Kitikmeot Heritage Society

Published purpose

In 2021, PI/KHS received a donation of 276 Inuinnaqtun/Inuktitut recordings by George Diveky from 1973-77 during time spent teaching in the Arctic communities of Kugaaruk and Kugluktuk. George envisioned the recording project as a platform for documenting the region's rapidly vanishing language and oral history. The recordings contain a variety of Inuit recollections and stories, and rare retelling of the pan-Inuit mythological pantheon in the Inuinnaqtun language and from an Inuinnait regional perspective. It also includes rare first-hand Inuit accounts of encounters with early Arctic explorers, including Rasmussen's Fifth Thule Expedition (1923). The main goal of this project is to make the important language and cultural content of these recordings accessible to Inuit across the Arctic; ensure long-term storage, preservation, and accessibility of Inuinnaqtun and Inuinnait culture; advance knowledge and understanding of Inuinnait history, language, traditions and culture through accessibility; increase the number of primary Inuinnaqtun sources available for language learners to consult Inuinnaqtun terminology and listen to correct pronunciations; support digital oral histories and songs to be shareable and accessible to the public.