Tulugak: Inuit Raven Stories

Discussion Questions

Pre-Production

 1. Does your family practice traditions or tell stories from your culture? Describe them. How do you feel about these traditions? Do they still have a place in your life? Why or why not?

2. Why is it important for Inuit children to learn to speak Inuktitut?

3. Describe what you think you would like about living in the North.

4. People living in the North had to make do with the things they found in their environment. Describe what you might have used to build a house, make a musical instrument, sew clothes or make furniture if you lived there before it was possible to import goods from around the world. Which of these products would you still use today and why?

5. There are several different types of drums used in the production. Ask students to pay attention, and then describe them as a class after the production (size, the way they were played, sound).

 

 

 

 

Post-Production

1. Identify several of the different scenes where Raven appeared. What form did he take in that scene? How did he move the scene forward? Did he have a message in each scene, or was he sometimes there just to be funny?

2. Did you recognize any of the songs in the production? Were they sung in English or Inuktitut? Is it possible to understand the meaning of a song that is sung in another language, just by listening to the melody and watching the performer?

3. What would you tell your friends or family about this production? Would you encourage them to see it? Why or why not?

4. How did the performers use dance or clowning to communicate feelings and ideas?

5. Describe the various instruments or dance styles in Tulugak.

6. Is it easy to work with other people on a project? What are some of the problems that the creators of Tulugak might have encountered, and what might they have done to solve them?

7. Discuss the aspects of the production that were specifically related to Inuit culture.