Inuit need to speak Inuktut at home, Nunavut language conference hears
“We need to make sure we keep on speaking”
This bright display at last week’s Inuugatta Inuktuuqta conference in Iqaluit shows some of the Inuktut learning materials that are available in Nunavut. The conference came with a call for more materials like these, in addition to increased speaking of Inuktut at home, less criticism for Inuktut-language learners and more support for the language and Inuktut services from the federal government. (Photo by Jane George)
When Malaya Qaunirq Chapman, an actor from APTN’s popular Inuktut-language television show Qanurli, speaks about relearning her language after being in the United States for 10 years, tears well up in her eyes.
Speaking at the Inuugatta Inuktuuqta conference in Iqaluit last week, Chapman described being the target of criticism for not speaking Inuktut perfectly.
Chapman’s remarks were one of the standout moments during the three-day event that was held to help protect, revitalize and promote the Inuit language.
Other highlights include a performance by children from the Tumikuluit child care centre in Iqaluit, who sang and drummed while wearing traditional clothing, and another performance that featured dancing and drumming from all of Nunavut’s regions.
During her struggles to relearn and speak Inuktut, actor Malaya Qaunirq Chapman says she has faced criticism because some say she doesn’t speak perfectly. (Photo by Jane George)
Most attendees were over 50—largely from the generation of Inuit who kept their language.
And, while Inuktut language champions received awards during the conference, some of the Inuktut speakers at the conference admitted that they didn’t pass the language on to their children because, as one woman told Nunatsiaq News, “English was what you needed.”
Now their grandchildren don’t speak Inuktut.
Many at the conference, including Nunavut commissioner Nellie Kusugak, urged Inuit to speak Inuktut at home.
“We need to make sure we keep on speaking,” Kusugak said in her keynote address at the end of the conference. “It’s not too late.”
But while Inuktut has eroded across the territory—and most profoundly in western Nunavut, according to Statistics Canada—those learning Inuktut today have new tools at their disposal.
Meeka Arnakak of Pangnirtung says that when she was a child, there was little for her to read in Inuktut. (Photo by Jane George)
Educator Meeka Arnakak of Pangnirtung, in the language attitudes session, spoke about how, as a child, she was eager to learn to read. But there wasn’t much available in Inuktut. So she often read, and reread, a book that had been printed in syllabics, badly translated, on how to keep your house clean.
Now there are many books available in Inuktut, and there should be even more as a plan for a unified writing system, now being tested out by Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, moves ahead.
Having one written form of Inuktut would remove the need for different editions printed in diverse dialects.
Apart from the message to speak Inuktut, either Inuktitut or Inuinnaqtun, at home, there was also a call to work towards the day when Inuktut is the language of work in the territory and all services will be available in Inuktut.
For that, more official support and money for language learning and education will be key, and Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. President Aluki Kotierk said government and Inuit organizations have to lobby together for this.
To improve Inuktut upgrading, as well as cultural knowledge, $5.4 million over three years is now earmarked for the Piruvik Inuktut learning centre in Iqaluit.
The money comes through the Makigiaqta Inuit Training Corp., whose board, with representatives from both Government of Nunavut and Inuit organizations, make decisions about funding.
But Kotierk said she wants to see the federal government step up and move on to improve its Bill C-91 respecting Indigenous Languages.
Kotierk wants Inuktut to be recognized as a founding language of Canada, commitment to delivering services in Inuktut, and money to ensure Inuit receive services comparable to those enjoyed by other Canadians.
M.Q. Chapman, Inuit people have been in charge of teaching
Inuktitut for over 30 years ( supposedly ).
Do not blame yourself. I wish you success.
Commissioner Kusugak, programs of home learning should
have been established decades ago instead of hiring the
unqualified people we have today. Elders warned of this.
But they were completely ignored ! !
We reap what we sow.
With respect, I am unclear what is meant by “programs of home learning” that should have been established. Established by whom? Surely government is not expected to establish a program to guide people in speaking to their children/grandchildren. Just do it. Turn off the TV for some hours a day, and talk with each other. Talk Inuktut around the dinner table. Watch the news on TV and then talk about it. Go for a walk together and talk about what you see. Government intervention is not required in everything.
There are advertisements out for Inuktitut teachers in various high schools. Guess what level of Inuktitut you have to know to acquire such a teaching position? You will need a Bachelor of Education degree in order to be able to teach Inuktitut. How can the best Inuktitut speakers and those most learned in the language – reading and writing, be so blatantly left out of these positions?
That is because it will be taught in four square walls, within a time frame set by a southern system along with the cultural programming fitted into those time frames.
Greenland has made some true efforts to relearn and maintain the Inuit Culture by creating Folk Schools. Trying to look at Alaska would be useless as the population there is 90% southerners due to oil and gas development.
Just because some knows how to do something doesn’t means they’re any good at teaching others how to do it. There are many people fluent in many languages who can’t teach others to do it, Inuktitut included.
When I was growing up I spoke only Inuktitut when I was at home. When I was at school I spoke only in English. I didn’t learn to go out on the land and hunt in the school I learned it by being out with family. I learned to read and write in Inuktitut or syllabics in Sunday School and by going to church. I learned to read and write English at school. I am fluent in reading and writing in Inuktitut and I am well read in English and speak fluent English.
Today our young people are being taught both languages and cultures in the same setting- the school. How many of our young people speak and write both languages fluently? How many have learned how to build an Igloo to survive on the land by themselves? How many know how to hunt where did those people learn their hunting and survival skills? Was it through the schools? I don’t think so.
The cultural school was built in Clyde River to promote tradtional studies, on the land, Inuktituit language and Inuit values. Piqu School, remember,. Is it still sititng empty with no courses, no trainers and no results.
Piqqusilirivvik in Clyde River is operational and there are many young people who attend there from Nunavut. They are taught Inuit culture in Inuktitut. All aspects of Inuit culture is covered – environment, clothing making, tool making, Inuit medicinal ways, and so much more. They spend time on the land and not just for an afternoon, they spend a number of days on the land. Men and Women are taught family life skills, clothing making, navigational skills, etc. There is a fall and winter session.
Any person 18 or older is able to apply by checking out Nunavut Arctic College website and the Piqqusilirivvik section.
It was supposed to be a cultural school but then plans changed, you were supposed to be able to go there to learn Inuktitut academically, GN workers to learn Inuktitut advance Inuktitut for the office. Learn technical words and so on.
The was the vision in the beginning, then it all changed to what it is today. I am not sure why this changed and how this Piqqusilirivvik will benefit the people in the GN and other organisations to improve in the office with Inuktitut and IQ.
You have to go there in order to understand what goes on at Piqqusilirivvik. There is classroom time and that is spent studying, in Inuktitut, various Inuit subjects. It is academic in that Inuktitut is used throughout all the classes. They are graded and learn all aspects of Inuit life.
How does one learn Inuktitut if their thoughts are all in any other language? All aspects of Inuit life are studied, from history to present day Inuit. It is everything Inuit of differing dialects as the students can be from anywhere in Nunavut. There are Inuit instructors that visit from all parts of Nunavut to teach various parts of Inuit culture, in fact that have been Kalaathiit visitors. There is an extensive Inuit library covering as many Inuit from all Arctic regions as can be found. It is everything Inuit, if that is not academically Inuit then I don’t know what is.
INUKTUK
Who or what framed that term? What a weird word. Was it termed to harmonize Inuktitut, Inuinnaqtun, and Inuvialuktun?
I am embarrassed to admit that in spite of calling Nunavut my home for almost 30 years, I am not fluent in Inuktut and this in spite of being fluently trilingual in other languages. I took Introductory Inuktut twice through NAC in the evenings and my spouse and I also accessed private tuition in our home early in the 1990s. I listened to Inuktut on the radio for many years. I wish I had been supported to attend the Pirurvik courses as these seem to help learners be successful. I was never actually denied these courses but I was not supported to take even one. Support and approval are two different things when you work in a school and also within the GN. Writing days and days of lesson plans for a substitute and then returning to my class after an absence to restore order was not supportive and although lesson plans are no longer required in my current role, the work sits there piling up. These are deterrents. The time I learned most Inuktut was from Elders and land guides during my school’s land program during six weeks in 2000. Everyone around me spoke Inuktut and I learned so much. I believe in immersion, in learning within a context and in practising, practising, practising. Many around me encouraged and reinforced my use of language. Life has taught me that there are those who are ever ready to mitigate their own misery by laughing at you and your mistakes, even kicking you when you are down and especially if you tell them you are down or show vulnerability, but there are many more who do not need to do that and who encourage, build you up, have your back, appreciate your efforts, are kind and just decent human beings willing to support and be supported in our journey on earth. Continue striving, fighting, resisting, learning, working and supporting each other.
With our home, we speak Inuktitut but it is still very difficult for our kids to keep speaking Inuktitut, they spend a lot of time at school during the day and sometimes the evening, there it is mostly English that is used, in the class, learning materials and so on.
How can our kids learn Inuktitut at schools and advance in Inuktitut in the school system?
Today English is the only spoken language almost everywhere you go in Western Nunavut. Fluent Inuktut speakers have resulted in speaking in English because it is easier to have a conversation with an English unilingual. The fluent Inuktut speakers are our Inuktut holders of the language, they are our gate keepers if you will. If the language is to survive and continue to be spoken – speak it everywhere you go. Share it, take time to help the English unilinguals to understand what you are saying, even using hand gestures.
The language needs to be spoken everywhere – do not result in speaking English because it is the easiest thing to do…SHARE IT EVERYWHERE YOU GO! Unilingual English speakers need to be exposed to Inuktut language every day, all day, day in and day out – that’s how you revive it.
For those who want to learn – find ways to learn – visit Elders and fluent Inuktut speakers and have tea and coffee or clean for them and chat with them, go through a Inuktut dictionary word by word, learn the Inuktut verb and noun chunks and endings, ask others how you say words, write it down to see it, pronounce it, break words down into syllables, memorize it. The more people who do this, the Inuktut language will have a chance of surviving. The more learning you do, will increase your ability to speak and understand Inuktut. No more blaming those who are fluent in Inuktut, in fact do not let their shaming put you down, they are NOT helping. Just brush it off (this is tough but just let it go). There are other people that will help, just don’t stop trying. If you want to put your learning into practice, tell the fluent Inuktut speakers you are learning so they can be helpful in your learning. This will help stop the shaming.
Don’t always make it “spoken in the home” ONLY – it should be spoken everywhere – the fluent Inuktut speakers should share the language so that it can survive. When you are a unilingual English speaker and this “spoken at home” thing can put a lot of pressure and stress on the person – and it makes them wonder “how am I going to do this, when I am not fluent”.
Some suggestions would be; there should be mandatory Inuktut programs in all Nunavut Communities at least four times in a year – miniature two week courses – days or evenings. Have more Elder programs that are open to all to attend so that English unilingual speakers and learner can be exposed to language and have a place to practice speaking and understanding skills. The question is, what organization is eligible to apply for program funding and who is going to administer the program and budget. The Hamlets are too busy and seems like they are the only eligible organization that can apply most of the time for community programs.
Come on organizations, get registered to become eligible and apply for program funding – funding is available. Ask people who may know where to apply for funding – you need to look for the funding programs and stop waiting for someone else to do it. No more relying on others who may to be busy to apply – take charge and go for it!
The first step is yours, no relying on organizations, if you are fluent in Inuktut or know some Inuktut, please share it by speaking it, expose it everyone – be the difference – this is ‘REAL’ community contribution ?