2023 Empey Lecture: The Practice of Inuit Culture

Reconciliation and healing through the Nunavut Inuit Heritage Centre

The legacy of colonialism is felt strongly in Nunavut. Among the many harms experienced by Nunavut Inuit is the loss of cultural heritage, including cultural belongings, artistic expressions, traditional knowledge, and language. Join us for an exploration of the issues and solutions to preserving and ensuring the continuity of Nunavut Inuit heritage.

Our evening includes a fascinating presentation from our guest speaker Catherine C. Cole, director of planning for the Nunavut Inuit Heritage Centre, which is under development by the Inuit Heritage Trust. Attendees will then have exclusive access to the TELUS World of Science exhibition Arctic Journey and its immersive learning experience. Sample the northern delicacy arctic char, and enjoy appetizers while exploring the land and stories of the north.

Cost: $15 (Current students will receive a refund upon attending the event.)

Register

This event is hosted by the Department of Human Ecology as part of the annual Empey Lectures.

About the Speaker

Catherine C. Cole, MA, FCMA, is the Director of Planning for the Nunavut Inuit Heritage Centre in Iqaluit and Principal Consultant, Catherine C. Cole & Associates in Edmonton. A former museum curator and interpreter, she has consulted on heritage issues throughout Canada and internationally for 30 years. Catherine is Métis and has made both a professional and personal commitment to decolonization and reconciliation. She is the recipient of many awards including the Governors Award from the National Trust for Canada for an Indigenous Heritage Circle report she co-authored on Indigenous Heritage and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2022), the Lieutenant Governor’s Award from the Alberta Museums Association (2021), and ICOM Canada’s International Achievement Award (2019). She is a Fellow of the Canadian Museums Association (FCMA); the Culture and Heritage Community Chair for the National Indigenous Knowledge and Language Alliance (NIKLA); a member of Parks Canada’s Indigenous Cultural Heritage Advisory Council (ICHAC); an International Advisory Group Member for Renewing Relations: Indigenous Heritage Rights and (Re)conciliation in Northwest Coast Canada, at the University of Exeter, UK; and from 2013-2020 was Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Association of Museums (CAM), a network of postcolonial museums and professionals that reflects on colonial legacies and develops new international relationships and working practices.