Teacher s Guide re: Michael Arvaarluk Kusugak Website www.michaelkusugak.com Michael Arvaarluk Kusugak s Biography Michael grew up in Repulse Bay, NWT (now Nunavut). During his childhood, his family travelled by dog sled, living a traditional Inuit lifestyle. He is the author of 15 children s books including: A Promise Is A Promise, Baseball Bats for Christmas, Hide and Sneak, Northern Lights: The Soccer Trails, My Arctic 1, 2, 3, Arctic Stories, Who Wants Rocks, his most recent titles include; his first novel for children, The Curse of the Shaman, The Littlest Sled Dog,T is for Territories and 5 leveled Readers in the Northern Series. Michael s books have been nominated for many awards. Northern Lights the Soccer Trails won the Ruth Schwartz Award, the best children s book in Canada in 1993. Michael was also awarded the prestigious Vicky Metcalf Award in 2008 for a body of work in Children s Literature. Michael Kusugak recently moved to Vancouver Island, BC from Rankin Inlet Nunavut to allow him better access to travel for touring. Michael continues to write and travel extensively throughout Canada, the United States and the world telling stories. Books by Michael Kusugak Michaels Books and his CD are available at www.strongnations.com. His books are also available at bookstores across Canada. Available in English and French A Promise is a Promise (Annick Press, 1989) suggested grades K 4
Available in English and French Baseball Bats for Christmas(Annick Press, 1990) suggested grades K-4 Hide and Sneak(Annick, 1992) suggested grades K 4 Available in English and French Northern Lights the Soccer Trails (Annick Press, 1993) suggested grades 3-6 My Arctic 123 (Annick Press, 1996) suggested grades K, 1, 2 Arctic Stories (Annick Press, 1998) suggested grades 2 4
Who Wants Rocks (Annick Press, 1999) suggested grades 2-4 The Curse of the Shaman (Harper-Trophy, 2006) suggested grades 4 to 8 The Littlest Sled Dog (Orca Books, 2008) suggested grades K 4 T is for Territories (Sleeping Bear Press, 2013) suggested grades 2 6 Northern Series, in Strong Readers for Strong Nations Publishing
Inuit Songs and Stories Michael s most recent release is a CD Titled, Inuit Songs and Stories Learn to Throat Sing, May 2015. Distributed by Strong Nations Books and Gifts. Awards Vicky Metcalf Award for a body of work in Children s Literature 2008 The Curse of the Shaman was Short Listed for the Anskohk Award in 2 categories 2006 The Curse of the Shaman was Short Listed for the Hackmatack Award 2007 Northern Lights The Soccer Trails won Ruth Schwartz Award for Children s Literature in1994 Northern Lights The Soccer Trails was placed on the accolade list for the Aesop Prize in the United States How do you say that word? One of the questions Michael has been asked for many years is; How do you say that word? If you go to Michael s website www.michaelkusugak.com and click on the stories page then click on each of the books. At the bottom of the book description is How Do You Say That? Michael will help you learn how to pronounce each of the Inuktitut words in the book. Please note that he is still working on this feature for some of his most recent titles. Michael helped in the naming of 4 moons around Saturn see Wikipedia for the story of the naming of the moons http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ijiraq_(moon) Suggestions for resources, research and lessons: Creation of Nunavut An excellent resource on Nunavut and the northern territories in Canada is Michael s recent book T is for Territories. It is part of the series published by Sleeping Bear Press M is for Maple Leaf, S is for Spirit Bear A wonderful resource for schools that is designed for use in the classroom.
Michael s strong readers that are a part of the Northern Readers Series published by Strong Nations Publishing are leveled readers resources that are written for classroom use. Importance of Inuit storytelling Michael writes: I have been writing books for children based on Inuit culture, traditional stories and life in the north for 25 years. Some of my books have been made into plays and films. It is important to bring these stories into new media to be shared with people in Canada and around the world. My writing and storytelling has always been driven by the stories told to me by my grandmother when I was a boy. When I was small we still lived a traditional life living in igloo, sod huts and skin tents. We traveled by dog team searching for game to keep us fed and clothed. At night my grandmother would tell me stories to put me to sleep. These stories are being lost now. We no longer travel by dog team or live in igloos. We live in houses now, with heat and electricity. We also have new storytellers, storytellers from the south that enter our homes through the TV and Internet. Our children are modern children in an ancient land. The stories that taught me how to live and who I am are being lost as the elders die and the TV blares in our living rooms. I travel all around telling stories in the north and south of Canada and internationally. I have found that my people and people from many other cultures love to hear these stories. I am so happy to be partnering with Pangaea Arts to bring more of these stories to the stage. I look forward to developing and writing a script based on such rich stories. Stories told by my ancestors for hundreds and maybe thousands of years. Pangaea will bring their experience in bringing stories to the stage. Their masks and performance style will contribute so much to bring these stories to life. It is exciting to think that we could create masks and costumes that will make mythical creatures come alive. Inuit Language The Inuktitut Language is spoken by Inuit all around the circumpolar world. Across the north from Alaska, throughout Nunavut, Nunavik (Arctic Quebec) Labrador, Greenland and Siberia too. It is all one language. There are many
dialects of Inuktitut but Michael can understand them all.with a little work and careful listening. The language remains strong throughout Nunavut and is one of the Official Languages in Nunavut. English, French and Inuktitut are all Official Languages in Nunavut. Igloo The Igloo is a symbol of the arctic. This ancient dwelling is still used today. Hunters must know how to build an Igloo. The arctic climate can be unforgiving and brutal. Your life still depends on learning many survival skills in Arctic life. Learning to build an Igloo and other essential survival skills are still taught to the youth as part of their education. These days when we rely on snowmobiles and GPS, the Igloo will still save your life during the winter months in the Arctic. Qulliq The qulliq (stone seal oil lamp) is much more than a source of life for Inuit. The qulliq provided light, heat and a way to cook in an igloo. It provided the heat needed to survive life in an igloo. Today the qulliq is also used in a ceremonial way in Inuit communities connecting Inuit to their culture and represents the very survival of Inuit Culture and life in the arctic today. Dog Sleds in Nunavut
There is a recommended website that will help you learn how dog teams are still used in Nunavut today. Dog team racing has now become a competitive sport in Nunavut. Every community in Nunavut has Dog Team Races as part of their spring community events. The largest Dog Team Race is the Nunavut Quest. Visit the website at http://nunavutquest.com/en Throat Singing Throat singing was a form of entertainment for women who often spent days waiting in Igloos and tent for their men to return from their hunting trips. Throat singing is an art that is experiencing a revival among young women in Nunavut. Here s some links to throat singers on Youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taie97lnpes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujzawsduohm One of the throat singers in these films is Lois Suluk Locke. Lois is one of the throat singers on our CD. Arctic animals and Environment (activities and exercises) Resource on Inuit subjects, wiki site which means it is public domain. http://bccurriculum.pbworks.com/w/page/35351972/inuit www.allaboutbirds.org is a recommended website about birds in North America. Many birds found in the arctic are on this site. Learn about the birds their habitat, their songs. Inuit culture a. NFB www.nfb.ca the National Film Board has many films on Inuit Culture, some filmed many years ago when Inuit were still referred to as Eskimos b. Inuit strongly recommend the Netsilik series as a valid resource about Inuit Culture. These films were done in the 1940 s in the far north. The traditional life of Inuit was documented quite accurately in these films. http://www.nfb.ca/search?q=netsilik&btng=search c. School resources, many activities that have been recently developed for Inuit schools, daycares, and families. These resources were developed by the Nunavut Literacy Council and are available for free use on the following website. The materials are available in English French and Inuktitut. http://www.ilitaqsiniq.ca/
d. Literacy Activities from the Nunavut literacy council http://www.ilitaqsiniq.ca/resources Traditional Storytelling Suggested website for Inuit Culture, Knowledge and Storytelling http://www.polarlife.ca/index.htm What other cultures have traditional stories? Do they have lessons or morals in them? Many cultures have traditional stories, what cultures are represented in our classroom? Are there stories that are told and have been told in our cultures? i.e. First Nations Peoples stories, A Thousand and One Arabian Nights, European traditional tales, Grimms Fairytales, Mother Goose, and stories from around the world Find a story from your culture and share it with the class. Families have stories too.are there stories that your family likes to tell? First Nations Storytelling website http://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1316530132377/1316530184659 History of First Nations and Inuit Residential School During recent years in Canada the historic apology to First Nations and Inuit people in Canada has begun to bring to light that children from First Nations and Inuit family were taken from their families as a very early age (usually 6 years old) and sent to various residential schools in various locations in Canada. These schools were either run by the government or were government sponsored schools run by Missions across Canada. Michael attended several of these schools starting with the school at the Roman Catholic Mission in Chesterfield Inlet at the tender age of 6. Michael stayed in a make shift dormitory in the attic of the Mission where he was forced to attend daily church services and school at the mission. He was only allowed to see his family in the short but glorious summer months back in Repulse Bay. During recent years in Canada the historic apology to First Nations and Inuit people in Canada has begun to bring to light that children from First Nations and Inuit family were taken from their families as a very early age (usually 6 years
old) and sent to various residential schools in various locations in Canada. These schools were either run buy the government or were government sponcered schools run by Missions across Canada. Michael attended several of these schools starting with the school at the Roman Catholic Mission in Chesterfield Inlet at the tender age of 6. Michael stayed in a make shift dormitory in the attic of the Mission where he was forced to attend daily church services and school at the mission. He was only allowed to see his family in the short but glorious summer months back in Repulse Bay. This website tells many stories of Inuit who have attended these schools. www.legacyofhope.ca/projects/we-were-so-far-away Michael s book, Arctic Stories is recommended reading for early grades on Residential Schools First Nations children were also sent to Residential Schools. Look for resources in your school, (aboriginal advisors, elders). This website tells many stories of Inuit who have attended these schools. www.legacyofhope.ca/projects/we-were-so-far-away