Cultural Experiences
Nunatsiavut is home to a very unique Inuit culture where tradition and modernity coexists.

Traditional clothing can be seen in each of our communities. In any given day, you can see adults and kids walking around or driving their snowmobile in their amauti or dickie next to others wearing the latest trend in down filled jackets. Wearing sealskin mitts is a must to protect your hands from the bitter cold winter temperatures.

Community gatherings are an opportunity for people to come together and participate in traditional Inuit games. Inuit traditionally used games to stay in shape and pass time. These games required little to no equipment and athletes relied on their strength and endurance. Elders and youth competed in the same category.

Throat singing is also a common practice by Inuit women. This is a friendly competition between two females to see who can outlast the other. The leader begins with a sound that the follower repeats. The sounds that they make are noises that Inuit hear every day such as animal noises. This continues until someone laughs.

Drumdancing is another popular cultural demonstration in our communities and you may get a chance to see a wide age range of performers while in Nunatsiavut! Children as young as five years old are taught drum dancing. Each drum group is unique and performances vary by group. Some of our drum groups have incorporated music into their dances.

The Moravian Missionaries brought brass instruments with them when they came to Labrador. Interest in brass bands spread quickly within Nunatsiavut. Performances were often held during special events such as Easter and Christmas services, weddings, anniversaries, and 50th birthday celebrations. The practice began to fade but has been revived within the last few years. Watching the brass band perform today is a very moving experience.

Inuit life is still very much paced by harvesting, fishing, and berry picking. There's nothing like going ice fishing on the sea ice on a beautiful sunny spring day in Nunatsiavut!

These are but a few of the many activities you can expect on your visit to Nunatsiavut. We share these experiences of the Labrador Inuit way of life as a way to continue to celebrate our heritage into the future.

Did you know?

In 2015, the Nain brass band from Nain attended an international Moravian music festival in Herrnhut, Germany. It was the first time a Canadian band has ever performed in the Moravian festival
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