The Sikumiut Inuit Dancers and Drummers were established in April 1999 after the Nunavut Day celebrations at the request of the dancers who had been part of the performing group for the ceremonies. In January of 1999, the group's Artistic Director, Zinour Fathoullin was commissioned by the organizers of the Nunavut Day celebrations to create an Inuit youth dance group and choreograph two pieces for April 1, 1999. The pieces, entitled Drum Dance and Goose and Raven Dance, were created for this occasion marking the establishment of the new Inuit territory of Nunavut.

Wishing to build upon and further the successes of their performances, Zinour and the dancers decided to form Sikumiut (Inuktitut for People of the Ice). Shortly after Nunavut Day, Sikumiut was invited to perform at local eventsone of their first international breaks came with their August 1999 invitation to represent Nunavut at National Indigenous Peoples Week in Nuuk, Greenland. In June 1999, the Office of the Premier of Nunavut referred Sikumiut to the organizers of Indian Summer: The First Nations of North America exhibition at the National Museum of Belgium to represent Canadian Inuit. The result of this referral was Sikumiut¹s first international tour.

The Sikumiut Inuit Dancers and Drummers are based in Iqaluit, the 
capital of Nunavut, which means "our land." The group is dedicated to 
giving Inuit youth an opportunity to discover, recover and further their 
own culture through dance, drumming and song.
	The Sikumiut ("people of the ice") is an evolving and diverse 
blend of the traditional and contemporary, with works inspired by the 
graceful movements of the caribou, goose and raven, by Inuit legends and 
myths and by traditional games.  Established in 1999, the group has given 
acclaimed performances throughout the world.

The group's repertoire includes:

Traditional Opening Ceremony-the Lighting of the Kullik. Historically, Inuit used the kullik (seal oil lamp) for the heating of their snow houses (igloos), their summer sod houses (qammuqs) and to mark the opening of a ceremony or important event. This piece incorporates the third use of the kullik with the traditional Inuit song entitled Qiujavit and throat singing. Created for Sikumiut¹s tour to Belgium and France, it was created by the dancers of Sikumiut, in consultation with elders Haunnaq Mikkagaq and Napatchie Pootoogook.

Celebration of the Drum: This piece, also created for the tour of Belgium and France, is a demonstration and celebration of the Siberian Inuit Hunti and Nentsi hand drum. It tells the story of a ceremonial gathering of shamen. The elder shaman, encircled by younger ones, is inviting them to engage in the spirit and power of the drum.

Caribou Dance: Created and performed for the Nunavut Day Celebrations, the choreography for this piece was inspired by the graceful movements of the caribou. The music is a wonderful combination of throat songs of the Canadian Inuit and traditional songs of Siberian Hunti and Nentsi Inuit. This is tied together by the background beat of the drum.

Goose and Raven Dance: Also created and performed for the Nunavut Day Celebrations, this gentle and graceful piece uses the movements, mating rituals and calls of the Snow Goose and Raven.

Traditional Inuit Drum Dance:   Commissioned by the producer of ³2000 Today: The CBC World Millennium
Special, it merges traditional Canadian Inuit drum dancing, pisik aye-ya-ya song style and throat singing with contemporary movement.

Ocean Dance Duet: Inspired by the Inuit legend of Sedna, this piece is an excerpt of a group composition (not yet performed) that depicts this legend through dance. The costumes are based upon traditional sealskin clothing of the
Copper Inuit (Kitikmeot Region) of the Central Arctic.

Siberian Drum Dance: Choreographed and performed for Nunavut Day, this energetic number uses only the sounds of the Siberian Inuit Hunti/Nentsi drum in a true demonstration of the power of this instrument.

Legend of the Narwhal: An enactment of the Inuit legend about a woman who becomes a narwhal, it takes place in an igloo.

Tchoom Dance: A Siberian shaman asked Zinour Fathoullin to create this dance from her legend about Inuit nomadic life following the caribou herds.

Qulupayoosie: Choreographed by the female members of Sikumiut, this number is an enactment of the traditional game played while singing this Inuit song.

The Sound of the Drum

Historically, the only musical instrument used by Canadian Inuit was the drum. This "flat, tambourine-like drum made from a hoop of wood across which was stretched a membrane of dehaired caribou hide ......was struck with a stout stick on the rim only, first on one side and then with a flip of the wrist on the other.

Sikumiut Inuit Dancers and Drummers uses two Inuit style drums. In "A Drum Dance" and the "Celebration of the Drum", they use the traditional Siberian Huntsi and Nentsi Inuit hand drum. Unlike the Canadian Inuit hand drum, it is beaten upon the skin itself, creating a wonderfully deep resonant sound. These pieces use only the sound of the drum. In keeping with the Canadian Inuit tradition of combining drumming, dance and singing the pieces entitled "A Traditional Drum Dance" and "An Opening Ceremony", include the use of the Canadian Eastern Inuit hand drum as described above as well as the traditional Inuit throat singing and ayeyaya song styles.

Both of these numbers would be classified as being in the "pisik" class of dance songs.

Inuit Throat Singing

Traditionally, Canadian Inuit throat singing is done in pairs (usually women). The songs are produced by the pair facing each other and rocking their throat sounds back and forth in a synchronized rhythmic fashion. As if by magic, a third, wonderful sound is in the middle. The sounds are imitations of those found on the tundra - birds, dogs, sleds going over ice etc.... There are a few descriptions that Elders have told about the history and meaning behind throat singing but the one most often told is this:

Two women are competing with one another. One starts by emanating a throat sound and her partner echoes it back to her they continue like this, in song, until one loses concentration and laughs. She who laughs first loses!

Acclaimed youth dance troupe quits in frustration

The narrow bigotry of a few Iqaluit Inuit helped sabotage the internationally-acclaimed Inuit dance group, Sikumiut.

GAYLE REDDICK and
ZINOUR FATHOULLIN

As a follow-up to recent articles concerning the need for increased support for youth and Inuit culture (Mary Wilman and the NSDC), economic development in Nunavut (Elizabeth Hadlari and the Cambridge Bay jewelry program) and the GN urging hamlets to raise their own money, here’s our experience with Sikumiut Inuit Dancers and Drummers Inc.

At the request of the Inuit youth performing with us on April 1, 1999, we formed Sikumiut. This idea came from them, as they so enjoyed performing for a national audience and wished to continue to be ambassadors for Inuit culture.

We two were passionate about the Inuit culture — this is why we came North in the first place. Zinour had more than 10 years experience collaborating with the Inuit of Siberia, and as we were willing to dedicate some time and energy to the endeavour, we agreed to establish the troupe as a non-profit organization.

Due to the reviews from the April 1 performances, we received a number of invitations to perform. That summer, Sikumiut performed in Nuuk, Greenland to sold-out audiences — a first for Nuuk.

In the fall of 1999, we did a one-month tour of Belgium and France, taking with us elder throat-singers Haunaq Mikkigaq and Napatchie Pootoogook of Cape Dorset as performers, consultants and role models for the youth.

Next, Sikumiut, along with Haunaq Mikkigaq, Timangia Petaulassie, and David Serkoak, whom we requested be included, represented Canada internationally on the "Global Millennium Special — 2000 Today."

We also did a tour of the Ukraine and Russia, performing in two acclaimed international festivals, as well as a number of theatres. It is worth noting that one performance was at the National Opera House of the Ukraine, the same theatre where Barishnikov and Nureyev performed on a regular basis. This performance was at the request of the Canadian embassy in Kiev.

Our tour to Russia took us to the Siberian Arctic where we did collaborative performances with other circumpolar Inuit.

In the spring and summer of 2000, Sikumiut performed in Inuvik, at the Circumpolar Children and Youth Festival, at the International Aboriginal Conference in Alaska, and at the National Aboriginal People’s Day celebrations in Ottawa.

This spring, Sikumiut performed at St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York, and southern Ontario, during a 10-day tour. These are just some of the shows that Sikumiut did upon invitation outside Nunavut.

There were many performances here in Iqaluit — the joint meeting of ministers for sustainable development, the hockey association, Nunavut Tourism, the Arctic Cooperatives Ltd. AGM, the 2002 Arctic Winter Games host society meetings, and so on.

My role in Sikumiut was as administrative director, manager and proposal writer. Zinour was the artistic director, choreographer, trainer, and dancer. We raised more than $350,000 from over 15 organizations–most of which went to Inuit youth in the form of salaries, local businesses, seamstresses and drum-makers.

Other than a very short period — six weeks — of receiving a part-time salary, I worked voluntarily as manager and proposal writer. In two years, Zinour also worked voluntarily, with the exception of short periods of pay gained through proposals.

We consistently paid the dancers, bills, and local people before we paid ourselves, a choice that meant that at the end of the day, we were left unpaid. This decision was made due to the passion and commitment that we had for the Inuit culture and youth of Nunavut. We didn’t want to be seen as Qallunaat again taking advantage of Inuit.

For financial support we would like to thank Kakivak, the Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth, the Elks, the Department of Sustainable Development, the Legion, the Tulugaq Bar, QIA, NTI for travel funding for beneficiaries, the Arctic Insurance Co., Nunavut Tourism, Canadian North and First Air.

Thanks also to the many individuals who supported us in our efforts to bring Inuit youth and culture to a wider audience: Marie Fortier at Top of the World Travel, the Iqaluit District Education Authority, Ed Picco, Nancy Karetak-Lindell and staff, Ingo Moslener, and to our board of directors: Monica Ell, Oo Aqpik-Billard, Natsiq Kango and Peter Ittinuar.

Unfortunately, like Elizabeth Hadlari, after much time and energy, financial and emotional heart breaks, by this March we simply had enough. The success came with some support, but also much sacrifice.

We housed, rescued, testified for, paid, trained voluntarily, fed and counseled more than 50 Inuit youth in a two-year period. We dealt with lack of commitment, dancers quitting at the last minute before tours and performances, the sabotage of projects by a few local Inuit, and being defrauded of funds by dancers.

We were repeatedly told by NTI that we were not considered an Inuit organization and did not qualify for ongoing funding, despite the fact that they used our image in their ads many times as being the voice of Nunavut. We were denied funding by the Canada Council based on reports by a few Inuit who said we were not involving Inuit in our endeavors.

In deciding to pack it in, we cancelled tours to Europe and Australia, as well as performances in Indianapolis, on Parliament Hill for Canada Day, and an invitation by CBC national producers to put something together for the Arctic Winter Games 2002.

Art and culture exist in order to make people reflect upon their daily lives and their purpose in it. This is often a painful experience, as it makes us look in the mirror.

We leave hoping that the government of Nunavut, Inuit organizations and Nunavummiut will come together in a meaningful way in the preservation, promotion and development of Inuit youth and culture.

March 16, 2006
PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE TOTEM SYMBOLIZES
COLONEL MACLEOD SCHOOL’S 50TH ANNIVERSARY

Zinour Fathoullin, artist-in-residence at Colonel Macleod School, has carved an 8’ totem pole based on the theme of past, present and future to mark the 50th anniversary of Colonel Macleod School. The artist and Colonel Macleod students worked collectively to determine the ideas that would be represented in the pole. Students will dedicate the totem pole to Colonel Macleod at the 50th anniversary event. Macleod’s grandson, James Macleod, will be in attendance.