Private Project

Voices of Thunder

Voices of Thunder

A community-created animated graphic documentary, in which Inuit hunters and elders from the community of Gjoa Haven share how they have been impacted by polar bear management policies in their region over the past two decades.

Polar bear management policies in the last two decades, including a polar bear hunting moratorium, have disproportionately impacted Gjoa Haven compared to other Nunavut communities. For two generations they have hardly been able to practice their tradition of hunting polar bears, as a result of exclusive international pressures and scientific monitoring surveys. Gjoa Haven hunters argue that science could better integrate the knowledge of Inuit themselves and seek recognition for the loss of income, cultural-, and intergenerational knowledge transfer. They want their stories to finally come out - They want their voices of thunder to echo everywhere.

This film was scripted, recorded, drawn and directed by the community members of Gjoa Haven themselves, assisted by a PhD researcher, none of them are professional filmmakers.

The video was produced as part of a Genome Canada polar bear research project; BearWatch.

  • James Qitsualik
    Director
  • William Aglukkaq
    Director
  • Saskia de Wildt
    Director
  • James Qitsualik
    Writer
  • William Aglukkaq
    Writer
  • Saskia de Wildt
    Writer
  • Gjoa Haven HTA
    Producer
  • Saskia de Wildt
    Producer
  • Peter van Coeverden-de Groot
    Producer
  • hunters and elders from Gjoa Haven
    Key Cast
  • Jacob Keanik
    Interpretation and translation
  • Tuppittia Qitsualik
    Interpretation and translation
  • Danny Aaluk
    Art
  • Jeroen Hogers
    Motion Graphics
  • Janet Aglukkaq
    Throatsinging
  • Kathy Keknek
    Throatsinging
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Kaluqaqtut Nippain
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Documentary, Short, Student, Web / New Media
  • Genres:
    Human rights, social justice, environment, polar bears, wildlife, Indigenous, Inuit, Nunavut, Canada, academic, ethnography
  • Runtime:
    15 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    April 11, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    10,000 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Country of Filming:
    Canada
  • Language:
    English, Inuktitut
  • Shooting Format:
    n/a or digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Queen's University
  • Toronto
    Canada
    December 5, 2022
    screening at conference
    Arctic Science Meeting
Director Biography - James Qitsualik, William Aglukkaq, Saskia de Wildt

James Qitsualik is the Vice Chair of the Gjoa Haven Hunters and Trappers Association (HTA).

William Aglukkaq is a boardmember of Gjoa Haven’s Hunters and Trapper Association

Saskia de Wildt, is a PhD Candidate at Queen’s University School of Environmental Studies

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

‘We want our voices of thunder to echo everywhere. We want everyone to know what happened to us. We seek acknowledgment and apologies for suffering the consequences of the quota regulations; a loss of culture and knowledge, as well as increased danger due to the rising number of polar bears around our communities. Inuit knowledge in terms of accuracy and inherent value needs to be recognized and better acknowledged. We want better integration of Inuit knowledge in survey research, like for example accounting for seasonal changes. Scientific monitoring surveys have limitations, we ask that researchers will recognize and take Inuit observations more seriously’.