WATCH — Here's how some Inuit teens are keeping their cultural traditions alive
Have you ever been to Canada's North? Like North of North?
CBC Kids News visited Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories, at the beginning of April to learn more about how the youth there are keeping their traditions alive.
Ulukhaktok is an Inuvialuit settlement on Victoria Island. It has a population of around 400 people, according to the 2021 Canadian census.
A group from CBC Kids News partnered with the students and staff at Helen Kalvak School to help document a journey they took across Canada to Ottawa, Ontario.
Our team met up with them in Ottawa, and followed them back to their community north of the Arctic Circle.
What is an ulu?
They showed us how to use an ulu, which is a tool used by Inuit across the northern hemisphere.
It is a sharp tool that comes in a variety of sizes and is used for everything from cutting meat to snipping sewing threads.
One of the community elders, Adam Kudlak, said that the tool was traditionally made by Inuit men and used by Inuit women.
He also told us that the name of the community — Ulukhaktok — loosely translates to the 'place where one finds material to make ulus.'
Click play to watch 17-year-olds Alyssia Irish-Memogana and Krissy Kitekudlak explain how this traditional Inuit tool is still used today.⬇️⬇️⬇️
Ice fishing, the traditional way
The staff and students from Helen Kalvak School also invited us to join them for an ice-fishing field trip.
Everyone on the trip travelled on snowmobiles, with some people packed into the back of wooden sleds.
Teachers and students stand on a frozen lake during an ice-fishing field trip. The ice that day was between 1.5 and 1.8 metres thick, so there were no worries about falling through, even with heavy snowmobiles. (Image credit: Lisa Fender/CBC)
The temperature that day, April 2, was around -25 C.
The holes that were drilled in the ice were around 1.5 to 1.8 metres deep.
Everyone used what the locals call an aulatit, which is a short stick connected to a line and hook.
The field trip lasted a few hours and we only caught one fish: a lake trout!
Click play to watch 17-year-old Keir-Anne Joss demonstrate how to jig to attract fish. ⬇️⬇️⬇️
How to make a fire starter
We also learned how a traditional Inuit fire starter works.
Earlier this year, Grade 7 students Bella Irish and Jimmy Memogana took home a prize for a fire starter they made. They won first place for the Passion Award at the Beaufort Delta Divisional Education Council's Wisdom Fest.
Wisdom Fest brings together eight schools in the Beaufort Delta region to honour science, trapping and other traditional and modern-day skills.
This fire starter was made out of a softwood block with four holes in it and a bow-like tool that comes from a muskox rib bone.
Click play to watch Bella demonstrate how to use a fire starter. ⬇️⬇️⬇️
Have more questions? Want to tell us how we're doing? Use the 'send us feedback' link below. ⬇️⬇️⬇️
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
Nova Scotia spending $12.8 million to improve 40 provincial parks
Paddlers are pictured on the water at Islands Provincial Park in Shelburne, N.S. (Source: Province of Nova Scotia) Nova Scotia is making upgrades to provincial parks. The province will spend $12.8 million to improve 40 parks in 2025-26 as part of the capital plan commitment of $28.6 million for provincial parks from 2022 to 2027, said a Department of Natural Resources (DNR) news release. Improvements to roads, trails and accessibility will make parks more enjoyable, said the department in the release. Upgrades will include: paved roads natural playgrounds washrooms beach access trail improvements parking lot upgrades water and septic upgrades 'Our provincial parks are loved by Nova Scotians and attract hundreds of thousands of visitors to spend time at the beach, in the woods and on the water,' said Tory Rushton, Minister of Natural Resources. 'That's why we're investing in improvements that make our parks safe, enjoyable and more accessible while also boosting tourism and supporting local businesses.' The province outlined its plans for Dollar Lake Provincial Park in the release. Nova Scotia is in the third year of a $1.6 million multi-year redevelopment at the park to upgrade 38 campsites with water and electrical services, add an accessible campsite and build new accessible washrooms. More than one million people visited provincial parks in 2024 with more than 95,000 overnight stays, said the release – a 10 per cent increase from 2024. DNR reminds campers there is a $25,000 fine for violating burn restrictions and to take precautions to prevent tick exposure. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
CTV News
3 hours ago
- CTV News
Explore downtown through an Indigenous lens
Ottawa Watch Indigenous Walking Tours explore monuments, art, architecture and more through an Indigenous perspective. Jaime Morse explains how it works.
CTV News
4 hours ago
- CTV News
‘Embracing the experience': How tourism in Jasper is bouncing back post-wildfire
An open sign is lit up in a Jasper, Alta., store front in July 2025. (Sean McClune / CTV News Edmonton) As the town of Jasper reflects on the devastating wildfire one year ago, tourists flocking to the national park this summer is key to the recovery of the town and its businesses. The fire destroyed one third of the town – including half of Alpine Village Cabin Resort's cabins and landscape. The family-run business had 56 cabins and lost 25 to the fire. Rena Allin, co-owner of Alpine Village Cabin Resort, says the first summer since the wildfire has been emotional, especially as the family rebuilds their cabins. Out of 25, they plan to rebuild 18. Work is already underway. 'It's been wonderful welcoming our guests back again and they're just so supportive,' Rena told CTV News Edmonton in a recent interview. 'They've been bringing us chocolates and baking and flowers and we've had many hugs, especially with the guests we've had return.' The resort reopened to tourists in May. Many of the first visitors have been loyal clientele from the Edmonton and Calgary areas. 'We say we're full, but really we're half full because we just have the 30 cabins that we're renting of our original 56,' said Rena. The loss of the cabins has pushed back Rena and her husband Chris' retirement plans, as they lost 65 per cent of their income last year. The couple say people are still flocking to the national park and guests aren't bothered by the different views from their cabins while the resort rebuilds. Alpine Village Cabin Resort wildfire rebuild Jasper A log cabin at Alpine Village Cabin Resort in Jasper National park is rebuilt during the summer of 2025. (Sean McClune / CTV News Edmonton) 'We had a couple from Switzerland staying in this cabin just the other day and he says, 'Oh, I'm not upset at all that we're beside the construction. I love seeing it because we don't build out of logs in Switzerland,'' Chris said. Tourism recovery Parks Canada advises tourists to be prepared for a 'radically different' landscape this year in Jasper National Park. However, there are signs of new life on many of the trails that were burned. 'It's really important that people remain on trail so that they don't impact the regeneration, as well as remain safe and don't get themselves in any trouble in any of the fire-impacted areas that haven't been safely assessed,' said Graham Wilde, visitor experience manager for Jasper with Parks Canada In fact, the damaged landscape has actually improved wildlife viewing opportunities, Parks Canada says, as animals would previously hide in forested areas. For those looking to camp, 25 per cent of the campgrounds are closed. The reserveable campgrounds during peak season are already full with the remaining available on a first-come, first-serve basis. It's too early to tell if the Canada Strong Pass has helped increase visitation, Parks Canada said. Jasper mountains Rockies summer July 2025 Clouds roll over Jasper Mountain National Park in this July 2025 file photo. (Sean McClune / CTV News Edmonton) Wilde says the park has only seen a two-per cent decrease in tourists for May and June between 2025 and last summer. That equals to a total of 418,000 combined visitors compared to 434,000 from last year in those months. However, year-over-year visitation in April was up from 143,000 visitors in 2024 to 153,000 in 2025. There's 20-per cent less available accommodations for visitors to stay overnight this year, according to Tourism Jasper. As for who is visiting, Wilde says the park has seen the same level of international visitors as previous years. Californian Kay Jones tried to visit Jasper last year. Kay Jones Jasper tourist Kay Jones, from California, speaks to CTV News Edmonton about visiting Jasper National Park in July 2025. (Sean McClune / CTV News Edmonton) 'I was on the train almost here from Vancouver and we had to turn around in the middle of the night because of the fire,' she told CTV News Edmonton. 'So we're trying again this year.' 'We just did the rafting trip this morning, so that was a lot of fun,' her friend Debbie Mansell added. It's a sentiment Parks Canada is echoing. 'Many people are coming to the park and are actually embracing the experience that it's something quite different than they get to experience in other national parks,' Wilde said.
