Toward Inuit self-determination
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Inuit oral history has been etched into stone and bathed in the soft light of Canada's National Gallery of Art

But it wasn’t always this way. The popularization and commercialization of Inuit sculpture only began in the mid-20th century and, even then, it was largely driven by government policies introduced as Inuit were forced from the land to permanent settlements.
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As with many Indigenous policies, there were lasting consequences. Each year, art sales bring tens of millions of dollars to the North, but artists are still up to twice as heavily concentrated in jurisdictions where that early arts funding was directed.
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Dene leading creation of Canada's newest national park

"Every feast is sacred,” says JC Catholique.

​The elder from Lutsel K’e Dene First Nation speaks softly, but is carrying a sizable stick. He’s just used it to lead drummers in blessing a feast of flame-grilled moose, whitefish and lake trout, with potato salad on the side.

"We pay the land," he continues, referring to the Dene custom of giving thanks to the environment that sustains the community. “We pay the water. This land has been here for thousands of years, and we’ve been here too. We’re still here.”

​Thaidene Nëné National Park Reserve has been decades in the making and will soon to be finalized. 

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Inuit and Cree communities build ice knowledge wiki

Everyone has heard about how the Inuit have so many words for snow and ice, says Joel Heath, executive director of the Arctic Eider Society. That part of the Inuktitut language – terminology around land use activities– is the most vulnerable to being lost.

With increasing expense for equipment and more dangerous and less predictable ice conditions, not as many Inuit are spending time on the land, and less of the nuanced language for ice conditions is being passed on to the next generation. The linguistic loss means a distinct way of knowing polar regions that helps better understand environmental change is also at risk.
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Canada Goose donates materials to community of Pond Inlet, Nunavut

Inuit people live in some of the harshest conditions on earth, which means the design of their traditional clothing had to be flawless to ensure maximum warmth and survival; indeed, a basic parka design has changed very little over the decades.

The material it’s made of, however, has changed significantly. Traditional furs are warm, but the 1970s saw a shift toward modern synthetic fabrics that are thinner, lighter and highly effective against moisture and wind. They can also be bright and beautiful, but like many items we take for granted in southern Canada, they’re often unavailable at either of Pond Inlet’s two stores: the Northern and the Co-op.

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Nishnawbe Aski Nation youth in leadership initiative

​Youth are the future of every community, and of every nation.

But for Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN), youth are even more than that.

“We have roughly 50,000 people,” says Derek Fox, Deputy Grand Chief of NAN.

“And most of them are under the age of 18. Young people in general go through a period of adolescence — with growth, and with hardship. Those periods never stop, they stay with you through your life.”


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Oral traditions can play an important role in decolonization

Education got us into this mess, and education will get us out”

Chief Commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Senator Murray Sinclair summed up the challenge bequeathed to the survivors of Canada’s residential schools with a pithy call to action, and if reconciliation is to be achieved, education can’t be a one-way street.

“Empowering Indigenous students and encouraging Indigenous thought in the classroom is incredibly important for reconciliation, and for building a brighter, more inclusive future for Indigenous peoples,” says Liane Chiblow.
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Lutsel K'e Dene First Nation leading way on Thaidene Nene, a new vision for the idea of a national park

The near constant photosynthesis of summer at 62° north has greened the reeds to an effervescent hue that seems a thousand kilometers farther north than it ought to be. They sway in the wake of a lone, moulting muskox wading in still waters on the East Arm of Great Slave Lake. On a July afternoon with the mercury nudging 30° C (85° F), this overheated tundra dweller seems lost. It isn’t.

The traditional territory of the Lutsel K’e Dene First Nation spans the transition from tundra to taiga, and it’s sudden.

The greenery of aspen and pine give way to the ruddier tones of saxifrage and lichen. However lost this Arctic beast might seem, it belongs.
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Still, its presence seems incongruent.

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Translation of public health resources into Oji-Cree language will improve access to health care

While reviewing hospital records from the Sioux Lookout Health Centre in northern Ontario, Tom Kovesi noticed a high number of children had symptoms of respiratory conditions that can be caused by mold. A pediatric respirologist at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa, Kovesi recognized that ensuring people knew how to get rid of mold in their homes could help improve the health of local children.

But getting the word out wasn’t going to be easy. The 49 First Nations communities that make up Nishnawbe Aski Nation are spread across a vast swath of northwestern Ontario. Public health materials in First Nations languages didn’t exist, and the existing English-language toolkits were dense and difficult to understand. 
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Mental health initiative develops culturally appropriate approaches for youth in Nishnawbe Aski Nation

The Great White Bear’s feet are planted firmly on Earth as it stretches toward the heavens to connect with the Creator, but in its skyward reach, this symbol of Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) is vulnerable. It lifts itself up, but its heart is exposed to anyone seeking to destroy its life.

NAN’s youth are the hope for its future and some, like the Great White Bear, are rising. But not all are living to reach their full potential.

The group of 49 communities in northwestern Ontario is facing a suicide crisis. NAN has among the highest suicide rates in the world among children under 15 years of age. 



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