Avataq Cultural Institute

The Avataq Cultural Institute is Nunavik's official organization for the preservation and promotion of the Inuktitut language and Inuit culture.[1][2] Avataq has departments that deal with ethnography and art, as well as a library, archive and language programs.[2]

History edit

Avataq receives its mandate from the biennial Inuit Elders Conference.[3] The Institute was formed at the first Inuit Elders Conference with the goal of protecting Inuit culture. It began operating on November 1, 1980.[4][5] Its head office is in Inukjuak[6][3] and it also operates an office in Montreal, Quebec.[7]

In 1984 Avataq supported a place-name survey of elders in 12 Inuit communities in the Quebec Arctic.[8][9]

Activities edit

In 2018 Avataq worked with Dartmouth College to return bones that had been excavated from Inuit gravesites in 1967 by one of the college's anthropologists.[10][11]

The Institute formed an alliance with the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in 2018 to promote Inuit art and culture.[12]

References edit

  1. ^ "Avataq Cultural Institute". Archived from the original on 2018-09-09. Retrieved 2019-05-19.
  2. ^ a b Stern, Pamela R. (2013-09-26). Historical Dictionary of the Inuit. ISBN 9780810879126.
  3. ^ a b "AVATAQ Cultural Institute". 2013-06-23.
  4. ^ Crandall, Richard C.; Crandall, Susan M. (2015-07-25). An Annotated Bibliography of Inuit Art. ISBN 9781476607436.
  5. ^ Issenman, Betty Kobayashi (2011-11-01). Sinews of Survival: The Living Legacy of Inuit Clothing. ISBN 9780774841894.
  6. ^ "Avataq Cultural Institute". Archived from the original on 2015-10-01. Retrieved 2019-05-19.
  7. ^ "Avataq opens new offices, signs deal with Quebec". Nunatsiaq News (nunatsiaq.com). 13 December 2011.
  8. ^ Pelto, Pertti J. (2016-06-16). Applied Ethnography: Guidelines for Field Research. ISBN 9781315434681.
  9. ^ "Marburger geographische Schriften" [Marburg geographical writings]. 1981 – via books.google.com.
  10. ^ "Excavated Inuit bones returned to Avataq Culture Institute". www.thedartmouth.com. Archived from the original on 2019-01-18. Retrieved 2019-05-19.
  11. ^ "Nunavik bones to be laid to rest". nunatsiaq.com. 2018-07-19.
  12. ^ "Decolonizing Inuit Art". the McGill Daily. Archived from the original on 2019-03-22. Retrieved 2019-05-19.