᓰᐱᓰᒃᑯᑦ ᐃᑭᑦᑑᒐᓗᐊᓂᒃ ᐃᓄᑦᑎᑑᕐᑐᓂᒃ ᑐᓴᕐᓴᐅᑎᑦᓯᖃᑦᑕᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐅᐱᒋᔭᐅᓪᓚᕆᑦᓯᒪᔪᐃᓪᓗ ᑖᑯᐊ ᐃᓄᓐᓄᑦ. ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᑦ ᓂᐱᖓᑦ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᓕᒫᒥ ᓄᐃᑕᓕᕐᑎᓗᒍ, ᐱᒋᐊᖕᖓᑕᐅᔪᖃᓕᕐᓂᒥᔪᖅ ᓄᓇᓖᑦ ᐱᑐᑦᓯᒪᐅᑎᒋᒍᓐᓇᑕᖓᓂᒃ ᐆᕚᕈᑎᓂᒃ ᓈᓚᐅᑎᓂᒃ ᐊᑐᐃᓐᓇᕈᕐᑕᐅᓱᑎᒃ ᑐᓴᐅᒪᖃᑎᒌᒍᑎᐅᓂᐊᕐᑎᓗᒋᑦ ᓄᓇᕕᒻᒥᐅᓄᑦ. ᑖᒃᑯᐊ ᐃᓂᓪᓚᑕᐅᕙᓪᓕᐊᓯᔪᕕᓃᑦ ᐊᑐᓂ ᓄᓇᓕᓐᓂ ᐊᐅᓚᑕᐅᑦᓱᑎᓪᓗ ᓄᓇᓕᐅᑉ ᑲᑎᒪᔨᖏᓐᓄᑦ. ᐊᓪᓗᕆᐊᕐᓂᒪᕆᐅᓯᒪᒻᒥᔪᕐᑕᐅᒃ ᓄᐃᑎᕐᑕᐅᓂᖓᑦ ᑐᓴᐅᑏᑦ ᓄᓇᓕᓐᓂ. ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᒃᑯᑦ ᓂᐱᓕᐅᕆᖃᑦᑕᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᑐᐊᓂᒃ ᑐᓴᕋᑦᓴᓂᓪᓗ, ᐊᒥᓱᓕᐊᕆᑦᓱᒋᑦ ᖃᖓᑦᑕᔫᒃᑯᑦ ᐊᐅᓪᓚᑎᑦᓱᒋᑦ ᑐᔫᑎᐅᖃᑦᑕᓱᑎᒃ ᓄᓇᓕᓐᓄᑦ ᑐᓴᕐᓴᐅᔪᑦᓴᐅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᑐᓴᐅᑎᖏᑦᑎᒍᑦ. ᑕᒪᓐᓇ ᐃᓱᐊᕐᑐᑐᐃᓐᓇᐅᓯᒪᖕᖏᑑᒐᓗᐊᖅ ᐅᐱᓐᓇᕋᓂ ᖃᖓᑦᑕᔫᑦ ᑭᖑᕙᕐᑕᓂᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᓯᓚᕐᓂᓗᒻᒧᑦ ᑭᓯᐊᓂ ᓄᓇᓖᑦ ᐃᓄᑦᑎᑑᕐᑐᓂᒃ ᑐᓵᒍᓐᓇᓯᑦᓴᓕᕋᑕᕈᑎᕕᓂᖓᑦ.

JG: Comment l’idée de créer une société de communication est-elle née, et comment la NQIA a-t-elle convaincu le gouvernement fédéral que les communications étaient un outil essentiel pour le Nunavik ?

CG: Josepi Padlayat (1947–2024), qui est ensuite devenu le premier président de TNI, a été le premier Inuk embauché par la NQIA pour travailler sur le dossier des communications au début des années 1970. Une tournée a été organisée pour tenir des discussions avec chaque conseil communautaire, et l’absence de moyens de communication au Nunavik était l’un des principaux sujets abordés. À la suite de cette tournée, un livre intitulé ᑕᖅᕋᒥᐅᑦ (Taqramiut); The Northerners; Les septentrionaux

RIGHT

Clockwise from top left: Charlie Shipaluk, Bobby May Jr., Sailasie Qumak and Charlie Adams working on videography behind the scenes ᑕᓕᕐᐱᒥ

ᑕᓕᕐᐱᒥᑦ ᖁᓛᓂ: ᓴᐅᒥᐊᓄᑦ : ᓵᓕ ᓯᕐᐸᓗᒃ, ᐹᐱ ᒣ ᓄᑲᕐᓯᖅ, ᓭᓚᓯ ᖁᒪᖅ ᓵᓕ ᐋᑕᒥᓗ ᐊᐅᓚᔫᓕᐅᕐᑕᐅᒪᔪᓂᒃ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᑐᑦ DROITE

Dans le sens horaire, en partant du haut à gauche: Charlie Shipaluk, Bobby May Jr., Sailasie Qumak et Charlie Adams travaillant sur la vidéographie en coulisses

Taqramiut Nipingat Incorporated

49

A Vision that Became Reality

ᑭᖑᓂᐊᖑᑦ, ᓂᐱᓕᐅᕐᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᓯᐱᓰᑯᓄᑦ ᒪᓐᑐᕆᐊᒥ ᑐᔫᑎᐅᖃᑦᑕᓯᓐᓂᒥᔪᑦ, ᓈᓚᐅᑎᖏᑦᑎᒍᑦ ᑐᓴᕐᑕᐅᓂᐊᓕᕐᓱᑎᒃ, ᑭᓯᐊᓂ ᐃᓓᓐᓇᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᓄᓇᓕᓐᓄᑦ ᑐᓴᕐᑕᐅᒍᓐᓇᖃᑦᑕᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᓯᐱᓰᒃᑯᑦ ᐱᐅᒃᑯᑎᖃᕈᓐᓇᓯᑎᑦᓯᓯᒪᒻᒪᑕ ᑕᓪᓕᒣᓐᓇᓂᒃ ᐅᓄᒋᐊᓐᓂᐹᓂᒃ ᐃᓄᓕᓐᓂᒃ ᓄᓇᓕᓐᓂᒃ. ᓯᐱᓰᒃᑯᓂᒃ ᑐᓴᕐᓴᐅᑎᑦᓯᒍᒪᒍᑎᒃ ᐊᓯᖏᓐᓂ ᓄᓇᓕᓐᓂ, ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᒃᑯᑦ ᑮᓇᐅᔭᖃᕐᑎᓯᒋᐊᖃᕐᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᓂᐅᕕᕆᐊᓕᓐᓂᒃ, ᐃᓕᔭᐅᒋᐊᓕᓐᓂᒃ ᓯᖁᒥᑦᓯᒪᑎᑦᓯᑌᓕᒍᑎᓂᓪᓗ ᐱᐅᒃᑯᑎᓂᒃ. ᑕᒪᑦᓱᒪ ᑭᖑᓂᐊᐱᐊᒍᑦ, ᐱᑐᑦᓯᒪᒍᑎᒃ ᖁᒻᒧᐊᑎᑕᐅᓯᒪᓕᕐᑎᓗᒍ, Telesat Canada (Telesat-ᖑᓕᕐᑐᖅ) ᐱᒍᑦᔨᐸᓪᓕᐊᓯᔪᕕᓂᖅ ᓄᓇᕕᒻᒥᒃ, ᖃᐅᑕᒫᑦ ᓈᓚᐅᑎᒃᑰᕈᑎᐅᓂᐊᕐᑐᑦ ᐊᑐᐃᓐᓇᕈᕐᑎᑕᐅᖃᑦᑕᓯᔪᕕᓃᑦ ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᑦ ᐊᓪᓚᕕᒻᒪᕆᖃᕐᕕᖓᓂ ᓴᓪᓗᓂ ᑐᓴᕐᑕᐅᑎᑕᐅᖃᑦᑕᓯᑦᓱᑎᒃ ᖁᒻᒧᐊᑎᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᕐᑎᒍᑦ ᓯᐱᓰᒃᑯᑎᒍᑦ ᒪᓐᑐᕆᐊᒥᑦ ᓂᐱᓕᐅᕐᓯᒪᖕᖏᑑᑦᓱᑎᒃ. ᑌᑦᓱᒪᓂ, ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᒃᑯᑦ ᑐᓴᕐᓴᐅᖃᑦᑕᑐᕕᓃᑦ ᒪᕐᕈᓂᒃ ᑫᕙᓪᓚᒍᓰᓐᓂᒃ ᖃᐅᑕᒫᑦ—ᐱᖓᓱᖕᖑᓂᐊᓕᕋᒥᒃ ᖃᐅᑕᒫᑦ—ᐊᓪᓕᕇᕐᑐᓂ ᓂᕿᑦᓯᕕᒻᒧᑦ. ᓄᓇᕕᒻᒥᐅᑦ ᐅᓪᓗᒥ ᓈᓚᐅᑎᒃᑯᓯᐊᕐᓂᓴᐅᔪᓂᒃ ᑐᓵᕙᓕᕐᑐᑦ ᐃᓄᑦᑎᑐᓪᓗ ᐱᑦᔪᔭᐅᒍᑎᖃᑦᓯᐊᓂᕐᓴᐅᓕᕐᓱᑎᒃ.

1999-ᖑᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᑕᕋᒥᐅᑦ ᓂᐱᖓᒃᑯᖏᑦᑕ ᑲᑎᒪᔨᖏᑦ ᐱᒻᒪᕆᓐᓂᒃ ᑐᑭᑖᕆᐊᖃᕐᓯᒪᔪᑦ, ᓄᐃᑎᕆᒍᑎᒋᓕᕐᓱᒍ ᓇᒻᒥᓂᖅ ᓄᓇᕕᓕᒫᒥ ᓈᓚᐅᑎᒃᑰᑎᑦᓯᓂᕐᒥᒃ. ᑕᒪᓐᓇ ᑌᒣᓚᕿᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᓯᐱᓰᒃᑯᑦ ᐊᓯᑦᔨᑎᕆᓂᕆᓯᒪᔭᖓᓄᑦ ᓈᓚᐅᑎᒃᑰᑎᑦᓯᓂᕐᒥᓂᒃ, ᖃᓄᐃᑦᑐᐃᑦ ᑐᓴᕐᓴᐅᔪᑦᓴᐅᒪᖔᑕ ᐊᐅᓚᑦᓯᓕᕐᓱᑎᒃ ᓄᓇᕕᒻᒨᓕᖓᔪᐃᓪᓗ ᑐᓴᕐᑕᐅᓂᑦᓴᖓᓂᒃ ᒥᑭᓪᓕᑎᕆᑦᓱᑎᒃ, ᑌᒣᒻᒪᑦ ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᒃᑯᑦ ᐱᑦᔪᔨᑦᓯᐊᓕᐅᒥᒍᒪᓯᔪᕕᓃᑦ ᓄᓇᕕᒻᒥᐅᓂᒃ ᐊᖏᓕᒋᐊᕆᓗᑎᒃ ᑐᓴᔭᐅᒍᓐᓇᑐᓂᒃ ᐃᓅᓱᑦᑐᓅᓕᖓᔪᓂᒃ ᐃᓄᑐᖄᕐᓅᓕᖓᔪᓂᓪᓗ ᓄᓇᕕᓕᒫᒧᓕᖓᔪᓪᓗ ᑐᓴᕋᑦᓴᓕᕆᓃᒃ ᐊᖏᓕᐅᒥᑎᑦᓱᒋᑦ. ᐱᔭᕆᐊᑭᑦᑑᓯᒪᖕᖏᑐᖅ ᓄᑖᒥᒃ ᓈᓚᐅᑎᒃᑯᑎᑦᓯᒍᑎᒥᒃ 14-ᓂᒃ ᓄᓇᓕᓐᓂᒃ ᖃᖓᑦᑕᔫᒃᑯᑭᓯᐊᓂ ᐅᐸᑦᑕᐅᒍᓐᓇᑐᓂᒃ ᐱᔪᔨᒐᓱᐊᕆᐊᖅ, ᑭᓯᐊᓂ ᐱᒍᓐᓇᓯᓯᒪᔭᕗᑦ!

2006-ᖑᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᒃᑯᑦ ᓄᓇᕕᓕᒫᒧᑦ ᑐᓴᕐᓴᐅᒍᓐᓇᑐᒥᒃ ᓈᓚᐅᑎᒃᑰᕈᓐᓇᓯᓚᐅᔪᑦ 94.1 FM ᐱᒋᐊᕐᑎᑕᐅᑎᓪᓗᒍ, ᐊᐅᓚᑦᓯᒍᓐᓇᓯᑦᓱᑕ ᓱᓀᑦ ᑐᓴᕐᓴᐅᖃᑦᑕᓂᐊᕐᒪᖔᑕ ᖃᓄᐃᑦᑐᒥᓪᓗ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᕐᒥᒃ ᓈᓚᐅᑎᒃᑰᓕᕈᑦᑕ ᐊᑐᖃᑦᑕᓂᐊᕐᒪᖔᑦᑕ—ᐃᓕᖓᑎᑦᓱᒍ ᓄᓇᕕᒻᒥᐅᑦ ᐅᓇᒻᒥᓲᑎᖏᓐᓄᑦ. 9-ᒍᒥᑦ ᐅᓪᓛᑯᑦ 9-ᖑᒧᑦ ᐅᓐᓄᑯᑦ, ᑐᓴᕐᓴᐅᑎᑦᓯᕙᑦᑐᒍᑦ ᓂᐱᓕᐅᕐᓯᒪᒐᑎᒃ ᓂᑦᔭᑎᑕᐅᔪᓂᒃ, ᑐᓴᕐᓂᔮᕈᑎᓂᒃ, ᑐᓴᕋᑦᓴᓂᒃ, ᓯᓚᓐᓂᐊᑐᓂᒃ ᑎᒥᐅᔪᓪᓗ ᑲᑎᒪᓂᖃᕐᑎᓗᒋᑦ ᑐᓴᕐᓴᐅᑎᑦᓯᕙᑦᓱᑕ ᓈᓚᐅᑎᒃᑰᑎᑕᐅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ, ᐊᑐᐃᓐᓇᐅᑎᑕᐅᒻᒥᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᑦ ᖃᕆᑕᐅᔭᒃᑯᑦ ᐱᑐᑦᑕᐅᕕᖓᒍᑦ. ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᒃᑯᑦ ᐱᓇᓱᑦᑎᑖᕐᓯᒪᒻᒥᔪᑦ ᓄᓇᓕᓐᓂ ᑐᓴᕋᑦᓴᓂᐊᕐᑎᐅᔪᓂᒃ ᓄᓇᓕᒥᑕ ᑐᓴᕋᑦᓴᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᐸᑦᑐᓂᒃ, ᓄᓇᕕᒻᒥᐅᑦ ᓈᓚᒍᓐᓇᓯᑎᑦᓱᒋᑦ ᐅᐱᒍᓱᑦᓱᑎᓪᓗ ᓱᔪᖃᓕᕐᒪᖔᑦ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᑎᑕᐅᒋᐊᒥᒃ ᓄᓇᕕᓕᒫᒥ. ᑖᓐᓇ ᐱᒋᐊᕐᑎᑕᕕᓂᐅᓕᕐᑎᓗᒍ ᑐᑭᓯᓴᓯᓚᐅᕐᓯᒪᔪᒍᑦ ᖃᐅᔨᒍᑎᒋᑦᓱᒍᓗ 94.1 FM ᐅᐱᒋᔭᐅᒋᐊᖓ ᐊᒥᓱᓄᑦ ᓄᓇᓕᒻᒥᐅᓄᑦ. ᐅᑦᑑᑎᒋᓗᒍ, ᐃᓅᓱᑦᑐᖅ ᐅᖃᕐᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᐊᓕᐊᒋᔭᖃᒻᒪᕆᓐᓂᕋᕐᓱᓂ ᐅᓪᓛᑯᑦ ᑐᓴᕐᓴᐅᑎᑦᓯᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᐃᓪᓚᓱᒃ ᐸᐅᔪᖏ (1941–2014), ᓲᓱᒋᔭᐅᓂᖃᑦᓯᐊᑐᐊᓘᑦᓱᓂ ᓄᓇᕕᒻᒥᐅᓄᑦ ᓈᓚᐅᑎᒃᑰᖃᑦᑕᓯᒪᔪᖅ. ᑲᐅᑦᔭᔪᖅ (2018), ᓄᓇᕕᐅᑉ ᐃᓄᖏᑦᑕ ᓱᓕᔪᖕᖑᐊᑎᖏᑦ, ᐅᓪᓗᒥ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᔭᐅᒍᑎᖃᓕᕐᑐᑦ ᐋᕐᓰᖅ ᓱᓕᔪᖕᖑᐊᑎᖏᓐᓂᒃ, ᓈᓚᐅᑎᒃᑯᑦ ᑐᓴᕐᓴᐅᓯᓚᐅᕐᓯᒪᔪᖅ 94.1 FM-ᑯᑦ ᐊᓕᐊᒋᔭᐅᒻᒪᕆᑦᓱᓂᓗ ᑐᓵᔪᓄᑦ ᓄᓇᕐᖃᑎᖏᑦᑕ ᓂᐱᖏᑦ ᑐᓴᕐᓴᐅᑎᑕᐅᒻᒪᑕ.

broadcast on their network, but they were only committed to providing infrastructure to the five most populated communities. In order to receive CBC North in the other communities, TNI had to fund the purchasing, installation and maintenance of equipment.

Not long after, an uplink satellite system, Telesat Canada (now Telesat), began servicing Nunavik, and daily programming was prepared at TNI’s head office in Salluit and transmitted through this new uplink system to CBC North in Montreal for live broadcast.

At the time, TNI was broadcasting two hours daily— eventually three hours daily—Monday to Friday.

Nunavimmiut were now getting better radio programming and a more reliable service in Inuktitut.

In 1999 the TNI Board of Directors had to make important decisions, which led to the creation of its own regional radio network. This was ultimately due to the CBC making changes to programming, dictating content and limiting airtime for Nunavik-specific programming, whereas TNI wanted to better serve Nunavimmiut by increasing programs dealing with youth and Elders and advancing regional news programming. It was not easy creating a new radio network to serve 14 fly-in communities, but we did it!

In 2006 the TNI regional radio network 94.1 FM was launched, enabling us to control the content and language of radio broadcasts—tailoring it to Nunavimmiut’s interests. From 9 AM to 9 PM, we broadcasted live shows, music, news, weather and live meetings from regional organizations on air, as well as accessible on the TNI website. TNI hired freelance community reporters to cover local news, so Nunavimmiut were able to promptly hear and appreciate what was going on across the region.

After the launch we conducted a survey, which revealed that 94.1 FM was appreciated by many community members. For instance, a teenager expressed that he really enjoyed the morning show with senior host Elashuk Pauyungie (1941–2014), who was a well-respected producer amongst Nunavimmiut.

JG: ᐱᒻᒪᐅᕗᖅ ᓴᕐᕿᔭᕐᑎᑕᐅᔪᑦᓴᐅᓂᖓ ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᑦ ᓇᓚᐅᑎᖓ ᐊᕐᖁᑕᐅᓯᒪᒻᒪᑦ ᖏᓐᓇᓱᓂᓗ ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᑎᓂᒃ ᓄᐃᑕᑎᑦᓯᒍᑎᐅᑦᓱᓂ ᓄᓇᕕᒻᒥ. ᓈᓚᐅᑎᒃᑯᑎᑦᓯᔨᕗᑦ ᐊᒥᓱᑦ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᔭᐅᒍᑎᖃᓕᕐᑐᑦ ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᑎᓪᓚᕆᐅᓂᕐᒥᒃ, ᐅᑦᑑᑎᒋᓗᒍ ᔮᔨ ᖃᕐᖄᔪᖅ ᓴᓪᓗᒥᐅᑦ ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᑎᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᐃᓚᐅᔪᖅ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓵᓐᑎ ᑑᒪ ᑯᑦᔪᐊᑉ ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᑎᖏᓂᒥᐅᔭᖅ; ᐃᓚᖏᓐᓄᑦ, ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᑎᐅᓂᒃᑯᑦ ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᒃᑯᓂ ᐱᒋᐊᕈᑎᐅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑕᑎᖕᖑᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᑐᓴᕐᓂᔮᕐᑎᓯᔨᐅᓂᕐᒧᓗ.

ABOVE

Still of Beatrice Deer from the episode “Making a Nassak with Beatrice Deer- Part 3” of How To Series (c. 2014–2015)

Inuit Art Quarterly

ᖁᓛᓂ

ᐊᑦᔨᖑᐊᖓ ᐲᑐᕆᔅ ᑎᐊᑉ ᓄᐃᑕᔪᑦᓴᓕᐊᖑᑎᓪᓗᒍ “ᓇᓴᓕᐅᖃᑎᖃᕐᓂᖅ ᐲᑐᕆᔅ ᑎᐊᒥᒃ - ᐱᖓᔪᐊᑦ” ᖃᓄᐃᓘᕐᓗᒎ ᓄᐃᑕᑎᑕᐅᒍᓯᖏᑦ (c. 2014–2015)

CG: ᐊᕐᕌᒍᓂ ᐊᓂᒍᕐᓯᒪᓕᕐᑐᓂ, ᐃᑉᐱᒋᔭᖃᕐᓯᒪᕗᒍᑦ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑖᑏᑦ ᓈᓚᐅᑎᒃᑰᓯᑎᐅᓂᖃᕆᐊᖏᑦ ᑕᓚᕖᓴᒃᑰᑐᑦᓴᔭᓕᐅᕈᓐᓇᕆᐊᖏᓪᓗ. ᐊᒻᒪᓗᑦᑕᐅᒃ, ᐊᒥᓱᑦ ᓂᑦᔭᓗᑦᑕᑏᑦ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᑐᐊᕐᑏᓗ ᐱᒍᓐᓇᕕᖃᓚᕿᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᑐᓴᕐᑕᐅᑎᑦᓯᓱᑎᒃ ᓈᓚᐅᑎᒃᑯᑦ, ᑲᔪᖏᕐᓭᓚᕿᑦᓱᑎᒃ ᓄᓇᕕᒻᒥᐅᓂᒃ ᓄᐃᑎᕆᒍᓐᓇᓯᑎᑦᓱᒋᑦ ᑐᓴᕐᑕᐅᔪᑦᓴᓂᒃ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᕐᒥᓂᒃ ᐊᑐᕐᓗᑎᒃ, ᐱᒍᑦᔨᓂᕐᑕᖃᕐᓯᒪᒻᒪᑦ ᐃᓕᖓᑦᓯᐊᑐᒥᒃ ᐃᓄᑦᑎᑑᕐᑐᓄᑦ. ᐃᖕᖏᑎᐃᖕᖏᕈᓯᓕᐅᕐᑎ ᓵᓕ ᐋᑕᒥ (1952–2008), ᓄᐃᑎᕆᔨᒋᓯᒪᔭᕗᑦ, ᐊᒥᓱᓂᒃ ᐃᖕᖏᖃᑦᑕᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᐃᖕᖏᕈᓯᓕᐊᕆᓯᒪᔭᒥᓂᒃ 94.1 FM-ᑯᑦ; “ᖁᕕᐊᓱᑉᐳᖓ” ᑐᓴᕐᓴᐅᖏᓐᓇᓕᒫᕐᑐᖅ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᓂ ᐊᒥᓱᓂ.

AU-DESSUS

Image de Beatrice Deer dans l’épisode “Fabrication d’un Nassak avec Beatrice Deer – Partie 3” des Séries Comment Faire (c. 2014–2015)

JG: ᓈᓚᐅᑎᒃᑰᑎᑦᓯᒍᑏᒃᑦ ᐃᓂᓪᓚᓯᐊᑐᐊᕐᒪᑕ, ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᑦ ᐱᔭᑦᓴᖃᕆᐊᓪᓚᕈᒪᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᑦ ᑕᓚᕖᓴᒃᑯᑐᑦᓴᓕᐅᕐᓂᒥᒃ. ᑭᓯᐊᓂ ᑕᒪᓐᓇ ᐊᑑᑎᓯᒪᔭᐅᓂᖓ ᐃᒻᒥᒎᓪᓚᕆᑦᑐᒥᒃ ᐅᓂᒃᑲᐅᓯᕐᑕᖃᕐᒥᔪᖅ.

50

Spring 2025

LEFT (TOP)

Akinisie Sivuarapik and Lucassie Nappaaluk behind the scenes of the episode “Mussel picking under the ice in Kangiqsujuaq” of Nunavik Secrets (2011– 2014), Kangiqsujuaq, 2013 LEFT (BOTTOM)

Behind the scenes of the episode “Scallops” of Adventures on Inuit Land, sailing near Quaqtaq, 2021 ᓴᐅᒥᐊᓂ (ᖄᖓᓂᕐᓯᖅ)

ᐊᑭᓂᓯ ᓯᕗᐊᕌᐱᒃ ᓘᑲᓯ ᓇᑉᐹᓗᓪᓗ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᑑᒃ ᓄᐃᑕᔪᑦᓴᓕᐊᖑᑎᓪᓗᒍ “ᐅᕕᓗᕐᑕᓂᖅ ᓯᑰᑉ ᐊᑖᓂ ᑲᖏᕐᓱᔪᐊᒥ” ᓄᓇᕕᐅᑉ ᐃᔨᕐᑐᐊᖏᑦ (2011– 2014), ᑲᖏᕐᓱᔪᐊᖅ, 2013 ᓴᐅᒥᐊᓂ (ᐊᑖᓂ)

ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᑐᑦ ᓄᐃᑕᔪᑦᓴᓕᐊᖑᑎᓪᓗᒍ “ᑕᓪᓗᕈᕐᓀ” ᓄᓇᒦᓐᓂᖅ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᓄᓇᖓᓐᓂ, ᐅᒥᐊᕐᑐᑐᑦ ᖁᐊᕐᑕᐅᑉ ᓴᓂᐊᓂ, 2021 À GAUCHE (EN HAUT)

Akinisie Sivuarapik et Lucassie Nappaaluk en coulisses de l’épisode “Cueillette de Moules Sous la Glace à Kangiqsujuaq” de Secrets du Nunavik (2011–2014), Kangiqsujuaq, 2013

À GAUCHE (EN BAS)

En coulisses de l’épisode “Pétoncles” de Aventures en Terre Inuite, naviguant près de Quaqtaq, 2021

pour la région. Il y avait énormément de travail à accomplir, mais il semblait évident que les communications radio étaient une nécessité urgente.

(1974) a été publié par la NQIA en trois langues et présenté au gouvernement fédéral afin de démontrer l’importance de combler les lacunes laissées par la CBJNQ, y compris en matière de communications.

CG: À l’époque, les Nunavimmiut n’avaient accès qu’à la radio à ondes courtes du CBC Northern Service (aujourd’hui CBC North), qui avait commencé à émettre dans les années 1960. Ce service proposait quelques programmes en inuktitut, très appréciés par les Inuits.

Environ un an après la création de TNI, la première initiative a été d’établir un réseau radio intercommunautaire à haute fréquence (HF) comme système de communication pour les Nunavimmiut. Progressivement, des systèmes HF ont été installés dans chaque communauté et gérés de manière indépendante par leurs conseils respectifs.

Une autre étape importante a été la création de stations de radio locales en modulation de fréquence (FM) au sein des communautés.

TNI enregistrait des récits et des actualités sur des cassettes, qui

JG: Après la présentation de Les septentrionaux au gouvernement, TNI a été créée en tant que société de communication pour le Nunavik. Comment s’est déroulé ce processus ?

CG: Le processus a débuté en 1973 lorsque, pour la première fois dans l’histoire du Nunavik, une réunion sur les communications s’est tenue à Sugluk (aujourd’hui Salluit, Nunavik, QC) avec des représentants de chaque communauté. TNI a été officiellement créée le 8 septembre 1975 en tant qu’organisation à but non lucratif, avant de devenir une société à but non lucratif en 2014.

JG: Bien que TNI assure aujourd’hui plusieurs niveaux de communication, il était essentiel de déterminer la priorité initiale

Taqramiut Nipingat Incorporated

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A Vision that Became Reality

LEFT

Lucassie Echalook behind the scenes of the episode “Kayak” of Our People, Our Land, Inukjuak, 2016 PHOTO JULIE GRENIER

ᓴᐅᒥᐊᓂ

ᓘᑲᓯ ᐃᖃᓗᒃ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᑐᖅ ᓄᐃᑕᔪᑦᓴᓕᐊᖑᑎᓪᓗᒍ “ᖃᔭᖅ” ᐃᓅᖁᑎᕗᑦ, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ, ᐃᓄᒃᔪᐊᖅ, 2016 ᐊᑦᔨᓕᐅᕆᔪᖅ ᔫᓕ ᖁᕆᓃ

À GAUCHE

Lucassie Echalook en coulisses de l’épisode “Kayak” de Notre Peuple, Notre Terre, Inukjuak, 2016 PHOTO JULIE GRENIER

Siila: The Life and Work of Sheila Watt-Cloutier (2008), which was produced by TNI’s subsidiary Taqramiut Productions Incorporated.

Kaujjajuq (2018), a radio-theatre program by the Nunavik Inuit Theatre Company, now Aaqsiiq Theatre Company, aired on 94.1 FM and was similarly enjoyed by listeners because it was voiced by fellow community members.

JG: Clearly, TNI has played a vital role in the distribution of Inuktitut content in both radio and television in Nunavik as well as across the country. However, since APTN is a national Indigenous television broadcaster, they mainly broadcast in English, followed

by French and then every other Indigenous language in Canada.

While Inuktitut was—and continues to be—frequently broadcast on the network, it was not the dominant language. How did this impact Nunavimmiut, who wanted to hear more Inuktitut programming?

JG: It is important to also highlight that TNI radio was and continues to be an essential vehicle for musical artists throughout the region. Many of our producers are well-known musicians, such as George Kakayuk of the band Sugluk and Sandy Tooma of the Kuujjuaq Band; for some, working at TNI is what launched their musical and/or entertainment career.

CG: Yes, over the years, we noticed that Inuit with a musical background were adept with radio and television production. Also, many musicians and storytellers now had the opportunity to share their work on air, empowering Nunavimmiut to produce content in their language, as there was a service dedicated to sharing Inuktitut content. Singer-songwriter Charlie Adams (1952–2008), another of our producers, performed many of his songs on 94.1 FM; “Quviasupunga” has aired frequently over the years.

CG: Nunavimmiut began asking for more video programs in Inuktitut that showed their culture, way of life, achievements, etc. Therefore, the TNI Board of Directors requested that management conduct a feasibility study, the results of which led to the creation of a new network, Nunavik Community Television (NCTv), in 2010.

As before, with securing a regional radio network, it was not an easy task to set up a community television network. There were many challenges to deal with, such as funding, infrastructure in remote communities, transportation, and so on. Fortunately, every local cooperative was supportive and gave us space on their local cable network. TNI is now watched everywhere in Nunavik on channel 309.

Our schedule includes a mix of new and vintage programming in Inuktitut, such as episodes of Our People, Our Land (2014–ongoing) and Nunavimmiut (1999–2009). Initially we targeted times of the day when viewers are usually home—8–9 AM, 12–1 PM and 6 PM–8 PM Monday to Friday, and we would broadcast shows for kids on Saturday mornings. Today, we broadcast 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Many folks, Inuit and non-Inuit, contributed greatly to TNI’s many achievements. It wouldn’t be fair to mention names here, but we are certain that Nunavimmiut know who they are, and we take this opportunity to thank them for their dedication and contribution toward the vision our communities had over 50 years ago, which led us to 94.1 FM and NCTv. There have been many obstacles we’ve faced operating a not-for-profit organization in a remote region for the past 50 years, but we have overcome them and received support from regional organizations, Northern Villages, local co-ops and Nunavimmiut.

I strongly believe that the future of TNI is promising, but it will not be easy.

JG: Once radio communications were established, the next priority for TNI was Inuktitut television content. But there is a lot of history with that process as well.

CG: In the early 1980s, before TNI began producing and broadcasting video, TNI collaborated with the CBC to train Inuit in video production and post-production. Videotapes were filmed and edited, and master tapes were sent to the CBC Northern Service for broadcast.

In 1987 Indigenous broadcasters in Northern Canada met in Yellowknife, NT, with the goal of establishing a Northern television distribution service, which led to the creation of Television Northern Canada (TVNC) in 1992.1 TNI was one of the 13 Indigenous broadcasters, government and education organizations in Northern Canada that owned and produced programs for the network. In 1999 the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission granted TVNC a national broadcasting license and they re-branded as the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN). As a founding member of the network, TNI was involved in the transition from TVNC to APTN and has been producing and licensing programs to APTN for 25 years, such as Adventures on Inuit Land (2021–ongoing) as well as

Inuit Art Quarterly

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Spring 2025

CG: 1980-ᐃᑦ ᐱᒋᐊᕐᖃᒥᐅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ, ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᑦ ᓄᐃᑎᕆᔨᖕᖑᕋᑕᕐᑎᓇᒍ ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᑎᑦᓯᕋᑕᕐᑎᓇᒍᓗ ᐊᐅᓚᔫᓂᒃ ᐊᑦᔨᓕᐅᕐᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᓂᒃ, ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᑦ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᖃᑎᖃᓯᓚᐅᔪᖅ ᓯᐱᓰᒃᑯᓂᒃ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᑎᑦᓯᓱᑎᒃ ᐃᓄᓐᓂᒃ ᐊᐅᓚᔪᓂᒃ ᐊᑦᔨᓕᐅᕆᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᓚᐅᕐᑎᓇᒋᓪᓗ ᐊᕐᕿᓱᐃᒍᓯᕐᓂᒃ. ᐊᐅᓚᔫᓕᐊᕕᓃᑦ ᓇᑲᑎᕐᓯᒪᔪᑦ, ᐊᕐᕿᓱᕐᑕᐅᒪᓕᕐᓱᑎᒃ ᓯᐱᓰᒃᑯᓅᕐᑕᐅᖃᑦᑕᓯᑦᓱᑎᒃ ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᑎᑕᐅᓂᐊᕐᓕᕋᒥᒃ.

1987-ᒥ ᓄᓇᖃᕐᖄᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᑕᑯᓐᓇᕋᑦᓴᓕᐅᕐᑏᑦ ᓈᓚᐅᑎᒃᑰᑎᑦᓯᔩᑦ ᑲᓇᑕᐅᑉ ᐅᑭᐅᕐᑕᑐᖓᓂ ᑲᑎᓚᐅᕐᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᔨᐊᓗᓀᒥ, ᓄᓇᑦᓯᐊᒥ, ᓯᕗᓂᖃᕋᓱᐊᓕᕐᓱᑎᒃ ᓄᐃᑦᓯᒍᒪᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᐅᑭᐅᕐᑕᑯᒥ ᑕᓚᕖᓴᒃᑯᑎᑦᓯᓂᕐᒥᒃ, ᓄᐃᑦᓯᒍᑎᐅᓯᒪᔪᕐᓗ ᑲᓇᑕᐅᑉ ᐅᑭᐅᕐᑕᑐᖓᓂ ᑕᓚᕖᓴᒃᑯᑦ ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᑎᑦᓯᕕᖓᓂᒃ (TVNC) 1992ᖑᑎᓪᓗᒍ.1 ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᑦ ᐃᓚᒋᔭᐅᓯᒪᔪᖅ 13-ᓄᑦ ᓄᓇᖃᕐᖄᓯᒪᔪᓄᑦ ᑐᓴᕋᑦᓴᓕᐅᕐᑎᓄᑦ, ᑲᕙᒪᓄᑦ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᓂᓕᕆᔨᓄᓪᓗ ᑲᓇᑕᐅᑉ ᐅᑭᐅᕐᑕᑐᖓᓂ ᓇᒻᒥᓂᖃᖃᑎᐅᑦᓱᓂ ᓄᐃᑎᕆᔨᐅᖃᑎᐅᑦᓱᓂᓗ ᑕᒡᒐᓂ ᑕᒡᒎᓇ ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᔪᑦᓴᓂᒃ. 1999-ᖑᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᑲᓇᑕᐅᑉ ᓈᓚᐅᑎᒃᑯᑐᓂ-ᑕᓚᕖᓴᒃᑯᑐᓂᒃ ᑐᓴᕋᑦᓴᓕᕆᐅᑎᓂᓪᓗ ᕿᒥᕐᕈᔨᖓᑦ ᐱᒍᓇᓯᑎᑦᓯᓕᓚᐅᔪᖅ TVNC-ᒥᒃ ᑲᓇᑕᓕᒫᒥ ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᑎᑦᓯᒍᓐᓇᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐱᔪᓐᓇᐅᑎᑖᕐᑎᓱᒍ ᐊᑎᖓᓗ ᐊᓯᑦᔨᔭᐅᑦᓱᓂ ᓄᓇᖃᕐᖄᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᑕᓚᕖᓴᒃᑰᑎᑦᓯᒍᑎᖓᓕᐊᖑᑦᓱᓂ (APTN). ᓄᐃᑦᓯᖃᑎᐅᓯᒪᑦᓱᓂ ᑕᒪᑐᒥᖓ, ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᑦ ᐃᓚᐅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐊᓯᑦᔨᐸᓕᐊᓂᖓᓄᑦ TVNC APTN-ᖑᕋᓱᐊᕐᑎᓗᒍ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓄᐃᑎᕆᖃᑎᐅᓯᒪᓕᕐᓱᓂ ᐱᔪᓐᓇᐅᑎᖃᕐᑎᓯᔨᐅᑦᓱᓂ ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᔪᑦᓴᓂᒃ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᓂ 25-ᓂ, ᐅᑦᑑᑎᒋᓗᒍ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᓄᓇᖓᓐᓃᓃᑦ (2021–ᑲᔪᓯᔪᖅ ᐅᓪᓗᒥᒧᑦ) ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓰᓚ: ᐃᓄᓯᖓ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᓯᒪᔭᖏᓪᓗ ᓰᓚ ᒍᐊᑦ-ᑯᓗᑦᓰ (2008), ᓴᕐᕿᑎᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᑦ ᑎᒥᖁᑎᖓᒍ ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᑦ ᑕᑯᓐᓇᕋᑦᓴᓕᕆᔨᒃᑯᖏᓐᓄᑦ.

ABOVE

Eva Sakiagak Audlaluk holding a microphone toward Zebedee Nungak during an interview

ᐄᕙ ᓴᑭᐊᒐᖅ ᐊᐅᓪᓚᓗᒃ ᓂᐱᓕᐅᕆᔪᖅ ᐊᐱᕆᑦᓱᓂ ᔦᐱᑎ ᓄᖕᖓᒥᒃ

AU-DESSUS

Eva Sakiagak Audlaluk tenant un microphone vers Zebedee Nungak lors d’une entrevue

étaient ensuite dupliquées et envoyées par avion aux stations locales pour diffusion. Ce système n’était pas idéal en raison des retards de vol causés par les mauvaises conditions météorologiques, mais il permettait enfin aux communautés d’accéder à des émissions en inuktitut.

Par la suite, ces cassettes enregistrées étaient envoyées à CBC North à Montréal, QC, pour être diffusées sur leur réseau, mais la CBC ne fournissait l’infrastructure nécessaire qu’aux cinq communautés les plus peuplées. Pour permettre aux autres communautés de recevoir CBC North, TNI a dû financer l’achat, l’installation et l’entretien des équipements.

Peu de temps après, un système satellitaire ascendant, Telesat Canada (aujourd’hui Telesat), a commencé à desservir le Nunavik.

La programmation quotidienne était alors préparée au siège social de TNI à Salluit et transmise via ce nouveau système à CBC North à Montréal pour une diffusion en direct. À cette époque, TNI diffusait deux heures par jour, puis trois heures par jour du lundi au vendredi. Les Nunavimmiut bénéficiaient ainsi d’un service radio amélioré et plus fiable en inuktitut.

En 1999, le conseil d’administration de TNI a dû prendre des décisions importantes, aboutissant à la création de son propre réseau radiophonique régional. Ce choix a été motivé par des changements imposés par la CBC, qui dictait le contenu des émissions et réduisait le temps d’antenne consacré au Nunavik,alors que TNI souhaitait mieux servir les Nunavimmiut en développant des programmes axés sur la jeunesse, les aînés et les actualités régionales. Ce n’était pas une tâche facile de mettre en place un réseau radio desservant 14 communautés accessibles uniquement par avion, mais nous y sommes parvenus !

En 2006, le réseau radiophonique régional de TNI, 94.1 FM, a été lancé, nous permettant ainsi de contrôler le contenu et la langue des émissions et d’adapter la programmation aux intérêts des Nunavimmiut. De 9 h à 21 h, nous diffusions en direct des émissions, de la musique, des actualités, la météo ainsi que des réunions en direct des organisations régionales, accessibles sur les ondes et sur le site Web de TNI. TNI a engagé des journalistes communautaires indépendants pour couvrir les nouvelles locales, permettant ainsi aux Nunavimmiut de suivre rapidement et avec intérêt ce qui se passait dans toute la région.

Après le lancement, nous avons réalisé un sondage qui a révélé que 94.1 FM était très apprécié par de nombreux membres des communautés. Par exemple, un adolescent a exprimé son enthousiasme pour l’émission du matin animée par Elashuk Pauyungie (1941–2014), un animateur chevronné et producteur respecté parmi les Nunavimmiut. Kaujjajuq (2018), un programme

JG: ᓇᓗᓇᖕᖏᓯᐊᕐᑐᖅ, ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᑦ ᐃᓚᐅᓯᒪᓂᖓ ᐱᒍᓐᓇᓯᑎᑦᓯᖃᑎᐅᓯᒪᓪᓚᕆᒋᐊᖓ ᐃᓄᑦᑎᑑᕐᓂᖅ ᓴᕐᕿᔮᕐᑎᑕᐅᓂᖓᓂᒃ ᓈᓚᐅᑎᒃᑯᑦ ᑕᓚᕖᓴᒃᑯᓗ ᓄᓇᕕᒻᒥ ᑲᓇᑕᓕᒫᒥᓗ. ᑭᓯᐊᓂ, APTN-ᑯᑦ ᑲᓇᑕᓕᒫᒥ ᓄᓇᖃᕐᖄᓯᓚᔪᓅᓕᖓᔪᓂᒃ ᑕᓚᕖᓴᒃᑰᑎᑦᓯᔨᐅᒐᒥ, ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᑎᑦᓯᕙᓪᓗᓲᑦ ᖃᓪᓗᓈᑎᑑᕐᑐᓂᒃ, ᒍᐃᒍᐃᑎᑑᕐᑐᓂᓪᓗ ᐊᓯᖏᓐᓂᓗ ᓄᓇᖃᕐᖄᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᑲᓇᑕᒥ. ᐃᓄᑦᑎᑑᕐᑐᑦ ᑲᔪᓯᖏᓐᓇᕋᓗᐊᕐᓱᑎᒃ ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᑎᑕᐅᖏᓐᓇᕋᓗᐊᕐᓱᑎᓪᓗ ᑕᓚᕖᓴᒃᑯᑦ, ᐅᖃᐅᓯᕗᑦ ᓯᕗᓪᓕᐸᐅᓗᐊᓯᒪᖕᖏᑐᖅ. ᖃᓄᖅ ᑕᒪᓐᓇ ᓱᕐᕃᓯᒪᕙᑦ ᓄᓇᕕᒻᒥᐅᓂᒃ, ᑐᓵᒋᐊᓪᓛᕈᒪᔪᓂᒃ ᐃᓄᑦᑎᑑᕐᑐᓂᒃ?

CG: ᓄᓇᕕᒻᒥᐅᑦ ᐊᐱᕐᓱᖃᑦᑕᓯᓚᐅᕐᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᔪᓂᒃ ᐃᓄᑦᑎᑑᕐᑐᓂᒃ ᐊᑐᐃᓐᓇᐅᓂᕐᓴᐅᖁᔨᑦᓱᑎᒃ ᓄᐃᑕᑎᑦᓯᒍᑎᐅᓂᐊᕐᑐᓂᒃ ᐃᓕᕐᕈᓯᕐᒥᓂᒃ, ᐃᓅᒍᓯᕐᒥᓂᒃ, ᐱᒍᓐᓇᓯᓯᒪᔭᒥᓂᒃ ᐊᓯᖏᓐᓂᓗ. ᑌᒣᒻᒪᑦ ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᑦ ᑲᑎᒪᔨᖏᑦ ᐊᐱᕆᓕᓚᐅᕐᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐊᐅᓚᑦᓯᔨᖁᑎᒥᓂᒃ ᖃᐅᔨᓴᖁᓕᕐᓱᒋᑦ ᖃᓄᓪᓗᐊᑎᒋᒃ ᑮᓇᐅᔭᕐᑐᓂᖃᕋᔭᕐᒪᖔᑦ ᑕᒪᓐᓇ, ᓄᐃᑦᓯᒍᑎᐅᓕᓚᐅᕐᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᓄᑖᒥᒃ ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᑎᑦᓯᔨᒻᒥ, ᓄᓇᕕᐅᑉ ᓄᓇᓕᖏᓐᓂ ᑕᓚᕖᓴᒃᑯᑎᑦᓯᒍᑎᖓᓂᒃ (NCTv), 2010-ᒥ. ᑌᒪᓪᓗᐊᖅ ᓄᓇᕕᓕᒫᒥ ᓈᓚᐅᑎᒃᑯᑎᑦᓯᓂᐅᑉ ᐃᓂᓪᓚᑕᐅᒐᓱᐊᕐᓂᕆᓯᒪᔭᖓᑎᑐᑦ ᐱᔭᕆᐊᑭᑦᑑᓯᒪᖕᖏᑐᖅ ᓄᐃᑎᕆᒐᓱᐊᕆᐊᒥᒃ ᓄᓇᓕᒻᒥ ᑕᓚᕖᓴᒃᑯᑎᑦᓯᒍᑎᐅᒍᓐᓇᑐᒥᒃ. ᐊᒥᓱᐃᑦ ᐊᑦᓱᕈᕐᓇᑑᓯᒪᔪᑦ, ᐅᑦᑑᑎᒋᓗᒍ ᑮᓇᐅᔭᖃᕆᐊᖃᕐᓂᖅ, ᐱᐅᒃᑯᑎᖃᕆᐊᖃᕐᓂᖓ ᐅᖓᓯᑦᑐᒥᐅᑦ ᓄᓇᓖᑦ, ᐅᓯᔭᐅᒋᐊᖃᕐᓂᖏᑦ ᐊᓯᖏᓪᓗ. ᓇᑯᕐᑐᕋᑕ, ᐊᑐᓂ ᓄᓇᓖᑦ ᑯᐊᐸᖏᑦ ᐃᑲᔪᕐᓯᓯᒪᒻᒪᑕ ᓄᓇᓕᐅᑉ ᐃᓗᐊᓂ ᓄᐃᑕᑎᑦᓯᕕᒻᒥᓂ ᐃᓂᓕᐅᕆᓚᐅᕐᓯᒪᒻᒪᑕ ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᑎᒍᒪᔭᑦᑎᓂᒃ. ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᒃᑯᑦ ᑕᑯᓐᓇᑕᐅᕙᓕᕐᑐᑦ ᓇᓂᓕᒫᑦᓯᐊᖅ ᓄᓇᕕᒻᒥ ᑕᓚᕕᓴᒃᑯᑦ ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᕕᒻᒥ 309-ᒥ. ᑕᑯᓐᓇᑎᑦᓯᕕᕗᑦ ᐃᓗᓕᖃᕐᑐᑦ ᐅᐊᕈᑎᒌᓂᒃ ᓄᑖᓂᒃ ᓄᑕᐅᖕᖏᑐᓂᓪᓗ ᐃᓅᑦᑎᑑᕐᓱᑎᒃ ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᔪᓂᒃ, ᐅᑦᑑᑎᒋᓗᒍ ᐃᓅᖁᑎᕗᑦ, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ (2014–ᑲᔪᓯᔪᖅ ᐅᓪᓗᒥᒧᑦ) ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓄᓇᕕᒻᒥᐅᑦ (1999–2009). ᐱᒋᐊᖕᖓᓱᑕ ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᑎᑦᓯᕕᖃᖃᑦᑕᓯᒪᔪᒍᑦ ᐊᓂᕐᕋᓯᒪᓂᖏᓐᓂ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ—8–9 ᐅᓪᓛᑯᑦ, 12–1 ᕿᑎᕋᓕᕐᒥ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ 6–8 ᐅᓐᓄᑯᑦ ᐊᓪᓕᕇᕐᑐᓂᒃ ᓂᕿᑦᓯᕕᒻᒧᑦ, ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᑎᑦᓯᕙᑦᓱᑕᓗ ᐱᐊᕋᕐᓅᓕᖓᔪᓂᒃ ᐊᓪᓕᖏᓱᖓᕐᒥ ᐅᓪᓛᑯᑦ. ᐅᓪᓗᒥᐅᓕᕐᑐᖅ ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᑎᑦᓯᕙᓕᕐᑐᒍᑦ ᑫᕙᓪᓚᒍᓰᑦ 24, 7 ᐅᓪᓗᐃᑦ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕈᓯᓕᒫᒥ. ᐊᒥᓱᐃᑦ, ᐃᓄᑐᐃᓐᓀᑦ ᐃᓄᑐᐃᓐᓇᐅᖏᑦᑑᒐᓗᐊᓪᓗ, ᐃᑲᔪᕐᓯᓯᒪᔪᒻᒪᕆᐊᓗᐃᑦ ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᑦ ᐱᒍᓐᓇᓯᓯᒪᓂᖓᓄᑦ.

Taqramiut Nipingat Incorporated

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53

A Vision that Became Reality

ᑌᓯᒐᓱᐊᕆᐊᖅ ᐊᑎᕐᓂᒃ ᓇᓗᓇᑐᐃᓐᓇᑐᖅ ᑕᒡᒐᓂ, ᑭᓯᐊᓂ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᕗᒍᑦ ᓄᓇᕕᒻᒥᐅᑦ ᑭᓇᐅᒻᒪᖔᒻᒥᒃ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᒻᒪᑕ, ᓇᑯᕐᒦᕈᒪᔭᕗᑦ ᐊᔪᐃᓐᓇᓂᕆᔭᓯᒪᔭᖓᓄᑦ ᐃᑲᔪᕐᓯᓯᒪᓂᖓᓄᓪᓗ ᓯᕗᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᑕᑯᓐᓇᕋᓱᐊᕐᓯᒪᓂᖓᓂᒃ ᓄᓇᓕᑦᑕ 50 ᐊᕐᕋᒍᐃᑦ ᓈᓯᒪᓕᕐᑎᓗᒋᑦ, ᑎᑭᐅᑎᒍᓐᓇᓯᓯᒪᒐᑦᑕ 94.1 FM-ᒧᑦ NCTv-ᒧᓪᓗ. ᐊᒥᓱᓂᒃ ᐊᑦᓱᕈᕐᓇᑐᒃᑰᕈᑎᖃᕐᓯᒪᒐᓗᐊᕐᓱᑕ ᐊᐅᓚᑦᓯᒐᓱᐊᕐᓱᑕ ᖄᖏᕐᓂᑯᓕᐅᕐᑎᐅᖏᑦᑐᒥᒃ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᕕᒥ ᐅᖓᓯᑦᑐᒥᐅᖑᑦᓱᑕ ᐊᕐᕋᒍᓂ 50-ᓂ ᓈᔪᓂ, ᑕᒪᒃᑯᐊ ᐱᒍᓐᓇᓯᓯᒪᔭᕗᑦ ᐃᑲᔪᕐᓯᒪᔭᐅᑦᓯᐊᓱᑕᓗ ᓄᓇᕕᒻᒥ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᕕᒪᕆᐅᔪᓄᑦ, ᓄᓇᓖᑦ ᑲᕙᒫᐱᒃᑯᖏᓐᓄᑦ, ᓄᓇᓕᓐᓂ ᑯᐊᐸᓄᑦ ᓄᓇᕕᒻᒥᐅᓄᓪᓗ. ᐅᑉᐱᕆᔭᖃᑦᓯᐊᐳᖓ ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᒃᑯᑦ ᓯᕗᓂᖓ ᐱᐅᔪᓚᖓᒋᐊᖓ, ᑭᓯᐊᓂ ᐱᔭᕆᐊᑭᑦᑑᓚᖓᖕᖏᑐᖅ. ᐊᐅᓚᑦᓯᒍᑎᑦᓴᓂᒃ ᑮᓇᐅᔭᖃᕆᐊᖃᕐᓂᖅ ᑐᓴᐅᒪᑎᑦᓯᓂᕐᒥᓗ ᓄᐃᑎᕆᓂᖅ ᓄᓇᕕᑐᐃᓐᓇᒨᓕᖓᔪᓂᒃ ᓯᕗᓪᓕᐸᐅᑦᔭᐅᔪᑦᓴᓕᐊᕆᓯᒪᔭᕗᑦ ᓯᕗᓂᕐᒧᑦ, ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᒃᑯᑦ ᐱᒍᓐᓇᓯᒍᑎᒋᓂᐊᕐᒪᖏᑦ ᐸᕐᓇᕈᓐᓇᓯᓗᓂ ᐊᑯᓃᕐᑐᒨᓕᖓᔪᓂᒃ ᐱᕈᕐᑎᓯᒋᐊᓪᓚᓗᓂᓗ ᐱᐅᓯᓕᑎᕆᓗᓂ ᑐᓴᕐᑕᐅᑎᒐᑦᓴᓕᐊᕗᓐᓂᒃ ᑕᑯᓐᓇᕋᑦᓴᓕᐊᑦᑎᓂᓪᓗ. ᓯᕗᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᑦ ᓂᐱᖓᖃᖕᖏᑐᒥᒃ ᐃᓱᒪᒋᔭᖃᖕᖏᑐᖓ, ᑕᑯᓐᓇᖁᖓᓕ ᐱᐅᓂᕐᓴᓂᒃ ᑐᓴᐅᒪᑎᑦᓯᒍᑎᖃᕐᓂᒥᒃ ᑕᑯᓐᓇᕋᑦᓴᕈᑎᖃᕐᑎᓯᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᓄᓇᕕᓕᒫᒥ ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᒃᑯᑦ ᐊᕐᖁᑕᐅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ.

Core funding and communications programs specific to Nunavik are priorities for the future, which would enable TNI to plan long-term and increase and refine our broadcast programming. I cannot think of a future without TNI, but I can see better communications and entertainment within our region through TNI. JG: Thank you so much for giving this insight into the history of TNI. We have talked extensively about the past and the milestones that have brought us here.

And there are certainly many challenges facing us going forward, such as the ongoing struggle to secure funding. However, the support from our regional, provincial and national partners makes me hopeful.

The media landscape is changing very quickly, moving from an analog and linear platform to web-based platforms, but these new spaces create opportunities to reach audiences far beyond Nunavik, to share our stories and beautiful culture with the world.

ABOVE

OPPOSITE

From left: Dave Stonier, Akinisie Sivuarapik and David Serkoak behind the scenes of Part 1 and Part 2 of “Torngats: Journey Through Labrador” of Our People, Our Land, Torngat Mountains National Park, 2015

Jean-Nicolas Orhon entering the Watt family cabin near the False River behind the scenes of the episode “Let’s Go To False River” of Our People, Our Land, 2017

Inuit Art Quarterly

PHOTO JULIE GRENIER

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ᒪᑉᐱᒐᐅᑉ ᐁᑉᐹᓂ

ᓴᐅᒥᐊᓂᑦ: Dave Stonier, ᐊᑭᓂᓯ ᓯᕗᐊᕌᐱᒃ ᑎᕕᑦ ᓯᖁᐊᕐᓗ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᑐᑦ ᓯᕗᓪᓕᖓᓂ ᑐᖓᓕᐊᓂᓪᓗ “ᑑᕐᙰᑦ: ᐃᖏᕐᕋᓂᖅ ᓛᐸᑐᐊᒃᑯᑦ” ᐃᓅᖁᑎᕗᑦ, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ, ᑑᕐᙰᑦ ᖃᕐᖃᖏᑦᑕ ᒥᕐᖑᐃᓯᕐᕕᖓ, 2015

Jean-Nicolas Orhon ᐃᑎᓯᑦᓱᓂ ᒍᐊᑦᑯᑦ ᐃᓚᒌᑦ ᐃᓪᓗᐊᐱᖓᓐᓄᑦ ᐊᑦᓵᓯᔫᑉ ᓴᓂᐊᓂ, ᓄᐃᑕᑦᓴᓕᐊᖑᑎᓪᓗᒍ “ᐊᑦᓵᓯᔫᓕᐊᓚᐅᕐᑕ” ᐃᓅᖁᑎᕗᑦ, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ, 2017 ᐊᑦᔨᓕᐅᕆᔪᖅ ᔫᓕ ᑯᕆᓃ

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AU-DESSUS

EN FACE

De gauche à droite: Dave Stonier, Akinisie Sivuarapik et David Serkoak en coulisses des parties 1 et 2 de “Torngats: Voyage à travers le Labrador” de Notre Peuple, Notre Terre, Parc national des Monts-Torngat, 2015

Jean-Nicolas Orhon entrant dans le chalet de la famille Watt près de la False River en coulisses de l’épisode “Allons à False River” de Notre Peuple, Notre Terre, 2017 PHOTO JULIE GRENIER

Spring 2025

la Television Northern Canada (TVNC) en 1992.¹ TNI faisait partie des 13 diffuseurs autochtones, organismes gouvernementaux et établissements d’enseignement du Nord canadien qui possédaient et produisaient des programmes pour ce réseau. En 1999, le Conseil de la radiodiffusion et des télécommunications canadiennes (CRTC) a accordé à TVNC une licence de diffusion nationale, et le réseau a été rebaptisé Réseau de Télévision des Peuples Autochtones (Aboriginal Peoples Television Network - APTN). En tant que membre fondateur, TNI a joué un rôle clé dans cette transition et produit des contenus pour APTN depuis 25 ans, notamment l’Aventures en Terre Inuite (2021–en cours) ainsi que Siila: La vie et l’oeuvre de Sheila Watt-Cloutier (2008), un documentaire réalisé par la filiale de TNI, Taqramiut Productions Incorporated.

de théâtre radiophonique de la Nunavik Inuit Theatre Company (aujourd’hui Aaqsiiq Theatre Company), a également été très bien reçu par les auditeurs, car il était interprété par des membres de la communauté.

JG: Il est important de souligner que la radio TNI a toujours été et reste un vecteur essentiel pour les artistes musicaux de la région.

Plusieurs de nos producteurs sont des musiciens bien connus, comme George Kakayuk du groupe Sugluk et Sandy Tooma du Kuujjuaq Band ; pour certains, travailler à TNI a marqué le début de leur carrière musicale et/ou dans le domaine du divertissement.

CG: Oui, au fil des ans, nous avons remarqué que les Inuits ayant un parcours musical étaient particulièrement à l’aise avec la production radio et télévisuelle. De plus, de nombreux musiciens et conteurs ont désormais la possibilité de partager leur travail à l’antenne, permettant ainsi aux Nunavimmiut de produire du contenu dans leur langue, grâce à un service dédié à la diffusion de l’inuktitut.

Charlie Adams (1952–2008), auteur-compositeur-interprète et l’un de nos producteurs, a interprété de nombreuses chansons sur 94.1 FM, notamment “Quviasupunga,” qui est régulièrement diffusée depuis des années.

JG: Il est clair que TNI a joué un rôle essentiel dans la diffusion de contenu en inuktitut, tant à la radio qu’à la télévision, au Nunavik et partout au pays. Cependant, comme APTN est un diffuseur national autochtone, il diffuse principalement en anglais, suivi du français, puis des autres langues autochtones du Canada. Bien que l’inuktitut ait été—et soit toujours—largement diffusé sur le réseau, ce n’était pas la langue dominante. Quel impact cela a-t-il eu sur les Nunavimmiut, qui souhaitaient davantage de programmes en inuktitut ?

JG: Une fois les communications radio bien établies, la priorité suivante pour TNI était la production de contenu télévisuel en inuktitut. Mais ce processus a également une histoire riche.

CG: Les Nunavimmiut ont commencé à demander plus d’émissions vidéo en inuktitut, mettant en valeur leur culture, leur mode de vie, leurs réussites, etc. Ainsi, le conseil d’administration de TNI a demandé à la direction de réaliser une étude de faisabilité, dont les résultats ont conduit à la création d’un nouveau réseau, La Télévision Communautaire du Nunavik (Nunavik Community Television; NCTv), en 2010.

Comme pour la mise en place du réseau de radio régional, établir une télévision communautaire n’a pas été une tâche facile.

De nombreux défis ont dû être relevés : financement, infrastructures dans les communautés isolées, transport, et bien d’autres. Heureusement, chaque coopérative locale nous a soutenus en nous offrant un

CG: Au début des années 1980, avant que TNI ne commence à produire et diffuser des vidéos, nous avons collaboré avec la CBC pour former des Inuits à la production et à la postproduction vidéo. Des vidéocassettes étaient tournées et montées, puis les bandes maîtresses étaient envoyées au CBC Northern Service pour diffusion.

En 1987, des diffuseurs autochtones du Nord canadien se sont réunis à Yellowknife, NT, dans le but de créer un service de distribution télévisuelle nordique, ce qui a conduit à la fondation de

Taqramiut Nipingat Incorporated

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A Vision that Became Reality

JG: ᓇᑯᕐᒦᒪᕆᐊᓗᒃ ᓄᐃᑦᓯᒍᓐᓇᕋᕕᑦ ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᒃᑯᑦ ᖃᓄᐃᑦᑐᑰᕐᓯᒪᓂᖓᓂᒃ. ᐅᖃᒍᑎᖃᑦᓯᐊᑐᒍᑦ ᐊᑑᑎᓯᒪᔪᓂᒃ ᐱᔭᕆᒍᓐᓇᓯᓯᒪᔭᑦᑎᓂᓪᓗ ᐅᓪᓗᒥᒧᑦ ᑎᑭᒍᑎᒋᓯᒪᓕᕐᑕᑎᓐᓂᒃ. ᐊᒥᓱᒻᒪᕆᐅᖏᓐᓇᑑᒐᓗᐊᑦ ᓵᖕᖓᔭᕆᐊᓕᕗᑦ ᓯᕗᒧᐊᕆᐊᓪᓛᓂᑦᑎᓂ, ᐅᑦᑑᑎᒋᓗᒍ ᑮᓇᐅᔭᖃᑦᓯᐊᖏᓐᓂᐅᕙᑦᑐᖅ. ᑭᓯᐊᓂ, ᐃᑲᔪᕐᓯᒪᔭᐅᓂᕗᑦ ᓄᓇᕕᒻᒥ, ᑯᐯᒻᒥ ᑲᓇᑕᒥᓗ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᖃᑎᒋᕙᑦᑕᑎᓐᓄᑦ ᖁᓚᖕᖏᔪᑎᒋᔭᕗᑦ. ᑐᓴᕋᑦᓴᓕᕆᓂᖅ ᐊᓯᑦᔨᕙᓪᓕᐊᒪᑦ ᓱᑲᑦᑐᐊᓗᒻᒥᒃ, ᓅᒋᐊᕐᓂᕗᑦ ᐊᑦᔨᒌᓕᔪᒃᑯᑦ ᓴᖑᔪᐃᑦᑐᑯᓪᓗ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᕕᐅᓯᒪᔪᓂᑦ ᖃᕆᑕᐅᔭᒃᑯᑦ ᓄᐃᑕᑎᑦᓯᕕᐅᒍᓐᓇᓕᕐᑐᓄᑦ, ᑭᓯᐊᓂ ᑕᒪᒃᑯᐊ ᓄᑖᑦ ᐱᕕᖃᕐᑎᓯᒍᑎᐅᔪᑦ ᑐᓵᖃᑦᑕᓂᐊᕐᑐᓂᒃ ᑕᑯᓐᓇᖃᑦᑕᓂᐊᕐᑐᓂᓪᓗ ᓄᓇᕕᐅᑉ ᓯᓚᑖᒻᒪᕆᐊᓗᖓᓃᑦᑐᓂᒃ, ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᑎᑦᓯᒍᓐᓇᕈᑎᒋᓂᐊᕋᑦᑎᒋᑦ ᑐᓵᔭᐅᑎᑦᓯᒍᑎᒋᓗᒋᓪᓗ ᐅᓂᒃᑲᐅᓯᑦᑎᓂᒃ ᐃᓕᕐᕈᓯᑦᓯᐊᕌᓗᑦᑎᓂᓪᓗ ᓄᓇᕐᔪᐊᓕᒫᒧᑦ.

Claude Grenier holds an MA in Urban Analysis and Management and has over 40 years of experience in senior management with Nunavik organizations, including as Director General at TNI from 1998 to 2017.

He has been involved in the production of over 200 television episodes, was instrumental in the creation of the 94.1 FM station and NCTv, and continues to serve Nunavik communities by working in communications as a consultant.

Julie Grenier is from Kuujjuaq, Nunavik, QC, and is the current Director General for TNI. She has held various positions at TNI prior to becoming Director General and she directed many TNI documentaries and series.

Grenier is on the Inuit Art Foundation Board of Directors and is the Chair of the APTN Board of Directors.

Creatively, she beads, sews and hosts art workshops.

ABOVE

A video camera resting on a sled during production of Our People, Our Land on the False River, 2017

ᖃᐅᔨᒪᔭᐅᒋᐊᓕᒃ 1

OPPOSITE

Kangiqsuk, Nunavik, QC, at sunset, 2017

ᒪᑉᐱᒐᐅᑉ ᐁᑉᐹᓂ

ᑲᖏᕐᓱᖅ, ᓄᓇᕕᒃ, ᑯᐯᒻᒥ, ᓯᕿᓂᖅ ᓂᐱᓕᕐᑎᓗᒍ, 2017

ᔫᓕ ᑯᕆᓃ ᑯᑦᔪᐊᒥᐅᔭᖅ, ᓄᓇᕕᒃ, ᑯᐯᒻᒥ ᑲᒪᔨᒻᒪᕆᒋᔭᐅᔪᖅ ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᒃᑯᓄᑦ. ᐊᒥᓱᓂᒃ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᒐᖃᖃᑦᑕᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᒃᑯᓃᓚᐅᕋᓂ ᑐᑭᒧᐊᑦᓯᓯᒪᓕᕐᑐᖅ ᐊᒥᓱᓂᒃ ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᒃᑯᑦ ᑕᓚᕖᓴᒃᑯᑦ ᑕᑯᑦᓴᐅᑎᒐᑦᓴᖏᓐᓂᒃ. ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᕿᒥᕐᕈᐊᕋᖓᓂ ᑲᑎᒪᔨᓄᑦ ᐃᓚᒋᔭᐅᔪᖅ ᑐᑭᒧᐊᑦᑎᓯᔨᒋᔭᐅᑦᓱᓂᓗ APTN-ᑯᑦ ᑲᑎᒪᔨᖏᓐᓂ. ᓴᓇᖕᖑᑎᐅᑦᓱᓂ, ᓴᐸᖓᓕᕆᓲᖅ, ᒥᕐᓱᓲᖅ ᓴᓇᖕᖑᐊᑎᐅᔪᓂᓪᓗ ᑲᑎᒪᓂᐊᕈᓯᖃᕐᑎᓯᔨᐅᓲᖑᑦᓱᓂ.

For more information on the creation of APTN, see Jennifer David, Original People, Original Television: The Launching of the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (Theytus Books, 2024).

Inuit Art Quarterly

ᐊᑦᔨᓕᐅᕈᑎᒃ ᐊᐅᓚᔫᓕᐅᕈᑎᒃ ᑲᓕᒐᕐᒦᑐᖅ ᓄᐃᑕᔪᑦᓴᓕᐊᖑᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᐃᓅᖁᑎᕗᑦ, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ ᐊᑦᓵᓯᔫᖅ, 2017

ᑯᓘᑦ ᑯᕆᓃ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᓯᒪᐅᑎᓕᒃ MA-ᒥᒃ ᐅᓄᒋᐊᑦᑐᖏᑦᑐᑦ ᓄᓇᖓᓂ ᐊᐅᓚᑦᓯᒍᓐᓇᐅᑎᓂᒃ ᕿᒥᕐᕈᑎᐅᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ 40 ᐊᕐᕌᒍᐃᑦ ᐅᖓᑖᓄᑦ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᓯᒪᓂᖃᓕᕐᓱᓂ ᑲᒪᔨᒻᒪᕆᐅᖃᑕᐅᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᓄᓇᕕᐅᑉ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᕕᒪᕆᖏᓐᓂ, ᐃᓚᖃᕐᑎᓗᒍ ᑲᒪᔨᒻᒪᕆᐅᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᑕᕐᕋᒥᐅᒃᑯᓂ 1998ᒥᑦ 2017-ᒧᑦ. ᐃᓚᐅᓯᒪᓕᕐᑐᖅ ᓄᐃᑎᕆᔨᐅᓂᕐᒧᑦ 200 ᐅᖓᑖᓃᑦᑐᓂᒃ ᑕᓚᕖᓴᒃᑰᑐᑦᓴᓂᒃ ᓈᓚᐅᑎᒃᑰᑐᑦᓴᓂᓪᓗ, ᓯᕗᓕᕐᓯᒪᓪᓚᕆᑦᑐᖅ 94.1 FM NCTv-ᓗ ᓄᐃᑎᕐᑕᐅᓂᖏᓐᓂᒃ, ᐅᓪᓗᒥᓗ ᑲᔪᓯᔪᖅ ᑭᒡᒐᑐᕐᓱᓂ ᓄᓇᕕᐅᑉ ᓄᓇᓕᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᑐᓴᕋᑦᓴᓕᕆᓂᕐᒨᓕᖓᔪᓂᒃ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᒐᖃᕐᓱᓂ ᐊᖏᕈᑎᑎᒍᑦ ᐱᓇᓱᑦᑎᐅᓱᓂ.

NOTES 1

ᑐᑭᓯᒋᐊᓪᓚᕈᒪᒍᑦᓯ APTN ᓄᐃᒋᐊᖕᖓᓯᒪᓂᖓᓂᒃ, ᑕᑯᒋᐊᕈᓐᓇᑐᓯ Jennifer David, ᐃᓄᕐᖄᖑᓯᒪᔪᑦ, ᑕᓚᕖᓴᒃᑯᑎᑦᓯᖃᕐᓂᖅ: ᓄᐃᑕᐅᓂᖓ ᓄᓇᖃᕐᖄᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᑕᓚᕖᓴᒃᑰᑎᑦᓯᕕᖓ (Theytus Books, 2024).

ᖁᓛᓂ

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Spring 2025

espace sur leur réseau câblé local. Aujourd’hui, TNI est diffusée partout au Nunavik sur la chaîne 309.

Notre programmation comprend un mélange d’émissions récentes et d’archives en Inuktitut, comme Notre Peuple, notre Terre (2014 – en cours) et Nunavimmiut (1999–2009). Au départ, nous avons ciblé les horaires où les téléspectateurs sont habituellement chez eux—8h–9h, 12h–13h et 18h–20h du lundi au vendredi, avec des émissions pour enfants le samedi matin. Aujourd’hui, nous diffusons 24 heures sur 24, 7 jours sur 7.

De nombreuses personnes, Inuits et non-Inuits, ont grandement contribué aux réussites de TNI. Il ne serait pas juste de citer des noms ici, mais nous savons que les Nunavimmiut les reconnaissent, et nous profitons de cette occasion pour les remercier de leur engagement et de leur contribution à la vision que nos communautés avaient il y a plus de 50 ans, et qui a mené à 94.1 FM et NCTv. Ces 50 dernières années, gérer un organisme à but non lucratif dans une région éloignée a présenté de nombreux défis, mais nous les avons surmontés grâce au soutien des organisations régionales, des villages nordiques, des coopératives locales et des Nunavimmiut.

Je suis convaincu que l’avenir de TNI est prometteur, même si ce ne sera pas facile.

Le financement de base et des programmes de communication spécifiques au Nunavik sont des priorités pour l’avenir, car ils permettraient à TNI de planifier à long terme et d’améliorer la qualité et la diversité de nos contenus. Je ne peux pas imaginer un avenir sans TNI, mais je vois un avenir avec une communication et un divertissement encore meilleurs dans notre région grâce à TNI.

Claude Grenier est titulaire d’une maîtrise en analyse et gestion urbaine et possède plus de 40 ans d’expérience en gestion au sein d’organisations du Nunavik, notamment en tant que directeur général de TNI de 1998 à 2017. Il a participé à la production de plus de 200 épisodes télévisés, a joué un rôle clé dans la création de la station 94.1 FM et de NCTv, et continue de servir les communautés du Nunavik en tant que consultant en communication.

JG: Merci infiniment d’avoir partagé cet aperçu de l’histoire de TNI. Nous avons longuement parlé du passé et des jalons qui nous ont menés jusqu’ici. Et il reste certainement de nombreux défis à relever, notamment la lutte constante pour assurer un financement stable.

Cependant, le soutien de nos partenaires régionaux, provinciaux et nationaux me donne de l’espoir. Le paysage médiatique évolue rapidement, passant d’un plateforme analogique et linéaire vers des plateformes web, mais ces nouveaux espaces offrent aussi l’opportunité d’atteindre un public bien au-delà du Nunavik, afin de partager nos histoires et notre belle culture avec le monde entier.

REF:

Taqramiut Nipingat Incorporated

Julie Grenier est originaire de Kuujjuaq, Nunavik, QC, et est l’actuelle directrice générale de TNI. Elle a occupé divers postes au sein de TNI avant d’en prendre la direction et a réalisé de nombreux documentaires et séries pour l’organisme. Elle siège au conseil d’administration de la fondation de l’art inuit (Inuit Art Foundation) et est présidente du conseil d’administration d’APTN. Sur le plan créatif, elle pratique la broderie perlée, la couture et anime des ateliers artistiques.

1

57

Pour plus d’informations sur la création d’APTN, voir Jennifer David dans Original People, Original Television: The Launching of the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (Theytus Books, 2024).

EN FACE

Une caméra vidéo reposant sur un traîneau lors du tournage de Notre Peuple, Notre Terre à la False River, 2017 EN DESSOUS

Kangiqsuk, Nunavik, QC, au coucher du soleil, 2017

A Vision that Became Reality

CURATORIAL NOTES

ᐆᒻᒪᖁᑎᒃ uummaqutik: essence of life

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts CURATED BY ASINNAJAQ NOVEMBER 8, 2024–ONGOING MONTREAL, QC

How do you reimagine the way an Inuit art collection is displayed at a prominent Canadian art museum and who do you reimagine it for?

Visual artist, filmmaker and writer asinnajaq contemplated these questions while curating the exhibition ᐆᒻᒪᖁᑎᒃ uummaqutik: essence of life at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

When approached to collaborate on the new display of the museum’s permanent Inuit art collection—which includes around nine hundred works made by over three hundred artists from across Inuit Nunangat—asinnajaq took on the role of guest curator in stride, thoughtfully selecting sixty powerful works by both legacy and currently practicing artists. The result: an exhibition that celebrates the breadth of Inuit art through an Inuk perspective, framed by themes of life, land and the transference of energy in the universe.

Inuit Art Quarterly

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ABOVE

Installation view of ᐆᒻᒪᖁᑎᒃ uummaqutik: essence of life, 2024 COURTESY MONTREAL MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS PHOTO JEAN-FRANÇOIS BRIÈRE

OPPOSITE (TOP)

Couzyn van Heuvelen — Qulliq 2024 Glass 12.7 × 76.2 × 35.5 cm

COURTESY MONTREAL MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS PHOTO JEAN-FRANÇOIS BRIÈRE © THE ARTIST

OPPOSITE (BOTTOM LEFT)

Jessica Winters — Lichen (Hopedale I) 2023 Acrylic 91.5 × 91.5 cm COURTESY MONTREAL MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS PHOTO JEAN-FRANÇOIS BRIÈRE © THE ARTIST

OPPOSITE (BOTTOM RIGHT)

Siku Allooloo — Sapajuji (Protector) 2021 Cotton, wool, dye, sealskin, glass beads, pearls, abalone shell and caribou hide 72.4 × 40.6 cm COURTESY ART WINDOR-ESSEX PHOTO FRANK PICCOLO © THE ARTIST

Spring 2025

CURATORIAL NOTES

What was your starting point for this exhibition? I wanted to centre Inuit perspectives and experiences as much as possible. The most important element for making an exhibition like this is deciding who it’s speaking to. I learned to think about the concept of “ripples” in terms of audience from my dad. It starts with the core, so thinking about my family, my town, Nunavik, Indigenous Peoples at large and the Montreal community. What were your goals? To articulate through as many means possible—including exhibition design, display and languages—that all work in the exhibition should be viewed primarily as artwork and not through the anthropological/ethnographic lens, which sometimes happens when it comes to Indigenous cultures. What we are displaying from the collection are artworks and they should be treated, viewed and experienced as such. Another goal of mine was that everyone who views the exhibition gets something from it. Like in storytelling:

stories have been told countless times to people of all ages but something is still gained. Tell us about the exhibition’s title.

I was thinking about the theme of matter and energy, changing and transforming and working within the concept of energy and exchange. I was consulting with Krista Ulujuk Zawadski throughout the process, and she and her mom, Maggie Putulik, offered the title, ᐆᒻᒪᖁᑎᒃ uummaqutik.

“Essence of life” is a subtitle and a poetic interpretation, not a translation. Uummaqutik is really about something that keeps you alive, talking from the heart. My colleagues and I all worked from a place closer to our hearts than our brains to put the exhibition together. The galleries offer a space where life and ideas are being generated. We’re all building something together through the inspiration of these artworks. I heard the exhibition will change over time. How? There’s a three-year changeover for the works on paper that I preselected for. They have to change for conservation purposes.

But this is really a strength for the exhibition because I selected them seasonally, so as they change out they will be communicating with the seasons that are happening. Over time they also expand on the theme of the exhibition. When people revisit, they get to see an expanded story. What’s something about the exhibition that you can’t stop thinking about? This is really hard but also really easy at the same time. We worked with Thomassie Mangiok, who created all of the graphics for the exhibition design as well as a suspended textile piece. He made it using drone images taken while on the land with his community. Using these images, he created a gorgeous graphic that covers an entire wall of the exhibition.

It really brings our homeland of Nunavik into the space. Describe the exhibition in four words. Abundance, community, ingenuity and generosity. Any time our team did anything or had any problems to solve, we revisited these words together.

Couzyn van Heuvelen Qulliq (2024) When the concept of uummaqutik around daily life came about—sharing and transforming matter and energy—I had the feeling the exhibition would need a qulliq as a proper ode to countless generations of Inuit growth and transformation. Couzyn van Heuvelen’s glass qulliq illuminates and anchors the entire exhibition.

Jessica Winters Lichen (Hopedale I) (2023) Our lives are possible because of our land, atmosphere and water!

We can reflect on our lives only when we make space to think and speak about the essentials that make life. Jessica Winters’s meticulous paintings of lichen beautifully and gently bring our lands into the rooms of the exhibition.

Taqramiut Nipingat Incorporated

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Siku Allooloo Sapajuji (Protector) (2021)

While meeting members of the global Indigenous community at the Riddu Riđđu Festival in Sápmi, Siku Allooloo learned of many adornments worn for protection and wondered, “What protects me, Inuk style?” This beaded textile work is the result of meditations on the lovingly made stitches and the knowledge embedded in our garments, which serve as charms for protection.

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PROFILE

Akinasi Silaapik Partridge

by Phebe Bentley

Her love of drawing and interest in manga, a form of graphic novel that originated in Japan, goes back to elementary school; drawing in class helped her concentrate. She recalls sketching her favourite characters from Pokémon and Sailor Moon while her teacher addressed the class. Today, she is a skilled artist whose drawings provide snapshots of her everyday life as a modern-day Inuk. One of my favourite drawings of hers is of a young, bright-eyed, tattooed Inuk woman lying on her stomach. Her face seems expressionless as she lies below one of the most recognizable pieces of Inuit art—The Enchanted Owl (1960) by Kenojuak Ashevak, CC, ONu, RCA (1927–2013). When I look closer, I notice she is holding a phone in her left hand and has a blank look on her face that is familiar. To me, it’s the look of a person so consumed by their device—longing to stay connected but often left feeling

Akinasi Silaapik Partridge is an urban Two-Spirit Inuk-Mohawk graphic artist and beader who is celebrated for her self-portrait drawings. Based in Ottawa, ON, she draws inspiration from the contemporary styles of renowned Inuit artists Annie Pootoogook (1969–2016) and Ningiukulu Teevee. “Their work feels unrestrained.

It doesn’t follow a set of expectations of what people have or may have had about Inuit art,”¹ she tells me. Partridge respects that their art isn’t limited to one genre and aspires to achieve the same with her own practice: showcasing moments in her daily life while adding subtle aspects of modern, social and global issues.

Artists like Partridge know that inspiration can strike when you least expect it, so being prepared is key. “I like to draw with pencils, crayons and markers because I can carry a little pencil case and a sketchbook with me, and I can work on things at any time.”

Inuit Art Quarterly

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Spring 2025

PROFILE

LEFT (BOTTOM)

OPPOSITE

Embracing the World 2024 Linocut 14.7 × 21 cm

Akinasi Silaapik Partridge — Alone On My Phone In My Room 2023 Coloured pencil, alcohol marker and archival fineliner pen 21.6 × 30.5 cm

PHOTO SAM HOPKINS

ABOVE (RIGHT)

Mohawk style raised beaded strawberry 2021 Czech seed beads and plastic sequins on denim 12.7 × 12.7 cm

PHOTO SAM HOPKINS ALL © THE ARTIST

LEFT (TOP)

Embrace 2024 Pigment based ink giclée 14 × 21.6 cm PHOTO SAM HOPKINS

isolated instead. It is incredible that these colourful and simple self-portraits bring complex issues such as these to light.

In the summer of 2024, Partridge received a grant from Avataq Cultural Institute’s Aumaaggiivik Nunavik Arts Secretariat. She used this grant to travel to Japan to learn about and get first-hand experience with woodblock printing, a technique that was introduced to Inuit artists in Kinngait, NU, by James Houston, OC, in the 1950s. The new skills that she gained from this trip allowed her to blend her depictions of herself with new techniques.

The perfect example of this is in the prints Embracing the World (2024) and Embrace (2024). They are the same images but one Partridge created in linocut and the other with pigment-based ink giclée. The two have subtle differences, but the main one Taqramiut Nipingat Incorporated

is the use of colours and layers. They bring the piece to life with depth and contrast.

It’s no wonder the medium quickly became one of her favourites. “If I had all the time and space in the world, I would just want to be doing printmaking full time, especially woodblock printing,” she tells me.

Later in 2024, she received a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts to travel again to Japan for a two-week intensive manga course, where she learned how to develop her own manga.

“I’ve wanted to do [this] since I was 14 years old!” she says.

Partridge hopes to one day publish a manga loosely influenced by her Inuit culture and Two-Spirit Indigenous experience. “I hope with this project, once I eventually create a long-form manga, that it’s something Indigenous 61

NOTES 1

All quotes Akinasi Silaapik Partridge, interview with Phebe Bentley, November 2024.

people can read and relate to,” she says.

Her two journeys to Japan allowed her artistic talents to flourish; what she didn’t expect to gain from these experiences was pride in her culture and the confidence to reach for her dreams.

— Phebe Bentley is a mother, seamstress, jeweller, writer and entrepreneur. Based in Tiohtià:ke (Montreal), QC, Bentley creates pieces inspired by the nuna and Inuit culture.

Outside of her art, education and women’s rights are some of her passions. She currently works for Kativik Ilisarniliriniq as the Director of the Post-Secondary Student Services Department.

This Profile was made possible through support from RBC Emerging Artists.

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Specializing in Inuit Art since 1963

Nanooq features a variety of prints, drawings and carvings from Cape Dorset We ship worldwide Husband and Wife

by Martha Akoomalik, Pond Inlet

83 Sparks St. Mall • Ottawa, ON snowgoose.ca | 613-232-2213 | info@snowgoose.ca

We sell exceptional art.

Consign with us.

Manno - Bear On Ice, Price Realised:

inuitart@waddingtons.ca - -

Inuit Art Quarterly

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Winter 2024

The Salt Spring National Art Prize

SSNAP Congratulations to Taqramiut Nipingat Incorporated on 50 incredible years of excellence and dedication promoting Inuit culture and identity - from all of us at APTN!

SSNAP 2025 Submissions now open!

Félicitations à Taqramiut Nipingat Inc. pour ses 50 incroyables années d’excellence et de dévouement à promouvoir la culture et l’identité inuit - de la part de toute l’équipe d’APTN!

Jurors: Dr. Heather Igloliorte, Sarah Milroy, Mireille Eagan, and Dr. Kenneth Montague www.saltspringartprize.ca

SPRING PRINT RELEASE

SPRING print release dorsetfinearts.com dorsetfinearts.com Ningiukulu Teevee, Strong Thoughts, 2024, Stonecut and Stencil, 99 x 62 cm

iaqspring2025.indd 1

Taqramiut Nipingat Incorporated

2025-01-17 8:26 AM

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LAST LOOK

Pitseolak Qimirpik Young Man with MP3 Player This issue celebrates the work and passion of Inuit whose voices have been amplified by Taqramiut Nipingat Incorporated (TNI) over the last 50 years.

TNI has created space for Inuit musicians, performers, storytellers and broadcasters to speak, write and sing in Inuktitut, where previously there was none. For this Last Look, I’ve chosen Pitseolak Qimirpik’s serpentinite sculpture because it epitomizes the rapture that music can create and the connection we feel when we plug in our headphones and succumb to sound.

I come from a family of avid music appreciators.

When my father listened to music or played something on his keyboard, he would not respond to our questions or complaints until there was a natural resting point in the music. It was very annoying to me as an impatient child, but as an adult, I think I better understand the need for satisfying closure. He’d have a sustained and silent “wait a moment” expression on his face.

With unwavering eye contact with whoever dared to interrupt him, pursed lips and sometimes a subtle nodding of the head, it was as if he was letting the music finish its thought after we had unceremoniously cut it short. Young Man with MP3 Player (2010) seems to freeze that same kind of moment in time. The subject, a young Inuk with his eyes closed and a cigarette casually held at waist level while he tunes into his music through headphones, is dedicating himself to the song. No other input or action, just a polite pause to let the sound wash over his senses.

So much Inuit sculpture depicts moments of action: hunting, dancing, animals in flight or mid-swim; this is an interesting piece to me because it reflects a moment of stillness. Qimirpik defies a lot of the Inuit sculptural tropes that we often see. His subject is a modern Inuk wearing a T-shirt and what looks like loose jeans, with a modern haircut and an unmistakable look of being lost in a music-induced reverie. Maybe he’s listening to a Cumberland Sound accordion playlist or perhaps he’s tuned into the local radio and is enjoying some Inuktitut programming.

Whatever it is, he is connected to the audio, and that is ultimately what makes Inuit-run organizations like TNI so important—they create bridges of communication by and for us.

NAPATSI FOLGER

Tauttunnguaqti

Pitseolak Qimirpik — Young Man with MP3 Player 2010 Serpentinite, antler and wire 43.2 × 11.4 × 8.7 cm REPRODUCED WITH PERMISSION DORSET FINE ARTS COURTESY TD CORPORATE ART COLLECTION © THE ARTIST

Inuit Art Quarterly

64

Spring 2025

ABRAHAM ANGHIK RUBEN

Curated by Heather Campbell

Opening May 24, 2025

Abraham Anghik Ruben. Canadian (Paulatuk; Salt Spring Island, B.C.), b. 1951.

Danish Shaman: Through The Mists of Time, 2013. Brazilian soapstone, 85.5 x 59.0 x 19.0 cm. Collection of Kipling Gallery, 0296

wag.ca

Charlene Vickers

A North American Art Collection amplifying diverse voices and creating conversations.

Image Credit: Charlene Vickers (Anishinaabe), Purple Thought, Acrylic on paper, framed, 2023, 34.75 × 27 inches (left). Baby Blue Spirit, Acrylic on paper, framed, 2023, 34.75 × 27 inches (right).

Courtesy of Macaulay + Co. and the artist, photo: Byron Dauncey.

Learn more at td.com/art.

Visit the TD Gallery of Indigenous Art at 79 Wellington St. West in Toronto. ® The TD logo and other TD trademarks are the property of the Toronto-Domion Bank or its subsidiaries.