Akhuuqhimajara Inuinnaqtun / I'm all in for Inuinnaqtun!

The Inuinnaqtun language—the foundation of Inuinnait culture—has less than 600 fluent speakers remaining. By most estimates, it is a language that will be extinct in two generations. The disappearance of Inuinnaqtun would be culturally devastating, disrupting the link to our past, to much of the knowledge held and accumulated by thousands of generations who came before us, and to our identity as Inuinnait. It is number one priority and intention to address this urgent need over the next decade.

In 2015, UNESCO applied its endangered languages criteria to Inuinnaqtun and rated our language as “definitely endangered.”

While the term Inuinnaqtun most often refers to the dialect of Inuktut spoken by Inuinnait, its true meaning is much more expansive: to speak, to create, to practice, to do, to think—to be—like an Inuinnaq (a human being). Our words, phrases and sentences hold deeply embedded meanings, that describe and reinforce the long-honoured ways of being and relationships between all living things. All of which has been accumulated over millennia, passed on and sustained with each new generation until the cycle of transmission was interrupted. 

The scars of colonization and the systemic oppression of Indigenous languages and cultures run deep. Intergenerational trauma causes ongoing language loss, shame and wellness issues. As we look to reconciliation, reclaiming and retaining our identity by passing on and learning our language and culture is at the heart of our healing. Inuinnaqtun is our link to our Elders and ancestors and the knowledge, worldview and cultural continuity that is our inheritance.

Stand with us to support healing. On the occasion of our 25^th anniversary, we reconfirm our commitment to reawakening our language and culture.

Many words and parts of our language are sleeping, disused and dormant following massive changes to our cultural communities over the past hundred years. Guided by a five-year Strategic Plan, and by Inikhaliuqatigiit, ‘the trail makers’, a group of Inuinnaqtun leaders from the four Inuinnaqtun-speaking communities, we are connecting the resources, technology and expertise critical to the survival of Inuinnaqtun and Inuinnait culture.   

We have set a goal to raise $250,000 for the renewal of Inuinnaqtun in our 25^th year. This includes:

Preserve Language Domains – Working alongside Elders and fluent speakers, Inuinnait Linguists will record vocabulary and fluent speech in knowledge areas for which only our oldest generations have personal experience. 

Awaken Inuinnaqtun in Silent Speakers – Language learning must also involve individual healing. Working with Indigenous partners, we will launch a new program to target Silent Speakers, who understand much of their mother language, but do not speak it due to intergenerational language trauma. We will empower them to find their voice in Inuinnaqtun once again. 

Expand Immersion Opportunities Across Inuinnait Communities – We will expand immersion opportunities across Inuinnait communities using pilot programs initiated in Cambridge Bay. 

We’re all in for Inuinnaqtun. With your help, we will reawaken the language of our souls and strengthen the link to our ancestors.