Unikkausivut: Sharing Our Stories

Project Spotlight: An educational resource from the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), bringing together films by and about Inuit. 

ᓴᖅᑭᑎᑦᑎᓂᖅ ᑭᒡᒐᖅᑐᐃᔩᑦ ᖃᕆᓴᐅᔭᓕᕆᔾᔪᑏᑦ
Close-up of a person standing in a winter landscape, wearing a fur hooded coat.

The passing of Traditional Stories down from one generation to the next using the visual arts and storytelling is a long-standing and vibrant Inuit custom. Since the 1940s, the NFB has worked with Inuit communities and creators to document all facets of life in the North, producing the world’s largest collection of films by and about Inuit, from Inuit and non-Inuit filmmakers. These documentaries and animated films offer a unique audiovisual account of the life of Inuit—an account that should be shared with, and celebrated by, all Canadians.

Close-up of a person standing in a winter landscape, wearing a fur hooded coat.
PHOTO: ÉVANGELINE DE PAS.

 

The NFB, in collaboration with the Inuit Relations Directorate of Indigenous Affairs and Northern Affairs Canada, the Government of Nunavut (Department of Education), and with the support of Inuit organizations, has selected films from this rich collection that represent all four Inuit regions in Canada (Nunatsiavut, Nunavik, Nunavut and Inuvialuit), with some available in Inuktitut. 

Discover a powerful portrait of Inuit experience, past and present, in these animated shorts and documentaries with the Unikkausivut: Sharing Our Stories playlist.

Director Mark Sandiford and Collaborating Director Zebedee Nungak, Qallunaat! Why White People Are Funny (2006).

Credit: This film was originally published in Unikkausivut: Sharing Our Stories on NFB.ca. COURTESY NFB.

 

A learning resource is available in English and in French, as well as in four Inuktitut dialects from Nunavut (syllabic), Nunavik (syllabic), Nunatsiavut and Inuvialuit. A special thank you to the Inuit Relations Directorate of Indigenous Affairs and Northern Affairs Canada for their support. 

 

Highlights from the Learning Resource

A loon floating in water and a young Inuk wearing a hooded coat face one another. Behind the pair are mountains and sky.
Alethea Arnaquq-Baril, Nunavut Animation Lab: Lumaajuuq (2010).

Working in close relationship with Inuit organizations and consultants to ensure Inuit knowledge and perspectives are at the heart of this project, and to facilitate classroom learning, an educational guide has been designed to introduce instructors to background information about Inuit life, both past and present. 
 
This guide links specific films from the Unikkausivut film collection to key issues in the Arctic, giving instructors a template for engaging students in conversations and activities about the region and its people. The goal of this guide is not to deliver a specific lesson plan, but rather to provide a resource to help educators gain a sufficiently broad understanding of subject material that will enable them to guide their classrooms through the viewing of films and related discussions.
 
As an instructional tool, this educational guide targets two different age groups. The first portion of the guide is aimed at younger learners, between 8 and 12 years of age. This section introduces the idea of Traditional Knowledge, or Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, and uses short video clips to help students understand the social and cultural values that guide Inuit communities in the Canadian Arctic. A series of brief classroom activities is provided to allow students to recognize the importance and relevance of these social values to their own lives.
 
The second portion of this guide provides a more in-depth analysis of Arctic people, history and events. It is recommended that the activities, discussion questions and films referred to in this section be directed toward students aged 13 and older. This age range has been targeted primarily because some films in the collection contain content not suitable for younger viewers. It is strongly suggested that educators review the film material prior to classroom screening in order to ensure its relevance and suitability to their classroom audience. 

Ame Papatsie, Nunavut Animation Lab: Qalupalik (2010)

Credit: This film was originally published in Unikkausivut: Sharing Our Stories on NFB.ca. COURTESY NFB.

 

Films on NFB.ca are available to stream for free, depending on your location.

This story is part of the NFB Spotlight. View more content from the Spotlight here.