Live Webcasts from the Arctic Wilderness Celebrate Inuit Language, Culture and Heritage

Building on 30 years of exploring Inuit culture through video, media artist Zacharias Kunuk goes live online with events in remote Arctic locations.

Digital advances enable live webcast experiment in the Arctic

Silamit (Live) On the Air is a three-year experiment to explore Inuit culture, language and heritage live from remote Arctic locations. From now until 2021, Zacharias Kunuk, who has been exploring his Inuit culture through video for 30 years, will use portable mobile satellites and other technologies that enable live webcasts in the Arctic to bring Inuit and international viewers together.

Grant helps media artist sustain hunting culture

Kunuk chose locations where he and his family lived before Inuit were relocated to government settlements in the 1950s and 1960s, such as the traditional camp of Igloolik. Each event, ranging from two-hour to full-day celebrations, will feature elders, youth, invited guests and members of Kunuk’s family, as well as other families who lived, camped, fished or hunted in each place. People will explore the history of each location and its meaning to the Inuit; they will tell stories, sing songs, hunt and fish, eat and celebrate Inuktitut culture and heritage.