From games for children to hunting equipment for men, a new interactive virtual museum is bringing Igloolik culture right to your phone with one click. 

“Inuit Worlds: From Past to Present” is an online museum that features more than 50 objects collected by the late anthropologist Bernard Saladin d’Anglure in the 1960s and 70s. 

These objects were first featured in an art exhibit at Laval University in 2019 and now are part of the virtual museum. 

“We’re going to hold on to something that is from a long time ago and it’s no longer on paper. It’s now on digital form or computer form or in that area, and it’s going to move forward,” said Jack Haulli, who worked on the project. 

The museum is the result of a four-year long collaboration between Laval University, Nunavut Arctic College and Iglulik High School. 

The website is divided into four sections: men, women, children and community life with photos and descriptions of objects. There’s also video testimonies from elders and even quizzes to help test your knowledge. The museum is also in three languages: English, Inuktitut and French. 

‘Elders talking to them through the screen’

Valentine Ribadeau Dumas, a research associate with Laval University says the two Igloolik elders who shared their knowledge for this project were descendants from people that made or used these objects.  

“It was very interesting to have their memories on how it was used in their childhood and how they saw their dads or moms use that,” she said. “We were very close to having all details on that object thanks to their memory. “

Along with talking to elders and knowledge holders, she says they did multiple workshops with the high school so teachers and students could see and interact with the objects. 

More than a museum, she says it’s an educational tool. 

“We gathered teachers and students talking around the object and also we showed them the capsule and the website. So it’s kind of their elders talking to them through the screen,” she said. 

She says the museum is registered with the government of Nunavut as an educational tool high schools across the territory can use.

Rediscovering tivajuut

It was even a learning tool for Haulli as he says before this project he hadn’t heard of one of the objects before — a mask that used to be played in a ceremonial game tivajuut.

“I’ve seen it on a movie, but I didn’t really think about it much until I started hearing about it with the elders here,” he said. “It did happen in our community. So, I was pretty impressed with that. So, that was a pretty good wake up call.” 

Since the museum is online, Haulli says it helps ensure the elders’ testimonies and local knowledge is preserved, even after someone is gone. 

“Not all questions can be answered with good information,” he said. “A lot of people with good knowledge are gone now.”

Haulli says he’s happy the museum will be accessible for decades to come, especially for the next generation. 

“Hopefully we have given at least a small amount of information, if not more to the younger generation, which they really need,” he said. “So, traditional style doesn’t go away, it stays.”