Tungasuvvingat Inuit cancels in-person Christmas gathering, moves online

Sytukie Joamie, right, hosts St. Margaret’s Anglican Church’s 2023 Boxing Day gathering in Ottawa alongside Anglican priest Rev. Canon Aigah Attagutsiak. Joamie recalls facing technical problems during the event and improvising by using a red funnel as a makeshift microphone, as pictured here. (Photo courtesy of Sytukie Joamie)

Tungasuvvingat Inuit’s annual Christmas gathering will not be held in-person this year and will be virtual instead.

The Ontario non-profit organization that serves urban Inuit announced the change Nov. 28 on its website, citing financial limitations.

The decision was “difficult” but organizers are offering alternative holiday programming, according to an unsigned statement provided by Eleanor Partridge, Tungasuvvingat Inuit’s communications manager.

Representatives for the organization did not respond to requests for an interview.

Tungasuvvingat Inuit’s plan includes a week of virtual activities, providing Christmas hampers for registered families, and a family photo booth set up at its new Ottawa location on Dupuis Street.

The switch to an online event, to be hosted from Dec. 8 to 12, was framed as an “effort to be inclusive to all Inuit in Ontario,” the organization said in a Facebook post.

Sytukie Joamie, who is originally from Apex and has lived in Ottawa for over a decade, has been a longtime participant in Inuit Christmas events both in the North and in the city.

“The regulars who go to these kinds of events do so to see people that they haven’t seen for quite a while, and just to enjoy themselves,” he said.

Joamie called the cancellation “frustrating” and said he’s concerned that many who attended previous events may not have cellphones or internet access to participate in the virtual activities.

“So how are they supposed to participate, even virtually? That cuts a lot of people out. It turns a community tradition into a worldwide web event,” Joamie said, adding he will not be attending.

Tungasuvvingat Inuit’s annual Christmas gatherings have attracted hundreds of participants. Last year’s event was held at the Ottawa Conference and Event Centre in Vanier, featuring country food and festive activities.

To celebrate in-person this year, Joamie plans to take part in St. Margaret’s Anglican Church’s annual Boxing Day celebrations on Dec. 26, which he said is organized much like the community gatherings he grew up with in Nunavut.

Joamie hosted the church’s 2023 Boxing Day gathering with Anglican priest Rev. Canon Aigah Attagutsiak.

He recalls being faced with technical problems and having to improvise by using a red funnel as a makeshift microphone.

“That’s what I mean about improvisation. You do it for the community and not for your ego or lack of funds. You’ve gotta make something work, so you do it,” he said.

Tungasuvvingat Inuit has held online events before, including a Zoom gathering last December for Inuit families from Inuvialuit, Nunavut, Nunavik, Nunatsiavut and urban communities to reminisce about Christmas growing up.