Families in the Qikiqtani region will soon receive an innovative new tool to support Inuktitut language learning at home, thanks to a partnership between the Qikiqtani Inuit Association (QIA), Inhabit Media and the Northwest Territories Linguistic Education Society (NTLES).
The new literacy initiative, called Uqausiqput Tusaallugu, aims to support early oral language development in Inuktitut and GwichSA国际影视传媒檌n by combining traditional storytelling with modern audio technology.
As part of a pilot project, funded by the Innovation Projects that Support Indigenous Languages Program, more than 500 literacy kits will be distributed to families with children entering kindergarten in 2026, according to Neil Christopher, English publisher at Inhabit Media. Each kit includes books, audio cards, a Yoto player, and instructions.
SA国际影视传媒淭his is an initiative to support oral language development and early reading skills," Christopher said. "The lack of oral language exposure in Inuktitut and GwichSA国际影视传媒檌n is contributing to language erosion, and this literacy package with its audio component is the first of its kind.SA国际影视传媒�
The Yoto is a child-friendly, screen-free audio player already used in English and French literacy programs. This marks the first time itSA国际影视传媒檚 being adapted for Indigenous language learning.
SA国际影视传媒淭he Yoto tool, once set up, no longer needs the internet to function. It is also very durable, and we can expand the library of Indigenous language audio books easily,SA国际影视传媒� Christopher said.
For this project, 22 Inuktitut books and audio cards will be produced for Nunavut families, alongside 10 books and audio cards in GwichSA国际影视传媒檌n.
SA国际影视传媒淚n Inuktitut, there will be books that represent each of the Qikiqtani communities, and then a series co-developed by QIA and Inhabit Media designed to support early readers,SA国际影视传媒� Christopher said.
Originally, QIA and NTLES both applied for funding independently but chose to collaborate rather than compete, according to QIA director Hagar Idlout-Sudlovenick.
SA国际影视传媒淏oth groups thought it would be better to partner together, along with Inhabit Media, and co-lead this initiative for our respective regions. QIA is taking the lead for the Qikiqtani and NTLES is the lead for Gwich'in communities,SA国际影视传媒� she said.
The kits are designed to help families bring Inuktitut into everyday moments, whether at bedtime, on camping trips or while travelling.
SA国际影视传媒淭he hope is that by providing audio with proper Inuktitut pronunciation along with the written Inuktitut text, this will expose children early on to more Inuktitut,SA国际影视传媒� Idlout-Sudlovenick said.
In addition to distribution, the stories and audio resources will be made available online, so families across Nunavut and Canada can access them, according to Christopher.
SA国际影视传媒淭his initiative is utilizing a technology used to entertain children in a majority language (English), and adapting it to help expose children to rich oral language in Inuktitut and GwichSA国际影视传媒檌n,SA国际影视传媒� he said.
QIA has long been committed to preserving Inuktitut through print and multimedia, according to Idlout-Sudlovenick.
SA国际影视传媒淔or over 20 years, QIA has been providing seed funding to Inuktitut authors, helping to grow a creative industry for Inuit authors,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淭hough we are proud that we have helped publish over 40 Inuktitut books, and helped set up many Inuit authors throughout the years, there's still more work to be done.SA国际影视传媒�
While families in the Qikiqtani region and GwichSA国际影视传媒檌n communities face unique challenges, both QIA and Inhabit Media acknowledge that English remains very prevalent in communities, and early language exposure is a shared concern.
QIA plans to monitor how the kits are used and collect feedback from parents.
SA国际影视传媒淭he project's goal is to enhance QIA IPITIKI literacy kits through a test-run with distribution to kindergartenersSA国际影视传媒� At QIA we are looking into creative ways to adapt to support more Inuktitut in a multi-media world,SA国际影视传媒� Idlout-Sudlovenick said.
As development of the materials is already underway, the next year will focus on production, testing and preparing families and communities for the roll out of this first-of-its-kind Indigenous language audio literacy tool, Christopher said.
