NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Inuvialuit Settlement Region

Tags: social sciences, traditional knowledge, education, socio-cultural, Inuit

Objective(s): To identify cultural programming at Helen Kalvak School; to document the meaning of cultural education for Inuit students; and to describe how cultural education helps to transmit traditional knowledge such as hunting and sewing as well as other cultural skills, knowledge and values.

Project Description: The goal is to examine cultural education at Helen Kalvak School and its role in the transmission of traditional knowledge. Specific objectives are to: 1) identify cultural programming at Helen Kalvak School; 2) document the meaning of cultural education for Inuit students; and to 3) describe how cultural education helps to transmit traditional knowledge such as hunting and sewing as well as other cultural skills, knowledge and values. Semi-structured interviews will be conducted with Inuit students and other community members in Ulukhaktok to document and describe the importance of cultural education to them. Interviews will be conducted in English and/or Inuinnaqtun and will be audio recorded when consent is given to do so. Interviews that are not audio recorded will be documented with notes written during and immediately after the interview. Interviews conducted in Inuinnaqtun will be translated into English in real time by an Interpreter. Interviews will be conducted at the participant’s home in the community, and will begin with reviewing the project description and signing a consent form. The interviews are anticipated to last between 30 minutes to an hour. Interview questions will focus on obtaining an understanding of the importance of cultural education to the community generally and to students specifically. This project intends to highlight the importance of cultural education for Inuit students and the sharing of traditional skills and knowledge among generations. An Indigenous journalism student will work with Inuit students at Helen Kalvak School to share journalism skills and contribute to report writing. These students will have the opportunity to earn high school credits for their involvement in the project. Data will be presented as a video to compliment the research document. The results of the study will be communicated to people in Ulukhaktok and elsewhere in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region using a variety of communication tools that will be agreed upon with research partners in Ulukhaktok. These may include: community presentations; sharing on the local and regional radio; articles in northern magazines like Tusaayaksat; and short videos. Importantly, all results sharing materials will be developed together with research partners in Ulukhaktok. For example, a video will be created showcasing cultural program activities and results at Helen Kalvak School in a collaboration between Inuit students and journalism student Miguel van der Velden to share with the rest of the community and the Canadian Arctic. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from March 19, 2019 to May 1, 2019.