ᐊᕙᑖᓂᑦ ᑕᒪᒃᑯᐊ ᓄᓇᑐᐃᓐᓇᐃᑦ, ᐊᑎᖓ ᐱᔭᐅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᑕᐃᒎᓯᓕᐊᕆᓯᒪᔭᖓᓂᑦ ᐃᒪᓐᓇ ‘ᐆᒻᒪᑎᒐ ᐊᖕᖏᕋᕆᔭᕋ” ᖃᐅᔨᒪᔭᐅᑦᑎᐊᖅᑐᖅ ᓵᒥᒥᐅᑕᖅ ᑎᑎᕋᖅᑎ ᓂᐅᔅ-ᐊᔅᓚᒃ ᕚᑭᐊᐹ, ᓴᕿᔮᖅᑎᑕᐅᕗᑦ ᒫᓐᓇᐅᔪᖅ ᓴᓇᖕᖑᐊᖅᓯᒪᔭᖏᑦ ᓄᓇ ᖃᖅᑲᖅᑳᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᓴᓇᖕᖑᐊᖅᑎᑦ ᓇᑭᑐᐃᓐᓇᖅ ᓄᓇᕐᔪᐊᑉ ᑲᔾᔨᐊᓂᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᓂᑦ. ᑲᑐᔾᔨᓪᓗᑎᒃ, ᓴᓇᔭᖏᑦ ᓂᕈᐊᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᓄᑦ ᐊᑕᔪᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑕᐃᒎᓯᓕᐊᒥᒍᑦ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᕆᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᒫᓐᓇᐅᔪᖅ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᖅᒥ ᐃᓱᒫᓘᑕᐅᔪᓂᒃ ᑕᒪᒃᑯᐊ ᓄᓇᑦ, ᐅᖃᐅᓯᖅ, ᓄᓇᖃᕐᓂᖅ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐅᐸᒃᑕᐅᕙᓪᓕᐊᓂᖓᑦ. ᓴᓇᖕᖑᐊᖅᑎᑦ ᓇᑭᑐᐃᓐᓇᖅ ᓄᓇᕐᔪᐊᖅ ᑲᔾᔨᐊᓂᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᐊᔾᔨᒌᒥᒃ ᐊᐅᖃᑎᒌᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᓚᒋᓚᐅᖅᑕᖏᑦ, ᓇᒡᓕᒋᑦᑎᐊᖅᖢᒍ ᓄᓇᑎᒃ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᒃᐱᒋᑦᑎᐊᖅᖢᒋᑦ ᓄᓇᑎᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓄᓇᖃᖅᑐᑦ. ᑭᓯᐊᓂᓕ ᑕᐃᒫᒃᑕᐅᖅ ᐊᑐᖅᓯᓯᒪᖕᒥᔪᑦ ᖃᓪᓗᓇᐃᖓᓕᖅᑎᑕᐅᓪᓗᑎᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᑐᖅᑎᑕᐅᖏᓐᓇᖅᑐᑦ ᑲᔪᓯᔪᒥᒃ ᐳᐃᒍᓇᓐᖏᑦᑐᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑲᑎᖓᖃᑎᒌᑦᓯᐊᕈᒪᔪᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᑦ ᓴᐳᒻᒥᓗᒋᑦ ᐆᒪᔪᓕᒫᖏᑦ ᐊᕙᑎᓕᒫᖏᓪᓗ ᐆᒪᔪᑦ, ᐅᖃᐅᓯᑦ, ᐃᓄᖏᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᓂᖅ ᑕᒪᒃᑯᓇᖓᑦ ᐱᐅᓐᖏᑦᑐᓂᑦ ᐊᒃᑐᖅᑕᐅᓂᐊᓐᖏᒻᒪᑕ ᓯᓚᐅᑉ ᐅᖂᓯᕙᓪᓕᐊᓂᖓᓂᑦ ᐊᓯᑦᔨᖅᓯᓂᖓᒍᑦ, ᐸᒡᕕᔪᑦ ᑲᒻᐸᓂᐅᔪᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓵᓚᖃᕋᓱᖕᓂᖅ. ᐅᑯᐊ ᐊᓯᕈᖅᑕᐃᓕᒪᑎᑦᑎᕕᐅᑦ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᐅᓗᐊᕋᑎᒃ, ᐋᕿᒃᓯᖃᑦᑕᕐᒪᑕ ᑕᒪᐃᓐᓄᑦ ᓇᔪᒐᖏᓐᓂᒡᓗ ᓯᓚᖃᑦᑎᖏᓐᓂᒡᓗ ᐸᕿᓂᖅ, ᐅᓇ “ᖃᓪᓗᓇᐃᖓᔫᓂᖅ ᓇᒡᓕᒋᓗᒍ” (ᐅᖃᐅᓯᖏᑦ ᓕᐊᓐ ᓯᒻᓴᓐ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᓯᖏᑦ) ᐅᑯᐊ ᑕᒪᕐᒥᒃ ᑐᖕᖓᓇᖅᑐᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐱᒋᐊᑲᓐᓃᓇᐅᔭᕐᓂᐊᖅᑐᑦ. ᐅᑯᐊ ᓴᓇᔭᖏᑦ ᑕᑯᔭᐅᖁᔭᖏᑦ ᐊᑯᓂᐅᔪᒥᒃ ᐃᓱᒪᒋᓂᐊᕐᒪᑕ ᐃᓚᒌᒍᓯᖅ ᐊᕙᑖᒍᑦ ᑎᑎᖃᑎᒍᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑭᓱᕈᖅᑎᑦᑎᓯᒪᓗᑎᒃ ᓄᓇᖅᑲᖅᑳᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᔭᖏᓐᓂᑦ, ᓄᑖᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᔾᔪᑕᐅᓕᖅᑐᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓄᖑᐸᓪᓕᐊᑎᑦᑎᓂᐊᓐᖏᑦᑐᓂᒃ, ᑎᔅᓯᓇᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᓐᓇᒃᓯᒪᔪᓐᓇᕐᓂᕐᒥᒃ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑕᒪᑦᑕ ᑲᒪᒋᔭᒃᓴᕆᔭᕗᑦ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᐃᓅᓯᖏᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓄᓇᖏᑦ.

Among All These Tundras, a title taken from the poem ‘My Heart is in My Home’ by famed Sámi writer Nils-Aslak Valkeapää, features contemporary art by Indigenous artists from around the circumpolar world. Together, their works politically and poetically express current Arctic concerns towards land, language, sovereignty and resurgence. Artists from throughout the circumpolar north share kinship with each other and their ancestors, love for their homelands, and respect for the land and its inhabitants. Yet they also share histories of colonialism and experience its ongoing legacies and are united in their desire to protect northern ecologies, languages, peoples and knowledge from the nefarious effects of climate change, encroaching industry and competition. These resistance efforts do not merely express, they give shape to a collective ecology of care, a “decolonial love” (in the words of Leanne Simpson and others) that is both generous and generative. These works invite viewers to contemplate relationships between textual and embodied Indigenous knowledges, innovation and sustainability, humour and resilience, and our collective responsibility to northern life and land.

Guided visits are free and available Monday to Thursday from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm. Reserve with Robin Simpson, Public Programs and Education Officer.

essays

“ᐊᖕᖏᕋᑦᑎᓐᓂ ᓄᓇᒥ ᐃᓂᖃᖅᐳᒍᑦ”: ᖃᓪᓗᓈᑎᑑᓐᖏᑦᑐᖅ ᐱᓕᕆᖃᑦᑎᒌᖕᓂᖅ ᓄᓇᕐᔪᐊᑉ ᑲᔾᔨᐊᓂ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ

ᕼᐃᑐ ᐃᒡᓗᓕᐅᖅᑎ, ᓴᕆᔅᓴ ᐹᓐ ᕼᐃᐅᓕᒐ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᐃᒥ ᐳᕉᑎ

ᑕᒪᐅᓐᓇ ᓴᓇᓯᒪᔭᒥᒍᑦ ᑕᐃᒎᓯᑦ “ᐆᒪᑎᒐ ᐊᖕᖏᕐᕋᓃᑦᑐᖅ,”¹— ᖃᐅᔨᒪᔭᐅᑦᑎᐊᖅᑐᖅ ᓵᒥ ᓂᐅᔅ-ᐊᔅᓚᒃ ᕚᑭᐊᐹᐊᐃᓗᕼᐋᔅ, ᓵᒥᐅᑎᑐᑦ — ᖃᐅᔨᒪᑦᑎᐊᖅᑐᖅ ᑎᒍᒥᐊᖅᑕᖓ ᓄᓇᖅᑲᖅᑳᖅᓯᒪᔫᒐᒥ ᐃᓅᓯᕐᒥᓂ, ᐊᐃᕙᐅᑎᓕᒃ ᑕᒪᐃᓐᓂᒃ ᓵᒥᒃᑯᑦ ᐱᔪᓐᓇᐅᑎᒃᓴᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓵᒥ ᓄᓇᖅᑲᖅᑳᖅᓯᒪᔪᓄᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑕᒪᐃᑕ ᐱᔭᒃᓴᖏᑦ ᓄᓇᒧᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᒪᕐᒧᑦ. ᑕᐃᒪᓐᓇᐅᓪᓗᓂ, ᐊᐃᓗᕼᐋᔅ, ᐊᒥᓱᒻᒪᕆᐋᓗᒃᑎᑐᑦ ᓄᓇᖅᑲᖅᑳᖅᓯᒪᔪᓂ ᑎᑎᕋᖅᑎᐅᔪᖅ ᓇᓂᑐᐃᓐᓇᖅ ᓄᓇᕐᔪᐊᒥ, ᑎᑎᕋᖅᐹ ᐃᐱᕗᑕ ᐃᓂᖓ ᑕᐃᒎᓯᕐᑎᒍᑦ, ᐅᖃᐅᓯᕐᒥᒍᑦ, ᑎᕋᖅᖢᒍ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑕᐃᒎᓯᓕᐊᕆᓯᒪᓪᓗᒍ ᓄᓇᖁᑎᒋᔭᒥ ᑭᓱᖏᒃ ᖃᓪᓗᓇᐃᖓᔪᓐᓃᖅᑎᓯᒪᓪᓗᒋᑦ — ᒪᓕᒍᒪᓐᖏᑦᑐᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐅᑎᖅᑎᑦᑎᓂᖅ ᐱᔪᓐᓇᕐᓂᕐᒥᖕᓂᒃ ᑖᒃᑯᓇᖓᑦ ᖃᓪᓗᓈᓂ ᑕᒪᐅᓐᓇ ᐊᐅᓚᑦᑎᒃᑯᑦ, ᐱᐅᓯᑐᖃᕐᓃᑲᓗᐊᕈᑎ, ᓂᕈᐊᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᒐᓗᐊᕈᑎ, ᐃᓱᒪᓕᕆᔨᐅᒐᓗᐊᕈᑎ, ᑮᓇᐅᔭᑎᒍᑦ ᐱᕙᓪᓕᐊᑎᑦᑎᓕᐅᒐᓗᐊᕈᓂ, ᒪᓕᒐᓕᕆᓂᐅᒐᓗᐊᕈᓂ, ᐅᒡᕙᓘᓐᓃᑦ ᐃᓱᒪᓕᐅᕆᔨᐅᒐᓗᐊᕈᓂ.

“At Home We Belong”: Decolonial Engagements in the Circumpolar Arctic

Heather Igloliorte, Amy Prouty and Charissa von Harringa

Throughout his illustrated poem “My Home Is in My Heart,”¹ famed Sámi poet Nils-Aslak Valkeapää—Áillohaš, in Sámi—ardently upholds the integrity of Indigenous life, arguing for both Sámi rights and Sámi personal and collective responsibility to the land and water. In so doing, Áillohaš, like countless Indigenous literary figures around the world, underscores the pivotal role of words, language, writing, and poetry as sovereign resources of decolonization—acts of resistance and reclamation against colonially inherited forms of domination, be they cultural, political, psychological, economic, legal, or ideological.