Tulugak: Inuit Raven Stories

Play Synopsis

There is an expression in Greenlandic that goes something like this: I wonder when this will happen? Answer: Maybe when Ravens turn white.  In the southern parts of Canada we tend to ask the same question and say instead: Maybe when pigs learn to fly. The question usually means that we wish for something to change and the answer means that change might be difficult!   

Tulugak: Inuit Raven Stories is an ensemble piece that includes storytelling, Greenlandic mask, music, clown and theatre. It will be played in the three Inuit dialects from Greenland, Nunavut and Nunavik, as well as in English and a bit of French too! The show focuses on how we as humans observe ravens, and how they might observe us. Audiences will be asked to use their powers of imagination to see the world as Raven might – together we fly over various raven communities and witness scenes of love and struggle, joy and pain. Through song, story and dance, audiences will discover how human life impacts the Raven and the earth, and how our human behaviour impacts climate change and pollution. Tulugak: Inuit Raven Stories is a vibrant and exciting celebration of Northern arts, and a rare opportunity to see so many talented Inuit artists gathered together on one stage.

Tulugak: Inuit Raven Stories is a collaborative work by Inuit artists from all across the North. Inuit artists from different regions of the world don't often get the opportunity to work together. The cost is prohibitive, and there are no regular connecting flights between Canada's North and Greenland. Inuit identify themselves as a shared culture, all the way from Siberia to Greenland, and gather much pride and vitality from these occasions when they can work together. Tulugak: Inuit Raven Stories provides many artists with the exciting opportunity to bring their languages and practices together in one show.