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Inuit Day is an annual event that began over a decade ago. But Nome Elementary School has never celebrated it, that was until this year when a former North Slope resident brought the cultural celebration to the Seward Peninsula.
Nome Elementary School’s gym came to life last Friday as over 40 students lined the gym floor. They drummed on blue plastic buckets for an indigenous-themed drum ensemble led by Nome-Beltz Middle High School’s band director Richard Sargent.
Inuit Day was established by the Inuit Circumpolar Council in 2006 to honor Inuit culture. Inuit people are indigenous to regions of Alaska, Canada, Greenland and Siberia — with Inupiaq people in northern and western Alaska being a branch of the larger Inuit family.
Nome Elementary School’s Principal, Michelle Carton, moved to Nome from Utqiaġvik earlier in the year. She said her vision this school year is to focus on culture.
“I feel like so many regions I know, and people I know celebrate it really big,” Carton said. “I thought, we're really focusing this year on culture and having it be kind of a foundation of everything we do, rather than just being something we sprinkle on the top.”
This year’s Miss Arctic Native Brotherhood, Brooke Anungazuk, gave an inspirational speech to over 60 students and parents. The crowd listened in from fully-packed bleachers in the Nome Elementary School gym.
Carton said her goal with the event was to bring in good role models for the students. After Anungazuk’s speech, elder Nutaaq Simmonds spoke to the crowd. Simmonds is an Iñupiaq actress from Utqiaġvik and is known for her role in the Canadian comedy series, North of North.
“Getting a chance to see an Inuit actress on Netflix and just like, really say, hey, like, it gives a vision to kids of like, I could be an actress. I could be a pageant winner,” Carton said.
President of the Inuit Circumpolar Council, Marie Greene joined the celebration through a video call.Â
“I worked hard to be the best leader I can be because of my ahna, and the encouragement and support of elders, leaders and my family,” Greene said.
Local Inupiaq language educator, Kiminaq Aġviaq, finished out the lineup of speakers with a demonstration on how to correctly pronounce words like Inuit.Â
The event culminated with drumming and dancing by a local dance group composed of youth and adults. As the drums echoed throughout the gym, students and adults rose from their seats to join in one final invitational dance.
