Until very recently, Inuit knowledge and history was retained and passed on solely through the oral tradition of storytelling.
Though there is a strong movement now underway to capture this oral body of knowledge before its primary keepers – Inuit Elders – pass on, very little of the historical information and wisdom is recorded to date.
In 2003, the Board of Directors of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. approved a resolution to record the oral history of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement. The Board wanted NTI to take immediate steps to record the oral history surrounding the negotiations to ensure this crucial piece of Canadian history was not lost.
To that end, the NTI Board committed funds for the project. NTI then approached the Government of Nunavut for additional funds. These funds were then made available to record and transcribe the oral history of the development, negotiations and formation of the NLCA.
That body of work is presented on this website in Inuktitut, English and Inuinnaqtun for the first time. This website also includes historical photos of the negotiations. NTI plans to launch a project to name the people in the photographs in the near future. NTI also plans to present the actual recorded interviews collected during the project at a later date.
For more information, please contact:
Communications Division
questions@tunngavik.com
1-888-646-0006
867-975-4914
Banner from photo by Ed Maruyama
