By Neha Sultana

The ground floor book display for this month features a series of Inuit education materials in the OISE Library’s collections. The book display is located on the ground floor of the OISE Library, across from the New Arrivals shelf.

From across our Education Research, Curriculum Resources, and Children’s Literature Collections, the selected materials are written by various Inuit authors and contributors. Each selection is intended to centre Inuit voices, histories, and traditions. In addition, many of these resources highlight Inuit stories that have been passed down from generation to generation, through oral storytelling and beyond. In doing so, they become a means by which components of Inuit culture subject to colonial erasure and de-contextualization may be reclaimed, preserved, and shared by the very communities through which they originated. For faculty, students, and researchers at OISE seeking to learn through Inuit perspectives, these materials make for a rich collection of authentic, intentionally shared literature that can be incorporated to enhance practice in their classrooms, communities, and beyond.

Book cover for Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit: What Inuit Have Always Known to be True with a photo of an Inuit family

Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit: What Inuit Have Always Known to be True by Joe Karetak, Frank Tester, and Shirley Tagalik consists of a collection of contributions by several guests, including many respected Inuit elders. The text surrounds Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit – the traditional knowledge and teachings regarding healing, recovery, relationships with other people, living beings, and the Land that have been passed forward over time. As a step towards reconciliation and revival, this text is a testament to the efforts that have been made by Inuit community members for the preservation of Inuit-specific worldviews and cultural teachings.

Fishing With Grandma by Inuk author Susan Avingaq and educator Maren Vsetula is a children’s literature Book cover for Fishing with Grandma book that explores a fishing trip on a frozen lake taken by a grandma and her two grandchildren. Before enjoying a delightful Arctic char meal, the grandma shares valuable cultural knowledge regarding the preparation required for a fruitful fishing trip. Her advice includes information regarding what to wear, tips for safety on ice, the steps to constructing a traditional Inuit jigging rod, and more. The book, concluding with a glossary of terms in Inuktitut, accompanied by a pronunciation guide, is a lighthearted, culturally informative, and warm text for young readers.

Tuniit is a children's literature book written by Inuk author and educator Rebecca Hainnu. The text is about Tuniit, an Arctic civilization who arrived and lived in Nunavut for a millennium even prior to the Inuit. As an introduction for children into scientific theories and Inuit oral histories, this book delves into cultural practices, mannerisms, tools, and artifacts of Tuniit. Even beyond the loss of this civilization, the book is a reminder of the existence of many peoples and their impacts that still carry to this day – those which are made accessible by continuing oral storytelling practices in Inuit communities and beyond.

A curriculum resource written by Inuk author, educator, and publisher Louise Flaherty, The Gnawer of Rocks is a Bok cover for The Gnawer of Rocks graphic novel that follows a traditional Inuit story. The tale introduces readers to Mangittatuarjuk - The Gnawer of Rocks, a terrifying creature known to lure young Inuit away from their camps and haunt the Arctic. Another book that ends with a glossary of Inuktitut terms, it includes an afterword that emphasizes the importance of oral storytelling and language in Inuit culture – a practice that youth are less frequently exposed to today. In the sharing of this tale that was once captivatingly narrated by Inuk Storyteller, Levi Iqalugjuaq to the author, this resource also stands as one of many which seek to preserve and promote Inuit knowledge, storytelling, values, as well as the Inuktitut language.

To explore more Inuit education materials, you can search the U of T Libraries catalogue, or drop by the OISE Library in person, browse the collections, ask at the research support desk!

Inuit Education Materials

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