#inuktut

Aglukkaq: agluq-kkaq, “the one who strides well.” The verb stem agluq- means “to step over; to stride,” together with -kkaq “one who performs a particular action well.” A legitimate given name.

Aja: Seemingly aja or ajak, “maternal aunt,” which in modern Natchiliŋmiutut proper is atchak “paternal aunt.” A legitimate given name, merely in what may be the wrong dialect.

*Silna: Seemingly Dan Simmons’ original combination of Sila and Sedna, i.e., AN UNGRAMMATICAL NEONYM. Sila is Hila in modern Natchiliŋmiutut, a noun meaning “air, weather, outside, atmosphere, intelligence, wisdom.” The principal resident spirit of the air’s personal name is Naarřuk, naaq-rřuk “the big belly,” and he is a giant baby boy spirit. Hila and Naarřuk are the same being. Sedna is the Anglicized form of the demonstrative pronoun sanna, which I think in Natchiliŋmiutut is kanna “that one down there, such as under the ocean (not visible).” This was a traditional circumlocution for the female spirit Nuliajuk, nulik-ajuk “the lubricious one,” the principal resident spirit of the sea. Sila, Hila, Naarřuk, and Nuliajuk are all legitimate given names. Silna is an illegitimate given name.

Kuvijuq: kuvi+juq, “he who pours.” Kuvi- is a verb stem meaning “to spill or pour; to spill or pour it; to spill or pour on (them/it).” *ku is a verb root for “downward movement or orientation” that can also be found in the noun kuuk “river.” +t/juq is the intransitive 3rd person singular indicative mood verb ending “she/he/it/they (singular),” but here it functions as a noun participle. In modern Natchiliŋmiutut proper, this would be Kuviřuq. A legitimate given name.

Netsilik Hunter: Netsilik is derived from Natsilik i.e. Natchilik, “the one with ringed seal,” meaning Netsilik Lake and its environs. Outsiders applied “Netsilik Inuit” both to Natchiliŋmiut and to other Inuit groups. Aŋunahuaqti is modern Natchiliŋmiutut proper for “hunter,” related to the noun aŋut “man.”

South Qikiqtaaluk is the dialect spoken in the communities of southern Baffin Island, including the capital, Iqaluit. North Qikiqtaaluk is spoken in northern Baffin Island as well as the communities of Iglulik and Sanirajak (Hall Beach) Ausuittuq (Grise Fiord) and Qausuittuq (Resolute Bay).

Aivilingmiutut is spoken in the communities along the western shore of Hudson’s Bay, including Naujaat, Igluligaarjuk (Chesterfield Inlet), Kangiqłiniq (Rankin Inlet) and in Salliit (Coral Harbour) on Southampton Island. Paallirmiutut is spoken in the southern Kivalliq region, mainly in the communities of Arviat, Tikirarjuaq (Whale Cove) and Kangiqłiniq (Rankin Inlet). Nattilingmiutut is spoken in the eastern part of the Qitirmiut (Kitikmeot) region, in the communities of Uqšuqtuuq (Gjoa Haven), Talurjuaq (Taloyoak) and Kuugaarřuk (Kugaaruk). Inuinnaqtun is spoken in Qurluqtuq (Kugluktuk) and Iqaluktuuttiaq (Cambridge Bay). The two Qikiqtaaluk dialects share much in common as do the two western dialects, Nattilingmiutut and Inuinnaqtun.  In between, Kivallirmiut has some characteristics of each.

Marion Tuu'luq RCA LL.D (1910–2002), also known as Anguhadluq, Tudluq, Tuuluq, and Toodlook, was an Inuk artist in mixed media and textiles. She "drew upon vivid colors, symmetry, and anthropomorphic imagery, to create vibrant tapestries which depict stories, legends, and personal experiences." via Wikipedia

ᓴᓇᑐᔪᖅ ᒥᐊᓕᐊᓐ ᑑᕐᓗᖅ Marion Tuu'luq, Untitled (People and Animals) (n.d.) Courtesy Waddington’s Auctioneers and Appraisers, Toronto © the Artist

https://www.inuitartfoundation.org/profiles/artist/Marion-Tuuluq

One of the most widely spoken Indigenous languages in this country is now available through Google's translation service, the first time the tech giant has included a First Nations, Métis or Inuit language spoken in Canada on its platform. Inuktut, a broad term encompassing different dialects spoken by Inuit in Canada, Greenland and Alaska, has been added to Google Translate, which translates text, documents and websites from one language into another. The latest addition is part of a Google initiative to develop a single artificial intelligence language model to support 1,000 of the most-spoken languages in the world.  There are roughly 40,000 Inuktut speakers in Canada, data from Statistics Canada suggests.

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https://open.spotify.com/track/1t7kbLA8J228txpRYGiN54?si=W7ipunM5RRmCnVNUWQoTgQ

The organization that represents Inuit in Nunavut is suing the government of Nunavut over the right for students to be educated in Inuktut.

In a statement of claim filed Wednesday in Iqaluit, Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI) claims the Nunavut government is discriminating against Inuit by not offering education in Inuktut to the same degree as English and French — despite Inuktitut being the territory's dominant language.

"So the message to us as Inuktut-speaking Inuit in Nunavut when we're the public majority is our language doesn't mean anything, it's not important, and certainly it's not as important as English or French," NTI president Aluki Kotierk told CBC News on courthouse steps.

"We're tried very hard to work with the government to express how it has an impact on who we are and how crucial it is. But consistently, the message has been that the Inuit language is not as important as other languages."

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ᖁᐃᓂᔪᖅ (quinijuqa) fat person (or animal)

ᕿᐅᙱᑦᑐᖓ (qiunngittunga) I am not cold.

ᖁᐊᖅᑐᖅ (quaqtuq) frozen

ᕿᐊᔪᖅ (qiajuq), he/she cries

ᓄᖅᑲᖓᔪᖅ (nuqqangajuq) still; motionless

ᓇᒻᒫᑦᑐᖅ (naammattuq) it’s O.K.

ᓇᑭᑐᐃᓐᓇᖅ (nakituinnaq) from anywhere, from all over

ᓇᓪᓕᒍᓱᑦᑐᖅ (nalligusuttuq) he/she is in love