UlukhaktokSA国际影视传媒檚 Joshua Oliktoak sees many reasons for hope that Inuinnaqtun will persevere, if not thrive in the future.
Although there are only several hundred people in the world who still speak this particular Inuit language, Oliktoak points to language camps for youth where Elders promote Inuinnaqtun, along with hunting and other traditional and cultural practices.
He speaks highly of an SA国际影视传媒渁wesomeSA国际影视传媒� Inuinnaqtun dictionary that Emily Kudlak and Richard Compton developed several years ago as a helpful resource.
There are local residents who taught the language at evening and weekend classes and during cooking lessons prior to the pandemic.
He also draws on his own experience, whereby he grew up in a household surrounded by Inuinnaqtun speakers, but he strayed from the language during his teenage years. A decade or so later, with encouragement from his sisters who have held tightly to Inuinnaqtun, Oliktoak resumed conversing in it.
SA国际影视传媒淚t takes a community to work together to help bring our language back but most importantly to preserve our language and give it to our youth as they will be the ones to help keep it alive,SA国际影视传媒� he says, noting the extensive help he has received. SA国际影视传媒淎 lot of people in the communitySA国际影视传媒� always teach me words. Even today ISA国际影视传媒檓 still learning words because there are words that are hardly used anymore and they have meanings that have got to be remembered.SA国际影视传媒�
Helena Ekootak finds herself in a similar predicament to where Oliktoak was before, and she too is determined to once again make Inuinnaqtun central to her life.
SA国际影视传媒淚 am eager to relearn my language for the sole purpose of keeping it alive. It is a beautiful language that needs the recognition it deserves,SA国际影视传媒� she says.
She has accepted an offer to take language fluency training next month in Ottawa with the Language Bureau of Canada.
SA国际影视传媒淥n top of that, I will be studying both versions my Inuinnaqtun dictionaries and have asked my family and fellow language holders to speak to me in our language whenever they interact with me,SA国际影视传媒� she says. SA国际影视传媒淚 also plan of spending time with my Elders, who are incredibly fluent in the language.SA国际影视传媒�
Photo courtesy of Helen Kalvak Elihakvik
Language board
Oliktoak is in his fifth term with the territorial governmentSA国际影视传媒檚 Aboriginal Languages Revitalization Board, which makes recommendations to the minister of Education, Culture and Employment SA国际影视传媒渙n matters related to programs and initiatives that promote, enhance, maintain and revitalize the nine official Aboriginal languages of the Northwest Territories,SA国际影视传媒� according to the GNWT.
The boardSA国际影视传媒檚 structure is inclusive of at least one representative for each of the Chipewyan, Cree, GwichSA国际影视传媒檌n, Inuinnaqtun, Inuktitut, Inuvialuktun, North Slavey, South Slavey and Tlicho language communities. However, of 18 total seats, six are currently vacant.
Back in Ulukhaktok, Oliktoak, whoSA国际影视传媒檚 in his second term as mayor in the community of close to 400 residents, says he will continue to support aspirations to revitalize Inuinnaqtun.
SA国际影视传媒淲e have to be optimistic,SA国际影视传媒� he says. SA国际影视传媒淚f we be pessimistic, we may turn people away from it. ItSA国际影视传媒檚 best to be optimistic and to encourage youth as much as you can SA国际影视传媒� not only youth but anyone who wants to speak, help bring back their language in any way, or any dialect SA国际影视传媒� we have to encourage them as much as we can so they help keep the language alive.
SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 part of our culture. ItSA国际影视传媒檚 who we are.SA国际影视传媒�
