Inuktuuqta! gala showcases music, glitter and Inuktut writing

Inuit joy and thousands of shimmering lights on the ceiling lit up the third-annual Inuktuuqta! Inuktut Writing Prize gala Wednesday night in Iqaluit.

The audience of more than 200 spoke and heard Inuktut for six straight hours — no simultaneous translation necessary — as a parade of performers from various regions sang in their home dialects late into the night.

Donna Adams reacts via a live video feed from Rankin Inlet, immediately after learning she won first prize worth $80,000 in the third-annual Inuktuuqta! Inuktut Writing Prize gala Wednesday. (Phot by Daron Letts)

The literary awards recognize emerging Inuit writers who create original works in Inuktut.

Author Donna Adams was awarded the grand prize of $80,000, in addition to other support from contest sponsor Nunavut Tunngavik Foundation to develop her submission for publication.

She accepted the prize via video feed from Rankin Inlet, broadcast on several large screens around the conference room at the Aqsarniit hotel.

“It was so very overwhelming,” Adams said during a phone interview Thursday.

“It’s hard not to sound cliche, but I didn’t think I would have been first place.”

Adams — a former manager at Kangiqliniq Hunters and Trappers Organization and now a court worker for Nunavut Legal Aid — won for her original story about a boy named Kattagaq who overcomes persecution by his peers and embraces his Inuit identity.

In second place was Megan Ungalak of Igloolik, who was awarded $10,000; in third place was Savanna Kiliktee of Pond Inlet, who won $5,000; fourth-place finisher Kevin Kablutsiak of Arviat received $3,000; and Meghan Alivaktuk of Pangnirtung finished fifth and was awarded $2,000.

“I am so thrilled,” Kablutsiak told Nunatsiaq News.

“I encourage anyone who can write Inuktut to do it, because the worldview from an Inuktut perspective is different from thinking about the world in other languages.”

Megan Ungalaq, right, accepts the second-place award from presenter Aluki Kotierk, president of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., during the Inuktuuqta! Inuktut Writing Prize Gala, held Wednesday at the Aqsarniit Hotel and Conference Centre in Iqaluit. (Photo by Daron Letts)

The award ceremony was upstaged by the stagecraft — in a good way — with the conference room transformed into an icy-blue Arctic oasis by stage director Sylvia Cloutier and her team, creating an immersive sensory experience.

The pristine-white stage with no right angles evoked a wind-formed snowscape, while above, the ceiling disappeared in a blanket of electric stars.

The musical lineup featured young performers from across Nunavut and Nunavik.

“They’re pushing our culture forward,” said Cloutier, explaining the song selection throughout the night was curated to dovetail with the themes in the five writers’ award entries.

Musicians included Terry Uyarak of Igloolik, Jada Tulurialik and her sister Jody Tulurialik from Taloyoak, Joey Nowyuk of Pangnirtung, Nancy Mike of Pangnirtung, Donovan Upinnaq Gordon-Tootoo of Rankin Inlet, and siblings Daniel Kolola and Eemalie Kolola from Iqaluit.

Salluit singer Elisapie headlined the event, opening with an Inuktut version of Heart of Glass, by Blondie. The pop star and her band performed non-stop from 10 p.m. until almost midnight when dancers from the audience joined her on stage at her request.

“Events like this encourage everyone to speak their language and to learn and grow with their language,” said Karliin Aariak, Nunavut’s language commissioner, who attended the event.

“It’s important to showcase our language in this way, through music, through writing, through speaking, through interaction — both personally and professionally.”

For more pictures of the gala, check out our slideshow.