‘Where are the Inuit?’

When Tapisa Kilabuk began studying International Indigenous Studies at the University of Calgary, she quickly noticed something was missing.

“As an Inuk student, I wasn’t represented in the course content,” she recalls. “There might be a reading here or there, but Inuit experiences were often clumped together with the experiences of other First Nations and Métis peoples. I kept wondering — where are the Inuit?”

That question has guided Kilabuk’s research and advocacy ever since. A two-time PURE (Program for Undergraduate Research Experience) award winner, she has contributed to landmark Inuit-led research initiatives with Nunavut Arctic College, Nunavut Research Institute and Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada. Her work supported the foundation of Inuit Nunangat University, the first university in the Canadian Arctic.

Now she is preparing to begin a new role with Writing Symbols Lodge at the University of Calgary as a research assistant supporting Indigenous student retention and success. 

Kilabuk will share her story and her insights during a special Lunch & Learn webinar on Nov. 7, presented by Kiipitakyoyis (Grandmother’s Lodge, located in the Faculty of Social Work) in honour of International Inuit Day.

Kilabuk’s presentation will explore Inuit experiences through colonization and assimilation, and the ongoing impacts those forces have today. Drawing from her six-hour UCalgary Indigenous Relations training course, Kilabuk will discuss who Inuit are, what has happened to them and how non-Inuit allies — including social workers, educators and researchers — can better support Inuit communities and their drive for self-determination.

“There’s been so much research done on Inuit,” she says. 

“The joke used to be that every Inuit family had a mom, a grandma, a child … and a researcher. But the question is, where are Inuit in that research? Why aren’t we part of the systems that study us?”

An academic and deeply personal perspective

Born in Iqaluit, she grew up in Nunavut before moving to Nova Scotia as a child. Experiencing racism and stereotyping led her, for a time, to distance herself from her culture, until she realized that rejecting her identity only deepened the harm.

“When I understood that what had happened to me wasn’t my fault, I decided that instead of hating myself, I’d love myself,” Kilabuk says. 

“I wanted to share that love with my children and with the world around me.”

That spirit of reclamation also lives on her skin. Traditional Inuit tattoos such as hers, which were outlawed after the arrival of Christianity, have re-emerged as symbols of resilience and womanhood. 

“In Inuit culture, the lines mark milestones in life — physical, emotional, spiritual,” Kilabuk says. “They connect me to my grandmother and mother, and to generations of Inuit women before us.”

Through her work, Kilabuk hopes to untangle the erasure of Inuit stories told through colonial lenses and to inspire others to see Inuit realities as distinct, not generalized.

“Indigenous peoples aren’t one big block,” she says. 

“Inuit face unique challenges — from poverty and housing insecurity, to the ongoing impacts of forced relocation and child apprehension — but we also have immense strength. 

"I want people to leave the session reflecting on what they can do, in whatever role they hold, to ensure Inuit voices are heard and respected.”

The webinar, presented via Zoom, begins at 12 p.m., MT, on Nov. 7 . Register here.