Inuit Heritage Trust (IHT) is leading the planning process for the Nunavut Inuit Heritage Centre (NIHC) with the support of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc (NTI), Qikiqtani Inuit Association (QIA), Kitikmeot Inuit Association (KitIA), and Kivalliq Inuit Association (KivIA).
An approximately 5,500m2 Centre will be built in Iqaluit with a mandate to foster the development of a network of heritage/cultural centres in each region and coordinate territory-wide collaborative exhibitions and programs. The NIHC is conceived of as a centre that focuses on living heritage, the continuity of Inuit culture and language, as well as the preservation and exhibition of cultural belongings. The NIHC will support reconciliation and healing by bridging generations, allowing Inuit to connect with their Elders and ancestors as well as with non-Inuit through objects and stories. The legacy of colonialism – the residential school system, the rupture of families through relocation to communities, the TB crisis and the 60s’ Scoop – and marginalization of Inuit culture, values and traditions in present-day Nunavut left many Inuit interested in reconnecting with their collective past to find a stronger sense of identity and culture. The NIHC will help Inuit to discover valuable insights and renegotiate their individual and collective cultural identities.