New album brings Inuktitut folk songs to children
‘Little Songs’ a collection of 15 folk songs from Nunavik-born singer Beatrice Deer
“Little Songs,” a new Inuktitut children’s album from singer Beatrice Deer, is introducing young learners in Nunavik to traditional Inuktitut folks songs. (Photo by Jeff Pelletier/Image courtesy of Esuma)
A new children’s album is introducing young music fans to Inuktitut folk songs.
Little Songs was recently released by Inuk singer-songwriter Beatrice Deer, who was born and raised in Quaqtaq in Nunavik and now lives in Montreal.
The album is the result of a collaboration between the singer and Esuma, a group composed of 10 Nunavik-based organizations that supports perseverance in school and educational success for Nunavik youth.
The name Esuma roughly translates to “thinking” in Inuktitut.
“I submitted a project proposal to Esuma because I’ve wanted to make a children’s album for many years,” Deer said.
The album boasts 15 songs, all sung in Inuktitut. They are a blend of songs Deer herself grew up singing and others that she learned from elders.
“I recorded the songs that I learned from my childhood and songs that I never knew before, that are very old and traditional,” she said.
A friend of Deer’s worked on a curriculum book for Nunavik school board Kativik Ilisarniliriniq and interviewed elders who sang traditional Inuit folk songs. Deer learned those songs and incorporated them into the album.
“I want to thank the elders who shared their responses with Kativik Ilisarniliriniq and then for helping me to learn [the songs],” she said.
The first track on the album, Kinngamiurjuiguuq, is Deer’s favourite. It’s a song she learned from her auntie, who was also her Grade 1 teacher.
“I just remember loving the melody,” she said.
Deer said learning a language like Inuktitut through music helps the language to “stay in your brain better.”
“I think the fact that it’s creative, it’s fun,” she said. “Cognitively, you pick up whatever you’re learning much better if it’s artistic rather than academic.”
Elias Moukannas, a school perseverance adviser for Esuma, said music is a great way to help kids to enjoy learning.
“It’s a way where kids don’t feel that they’re really learning, they’re just enjoying while they’re learning,” he said. “I think learning through music makes it fun and easy and accessible.”
Esuma and Deer debuted the album Nov. 20 with a concert in Salluit at the local elementary school, a livestream over Facebook, a live broadcast on Taqramiut Nipingat Inc. radio 94.1 FM and a music video.
The show was also streamed to schools across Nunavik, the first time that’s been done live, Deer said.
“They were so enthusiastic,” she said of the students at the show.
Esuma will also distribute hard copies of the album to schools and daycares across Nunavik as well as foster-care homes for Inuit in southern Quebec.
Little Songs is available to listen to on all major music streaming platforms.
Thank you, Beatrice and Esuma.
I love your cover of Imutau. In my research for translating the ancient children’s song, I found that it means “ikkii!” in Yupik, and that “sugalunnguangit” means wooden dolls or “inuujat”, and “kiiki una” means hurry up, you. I get called onto other projects but it has been an absolutely wonderful experience researching
congratulations Beatrice Deer and Esuma.
I love your cover of immutau. I’ve been researching it to see if my translation of the ancient children’s song and found out that immutau is a Yupik word for our “ikii” (so cold), sugalunnguangit means “wooden doll” or inuujat, and kiiki una mean “hurry up, you”.
I’m just giving my survey of the results but it’s been wonderful so far figuring things out