Susan Aglukark, (

Inuktitut syllabics Inuktitut syllabics ( iu, ᖃᓂᐅᔮᖅᐸᐃᑦ, qaniujaaqpait, or , ) is an abugida-type writing system used in Canada by the Inuktitut-speaking Inuit of the territory of Nunavut and the Nunavik and Nunatsiavut regions of Quebec and Labrador ...

: ᓲᓴᓐ ᐊᒡᓘᒃᑲᖅ ''suusan agluukkaq''), (born 27 January 1967) is a Canadian singer whose blend of

Inuit Inuit (; iu, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territorie ...

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has ...

traditions with

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, whi ...

and pop songwriting has made her a major recording star in Canada. Her most successful song/single is " O Siem", which reached No. 1 on the Canadian country and adult contemporary charts in 1995. Overall, she has released seven studio albums and has won three

Juno Award The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall o ...

Biography

Early life

Aglukark was born in

Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from 1 ...

, Manitoba and raised in

Arviat Arviat (, syllabics: ᐊᕐᕕᐊᑦ; formerly called Eskimo Point until 1 June 1989) is a predominantly Inuit hamlet located on the western shore of Hudson Bay in the Kivalliq Region of Nunavut, Canada. Arviat ("place of the bowhead whale") is ...

Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...

(now in

Nunavut Nunavut ( , ; iu, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ , ; ) is the largest and northernmost territory of Canada. It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the '' Nunavut Act'' and the '' Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act'' ...

). She endured sexual abuse as a child and has been vocal about this issue in some of the first nations in Northern Ontario. After graduating from high school, she worked in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the c ...

, Ontario as a

linguist Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Lingu ...

with the Department of Indian & Northern Affairs, and then returned to the Northwest Territories to work as an executive assistant with the

Inuit Tapirisat of Canada Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, (Inuktitut syllabics: , meaning "Inuit are united in Canada") previously known as the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada (Eskimo Brotherhood of Canada), is a nonprofit organization in Canada that represents over 65,000 Inuit acro ...

Career

While working with the Inuit Tapirisat, she began to perform as a singer, and quickly became a popular performer in Inuit communities. She soon attracted the attention of the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the governmen ...

, who included her in a compilation of Arctic performers. In 1992, she released an independent album, '' Arctic Rose''. The following year, she signed to a major record label, releasing an album of Christmas music that year. Aglukark has also acted as spokesperson for several non-profit groups working with aboriginal and

youth, notably through her writing workshops for Attawapiskat First Nation youth and her involvement in Northern Canada's food crisis. However, she has said that while she is proud to be a role model for

aboriginal people in Canada In Canada, Indigenous groups comprise the First Nations, Inuit and Métis. Although ''Indian'' is a term still commonly used in legal documents, the descriptors ''Indian'' and ''Eskimo'' have fallen into disuse in Canada, and most consider them ...

, she ultimately sees herself as an artist with a universal message of self-respect and strength to which she hopes that people of all cultural backgrounds can relate.

This Child

This Child ''This Child'' is the second album by Susan Aglukark, released in 1995. The album was Susan's commercial breakthrough in Canada, spawning chart hits with "O Siem" and "Hina Na Ho (Celebration)", and making Susan the first Inuk performer ever to ...

'', released in 1995, became her breakthrough album. The first single from that album, " O Siem", went to number one on the Canadian

adult contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...

and

charts that year, making Aglukark the first Inuk performer to have a Top 40 hit. "Hina Na Ho (Celebration)" and "Breakin' Down" became hit singles as well. The album was eventually certified triple platinum (300,000 copies sold) in Canada.

Unsung Heroes

In 2000, Aglukark released ''Unsung Heroes'', which spawned another pop hit with "One Turn Deserves Another." This album also included "Turn of the Century," a song about the creation of Nunavut. In 2004, she released ''Big Feeling''. She sometimes deals with painful subjects in her songs. "Kathy" is about her niece who died by suicide, and "Still Running" is about the trauma of sexual abuse. Aglukark has also recorded a version of "

Amazing Grace "Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn published in 1779 with words written in 1772 by English Anglican clergyman and poet John Newton (1725–1807). It is an immensely popular hymn, particularly in the United States, where it is used for both ...

" in Inuktitut. Her song "Never Be the Same" was featured on ''

Dawson's Creek ''Dawson's Creek'' is an American teen drama television series about the lives of a close-knit group of friends in the fictional town of Capeside, Massachusetts, beginning in high school and continuing into college that ran from 1998 to 2003. T ...

'' in Episode No. 3–14 ("Valentine's Day Massacre"), as well as her song "One Turn Deserves Another" in Episode No. 3–15 ("Crime And Punishment"). Aglukark's second holiday album, ''Dreaming of Home'', was released on 5 November 2013. She currently resides in Oakville, Ontario.

Awards and recognition

In 2004, Aglukark was awarded an honorary DFA from the

University of Lethbridge , mottoeng = '' Let there be light'' , type = Public , established = , academic_affiliations = Universities Canada , endowment = $73 million (2019) , chancellor = Charles Wease ...

. She was named an officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the cen ...

in 2005, and in the same year received an honorary

LL.D. Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...

degree from the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta, also known as U of A or UAlberta, is a Public university, public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford,"A Gentleman of Strathcona – Alexande ...

. In the summer of 2006, she performed nightly in the evening grandstand show at the

Calgary Stampede The Calgary Stampede is an annual rodeo, exhibition, and festival held every July in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The ten-day event, which bills itself as "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth", attracts over one million visitors per year and featu ...

. * 1995: winner, Juno Awards for Best New Solo Artist and Best Music of Aboriginal Canada Recording, ''Arctic Rose'' * 1996: nominee, Juno Awards for Best Female Vocalist, Best Album (''This Child''), Single of the Year ("O Siem"), Best Music of Aboriginal Canada Recording (''This Child''), Best Video ("O Siem") * 2001: nominee, Juno Award for Best Music of Aboriginal Canada Recording, ''Unsung Heroes'' * 2004: winner, Juno Award for Aboriginal Recording, ''Big Feeling'' * 2004: appointed Officer of the

* 2007: nominee, Juno Award for Aboriginal Recording of the Year, ''Blood Red Earth'' * 2008: appointed as Distinguished Scholar in Residence at the

* 2016: Governor General's Performing Arts Awards - Lifetime Artistic Achievement *The book ''Aboriginal Carol'' (2007, Red Deer Press), by David Bouchard, illustrated by Moses Beaver, bilingual (English & Inuktitut), translation and music by Susan Aglukark, was awarded a White Raven by the

International Youth Library The International Youth Library (IYL) (, IJB) in Munich is a library that specializes in the collection of children and youth literature from around the world in order to make them available to the public, focusing on the international community. ...

Discography

Albums

Singles

Books

Aglukark is the author of a series of historically based picture books, published by Inhabit Media Inc, which draws on the experiences of her grandmother's childhood to examine the unique perspective of living in the Arctic at. time when traditional Inuit values began to mix with outside influences and objects. Each volume in the series examines the feelings of anticipation, excitement, loss, and resilience experienced by Inuit as their world began to change through the introduction of outside influences. Seen through the eyes of one little girl as she navigates life in her camp with her family, this series gives young readers a window into a unique time in Arctic history. * ''Una Huna?: What Is This?'' (2018) * ''Una Huna?: Ukpik Learns to Sew'' (2022)

References

Citations

External links

Susan Aglukark
Official site
Canadian Pop Music Encyclopedia's entry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aglukark, Susan 1967 births Living people People from Churchill, Manitoba People from Arviat Officers of the Order of Canada Inuit musicians Canadian women country singers Canadian country singer-songwriters Canadian women singer-songwriters Canadian folk singer-songwriters Canadian Inuit women Musicians from Nunavut Canadian women pop singers Indspire Awards Canadian Country Music Association Rising Star Award winners Juno Award for Indigenous Music Album of the Year winners Juno Award for Breakthrough Artist of the Year winners 20th-century Canadian women singers 21st-century Canadian women singers Inuit from the Northwest Territories Inuit from Nunavut Musicians from Manitoba