Winners of 2019 ITK Awards Honoured in Rankin Inlet
September 11, 2019, Rankin Inlet, NU – As part of ITK’s Annual General Meeting, winners of the annual ITK awards were given to residents of Nunavut who have made outstanding contributions to their communities.
The ITK Awards are given out each year to recipients within the region hosting the ITK AGM.
The following awards were presented:
Advancement of Youth
Young Hunter’s Program of Arviat
Started in 2012, the Young Hunters Program is a community-based project designed to develop sustainable harvesting practices in youth between the ages of 8-18 years old. Participants in the program gain skills and knowledge through time spent with experienced Elders and instructors by engaging in local hunting activities. Through this, the youth gain confidence and perspective that will aid them long after they leave the program.
Advancement of Women
Daisy Panika
Ms. Panika has been running the Somebody’s Daughter Program for many years. Somebody’s Daughter supports all women (young and old) and fosters both traditional knowledge as well as healing. She has taken this program and made it into a well known project not just in the Kivalliq, but Nunavut. She also supports women in creating their own community based programs and passing on Inuit knowledge.
Advancement of Language Issues
Louis Tapardjuk
Mr. Tapardjuk has played a public role in many areas having been a former Mayor in Igloolik, having been involved in the Cooperative movement, having been a Member of the Legislative Assembly for Amittuq as well as being the Minister of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth. Throughout these roles he has made it a priority to speak out about Inuit culture and language and was instrumental in the passing of the Nunavut Official Languages Act and the Inuit Language Protection Act. He was a leading contributor to the Igloolik Oral History Project, where he conducted hundreds of Elder interviews and translations. Louis continues to be highly active in cultural and language development in Nunavut and currently serves as the chai of the Inuit Uqausinginnik Taiguusiliuqtiit (Inuit Language Authority).
Advancement of Inuit Wellness
Beatrice and Lucassie Ikkidluak (in absentia)
Beatrice and Lukkassi Ikkidluak play an important role in community wellness by providing counseling and healing support services in Inuktut. When they lived in Kimmirut, they used to hold healing circles once a month. They have both been trained through the Ilisaqsivik Inuit counseling program.
Inuit Cultural Repatriation Award
Krista Zawadski
Ms Zawadski has devoted herself to Inuit art, archaeology, curation, heritage centres and Inuit artifact repatriation. Formerly the curator of Inuit art for the GN, she is now working full time to attain her PhD in Anthropology. She plays an active role in the Inuit Art Centre at the Winnipeg Art Gallery. What really sets her apart is the fact that not only is she advocating for Inuit artifacts to return home to Nunavut, but also educating Inuit in how to preserve, collect and display artifacts. Krista has worked hard for a number of years advocating for a museum in Nunavut and heritage centres. Here is an article about her work in CBC:
Pitquhiimikkut Ilihautiniq/ Kitikmeot Heritage Society
Based in Cambridge Bay, this society’s mission is to preserve and renew Inuinnait knowledge, language and culture for the benefit of all Inuit and it’s vision is to concentrate and connect the resources, expertise and technology critical to Inuinnait cultural and linguistic surivial. You may be aware of them because they recently started the social enterprise, Kaapittiaq to raise money for social and cultural programming. One of their big areas of work is the revitalization of Inuinnaqtun.
