Uploaded March 2024 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago

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Shuvinai Ashoona is a 2024 winner of the Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts.

Video directed by William Huffman (West Baffin Cooperative) and Kitra Cahana.

A presentation of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Independent Media Arts Alliance.

The Canada Council for the Arts is a federal, arm’s-length Crown corporation created by an Act of Parliament in 1957 (Canada Council for the Arts Act) “to foster and promote the study and enjoyment of, and the production of works in, the arts.”

For more information, visit: en.ggarts.ca

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Transcript:

ᖃᖅᑲᐃᑦ ᑕᐅᑐᒃᑐᑦ ᐃᖏᓪᓖᑎᑐᑦ

ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᖏᑦ

ᐱᐅᔪᑦ, ᓴᓇᑦᓯᐊᕐᓯᒪᓲᑦ

ᐋᓇᒋᓚᐅᖅᑕᒪᑎᑐᑦ

ᐋᓇᒐ, ᐊᓈᓇᒐᓗ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᖅᑎᐅᓯᒪᔪᑦ

ᑕᐃᒃᑯᐊᑎᑑᕈᒪᔪᖓ

ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᖏᑐᑦ

ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᐃᓐᓇᕈᒪᔪᖓ

ᑕᐃᒃᑯᐊ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᖅᓯᑏᑦ ᑕᑉᐹᖓᑦ

ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᖅᑳᕐᓂᕐᒪᑕ ᐅᑯᐊᑦᑕᐅᖅ

ᐅᐊᑦᓯᔭᐅᓐᓂᕐᒪᑕ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᖃᑦᑕᖅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ

ᑕᐃᒫᑦᓴᐃᓐᓇᖅ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᓪᓚᑦᓯᐊᕆᑦᑐᒍᑦ

ᑭᓯᐊᓂ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᕈᓐᓇᐃᒋᐊᖏᑦ ᑕᒫᓂᑲᓪᓚᒃ

ᑕᐃᒪᐃᓕᐅᕈᑎᑐᐃᓐᓇᖅ ᓚᑦᓯᐊᕆᑦᑐᓂᑦ ᑕᑯᓯᓲᖑᒻᒥᒐᒪ

ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᒃᑲ ᐃᓄᖃᓯᓲᖑᒻᒥᒻᒪᑕ, ᓄᓇᙳᐊᓕᒐᓛᖖᓂᑦ

ᐸᒃᑯᐊ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᓲᖑᒻᒪᑕ

ᐅᕙᒍᑎᑐᑦ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᖅᑎᑦᓯᐅᓲᖑᓕᖅᑐᑦ ᐱᐅᔪᖅᐹᓗᓐᓂᑦ ᑕᑯᓯᓲᖑᒐᑦᑕ

ᐅᑯᐊ ᑮᑦᑕᕈᓗᒃ ᐊᑦᑐᖅᑕᕕᓂᖏᑦ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒑᐱᒃ

ᓚᑦᓯᑦᓴᐅᑎᒋᓲᖑᒐᑦᑕ

ᓴᓇᒪᑦᓯᐊᖏᒃᑲᓗᐊᕐᒪᑦ ᐋᓪᓛᒃ ᑎᑎᖅᑐᒐᖏᑦ.


The mountain is watching us like angels.

Inuit art is

beautiful and creative,

just like my grandma,

because my grandma and mother were artists.

I want to be like them,

draw like them.

Keep drawing like them.

I come from a family of artists.

Because they first started drawing,

we were able to draw, the passion was passed on.

That’s where our talent comes from,

But to be creative comes from within.

I see art in the forms that surround me.

My drawings often have people and some landscapes.

My forefathers who were artists

made us who we are, gave us the eyes to see beauty around us.

We see their fingerprints on the artwork,

sometimes the art doesn’t come out perfect,

but each one has its own story.

#GGArts2024 #ShuvinaiAshoona #CanadaCouncil

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