Introduction to Nunavut

Ericka Chemko, Inuit Heritage Trust Inc., Canada
http://www.ihti.ca

Demonstration: Demonstrations - Session 2

Canada's newest territory, Nunavut, is rich in cultural and heritage resources. The presentation will provide information about the political and heritage/conservation environment, with the goal of helping those outside of Nunavut navigate the many organizations and agencies involved in cultural heritage activities.

The Inuit Heritage Trust receives its mandate from the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement As stated in the Claim, there is an urgent need to establish facilities in Nunavut for the conservation and management of a representative portion of the archaeological record, and it is desirable that the proportion of the archaeological record finding a permanent home in Nunavut increase over time. The presentation will introduce some of the players and discuss some of the progress towards a Nunavut Heritage Centre.

Nunavut, comprising 22% of Canada's land mass, is a massive but sparsely populated territory, divided into three geographical regions: The Kitikmeot (in which there 7 communities); the Kivalliq (6 communities) and the Baffin or Qikiqtani region in which are included 13 communities. The largest communities in each region house Visitor Centres and Heritage Centres along with a range of offerings for the public. Given the vast distances between communities, the Visitor and Heritage Centres have developed varied approaches to communicating about culture and heritage to the local population, 85% of which are Inuit, as well as to visitors.

The presentation will also present some of the highlights from across Nunavut of innovative projects, involving digital media, produced by and for Nunavut audiences. Many organizations are in the process of improving their websites and digital media to disseminate information about their activities.

The Najuqsivik Society in Sanikiluaq is one example of an organization that has an impressive range of operations. They are a community heritage society, student business, connection between Elders and youth and the rest of the community. Recently they arranged conferences with a southern museum and with Elders in the Nunavut community of Arviat through their interactive Telehealth system, which is accessible through each community's health center. Najuqsivik excels in sharing heritage knowledge and information within Sanikiluaq through selling carvings, framed plaster casts, apparel and mugs with archaeological designs printed on them. Though their website does not reflect the range of their multimedia and interactive programming and projects, they have applied for funding to make a better serving website.

The Inuit Heritage Trust recently coordinated an oral history and archaeological project in Taloyoak, a small community of about 650. IHT has applied to create an interactive website to incorporate the stories, archaeological findings, traditional place names and cultural information about the area to fit into the social studies curriculum as well as for wider public consumption.