Isumaksaqsiurutigijakka : conversations with Aupilaarjuk towards a theory of Inuktitut knowledge renewal

This dissertation explores a theoretical foundation for Inuktitut knowledge renewal based on conversations between the author, Tamalik, and Inuk elder, philosopher, mentor and teacher Aupilaarjuk from the Kivalliq region in Nunavut. Relational accountability and the relational dynamics of knowledge in Inuktitut contexts are examined, along with Inuktitut methodological principles. The dissertation is presented in two parts to honour two different languages, epistemologies and intellectual systems. Part O n e is in Inuktitut syllables; it comprises the recorded conversations between the author and Aupilaarjuk in May of 2010 and represents the importance of Aupilaarjuk's narrative as a whole, legible or not to the academy. Part T w o is an exercise in bridging between two diverse intellectual traditions that coexist within Canada - Inuktitut indigenous and western academic, and a case is made for their coexistence within the academy. Together the two parts of the document work to support a framework for understanding Inuktitut knowledge traditions and the value of intercultural dialogue in addressing questions of knowledge production in arctic and Inuit-related affairs.