From September 8–October 25, 2022, McGill University hosted an Inuit-focused event series , showcasing Inuit excellence and achievement in a variety of fields.
The event series is named Ajuinnata at McGill. Ajuinnata, in Inuktitut, means to never give up and to commit oneself to action, no matter how difficult the cause may be. In choosing this name, we seek to recognize the Inuit studying, researching, teaching, and working in the McGill community, who champion ajuinnata and help move McGill forward. We also seek to highlight our university’s project of recognition and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, outlined in the final report of the Provost’s Task Force on Indigenous Studies and Indigenous Education.
The series featured presentations by Inuit political leaders (Pita Aatami, Lisa Koperqualuk, Natan Obed), health and wellness experts (Richard Budgell, Minnie Grey), climate change activists (Sheila Watt-Cloutier), artists (asinnajaq, Pasha Partridge), curators (Krista Ulujuk Zawadski), and more. Its aim is to facilitate a range of opportunities for the McGill community—and the Montreal community at large—to learn from and engage with Inuit leaders, scholars, artists, and their work.
The series also included the installation of the “” exhibition on our downtown campus, as well as a complementary Inuit art installation by the McGill Visual Arts Collection called Takunnanguaqtangit. Both exhibitions were installed at the Macdonald-Harrington Building, or the School of Architecture, and are able to be viewed from Monday-Friday during regular business hours.
The Ajuinnata at McGill series was the first of its kind at our university. It has been made possible bythe Office of the Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) and the Indigenous Studies and Community Engagement Initiative (ISCEI). The events were free and open to the public. Registration is only required for events where room capacity is limited.
Check out our full event calendar below and our for event reminders and updates.
Event Calendar
September
Thursday, September 8th (6:00-8:00 p.m.), Macdonald-Harrington Building, G-10 Auditorium & Exhibition Room
Opening Ceremony & Exhibition Vernissage:
The opening ceremony and exhibition vernissage will be hosted by Professor Celeste Pedri-Spade, McGill’s first Associate Provost (Indigenous Initiatives) and will start with a ceremonial lighting of the qulliq by Inuk elder Reepa Evic-Carleton. This will be followed by remarks from Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) Christopher Manfredi and the exhibition curator, Isabelle Laurier. During the vernissage, attendees will enjoy hors-d'œuvres prepared by award-winning Inuk chef, Trudy Metcalfe-Coe. The McGill Visual Arts Collection's complementary Inuit art installation, Takunnanguaqtangit, will also be on display.
Wednesday, September 14th (3:30-5:00 p.m.), First Peoples' House
Sealskin crafting workshop with Pasha Partridge (Open to the Indigenous community):
Pasha Partridge is from Kahnawake and Kuujjuaq and grew up in both communities. She is now based in Montreal. Pasha's art involves saving sealskin scraps to ensure all parts of the sealskin are used. She will lead participants in a jewelry/keychain workshop, where participants will use sealskin scraps to create. For more information about Pasha and her work, visit her business' .
Tuesday, September 20th (6:00-7:30 p.m.), Macdonald-Harrington Building, G-10 Auditorium
Film screening of Three Thousand and Q&A with the director, asinnajaq:
asinnajaq is a visual artist, filmmaker, and writer based in Montreal, QC. For her short film Three Thousand (2017), she uses thousands of hours of historical footage from the National Film Board of Canada's archive to reframe the past of Inuit and create a vision for the future. For more information on the film, visit the .
Thursday, September 22nd (6:00-7:30 p.m.), Moyse Hall Theatre
Roundtable discussion on Inuit self-governance with panelists Pita Aatami (President, Makivik Corporation), Lisa Koperqualuk (President, Inuit Circumpolar Council Canada), and Natan Obed (President, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami).
The roundtable will explore Inuit self-governance at various levels: regional, national, and international. It will be moderated by Patricia Johnson-Castle (former Director of Policy and Planning, Nunatsiavut Government, and former Coordinator of the Indigenous Studies Program at McGill University).
Watch the recording .
Monday, September 26th (5:00-7:00 p.m.), First Peoples' House
"Niriqatigiit (Coming Together to Eat)" with Chef Trudy Metcalfe-Coe (Open to the Indigenous community)
Originally from Nain, Nunatsiavut, the Inuit Land Claims region in Northern Labrador, Inuk Chef Trudy Metcalfe-Coe has called Ottawa home for thirty plus years. Trudy started cooking around the age of twelve and takes pleasure in bringing comfort to family, friends and community, through her love of creating tasty dishes from Country Food (food from the Arctic such as caribou, seal, arctic char and musk ox).
Join Chef Trudy as she prepares a meal for the Indigenous community at McGill's First Peoples' House.
Wednesday, September 28th (12:00-1:30 p.m.), University Centre - Shatner Building, Madeleine Parent Room (202)
Inuit games demonstration by ᐋᓪᓚ ᐋᓪᓚ
Born in St. John's, NL, and raised in Ottawa, ON, ᐋᓪᓚ ᐋᓪᓚ (which translates to Stranger in English) has spent more than a decade demonstrating and teaching traditional Inuit games. At this event, ᐋᓪᓚ ᐋᓪᓚ will talk about the history of the games and demonstrate some of his favourites.
Join ᐋᓪᓚ ᐋᓪᓚ on the 2nd Floor of the University Centre (3480 McTavish Street) for this exciting demonstration.
Thursday, September 29th (6:00-8:00 p.m.), Macdonald-Harrington Building, G-10 Auditorium
"ᐃᓄᐊ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᖃᐅᒪᔪᖅ (INUA and Qaumajuq): Going Forward Together" with Krista Ulujuk Zawadski (Curator, anthropologist, arts leader, researcher, scholar and writer)
Zawadski, who is originally from Igluligaarjuk (Chesterfield Inlet) and now calls Rankin Inlet, NU, home, will present a talk on her involvement in and . INUA is the inaugural exhibition of Qaumajuq, the new Inuit art centre at the Winnipeg Art Gallery, that brings together the work of over 90 Inuit artists from across Inuit Nunangat and southern centres.
October
Tuesday, October 4th (6:00-8:00 p.m.), Macdonald-Harrington Building, G-10 Auditorium
Zacharias Kunuk Film Festival: An Evening of Inuit Film (Part 1)
Join us for night one of this mini Kunuk film festival, where Qapirangajuq: Inuit Knowledge and Climate Change (2010) will be screened.
"Nunavut-based director Zacharias Kunuk (Atanarjuat The Fast Runner) and researcher and filmmaker Dr. Ian Mauro (Seeds of Change) have teamed up with Inuit communities to document their knowledge and experience regarding climate change. This new documentary, the world’s first Inuktitut language film on the topic, takes the viewer “on the land” with elders and hunters to explore the social and ecological impacts of a warming Arctic. This unforgettable film helps us to appreciate Inuit culture and expertise regarding environmental change and indigenous ways of adapting to it" ().
Monday, October 17th (5:30-7:00 p.m.), RVC West Lounge 014 (access via 3425 rue University, Montreal, QC)
A Conversation on Inuit Health and Wellness with Minnie Grey and Richard Budgell
Minnie Grey, who is from Kuujjuaq, Nunavik, has helped protect and promote the Inuit way of life for over 30 years. As the former vice-president of the Inuit Circumpolar Council and the chief negotiator for the creation of a Nunavik regional government, she spearheaded and bolstered initiatives that improved education, food security, cultural rights, and economic development across Inuit Nunangat. As the former executive director of the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services, she established and furthered health policies in Nunavik—notably those addressing youth mental health.
Richard Budgell, a Labrador Inuk, was appointed Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at McGill in 2020, where he lectures, writes, and does research on Inuit health. Prior to joining Family Medicine, he was a federal government public servant in First Nations and Inuit health, and other Indigenous fields, for more than thirty years. Has was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002 for exemplary public service in his role in the creation of the Aboriginal Head Start program, an early childhood development program for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis children and families. He has a Master of Arts degree in Canadian Studies (Aboriginal concentration) from Carleton University and began doctoral studies in History at McGill in 2021. He is involved in a variety of research projects, including Inuit cultural safety in health care and the Inuit community in southern Quebec.
This event will be driven by discussion questions. All are encouraged to attend, and light refreshments will be provided.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Wednesday, October 19th (1:00-2:00 p.m.), Zoom
"Re-imagining a New Way Forward with Intention" with Environmental, Cultural and Human Rights Advocate, Sheila Watt-Cloutier
In 2007, Watt-Cloutier was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for her advocacy work in showing the impact of global climate change on human rights — especially in the Arctic, where it is felt more immediately, and more dramatically, than anywhere else in the world. Watt-Cloutier is an Officer of the Order of Canada, and the recipient of the Aboriginal Achievement Award, the UN Champion of the Earth Award, the Norwegian Sophie Prize, the Jack P. Blaney award for Dialogue, and the Right Livelihood Award, which is widely considered the "Nobel Alternative".
From 1995-2002, Watt-Cloutier was elected the Canadian President of the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC). She was later elected in 2002 to become the International Chair of the ICC, representing the 155,000 Inuit from Canada, Greenland, Alaska, and Russia — she held this post until 2006.
We kindly ask that you register in advance for Watt-Cloutier's presentation using . After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing the link to join the meeting.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Thursday, October 20th (6:00-7:30 p.m.), Macdonald-Harrington Building, G-10 Auditorium
Zacharias Kunuk Film Festival: An Evening of Inuit Film (Part 2) featuring special guest Lucy Tulugarjuk
Join us for night two of this mini Kunuk film festival, where Angakusajaujuq: The Shaman's Apprentice (2021) will be screened.
In 2021,Angakusajaujuq was named Best Canadian Short at the 46th Toronto International Film Festival. Lucy Tulugarjuk, who plays the Young Shaman in the film and is herself a filmmaker, will be in attendance to offer opening words and lead a Q&A after the screening. Tulugarjuk has been involved in the film industry for over 20 years and made her directorial debut with her film Tia and Piujuq (2017). She is also the Executive Producer for Nunavut Independent Television Network (NITV). You can read more about her . More on the film:
“A young shaman must face her first test—a trip underground to visit Kannaaluk, The One Below, who holds the answers to why a community member has become ill. Facing dark spirits and physical challenges, she must trust her mentor's teachings and learn to control her fear” ().
We look forward to seeing you there!
Tuesday, October 25th (5:45-7:45 p.m.), Macdonald-Harrington Building, G-10 Auditorium
Zacharias Kunuk Film Festival: An Evening of Inuit Film (Part 3)featuring special guest Lucy Tulugarjuk
Join us for night three of this mini Kunuk film festival, and for the final Ajuinnata at McGill event, where One Day in the Life of Noah Piugattuk (2019) will be screened. In attendance will be the assistant director of the film, Lucy Tulugarjuk, who joined us for Q&A at our last screening.
One Day in the Life of Noah Piugattuk was named one of Canada’s top ten feature length films in 2019 by TIFF. More on the film:
“One Day in the Life of Noah Piugattuk hinges on a pivotal 1961 encounter on spring sea ice between the title character and other community leaders and a government emissary, who has come to ask them to relocate their families to permanent settlements and send their children to school. Kunuk employs approaches he used in the previous films, but there are also elements of cultural comedy in the contrast between pragmatic Inuit and the odd, incomprehensible expectations of the government agent. Those demands will ultimately carry an enormous gravitas. Behind what seems to the hunters to be the government agent's incoherent requests is a policy that will mean a fundamental rupture in the lives of Inuit. […] In this one day — and this fateful meeting — Kunuk condenses much about Inuit–settler relations. The emotional and historical layers in the film make it one of his finest works” ().
We look forward to seeing you there!
Ajuinnata at McGill Posters
EN/FR:
Ajuinnata at McGill Poster EN/FR
INUKTITUT: cer3271_14_x_8.5_inuktitut.pdf
Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit: Art, Architecture, and Traditional KnowledgeExhibition Posters
EN/FR: cer3253_final_2.pdf
INUKTITUT: cer3253_inuktitut.pdf
