Conclusion

The value of this project, in keeping with previous and ongoing projects of the KHS, is multi-faceted. Not only are we able to document important traditional knowledge and oral history, we are also able to collect the raw material and research to create several very worthwhile products.

The KHS will be using information gathered at Iqaluktuuq to create displays for the cultural centre in Cambridge Bay. The artifacts that will be taken from the Iqaluktuuq site will be shipped to the University of Toronto for analysis and preservation. Once this process is completed, the artifacts will be shipped back to Cambridge Bay where they will be on temporary exhibit at the cultural centre. This is the wish of the Elders of our community. (See Appendix I for artist renderings of displays)

As a whole, the project will:

• enhance the use of Inuinnaqtun;
• increase the exposure of young people to Inuinnaqtun;
• provide Inuinnaqtun learning materials;
• encourage intergenerational transmission of the language’s complex terminology, used extensively when ‘out on the land’;
• provide Inuinnaqtun audio, visual and written materials for use by the general public;
• promote traditional methods of learning;
• provide a vital, living environment for language use while in the field camp;
• encourage sharing of information on language-use among communities of the region; and
• create pride in the strength of the culture and the language.