This unique collection features auto-ethnographical essays by nine Inuit women educators who were part of the inaugural cohort of the University of Prince Edward Island's Nunavut Master of Education program, which offered Nunavut's first graduate-level degree for Inuit educators.These essays provide important first-hand perspectives on Inuit education, reflecting upon the dramatic changes that have taken place in the Eastern Arctic over the past fifty years. The chapters offer insight into both the effects of colonialism and the efforts to build a new educational system grounded in Inuit culture, values, and traditions.Inuit voices have yet to be heard within education scholarship in Canada, making this volume a significant contribution to the literature. This anthology will also be of interest to students of Indigenous and Arctic studies, sociology, and anthropology.
Fiona Walton is Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Prince Edward Island. She was previously a special education consultant and the director of early childhood and school services in the Northwest Territories/Nunavut. Darlene O'Leary earned her PhD in Theology from Saint Paul University and is currently a researcher at the University of Prince Edward Island.
Acknowledgements Introduction, Fiona Walton and Darlene O'Leary, Editors Chapter 1: Uqaujjuusiat: Gifts of Words of Advice: Schooling, Education, and Leadership in Baffin Island, Naullaq Arnaquq Chapter 2: Overcoming Intergenerational Trauma: Identity and Reconciliation, Monica Ittusardjuat Chapter 3: The Impact of Relocation on My Family and My Identity as an Inuk Educational Leader, Saa Pitsiulak Chapter 4: Arctic Cotton and the Stratified Identity of an Inuk Educational Leader, Maggie Kuniliusie Chapter 5: Piniaqsarniq: Practice to Achieve, Maggie Putulik Chapter 6: Learning through Tunnganarniq, Nunia Qanatsiaq Anoee Chapter 7: A Lifelong Passion for Learning and Teaching Inuktut, Jeela Palluq-Cloutier Chapter 8: Strengthening Young Inuit Male Identity, Becky Tootoo Chapter 9: Reflections of an Emerging Inuit Educational Leader, Mary Joanne Kauki Contributor Biographies
These Inuit women, all superb storytellers, weave together the histories and current realities of their people and communities. Asking important questions and expressing honest emotions, the women vividly share their experiences as educational leaders who teach curriculum that is true to their identities and cultures. Such rich stories of themselves and their families not only depict struggles and sacrifices, but also immeasurable courage and resiliency as they retell Inuit history through a decolonizing lens. This is a book that highlights the power of writing to heal and transform both the writer and the reader. - Cyndy Baskin, School of Social Work, Ryerson University ""Sivumut is a powerful and compelling collection, beautifully written and edited. It is illuminated by the insights and frankness of the authors, a unique generation of educational leaders and scholars. This book is a landmark, an important documentation of the experiences of their generation. . . . I will be using it in courses for many years to come, and I am sure others will as well. It deserves a very wide readership and will interest all of those who would like to learn more about Nunavut and Nunavummiut. This is a triumph for all of the authors!"" -Frances Abele, School of Public Policy and Administration, Carleton University
