Stories of Strength and Connection: Celebrating Inuit Women's Leadership in Nunatsiavut - Andrea Procter, Beverly Hunter, Peggy Andersen & Tracy Ann Evans-Rice

What is it that people in Nunatsiavut celebrate about inspirational Inuit women? The Daughters of Mikak project consists of digital stories made by Nunatsiavummiut about Inuit women in their lives. Taken together, these stories present a shared Nunatsiavut narrative about Inuit women's leadership. In the face of social challenges that threaten to tear communities and families apart, these women demonstrate how to build relationships with those around them. They model kindness, patience, humility, and strength. The digital stories are diverse, but they all describe the women’s ability to counteract the fragmenting effects of colonialism through connecting people together.

The Daughters of Mikak initiative is a collaborative Tradition and Transition project by the Nunatsiavut Government’s Status of Women office, Memorial University, and AnânauKatiget Tumingit Inuit Women’s Regional Association. In this presentation, we will discuss the project's use of a strength-based research approach, share some of the digital stories, and explore how the stories both demonstrate and strengthen the social relationships on which Nunatsiavut communities are built.