Children's book author moves into Ilisimatusarfik

Nuuk-based children's book author Ikimalik Pikilak becomes house author at Ilisimatusarfik, University of Greenland.

She is among the eight literary talents who have just received a two-year working grant and are moving to universities in Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands, where they will have their daily lives and where they will inspire - and be inspired - by researchers and students.

This is part of VELUX FONDEN's Writers in Residence program 'Literature and Humanities in Dialogue', which has existed since 2021 with an ambition to promote mutual inspiration, democratic conversation and collaboration between the literary arts and humanities.

It's a task that Ikimalik Pikilak does not take lightly.

"Our indigenous culture has long been forgotten. As part of a culture that has shared knowledge through tattoos and oral traditions, I have seen how valuable stories have been lost in the transition to written communication. But I believe that stories have a unique power to connect generations and give children an understanding of their identity and roots. I want to write children's books that pass on and reflect Inuit heritage and build bridges to today's children", she says.

Writers and researchers in creative collaboration

As a writer, Ikimalik Pikilak has a passion for preserving and communicating Inuit culture through literature. She lives in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, where she works as an artist, writer and traditional Inuit tattoo artist.

She is the author of two children's books, 'Talloqut - a story from West Greenland' from 2021 and 'Pivik learns from Takannaaluk' from 2022, and will work on writing five children's books inspired by Inuit story traditions during her stay at University of Greenland.

The books will be based on the patterns that have preserved cultural knowledge and identity, creatively and engagingly providing new insights and perspectives on Inuit not yet included in children's literature. These books will include elements of Inuit culture, nature and values presented in a way that engages and inspires young readers.

According to the author, many Inuit in Greenland grew up with children's literature written by people who lived far away and reflected a different lifestyle and culture than their own.

"We have not been allowed to tell who we were as a people. This has created alienation and distance from our own culture. But now we have the opportunity for a historical and equal understanding of each other," Ikimalik Pikilak says.

Ikimalik Pikilak will be affiliated with two of University of Greenland's departments, namely Language, Literature & Media and Cultural & Social History, where she will work with Annemette Hejlsted, researcher in Danish children's literature about Greenland, and Mari Kleist, researcher in traditional tattoos and polar bear carvings.

The author will participate in workshops with students, lunch seminars, research based on diving into written and oral sources of Inuit stories, and literature talks on children's literature. Ilisimatusarfik, University of Greenland, is looking forward to the collaboration.

"This is a unique opportunity to strengthen the university's research and teaching. Ikimalik Pikilak's children's books, which combine traditional Inuit oral storytelling styles with modern perspectives, will provide both students and researchers with valuable new insights into cultural heritage and literature. The collaboration will undoubtedly foster interdisciplinary initiatives that support research and dissemination of Inuit cultural history through literature, with a particular focus on oral storytelling tradition and heritage preservation. We hope that this collaboration will open new opportunities to explore literature as a medium of knowledge and a tool to strengthen the cultural identity of Inuit and children," says Mari Kleist, Head of Institute of Culture, Language & History at Ilisimatusarfik, University of Greenland.

Read the full press release on VELUX FONDEN's website (in Danish).