Published 11:27 am Tuesday, December 9, 2025 By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Northern News Services The Kitikmeot Heritage Society has won the 2025 Community Nominated Award from Annauma Community Foundation, which comes with a $100,000 grant. Nunavummiut nominated organizations for the award, and Annauma, a non-profit organization, selected the Cambridge Bay-based society as this year’s winner. “We will use this award to fund staff training, update our policies and grow our new Kuugalaaq campus with the goal of providing more and better services to strengthen Inuinnait culture and language,” said Emily Angulalik, executive director of the Kitikmeot Heritage Society. The organization works to preserve and strengthen the Inuinnait language, traditions and culture through programs like a language podcast and a kamiik-making workshops. Land-based activities and youth workshops are also among the society’s portfolio of programs. Annauma’s board of directors chose the Kitikmeot Heritage Society’s commitment to revitalizing Inuinnaqtun language and culture, according to Udlu Hanson, Annauma’s board chair. “Their programming is grounded in Inuit traditional knowledge and values, while responding to community needs today. This work strengthens cultural identity and supports its continuity between generations,” Hanson said. The Kitikmeot Heritage Society is focused on the Inuinnait people, a distinct Inuit group living in Kitikmeot whose language — Inuinnaqtun — has fewer than 500 speakers remaining. In Inuinnaqtun, the Kitikmeot Heritage Society is called Pitquhirnikkut Ilihautiniq. This is the second year Annauma’s Community Nominated Award has been given out, and nominations will open next year in June. The Community Nominated Award is only given to charities and non-profits. Annauma is short for Annaumakkaijiit which means “helping people to stay ahead” in Inuktitut.
Kitikmeot Heritage Society receives $100,000 from Annauma Community Foundation
