Letters From the Board

ICS IS PLEASED to introduce this quarterly edition of Tusaayaksat as the “Art” issue.

Edited by both Brian Kowikchuk and Jason Lau, this edition will display various forms of artistic creations and their methods.

Growing up in Aklavik, I saw art displayed in many forms at the Churches and at Moose Kerr School. I recall the beautiful painting Our Lady of Snows behind the altar at the old Anglican Church. Many families expressed their artistic abilities through music and sewing for their children and families. There was always music in our household. I admired the many pieces of beautiful artwork that people took such care in sewing properly so items could last a long winter. I remember the Christmas and Easter seasons, going to Church and seeing many people display new moccasins, or mukluks, or a new parka.

Whenever I think of art in Aklavik, I remember as a child walking past an old house located by the airstrip with its rust-coloured logs. It had no windows, so you could look directly into it and see all these paintings that the former residents painted directly on the walls. I thought it was absolutely fantastic.

Leaving home and going to Grollier Hall in Inuvik, I was in awe. As a child I thought the chapel was amazing in its height and with its art. The Igloo Church was overwhelming with all the beautiful art of Father Adam and his ice sculptures, as well as Mona Thrasher and her beautiful paintings. One thing I did appreciate about living in Grollier Hall was that we were all taught how to embroider pieces of art for various craft fairs and Church fundraisers—between athletics, homework, and embroidering, those filled our days.

Now, as I write this from home, I look around and see family photos intermingled with pieces of art on my walls in many splashes of colour. Art brightens our days and lifts our spirits—especially through a long, dark winter.

Let’s support our local artists. I encourage you to buy from your local online craft stores, and through your local artists' social media channels. Happy Easter, everyone!

ANAQANAALLU—SEE YOU AGAIN,

LUCY KUPTANA

PRESIDENT, INUVIALUIT COMMUNICATIONS SOCIETY

Letter From the Manager

WE ARE VERY EXCITED about this issue. The mandate of the Inuvialuit Communications Society is to preserve and promote Inuvialuit culture and language. What better way to preserve moments in time and culture than through art?

What does it mean to be Inuvialuit? What is my purpose as an Inuvialuk—a person? These are questions we've been trying to answer since time immemorial— long before our collective and ancestral memory.

Inuvialuit have always tried to answer these questions through our art. We angayu (sing and

dance), we miquq (sew), we ulimaruq (carve) stone and bone, we mark our flesh, and we pierce our skin. We've weathered storms and acts of cultural genocide. When we practice our traditions and spend time on the land, we are free. And when we create, we remind the world that we remain. We adapt; we survive.

For our young people, the need to express what is inside of them is strong. It is a lifeline that must be protected, nurtured, and encouraged at every stage of life. How do we reach our youth? We remind them that in each of them there is Creation—the part of them they need to sit with and listen to for guidance and courage. Ataa!

Remember that our Elders are the deepest source of self we will find. Sitting with Elders, learning to speak your language so that you can go on to write poetry or

sing in Inuvialuktun; the memory of your Naanak rocking you as a child while she sings, and the sun catches her silver hair; the time spent sitting quietly with your father waiting for geese to fly low enough… These are moments and memories that will fill deep wells from which you will draw love and inspiration forever.

You do not need to be “good” at art to create. You just need to allow yourself the time and space to release what is desperate to enter the physical world—whether it be a song, a story, a drawing, or simply an embroidered flower... Art has no limits. It is everlasting and is always there to guide you. Ataa!

TAMARA VOUDRACH

MANAGER, INUVIALUIT COMMUNICATIONS SOCIETY