Inuit archive project at risk due to funding delays
Administration of money changed hands from federal government to Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. in 2023, and that’s when it stopped flowing: Manitok Thompson
Manitok Thompson, executive director of Inuit Broadcasting Corp., stands surrounded by decades-old videotapes located in the organization’s Ottawa office. Thompson’s team is working to digitize them but needs stable funding to finish the project. (Photo by Kierstin Williams)
The Inuit Broadcasting Corp. says its archive digitization project is at risk due to changes to the administration of federal Indigenous languages funding.
The non-profit organization has been working to digitize decades-old videotapes, all filmed by Inuit on a wide range of topics, for its Iqqaumavavut: We Remember Them project.
It has received approximately $1 million for its archival project since 2018 through the federal Indigenous Languages and Cultures program.
However, in 2023, the administration of approximately $9.7 million through the federal program moved to Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., the legal representative for Inuit beneficiaries, to distribute for Inuktut protection, reclamation and revitalization projects.
It’s now been 19 months since the broadcasting corporation has received any substantial money for the project, said Manitok Thompson, executive director of the Inuit Broadcasting Corp.
She said she has had difficulty receiving any answers from NTI.
“Every time we asked them, we were told, ‘We’re working on it and we’ll let you know,'” she said.
“So then we’re waiting two fiscal years and no money is coming out of NTI.”
Some of the tapes the broadcasting corporation is working to digitize contain footage of elders sharing traditional knowledge and history, negotiations leading to the creation of Nunavut, and even a younger Gov. Gen. Mary Simon fighting for Inuit rights in Parliament.
Thompson said her 40-year-old non-profit organization is facing “a very serious situation” without the funding.
“If we don’t digitize [these tapes], we will lose them because after time they get brittle,” she said in an interview with Nunatsiaq News.
“We filmed it all, this is just a little glimpse of the archives. All the elders that were talking in these archives have passed on, and their great, great-grandchildren are now watching them.”
NTI has about $9.7 million to portion out for projects such as these over five years, starting from fiscal year 2023-24.
At the beginning of October, it issued a request for proposals for 2024-25 and any funded activities must be completed by March 31, 2025.
Thompson said the request for proposals is a year late and should instead be for 2025-26, to give organizations more time to work.
The broadcasting corporation’s archive digitization project has received bits of money here and there from the three regional Inuit associations, Library and Archives Canada, and other NTI funding pots, but Thompson said her organization needs approximately $500,000 for completion.
“We have to hire Inuit that know the language and dialects, staff for cataloguing, hire a company to get them digitized, activate our main server — it’s a big job,” she said.
This year, Thompson estimates her team has digitized about 20 per cent of the remaining tapes, which still need to be subtitled and translated.
“Other people have written about us, we have never written about ourselves,” said Thompson. “This is our story, our encyclopedia, we’re setting the record straight.”
NTI was asked but did not provide comment for this story.
NTI has been given significant funds from ITK and the Federal Gov’t of which it appears none of it is being used.
100M Infrastructure money. What have we seen come from it?
400M+ for housing. What have we seen come from it?
Where is all this money going? Why is the last NTI Annual Report published on their website 2020-2021? Where is 22, 23 and 24 (their AGM is done it should be up).
It’s not surprising to see their President not run again. Clearly incompetence at NTI is running an all time high.
Good time to ask NTI candidates what they will do with Inuit Broadcasting Corporation funding problems.
Get used to it. Inuit not good at being bureaucratic
No it’s just a small group at NTI, the senior management team and poor leadership, can’t wait for a new President, it’s been so frustrating to see NTI with so much money refusing to do any good for Nunavut.
That self government thing that nobody knows about but a few NTI staff and consultants have been their priority, no reports or updates for beneficiaries.
Refusing to work with other organizations and GN, it’s such a toxic place now, badly needs a change at NTI.
Most organizations in Nunavut operate this way (ignoring emails and doing what they want with no regard to bylaws, policies etc). And by most I mean almost all of them, this has been a normalized practice in Nunavut started by elitists and people who think they’re above laws etc. (and also by people who are in positions they have no business being in) look at the HTAs. Most of them don’t even know they have bylaws and the board of directors do whatever they want because the directors agree to it. That’s not the way it works. Hold organizations accountable to follow their own bylaws and policies – then maybe you will see a change.
Why is there a lack of inquiries regarding staff salaries and VTA provisions? Are bonuses allocated to employees? For parents who send their children to the southern region for education and hockey training, are proper background checks being conducted concerning the parent’s annual salary, rather than solely relying on NTI for financial assistance? Furthermore, what measures are in place to prevent nepotism when evaluating applications for funding? Additionally, I would like to know the costs associated with travel for the Board of Directors and project managers or officers when attending meetings, whether within the communities or out of territory.
Funding, more funding. We all need funding, but that old Inuit song of survival, no funding no Inuit. Not saying that in any derogatory way, it’s just gone beyond where its needs are living. Taking the artist, the musical talents, the funding became an oxymoron, now only keeping the talents confined to the north only , where there’s not enough public interest to pay the rightful door fees and purchase to , yes , I’ll say it : solid purest funding. Our community in the north are so insecurely funded thats it’s hinder progression to world standards. Just look at the bands , that are doing somewhat ok. Those living in the south even, are only existing off the North community funding. No real growth in all this funding, it keeps the baby in the playroom, and stunning the growth. Allow the artist to be worldwide exposed, stop that superficial stunt growth funding.
There’s plenty of funding from ED&T for Nunavut artists to do activities outside of Nunavut to further their artistic careers. It’s a matter of taking the time to access it through grant and application writing. Those living in the south should be using southern funding. Why would anyone want to live anywhere but Nunavut. Trust me, the rest of Canada sucks.
We need to start evaluating these projects that are funded across the gn and NTI. Are they working? Nti suing the gn for lack of inuktitut speaking teachers and yet they get funding from the federal government for language programs. Why not use that money and help the gn attain and train more inuktitut teachers. Qanuqtuuriatsaq naluliqtut ikajuqtigiigialiugaluat. I’m guessing this is a strategic path to self government. Duplicating services with such a small population will only weaken our nunavut.
Archives from Inuit should be a priority of the Nunavut Land Claims. I believe NTI didn’t want to comment is because they are embarrassed and not dependable. I also believe there is too much nepotism with giving out funds.