Inuit Naming Practices with High School Students in Sanikiluaq

Mary Kavik

One of Mary Kavik’s goals as a teacher is to “make school a place where Inuit culture is valued and real.” Her research, centred on the saunik (name giving namesake relationship), emerged from a project with her Grade 10 and 11 students designed to demonstrate that “naming practices maintain a web of connections and relationships.” The students’ assignment was to trace the saunik of family members. She interviewed the students two years later and elicited comments such as: “I was really proud. Even my great-grandmother was really proud;” “We must keep our culture strong so we don’t forget our ancestors.” Locally, this was a collaborative project with students, teachers and the community. Nationally, it was linked with other schools through the Canadian Heritage Society Agora website.