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

Inuit Inuit (singular: Inuk) are a group of culturally and historically similar Indigenous peoples traditionally inhabiting the Arctic and Subarctic regions of North America and Russia, including Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwe ...

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

traditions with

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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 (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's mu ...

Biography

Early life

Aglukark was born in Churchill, Manitoba, and raised in

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

Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories is a federal Provinces and territories of Canada, territory of Canada. At a land area of approximately and a 2021 census population of 41,070, it is the second-largest and the most populous of Provinces and territorie ...

(now in

Nunavut Nunavut is the largest and northernmost Provinces and territories of Canada#Territories, territory of Canada. It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the ''Nunavut Act'' and the Nunavut Land Claims Agr ...

). 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

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, Ontario, as a

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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.

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

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, 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, 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'', 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 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...

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 1999, 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 2003, 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" in

Inuktitut Inuktitut ( ; , Inuktitut syllabics, syllabics ), also known as Eastern Canadian Inuktitut, is one of the principal Inuit languages of Canada. It is spoken in all areas north of the North American tree line, including parts of the provinces of ...

. 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. It aired from January 20, 19 ...

'' 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 in 2013. She currently resides in Oakville, Ontario.

Awards and recognition

In 2004, Aglukark was awarded an honorary DFA from the University of Lethbridge. She was named an officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

in 2005, and in the same year received an honorary LL.D. degree from the University of Alberta. In the summer of 2006, she performed nightly in the evening grandstand show at the

Calgary Stampede The Calgary Stampede is an annual rodeo, fair, 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 a ...

. * 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 University of Alberta * 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 and

), translation and music by Susan Aglukark, was awarded a White Raven by the International Youth Library

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