NOMAD: Correcting the Narrative
Wednesday, January 28, 2026, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm ET
Through songs, stories, film, photos and music video tracks, this keynote from Susan Aglukark will take you on the journey of the Canadian Inuit over the last generation shedding light on some of the psychological and cultural impacts of rapid change in the North. NOMAD also gives a glimpse of the resilience and determination of a people who have maintained a quiet dignity despite near annihilation by disease, impacts of colonization and rapid change – a glimpse of the strengths of the traditional Inuit culture.
While NOMAD helps us better understand the effects of colonization and generational trauma caused by the Canadian government’s residential school/assimilation policy, you will also gain a deeper understanding that we as Indigenous (Inuit, First Nations and Metis) artists) work with and from our respective healing and learning paths. NOMAD represents a process of discovery that has been Susan’s healing process.
Speaker
Susan Aglukark
Inuk singer/songwriter Susan Aglukark is one of Canada's most unique artists and a leading voice in Canadian music. She blends the Inuktitut, Indigenous and English languages with contemporary pop music arrangements to tell the stories of her fellow people, the Inuit of Arctic Canada and her fellow Indigenous groups. Susan is Canada’s first Inuk artist to win a Juno, a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for lifetime artistic achievement, and she is an officer of the Order of Canada. Susan holds several Honourary Doctorate degrees and has held command performances. During a career that has spanned more than 30 years, Susan’s journey as a singer-songwriter has led her to reflect on who she is, where she comes from and the importance of discovery – discovery of history, culture and self. This time of reflection, writing and songwriting has Susan coming back to one area of profound knowing: the Inuit are an extraordinary people deeply grounded in a culture forged by their ancestors; their journey is what shaped them. Susan is founder and program developer of the Arctic Rose Foundation, and she has released her newest album “The Crossing”. In September 2025, she published her new memoir Kihiani, the uplifting story of her journey to healing and self-discovery.
Learn more about her keynote: NOMAD: Correcting the Narrative
Inuk singer/songwriter Susan Aglukark is one of Canada’s most unique artists and a leading voice in Canadian music. She blends the Inuktitut, Indigenous and English languages with contemporary pop music arrangements to tell the stories of her fellow people, the Inuit of Arctic Canada and her fellow Indigenous groups.
Susan is Canada’s first Inuk artist to win a Juno, a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for lifetime artistic achievement, and she is an officer of the Order of Canada. Susan holds several Honourary Doctorate degrees and has held command performances.
During a career that has spanned more than 30 years, Susan’s journey as a singer-songwriter has led her to reflect on who she is, where she comes from and the importance of discovery – discovery of history, culture and self. This time of reflection, writing and songwriting has Susan coming back to one area of profound knowing: the Inuit are an extraordinary people deeply grounded in a culture forged by their ancestors; their journey is what shaped them.
Susan is founder and program developer of the Arctic Rose Foundation, and she has released her newest album “The Crossing”. In September 2025, she published her new memoir Kihiani, the uplifting story of her journey to healing and self-discovery.