Saturday, February 27, 2016

Inuktitut Names And Traditional Music

Music could be found in Jacques Cartier Park. There were a trio gathered around the fire, playing and singing traditional French Canadian music.


Elsewhere it was possible to get your name written down in the Inuktitut language, spoken by First Nations people of the North.


This is my name in Inuktitut, resting on my leather jacket. Yes, for the record, I don't go by my actual name online.


There were also snow sculptures in the park, such as this one.

37 comments:

  1. "Will sing for a place close to fire"?
    Written First Nations or Native American languages are pretty mystifying. In our region there are efforts now for younger people to learn the spoken languages before elders die, taking the language with them.

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  2. Great piece of ice sculpture. Have a beautiful weekend!

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  3. I wish we had a fireplace like that in our garden.
    It is -6C outside here this morning.
    Well, I think you have a colder and longer winter than us here out on the <norwegian coast. HAPPY WEEKEND!

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  4. The languages of northern Canada does not look anything like the South.

    Tomás.

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  5. Must be comfortable to have a fire to warm yourself.

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  6. Music by such a campfire must be great, I think.
    That snow sculpture is wonderful again.

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  7. Inuktitut letters look very pretty. I always thought William was your actual name :-)

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  8. Love that last sculpture. I think I'd have loved the songs too and now I want my name written as well... :-)

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  9. @Kay: it is a good thing to preserve the language.

    @Nancy: thank you.

    @Gunn: we are getting more snow over the weekend.

    @Tomas: it is very distinctive.

    @Marianne: it was an appealing fire.

    @Jan: I should have recorded some of the music.

    @Tamago: it never occured to me to ask for my writing name.

    @Ciel: more sculptures to come.

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  10. I have always found these peoples interesting and their heritage . Lovely photos . Now that's a great Chiminea I would love one like that ours is smaller lol but I love it ! Thanks for sharing , Have a good weekend !

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  11. A neat series of photos. That outdoor fire would feel lovely on a cold day. Inuits are rich in their cultural heritage. I would have loved to hear the old songs and have my name written in their language. Another wonderful sculpture in the last shot.

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  12. I wish I remembered how to write my name in Inuktitut. The name given to me was " Crooked Mouth" as my mouth dips to one side. I wish I'd made an effort to learn syllabics. This would be a thrill for people to have their name written in another scrip.

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  13. This is all very fascinating and I'll bet a lot of fun. I had not heard the name Inuktitut before. I thought it was Inuit. Shows how much I know.

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  14. @Country Gal: it would be neat to have in the back yard.

    @Denise: I really should have recorded those musicians.

    @Norma: apparently so!

    @Sharon: it is a neat looking language.

    @Red: I found it interesting to see my name rendered like that.

    @Lowell: I think it refers to the language as opposed to the people. As I understand it, Inuktitut language is divided from east to west in areas of the north, and it refers to those speaking it who live north of the tree line.

    @VP: it's a pleasure to show it.

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  15. Glad to see the First Nations people appreciated and enduring

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  16. looks and sounds like a wonderful time!

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  17. Looks like so much fun and I love the idea of language preservation!

    Janis
    GDP

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  18. Looks like a great time gathered around the fire singing.

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  19. @Cloudia: it is a good thing.

    @Karl: I thought so!

    @Tammie: it's a wonderful winter festival.

    @Janis: I do too.

    @Bill: the one guy had an accordion, while the other fellow had something in his hands that made a clicking sound. The woman was singing with them.

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  20. I've got some great firewood I could add to the fire. :-)

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  21. How nice. Singing. If you have face book with me.

    I put my Granddaughter singing with this gentlemen who wanted to sing a duet with her. She had a bit of a struggle but she made it. The first video is the full song.

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  22. Ho wonderful to be around the fire when it's so cold, it great to see a language being kept alive...I'll stick to William if you done mind...

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  23. i bet around the fire there is all sorts of conversation going on. what fun!! looks warm too. ( :

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  24. Love the house. Is the French Canadian music anything like the Cajun music of this country?

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  25. I would definitely be hanging around by that fire.

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  26. @RedPat: I figured why not show it.

    @Revrunner: the more wood the better.

    @Carolann: I will see if I can find it tomorrow.

    @Geoff: I prefer William!

    @Beth: it was warm.

    @Mari: I imagine there are similarities, since the Cajuns have roots here.

    @Lois: a good spot to do so.

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  27. Robert Service used to be a favorite. I have a few of his collections on my shelves. So, are you coming out as Martin? Great post!

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  28. To me sitting here in the warm sun this is hard to imagine Martin aka William :) Looks like so much fun and if there's music all the better.
    p.s. sorry it's too late now, you just don't look like a Martin :)

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  29. Neato stuff. Looks like everyone is keeping warm.

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  30. Nice to celebrate the natives and great idea to share their language! And the ice sculpture is, as always, awesome!

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  31. I didn't know about this! We whities do have to be educated about First Nations.

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  32. @Eve: I still prefer the pen name.

    @Grace: I don't!

    @Whisk: it's a good way to stay warm.

    @Cheryl: that's true.

    @Jennifer: we do.

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