Skip to content

Knowledge-sharing and community programming in the Kitikmeot

New Kugluktuk program administrator shares her motivations to strengthen language

Kugluktuk's Saveah Ilgok is the most recent community program administrator to have stepped into her role at the Kitikmeot Inuit Association (KIA).

“I was interested in running programs in the community,” says Ilgok, “and I wanted to revitalize and do more [cultural] programming... I did my first program in December, and it was mitt or glove-making. It was facilitated by one of the Elders here, Mona Totalik... I did get a few participants [who] did some glove making. They wanted to make gloves for themselves, or their other half, or their family. During that week, Mona was teaching us the basic words in Inuinnaqtun for sewing.

“I myself want to learn how to speak Inuinnaqtun more,” she says, stating she knows a few words from childhood. It was a dream of her grandmother’s to breathe new life into the language, “and I know other people do as well. Hopefully sometime soon, I’ll be able to get a program running to have someone teach it... I’m going to have someone from our community to try and teach... the language. That’s something I really want to do.”

Now that Ilgok has successfully run a program out of Kugluktuk, she's investigating future options, “and not only for women, but for men as well, like sled-making and parka-making.

She joins Mary Ann Qayutinuaq from Kugaaruk and Robin Ikkutisluk from Gjoa Haven, both community program administrators who led similar programs in December.

"The participants learned how to make sealskin mitts and sealskin kamiks from their instructors Sidonie Nirlungayuk and Benedicta Kayaitok," said Sarah Jancke, the KIA's director of social and cultural programming, in reference to the Kugaaruk workshop. "The participants we’re happy to make something for themselves or their family. They started off with sealskin mitts and then sealskin kamiks. It was nice connecting the community together running this project."

There's plans for many more projects in Kugluktuk and other Kitikmeot communities in 2025.

“The participants that I had during my first program really enjoyed it," says Ilgok. "They wanted the program to go on a little bit longer... For future programs...after doing my first program, I’m more comfortable, and kind of [know] what to do and what to expect.”



Kira Wronska Dorward

About the Author: Kira Wronska Dorward

I attended Trinity College as an undergraduate at the University of Toronto, graduating in 2012 as a Specialist in History. In 2014 I successfully attained a Master of Arts in Modern History from UofT..
Read more