We are excited to share the great work Katherine Wilson, Andrew Arreak, and Jamesie Itulu are doing in Mittimatalik with the Sikumiut Committee to document and mobilize Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (IQ) for safe community sea ice travel!

“When We’re on the Ice, All We Have is Our Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit”: Mobilizing Inuit Knowledge as a Sea Ice Safety Adaptation Strategy in Mittimatalik, Nunavut (article in Arctic, volume 74 issue 4)

“Inuktitut sea ice terms are the foundation to enable youth with the skills to learn about sea ice IQ with experienced hunters. IQ enables Inuit to interpret and synthesize information from weather forecasts, earth observations, and community-based monitoring to apply to local conditions. Seasonal IQ maps of safe and hazardous sea ice conditions provide travel planning information at spatial and temporal scales that supplemental information sources cannot address. The IQ products mobilize preparedness, situational awareness, navigation, and interpretation skills so Inuit youth can become more self-reliant, as access to technology is not always possible once out on the sea ice.”

SUN Team member Gita Ljubicic, along with Katherine’s co-supervisor Trevor Bell, are co-authors, supporting Wilson, Arreak, and Sikumiut in sharing their work on the sea ice terminology and travel safety in Mittimatalik.