ᐊᐅᕐᓂᐊᕐᕕᒃ • AuRniarvik

Inuktut second language for inuit

Our next Aurniarvik Certificate will start with our Inuit Cultural Wellbeing (On the Land) course on August 25, 2025 and run until the end of April 2026.

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For more information, contact registrations@pirurvik.ca.

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.

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

1 · 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.

2 · Attavik

honing speaking skills

In this course, we hone Inuktut speaking skills by formulating sentences that describe first person/second person/third person through singular/dual/plural phrases. Topics include weather, talking about things one wants, colours, weekend plans, items found in the home, places in the community and travel to and from Nunavut communities. Students also receive an introduction to reading and writing the basic characters in qaniujaaqpait (syllabics).

3 · 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.

4 · 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. The emphasis here continues to be qaliujaaqpait (roman orthography) as students gradually become more comfortable with qaniujaaqpait (syllabics).

5 · Tamakkiirvik

the Nunavut writing system

In this course, students complete the transition to using both forms of Nunavut’s writing system, qaliujaaqpait, or standardized roman orthography and qaniujaaqpait, standardized syllabics. Students learn how to keyboard in qaniujaaqpait and dedicate time to reading short texts written in syllabics.

6 · 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.

7 · 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.

8 · 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.

9 · 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.

AuRniarvik 10· Inuit makimaningat

Inuit cultural wellbeing

This is a foundational course in the Aurniarvik program where students have the opportunity to learn together in the natural classroom of our Arctic environment. The skills students work on stem from Pirurvik’s Inuit Makimaningat program. These are hands-on skills from traditional Inuit life that provide participants with renewed confidence and stronger connections with Inuit identity. This course is delivered at Pirurvik’s land-based facility across Frobisher Bay from Iqaluit.