NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Inuvialuit Settlement Region

Tags: cultural heritage, Inuvialuit Living History Project, community based research, digital heritage, Inuvialuit Cultural Centre, website

Objective(s): To visit Aklavik, Inuvik and Tuktuyaktok to seek community feedback on the draft version of the new Inuvialuit Living History website (ready July 2024) so that any necessary changes can be made before formally launching the site. Similar community visits are planned for Paulatuk in 2025 and Ikaahuk and Ulukhaktok in 2026.

Project Description: This licence has been issued for the scientific research application No. 6188. The draft version of the new Inuvialuit Living History website will be ready in July of 2024. In August 2024, the team will visit Aklavik, Inuvik and Tuktuyaktok to seek community feedback on the website so that we can make any necessary changes before formally launching the site. Similar community visits are planned for Paulatuk in 2025 and Ikaahuk and Ulukhaktok in 2026. The ultimate goal is to make sure that Inuvialuit control the way they and their history are being represented on the site. In each community, researchers will host a community feast and meeting ("community gathering") with door prizes. A brief presentation explaining the history of the project will be given along with an overview of how the new website is being designed and developed. The draft version of the new website will then be shown on a screen and, after going through the pages of the site, feedback on the content and design will be sought from community members as the project develops. Audio and video of the meeting will be recorded so that there is a record for guidance as the website is updated. Photographs to document the meeting will also be taken. Researchers will also reach out to local Community Corporations for a list of names of people in each community who are important knowledge holders and should be invited to give feedback on the website. They will be invited to participate in individual or small group feedback sessions on the website. These sessions will involve meeting with team members and looking through the website on a laptop. Participants will be invited to offer suggestions for improvement. These sessions will be audio and video recorded for the same reasons as the community gatherings. With permission, photographs may also be taken. We plan to provide regular updates via our project Facebook page and through IRC social media channels (facilitated by the Cultural Centre). We will make ourselves available to local media outlets while in the north and give a presentation at the Aurora Research Centre. When it launches in 2026, the final project website will share all project results with the community. The draft website is here: https://lisah50.sg-host.com/. Our project facebook page is here: https://www.facebook.com/InuvialuitLivingHistory/ The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from: May 26 - June 10, 2025 November 08 - November 22, 2025