New cultural centre is on its way to Cambridge Bay

More cultural programs and activities for the western Nunavut community of Cambridge Bay are on the way with the construction of an additional cultural workshop space this summer.

The $1.7-million facility for the Pitquhirnikkut Ilihautiniq/Kitikmeot Heritage Society will allow the heritage society to expand from the May Hakongak cultural centre and library, where space for activities and courses in the Inuinnaqtun language is limited.

In 2016, the proportion of Inuit in Cambridge Bay aged up to 34 years who could converse in Inuinnaqtun was much lower than in the other Kitikmeot communities.

At that time, only 13.8 per cent of preschool-aged Inuit children in Cambridge Bay could have a conversation in Inuktut, down by half from 2001, according to a Statistics Canada report on the evolution of language in Nunavut.

The new building will be a big step forward for Inuinnait to keep their language and culture, said Emily Angulalik, the society's executive director.

"I feel grateful and so privileged that we will have our own building, a building to pass down our Inuit language and our Inuit traditional knowledge to people of all walks of life," said Angulalik, who received the 2021 Indspire Award for culture, heritage and spirituality.

The Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency's (CanNor) Canada Community Revitalization Fund put $766,018 towardthe construction of the building, to be called Kuugalak (little river) after a nearby waterway.

During its feasibility and pre-construction phase, the Kuugalak project received funding from Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., the Government of Nunavut, the federal government and Indigenous Clean Energy.

Kuugalak's design includes solarpanels and other features that will be evaluated. The design will use new technologies and materials to reinforce energy efficiency and reduce emissions.

"This workshop, located within an eco-friendly structure, will contribute to the protection of the Arctic for future generations," said Dan Vandal, the minister for CanNor, in a recent release.

The flow of the 1,200-square-foot space, organized around a central room, is based on archeologicalfindings, recollections from elders of traditional architectureand dozens of interviews with local homeowners, buildersand cultural stakeholders.

For elders, it will include countertops and cupboards thatthey can access,among other features throughout the entire building.

The structure is being built this month at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology.Tradespeople from Cambridge Bay are flying down to Alberta to learn about the new materials used in the construction of Kuugalak so they can assemble and maintain it.

This summer, the various parts of the building will be shipped to Cambridge Bay and reassembled on site.

The new building is part of the society's larger environmental program, Nunamiututaq, focusing on energy efficiency and building up related Inuinnaqtun terminology.