Stories, Objects, Gender and Memories: Using digital media to share Inuvialuit knowledge - Rebecca Goodwin, Lisa Hodgetts, Natasha Lyons, and David Stewart

Physical objects are not simply things and material culture can be a reflection of deeply-held cultural values. For the people who possess them, objects can trigger important memories and stories that help us understand complex ideas including those related to identity. Goodwin’s thesis research with Inuvialuit Elders has interrogated the complexities in Inuvialuit gender identity and performance, past and present. As a way to share their knowledge more widely, Inuvialuit Elders, the Inuvialuit Communications Society and heritage professionals have collaborated to produce a series of video shorts in which Elders discuss cherished objects from loved ones who have passed, which evoke memories and stories that are meaningful for them. These stories elucidate what it means to be an Inuvialuit man or woman, and how fluid and flexible these categories can be. These videos provide a platform for Elders to disseminate cultural knowledge in their own voices and language, which is something that is very important to them. This video series and the accompanying web pages allow us to disseminate traditional knowledge to a wider audience in a culturally appropriate way. In this paper we will discuss the collaborative process of producing these digital shorts and reflect on their use as educational tools for Inuvialuit youth.