April Dutheil, UBC research assistant, has been invited by the Universitas 21, the leading network of research universities in the world, to present her research on the Nanisiniq: Arviat History Project in Shanghai. From July 13-18, Dutheil will partake in the U21 Undergraduate Research Conference at Fudan University.
The Nanisiniq: Arviat History Project is a collaborative initiative between the Sivulinuut Elders Society and UBC, which has trained four Inuit youth, Curtis Konek, Amy Owingayak, Jordan Konek, and Patrick Pingushat, as researchers in discovering and re-telling the history of the Arctic from an Inuit perspective. In accordance with the name of the project, Nanisiniq, meaning ‘journey of discovery’ in English, the team of young Inuit working with Dutheil are documenting their own journey of discovery using filmmaking.
Over the past year, the team has completed the bulk of their fieldwork, including interviewing Inuit elders, Qablunaat informants, and traveling to Yellowknife, Vancouver, and Ottawa to conduct research on Inuit history. They are now starting to edit their footage to produce a full- length documentary film aimed at inspiring other young Inuit to take pride in learning more about Inuit history and culture.
Learn more about the project, which is coordinated by Profs. Frank Tester and Paule McNicoll from the School of Social Work at UBC, here: http://nanisiniq.tumblr.com/.
