Keeping Inuktut and the Inuit culture alive: Leena's story
At first glance, Leena Tatiggaq Evic appears calm and soft-spoken. But beneath that quiet presence is a determined Inuk educator, entrepreneur and great-grandmother who has dedicated her life to revitalizing Inuit language, culture and well-being.
Transcript for Keeping Inuktut and Inuit culture alive
[Instrumental music]
[Leena Tatiggaq Evic is stretching a seal skin over a wooden frame. The scene takes place outdoors in a rocky landscape.]
Leena: Our Ancestors, who are Inuit, were great Knowledge Keepers of this part of the world, the Arctic. They were self-sufficient. They were self-reliant.
[Leena walks towards the ocean shore and looks towards the horizon pensively.]
Leena: There's a history of why we are in the state we are today.
[Leena walks up a rocky hill, bending down occasionally to pick plants along the way.]
Leena: We collapsed not by our own choice, but by control of others through severe practice.
[Leena is inside her home, sitting at a table where there is a variety of Inuit objects laid out.]
Leena: The great Knowledge Keepers became confined in these four walls with no say on anything that involved decision-making in the new community they were in. It seems like we were on silent mode.
[Instrumental music intensifies.]
[Leena stands before a vast, rocky landscape. The camera shifts between her, the rugged terrain around her, and the distant horizon.]
[Text on screen: Sharing the Journey, Leena Tatiggaq Evic]
Leena [in Inuktitut]: ᓖᓇ ᐃᕕᐅᔪᖓ, ᐊᑎᓪᓚᑦᑖᕋ ᑕᑎᒡᒐᖅ. ᐃᖃᓗᓐᓂ ᓄᓇᖃᖅᓴᔪᖓ ᐸᓐᓂᑑᕐᒥᐅᑕᔅᓴᔭᐅᓪᓗᖓ.
[Text on screen: Leena Tatiggaq Evic, founder and president of the Pirurvik Centre]
[The scene transitions back to Leena sitting at the table at home.]
Leena: I'm Leena Evic, and my Inuktitut name is Tatiggaq. I live in Iqaluit, but I'm originally from Pangnirtung.
[Back in the rocky landscape, Leena scans her surroundings through a pair of binoculars.]
Leena: I had this very vivid dream one night. I saw these many hands up in the air, and to me, while I'm dreaming it, it meant many needs.
[Leena is on a motorboat on the ocean, looking into the distance.]
Leena: That is why we built the Pirurvik Centre and land camp.
[Leena walks along a main street in Iqaluit as dusk sets in, heading towards the Pirurvik Centre.]
Leena: It would be like a space for Inuit language culture, and I added well-being, because we, Inuit, are trying to come back up from being oppressed for a few decades.
[Inside the Pirurvik Centre, the scene reveals educational signs displaying words in Inuktitut and a tupiq, an Inuit tent made of seal skin.]
Leena: Unless we have adult, fluent speakers in two decades, our Inuktitut language is not going to maintain its quality, because there's a language loss happening. And so, who's going to teach our future children?
[In a classroom at the Pirurvik Centre, Leena prepares and lights the qulliq, the traditional Inuit oil lamp.]
Leena: I have always been an advocate for the Inuktitut language, which is my beautiful culture. We have the right to be educated in our language. We have the right to feel like we're learning knowledge in our own language, because it's sometimes a very different approach.
[Leena walks up a rocky hill and looks down at the city of Iqaluit.]
Leena: So that's why we do what we do. The history of Canada has been a one-way street, not a two-way street. We need each other at the end of the day. A better Canada can only be a better Canada when all its people are in a better state.
[Leena looks at the camera with a hopeful smile.]
Leena: We want our grandchildren and great-grandchildren to be in a world that grounds them to be Inuit, to have that pride through language and culture.
[Text on screen: Join the reconciliation journey at canada.ca/sharing-reconciliation-journey]
[The Canada wordmark appears.]
Watch this video in Inuktitut: ᐊᑐᖅᑕᒃᑰᕐᑲᑎᒋᓐᖕᒐ | ᓖᓇ ᑕᑎᒡᒐᖅ ᐃᕕᒃ /
Growing up with the seasons
Leena recounts her early years living in camps around Cumberland Sound, a large inlet off the coast of Baffin Island in what is now Nunavut. She grew up immersed in a traditional Inuit lifestyle shaped by the seasons. "The seasonal cycles involved seasonal knowledge and seasonal skills… That's the kind of system I was brought up in; learning about my role within that cycle."
A path to learning
From a young age, Leena was drawn to the world beyond her community, a curiosity that eventually led her to convince her mother to let her enroll in the local school in Pangnirtung. At the time, Leena didn't speak a word of English and didn't know how to tell time. Her mother, wary of the school system, was hesitant to let her go, but Leena's determination ultimately won her over. This set in motion a lifelong journey in education that will bring her from teaching assistant, to co-founding the Pirurvik Centre.
A place of healing and growth
Based in Iqaluit, Nunavut's capital, Pirurvik ("a place of growth" in Inuktitut), is a centre like no others dedicated to revitalizing Inuit language, culture, and well-being. The centre places a strong emphasis on healing and personal growth, creating a supportive space where Inuit can reclaim their identity, build confidence, and carry their heritage forward.
Leena explains that "we Inuit are trying to come back up from being oppressed for a few decades," highlighting how colonization imposed policies that deeply disrupted Inuit identity, language, and culture. "Our Inuit world was never the same again," she points out. "We were taken away from our families at a very young age to go to school, families were relocated... the dog slaughters... drastic change had a really long-lasting impact. The great knowledge keepers became confined in these four walls with no say on anything that involved decision-making in the new community they were in."
Learning on the land
Only accessible by boat from Iqaluit, the Pirurvik's land-based camp is a vital part of every student's learning journey. Each new cohort starts their program there, where learning goes far beyond classroom theory. "Being out there, you seem to get closer to your Ancestors... that void you felt for many years is kind of fulfilled... Why stay confined in buildings to learn about who we are, where we come from?"
Nunavut: the promise of self-determination
Launched in 2003, Pirurvik is only slightly younger than the territory of Nunavut itself. The territory was officially established in 1999 following the signing of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement, a modern treaty between the Inuit of Nunavut and the Government of Canada. As the largest land claims settlement in Canadian history, the agreement laid the foundation for the creation of Nunavut and affirmed Inuit rights to land, culture, and self-determination. "We were promised a better world through our land claims, through having our own Nunavut territory... like a promised land that we were inspired to be part of. And so I believe it's our responsibility to be part of this manifestation in creating a better world."
Hopes for the future
When Leena thinks about the future, she hopes the next generations will grow up proud to be Inuit, speaking their language and living their culture every day. To all Canadians, she offers both encouragement and a gentle challenge: to learn, to listen, and to stand alongside Inuit as genuine partners. As she wisely puts it, "a better Canada can only be a better Canada when all its people are in a better state."
Photo gallery
Leena lives in Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut, the largest, youngest and northernmost Canadian territory. The creation of Nunavut in 1999 was a critical step towards Inuit having meaningful control over their homeland.
For Leena, sewing is a way to reconnect with her roots and to share her cultural heritage. Inuit beadwork and embroidery have long been used to embellish clothing, showcasing designs that often carry symbolic meanings or tell stories.
The Reclaiming the Whole Woman program at the Pirurvik Centre is a unique initiative that combines the learning of the Inuit language and cultural terminology with practical skills, such as sewing. The program empowers women by reconnecting them with their heritage and traditions while also providing valuable skills for personal growth and community development.
Traditionally, the qulliq was used to light, heat and cook, providing warmth and comfort. Today it is mainly used for ceremonial purposes. Inuit women are considered the "keepers of the flame", responsible for tending the qulliq and playing a central role in preserving and passing on cultural knowledge.
The seal is a vital component of Inuit culture, and every part is used, providing food, clothing, materials and fuel. Inuit women treat seal skins through a process that takes days and involves many meticulous steps.
According to the 2021 census, over two-thirds of Nunavut residents report being able to speak in Inuktut. Inuktut is a general term that includes Inuktitut, Inuinnaqtun and other Inuit languages. In most of Nunavut, the most prominent writing system is known as syllabic, shown on this photo by Leena.
Students of the Pirurvik Centre have the opportunity to develop traditional hands-on skills and reconnect with their Inuit culture and identity at this camp. Leena explains that a big component of the Inuit culture is living in this environment: "It's not just theory, it's knowledge and skill. What's beautiful about being out there learning as an adult is you're strengthening, you're grounding your Inuit identity. Being out there, you seem to get closer to your Ancestors. You seem to feel you're are a whole person."
Leena wears an amauti, the traditional coat of Inuit women. This distinctive garment features a large hood, which often contains a pouch to carry a baby, and a long back that helps protect the woman's legs from the Arctic cold.
The ulu is a traditional Inuit knife with a curved blade, used mainly by women for everything from skinning animals to preparing food. More than a tool, it symbolizes women's vital role in Inuit life and is often passed down through generations, carrying family and cultural stories.