Nome Elementary School’s gym came to life early November as over 40 students lined the gym floor. They drummed on blue plastic buckets for an indigenous-themed drum ensemble.
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, 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.”
The celebration included an inspirational speech from Miss Arctic Native Brotherhood, Brooke Anungazuk, including Nutaaq Simmonds, an Inupiaq actress from Utqiaġvik, formerly known as Barrow, the northernmost town in the United States. Simmonds is known for her role in the Canadian comedy series, North of North.
According to Carton, seeing an Inuit actress from Netflix gave the students a vision that they could be an actress or a even a pageant winner.
The President of the Inuit Circumpolar Council, Marie Greene, also joined the celebration through a video call.
“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 in Inuit.
The event ended 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.
