TELUS World of Science hosts Inuit Day activities

Kimberly Tologanak: Lead Arctic Presenter

First celebrated on November 7th, 2006, “Inuit Day” has been around the country has been a means of teaching, celebrating and understanding the rich and unique Inuit culture.

Inuit are a group of culturally similar Indigenous Peoples that live in the circumpolar Arctic and Sub-Arctic regions of Canada, Greenland, Alaska, and Russia. The word Inuit means ” the people”, and a single person is known as an Inuk. There are aproximately 160 000 Inuit worldwide, with 65 000 living in Canada.

The TELUS World Of Science wanted to go all in for their celebrations, showcasing the Arctic Journey Exhibition. The Arctic is a known land – the Inuit, Innu, Dene, Gwich’in and other First Nations have travelled the land and sea over established paths passed down through generations. The exhibition comes to life through a variety of immersive sight and sound experiences.

From drum dances and teachings to Arctic sports and Dice games, there was some family fun throughout the day. Kimberly Tologanak is the Lead Arctic Presenter with the TELUS World of Science and spoke to 89.3 The Raven about being the only Inuk programmer at the Science Centre, she’s eager to learn more about the Prairie cultures as well.

One of the biggest challenges facing the Inuit community is the everchanging worry of climate change. As many Inuit communities up north rely on the land, animals and environment to live, Tologanak says the worry has grown over recent years.

Through Tologanak’s work, she’s been able to teach the youth about the Inuit and Arctic Culture, which to her has been one of the most rewarding aspects of her position.