On the edge of the Arctic Ocean, the community of Taloyoak, Nunavut, is working to feed its families. Soaring grocery prices and the high cost of hunting and travel in the North leave many households facing food insecurity. Nirilaurta tells the story of a community that draws on Inuit culture, land-based knowledge and kinship to nourish their bodies, spirits and one another.

On the edge of the Arctic Ocean, the Inuit community of Taloyoak, Nunavut, is fighting to feed its families. Soaring prices at the grocery store and the prohibitive costs of hunting and travel within the North force many homes to go hungry. Harvesting traditional foods from the land is central to Inuit culture and has kept families fed for countless generations. Sharing foods with relatives and neighbours is an essential part of life here that strengthens bonds and supports those most in need.

Nirilaurta weaves together archival and contemporary scenes of Inuit life, a rich thread of traditions and connections that shows the continuous throughline of Inuit culture from past to present. From breathtaking landscapes to intimate meals around the table, the beauty of Arctic life shines through as food brings together family, neighbours and community.

With soaring food prices, the people of Taloyoak, Nunavut, rely on Inuit culture and community to strengthen bonds and feed their families.

My name is Malaya Qaunirq Chapman. I live in Kuujjuaq, Nunavik, in Northern Quebec, but I’m originally from Nunavut. I wrote, shot and directed my first documentary, Nirilaurta, which means “let us eat” in Inuktitut. It is about food security and food sovereignty in the Arctic, but specifically I focus more on a community called Taloyoak. It is a really special place because hunting practices there, in that part of Nunavut, are still very strong.

What was it like writing and directing your first film?

It was my first time writing and directing my own film, so there were a lot of growing pains in the beginning. I was learning as I went, and there were moments where I was like, “Okay, I have no idea what I’m doing, but I’m trusting the process, I’m trusting my team.” And it all worked out well because the film is complete and I’m really proud of what we’ve made. Shooting was very educational for me, especially when we were filming out on the Land at minus 50 degrees Celsius. That was one of the most challenging things ever. On top of the low temperatures, you’re dressed in so many layers that it’s hard to move, and you have to expose your fingers for short periods to operate the equipment while trying not to freeze. But it was all very exciting, and I am very happy to share this film with the world!

Why was it important for an Inuk to tell this story?

As an Inuk filmmaker, I want our stories to be told by us because we’re capable of doing it. It is a very interesting and exciting time for film and Inuit because we’re finally telling our own stories and we’re taking up space. Now we’re saying, “It’s my turn to tell my own story.” It’s a big deal because we used to dream of this, we had to imagine it. And now we’re like, “Oh wait, we don’t have to imagine it because we are actually doing it! “

And for the people of Taloyoak, for the families we talked to in the film, it’s different seeing an Inuk filmmaker coming to their community. Someone who speaks their language, understands the realities there and is able to share their story from an authentic point of view. I think the approach I take is very kind and open. I’m no stranger to the communities because I’ve filmed there before for other projects.

Trust is a big deal with Inuit. A lot of people come into our communities and study the heck out of us. They extract a lot from us, and then they leave and you never hear about it again. But to gain the trust of the Ugyuk family, the trust of the Land Guardians, the trust of the schools and the children was very important for me. As a filmmaker, I’m not going anywhere. The North is my home. The bonds that I create here are forever. And the family became real. They really became my family. Like, I miss them so much, and we still keep in contact. It’s been so wonderful seeing their posts on social media. They’re always posting that they’re going hunting or fishing, and just being, and going out on the Land.

How does Nirilaurta use archival footage of Inuit life?

The process of colonization has brought so much change to Inuit communities in a very short amount of time. And I’m talking about change from my generation, who were born in hospitals, to the generation of my great grandmother, the woman who raised me, who was born in an igloo. The realities of Inuit lives have changed in so many ways. But in that old footage we still see ourselves, we see our traditions that we carry on today. And whenever I watch these old archival recordings from the past, it always makes me think of the future as well. Like, you can have a better idea of what’s coming up by looking backwards, if that makes any sense? You can almost trace the line from then until now. It clears things up and helps us to understand where we are going.

Growing up, sometimes these old shows would come on TV and show old footage of Inuit, back when people lived on the Land. And I loved watching it with my grandma. I would just be glued to the TV because it was so rare to see Inuit on television. Especially seeing Inuit thriving and living together on the Land. That was so important to me.

For Nirilaurta, I really loved going through the archives and choosing the footage. Seeing those images just brings me such a sense of joy and pride. One of my favourite parts of making this film was sitting in Taloyoak with the Ugyuk family and Simon Oleekatalik, and just watching the archival materials with them. They would narrate everything that they saw. It was always with this tone of nostalgia and remembrance. It was so special. And watching that footage, we were all just so happy and proud of Inuit.

What made you want to focus on Taloyoak?

I think what the community of Taloyoak has been doing is fantastic! And a lot more Inuit communities are starting to do this as well. Instead of waiting for funding to arrive or just waiting for things to be done for them, they’re being proactive. They are going out on the Land and providing for their own communities, which is what Inuit have been doing forever. But there’s been an extra demand for it now because of the high cost of everything. So when times are tough, they really step up and support each other, and I wanted to show that Inuit have and still practise their own solutions to food insecurity. Everyone in the community was so welcoming to us, and it was just a pleasure filming and working with them.

In the Arctic, what are some of the biggest contributing factors to food insecurity?

The price of everything makes it really hard to be able to thrive in our own hometowns. It takes a long time and a lot of money to get groceries that are produced in the South to our communities. So everything in the North is three times more expensive than the price you would pay in the South. The milk you buy in a southern Canadian grocery store goes from the farm to the processing facility, then it’s trucked to the stores and sold for five dollars. In the North, instead of just being trucked to a store, the milk is sent much farther. It is trucked to the airport, then flown to another airport, where it is distributed to smaller planes flying to smaller communities doing the “milk run.” That’s a lot of steps, and a lot of people to transport that milk from point A to point B. That milk is going to cost you 15 dollars or more. In the summer, when the sea ice melts enough for shipping, cargo ships will bring dried foods, canned goods and supplies for the rest of the year. It’s just really expensive to transport things here. Even the cost of gas, or ammunition, or a boat, or a snowmobile, to go hunting is so high that a lot of people can’t afford it.

For those unfamiliar with it, what is country food?

Country food, for Inuit, is not meat that you’d buy in a store. In the Arctic, the Land is largely untouched. So our country food is the food all around us. Our animals are still healthy, and they roam free. Our berries are safe to harvest and eat; you can catch a fish from any river and don’t have to worry about it. So that means our food is natural, it’s organic, it is healthy. As long as our Land and our animals are thriving, we’re thriving.

The first animal I shot was a caribou, and I brought the meat home and shared it with my family. And it was one of the most joyous moments of my life because I finally felt like I was providing, because I had always been on the receiving end of country food. But now that I could hunt, I was giving back to them. To be able to share back with my family was the best feeling.

For me specifically, and I’m pretty sure for almost all other Inuit, country food doesn’t just feed your belly; it feeds your spirit, it feeds your mind and your body. We may live in a challenging, sometimes dangerous, part of the world, but the food we eat allows us to thrive in this environment. It’s a big part of our identity, and it’s my favourite part of being Inuit—the food that I get to eat. I’m so very lucky to be living somewhere that is able to provide for all of us who live here.

How does Inuit culture address food insecurity?

Sharing is such a big part of Inuit culture, and it has been since the very beginning. The practice of sharing is still very strong in our culture. It’s so important for us as Inuit because if you don’t share, you don’t survive. I will be there for you as you are for me. We help each other at all times, and giving feels better than always only receiving. Inuit are very humble and kind and generous people who continue to practise sharing despite, you know, everything going on in the world.

How else is the harvesting of country food beneficial?

The Land in the Arctic is so special. It’s very spiritual when you go out on the Land. There is such clarity. It’s serene; it’s beautiful. You don’t even really have to speak to feel its power—it speaks to you. We go hunting in this environment that we’re surrounded by and that we grow up in. It allows me to go and catch, on my own, the food that my body requires to be as strong as it can be, to be mentally strong, to be spiritually uplifted. It is so good for people, for their health, for their body, mind and spirit to be out on the Land and hunting. Often when a person is really struggling to catch up in life or feeling a lot of strong emotions, we tell them to go out on the Land and let it out there, and there they will be healed. So it’s the same when you go out hunting: when you catch the animal, you’re going to bring it back and you’re going to bring nutrition, you’re going to bring health. You are providing for people in your community. Knowing that you’re going to share something that you’re catching with somebody you care about makes it even more special.

Who needs to see this film?

This is a film for Inuit to see themselves represented honestly and authentically. This film is also for the people that may have big assumptions or misunderstandings about the Arctic. They need to see the North from the point of view of an Inuk and understand the challenges we face and the strengths we have. This is also a film that I made for little Malaya, my younger self, because growing up, I knew what it was like to feel hungry. And now that I am grown and have the ability to make films, I feel like I have a responsibility to tell these stories and share the realities that Inuit face.