06 / Homelands, Language & Life in Manitoba

Inuit

Inuit histories and present day lives include northern homelands and communities living throughout Manitoba.

Words of recognition

With Respect.

We honour Inuit and their enduring relationships with land, water and ice. We recognize Inuit ancestral lands in northern Manitoba and the Inuit individuals and families who live in Winnipeg and across the province, carrying languages, knowledge and community connections forward.

Understanding this relationship

Inuit Presence Belongs in the Present Tense.

The Manitoba Legislative Assembly recognizes ancestral Inuit lands in northern Manitoba. Manitoba Inuit Association supports Inuit living in the province through community, cultural and other programs.

Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami describes Inuit Nunangat as the Inuit homeland encompassing land, water and ice. This wider homeland is important context; Winnipeg should not simply be described as Inuit Nunangat because Inuit live here.

Sources:Manitoba Assembly Manitoba Inuit Association About Inuit

Language & Learning

Inuktut: Dialects & Writing Systems

Inuit language resources use different dialects and writing systems, including syllabics and Roman orthographies. The Assembly links an Inuktitut source image. Tusaalanga offers speaker audio and a dialect selection; Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami explains work on Inuktut Qaliujaaqpait. These are distinct resources, not interchangeable spellings.

Sources:Tusaalanga lessons Inuktut writing

Assembly language source

The Assembly’s statement is its own source material. It is not a translation of our business acknowledgement. Community resources offer further language learning.