Sign up for the next 8-month Aurniarvik program by clicking on ‘Apply Now’ below.

The next Aurniarvik Certificate will run from August 2025 until April 2026

The Aurniarvik Certificate is an intensive 8-month Inuktut training program for Inuit who are not functional in the language. Classes take place over a full day from 9 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon. Aurniarvik is designed specifically for Inuit who have grown up speaking English and who are wanting to build proficiency in Inuktut. Courses in this program emphasize the skills of speaking, comprehension, reading and writing. Language training is interwoven with activities aimed at strengthening the connection participants have with the Inuit way of life.

• Build your skills in speaking, reading and writing Inuktut

• Become more comfortable speaking and interacting in Inuktut in a range of situations that range from the home and community to the workplace.

• 8 months of full-time courses.

• All training delivered in Inuktut.

• Includes an on-the-land course focused on Inuit well-being

• Students who successfully complete all courses will receive the Aurniarvik Certificate and a certificate in Indigenous Language Revitalization from the University of Victoria.

Pigiarutit
Beginner Level

In this beginner’s course, the focus will be on simple daily routines including the calendar, weather, colours and numbers. The emphasis will be placed on the immediate environment such as personal space and belongings, family members, emotions and feelings, home and community. The course will include conversational skills development through descriptive tenses.

Attavik
Honing Speaking Skills

In the second Aurniarvik course we build on the beginner course and continue to hone speaking skills and overall comfort in using Inuktut.

Pijaqqitsivik
Inuktut Grammar

In Pijaqqitsivik we cover core Inuktut grammar focusing on the specific structures that comprise foundational skills. This includes proper sounds, roots and affixes, formulating questions, commands and statements; grammatical functions such as tenses, singular/dual/plural, placements, action verbs; and other topics such as antonyms, comparisons, distance.

Kajusivik
Reading & Writing Enhancement

In this course students will continue developing reading and writing skills as they progress towards the intermediate level as Inuktut learners

Tamakkiirvik
The Nunavut Writing System

This course focuses on building the skills of students in reading and writing Inuktut using the two forms of the writing system used in Nunavut, namely, qaniujaaqpait (syllabics) and qaliujaaqpait (roman orthography).

Iqqanaijarvimmi
language skills for the workplace

In this course students will gain a rich glossary of workplace vocabulary to describe different levels of positions, roles and responsibilities. Emphasis will be placed on simple to intermediate communication skills within the work environment and various networks, current best practices and professional ethics.

Tunnganiq
Inuit Topics

Cultural learning and practice is an essential basis of Inuktut language curriculum. This course recognizes that a cultural foundation is necessary for modern-day resiliency. It is designed with a cultural approach to learning Inuktut and is enriched by topics covering Inuit values, traditions, and identity.

Inuit Taiguusingit
Inuit Terminology

Building on the previous Tunnganiq course which focuses on the practical level of cultural knowledge and skill, the Tungimaniq course takes on a conceptual framework of Inuit pedagogy. Cultural knowledge and protocol build depth of visionary studies and complexity, as Inuit wisdom and ancient knowledge flow from the Inuit worldview.

Naarivik
Inuit & Today’s Global Movement

Having completed the eight previous courses, Naarivik will take students to a full circle as vibrant participants in their environment and the world. They will recognize how Inuktut can be successfully meshed within the contemporary systems today, and that some Inuit traditions are best exemplified within the home and the land. Through the completion of this course, students will gain a stronger sense of self-identity and self-esteem as equal members of the Inuit community, to engage actively in Inuktut speaking environments with increased comfort and confidence.

Inuit Makimaningat
Inuit Cultural Wellbeing

As a capstone course, Inuit Makimaningat is based on Pirurvik’s Reclaiming the Whole Woman and Reclaiming the Whole Man wellbeing programs designed specifically for Inuit men and women. The course takes place on the land and water in the natural classroom of our Arctic environment. As the first course in the Qimattuvik programs, learners will be grounded in the origins and strength of Inuktut before bridging into its ‘new’, modern home in the workplace. Learners will gain cultural and language confidence through experiencing Inuktut in a fully immersive environment.