Uplifting cultural revitalization and wellbeing in Northern Indigenous Communities through entrepreneurship.
The participants of this year's cohort are not just business innovators; they are cultural ambassadors. By building businesses around language innovation, they are preserving and promoting Indigenous languages, and the deep knowledge, histories, and perspectives that they hold.
The participants of this year's cohort are not just business innovators; they are cultural ambassadors. By building businesses around language innovation, they are preserving and promoting Indigenous languages, and the deep knowledge, histories, and perspectives that they hold.
Nunavut
Sandy Kownak (Aalataa Language Services)
Sandy is a highly respected Inuk leader and currently serves as the Associate Deputy Minister of the Department of Family Services within the Government of Nunavut. With a wealth of circumpolar experience and deep-rooted wisdom, Sandy is dedicated to revitalizing the Baker Lake dialect of Inuktitut by creating immersive language camps through her business, Aalataa Language Services. Her vision is to provide deep Inuktitut immersion experiences, empowering her community to reconnect with their language and culture.
Sandy’s leadership and commitment to strengthening Inuktitut make her a driving force in the movement to preserve and celebrate Inuit languages. |
Anisya Todd (Noanikhok)
Noanikhok is a gifted Inuk artist whose work spans traditional oils, beading, film, digital art, and graphic design, all deeply rooted in her culture and language. Through her art, Noanikhok is on a mission to ensure Inuit voices are seen and heard, particularly in media, where she envisions a stronger presence for Inuktitut. She is passionate about inspiring Inuit youth to embrace their heritage, take pride in their culture, and confidently speak their language.
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Pallulaaq Friesen (Arctic Acting Inuit)
Pallulaaq is a passionate multidisciplinary artist and communication enthusiast, committed to create more Inuktitut language, multimedia content, through her business, Arctic Acting Inuit. Pallulaaq's offerings incorporate producing a wide variety of media including: videos; segments and recordings that will showcase
Inuit and Inuktitut in engaging ways. From stories and skits to games and activities, her work aims to bring language learning to life, both in town and on the land. |
Northwest Territories
Carl Jr Kodakin-Yakeleya (Shúhta Productions Inc. and Ever Good Medicine)
Carl Jr. is Shutagot'ine (Mountain People) from the communities of Tulita and Deline First Nations located in the Sahtu Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. He grew up living in various communities across the Northwest Territories, often spending extended periods in the bush with his father and siblings. Now, as a father of three, Carl is passionate about passing down the teachings and traditions that have protected these lands for millennia
Owner of Shúhta Productions Inc and Ever Good Medicine, Carl Jr. meshes traditional Dene values and teachings with innovative technologies such as virtual and augmented reality. As part of this cohort he looks forward to creating immersive experiences in his language of Dene Kede. Carl Jr’s work is grounded in the belief that healing comes through connection to the land, respect for traditional knowledge, and the sharing of these gifts with future generations |
Miranda Currie (CuRiouS CoNNectionS)
Miranda Currie is a northern Indigenous artist and entrepreneur, living and working in Sombe K’e, also known as Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, among the Dene people. With roots in both her Swampy Cree heritage and her Euro-Canadian ancestry, Miranda walks in two worlds, using her unique perspective to create accessible and authentic Indigenous content for children and families through her company, CuRiouS CoNNectionS.
As an accomplished musician, author, filmmaker, and educator, Miranda’s work is driven by her passion for inspiring youth to embark on their own language-learning journeys. CuRiouS CoNNectionS allows her to explore various creative avenues, from publishing four children’s books and releasing four albums, to producing her short documentary Tails on Ice, which premiered at the Cannes Short Film Fest in 2020. With over 15 years of experience as an outdoor educator specializing in experiential and Indigenous education, Miranda is committed to sharing the richness of northern Indigenous culture with all |
Amanda Baton (Saht'ea Adze Beadwork)
Amanda Baton is the creative force behind Saht'ea Adze Beadwork, based in Somba K’e, Denendeh. Of Sahtúot’ine Dene and German descent, Amanda is an aspiring Indigenous artist, teacher, and a proud mother of two.
Her work beautifully blends her expertise as a Mental Health and Addictions counselor with her passion for language revitalization and traditional arts. Through her business, Amanda hosts workshops where participants learn the intricate art of tufting, all while creating a welcoming space for individuals to speak, learn, and practice their Indigenous language. Her approach is rooted in the belief that vulnerability is key to meaningful learning, providing a unique environment where participants can engage deeply with both traditional skills and language. Saht'ea Adze Beadwork is more than a business; it's a space for cultural connection, growth, and healing. |
Yukon
Joelle Charlie
Joelle Charlie (she/they) is a Liard First Nation member and Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation citizen who was born and raised in Inuvik, Northwest Territories, and now resides in the Yukon.
When Joelle started her language journey, she was gifted the traditional name Zheetìi, meaning "sky" in Gwich’in, by her Jijuu Bella Greenland. For Joelle, language work is a powerful form of healing. Over the past six years, she has dedicated herself to learning and teaching Vuntut Gwich'in through mentor/apprentice programs, working with Elders, teaching immersion classes to adult and Elder learners, and developing online tools to help support language learners. As a trained Gwich’in Teacher in the Paul Creek Curriculum, her goal is to create more online language learning resources that help promote language accessibility, and a sense of language reconnection for her community. She is deeply passionate about Indigenous rights, community building, and food sovereignty, all of which are interwoven into her work as a Gwich’in language teacher. Joelle’s commitment to reclaiming her culture also includes engaging in cultural activities such as going out on the land, berry picking, beading, and ceremony. As she looks to the future, Joelle plans to expand her offerings into accessible online language resources, continuing her mission of language revitalization and cultural empowerment. As a part of the Indigenous Language Innovation Cohort, Joelle is looking forward to making new connections, and building an online community of language learners and teachers. She aims to help uplift and empower her community, by being a source of support and continuing the dedicated work of her ancestors. |
Skaydu.û Jules (Skaydu.û)
Skaydu Û Jules is a dedicated language learner and educator, known for teaching yoga classes in Tlingit and hosting a widely-heard podcast that shares her personal language learning journey. She is passionate about expanding her services, including developing a Yoga Tlingit Teacher Training program for youth in her home community.
For Skaydu.û, Indigenous languages are “sacred boxes of knowledge” that hold the oral traditions, customs, values, and identities of Indigenous peoples. Guided by her deep connection to the protection of Mother Nature and her commitment to Tlingit language revitalization, she believes that everything is interconnected. Skaydu Û Jules is Dakhl’aweidí (Eagle/Killer Whale Clan) from the Deisleen Ḵwáan (Teslin people), and her work reflects her dedication to her culture and community. |
Whitney Johnson-Ward (Dän kʼe Ventures - Long Ago People's Place)
Whitney, known by her Tlingit name Kałtín, is stepping into a leadership role at Dän k’e Ventures - Long Ago People’s Place (LAPP), a cultural tourism cornerstone of the Yukon established by her parents, Harold Johnson and Meta Williams. With her diverse heritage including Shadhäla(Champagne, YT) people, Tlingit, Cree, and Irish roots, Whitney is a Southern Tutchone language learner who is deeply committed to expanding LAPP’s offerings.
Having completed the Champagne and Aishihik First Nation (CAFN) Dän Kʼe Kwänjē Ghäkenīdän program, Whitney is focused on promoting and revitalizing the Southern Tutchone language, aiming to make it more visible and encourage its everyday use. Her goal is to connect visitors and community members with their heritage through language. As she takes on this leadership role, Whitney is dedicated to preserving and enhancing the cultural and linguistic legacy her parents created, while exploring new opportunities for language revitalization. |