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RANKIN INLET - Project Naming was in perfect focus in the communities of Rankin Inlet and Iqaluit this past month.

The project is a trilingual web exhibition and searchable photographic database that's available in English, French and Inuktitut.

Noah Tiktak and Beth Greenhorn, the project manager of web programs, exhibitions and public programming for Library and Archives Canada, go over some old photos for Project Naming in Rankin Inlet this past week. - Darrell Greer/NNSL photo

It features images of Inuit held by Library and Archives Canada (LAC).

The project's goal is to make the photographic collections more accessible to Inuit, Canadians and the world, while at the same time enabling Inuit to identify the people depicted in them.

LAC project manager for web programs, exhibitions and public programming Beth Greenhorn said it's an ongoing project that aims to foster discussions between Nunavut youth and elders as a way of reconnecting with the past.

She said Project Naming also helps to bridge cultural differences and geographical distances between Nunavut and the more southern parts of Canada.

"Phase 1 launched in 2004 and the second phase launched in August of 2007," said Greenhorn.

"To date, more than 4,500 photographs have been digitized and elders have named about 800 individuals who were previously unidentified."

Greenhorn also taped several video interviews with elders in Rankin and Iqaluit during her visit to Nunavut.

The videos are planned to be featured in the upcoming web exhibition, Our Voices, Our Stories, as well as the 10th anniversary of Nunavut celebrations being held at LAC on Jan. 29, 2009.

Greenhorn said Phase 2 is, basically, an extension of what was done in Phase 1, with the addition of about 3,000 photos to the database.

She said an educational resource component has been delayed due to technical issues involving copyright, but it's hoped it will be added sometime this winter.

The component will be geared towards senior students up to high school.

"Most of the photos we have at LAC were taken by federal government employees when we were known as the Public Archives and then, later, the National Archives.

"In the 1920s, the government sent numerous expeditions and other staff members to the North, and many of them photographed the people and the land they saw.

"We eventually acquired these collections; the largest of which are from the Department of Northern Affairs, RCMP, Health and Welfare Canada and National Film Board.

"We also have private collections of many freelance photographers whose work became part of our collection, such as Richard Harrington."

Greenhorn said the ability of Project Naming to help bridge the gap between Inuit youth and elders was identified early as the main goal of the project.

She said the project was spearheaded by Nunavut Sivuniksavut (NS) instructor Murray Angus in Ottawa.

"For many years, Murray (Angus) would bring his students to the archives to look through card catalogues and pick a photo of their community or family member to take home at Christmas.

"Because these pictures were largely unidentified, he approached the archives about working on a joint project.

"Youth were highly involved right from the beginning and, from the college's point of view, it was an excellent way to create dialogue between the two generations."

Greenhorn said the NS program has helped LAC identify hundreds of people in its photo collection.

She said the work is painstaking in its nature.

"It's a lot of work to amass that information and get it back to us.

"New information gets to us every couple of months, and we've received more positive identifications from our website.

"News/North publishing a picture almost every week has also been an excellent way to spread the word about the project."

Greenhorn said Rankin's Selma Eccles was the main person responsible for her visit to Nunavut.

She said Eccles has been a regular virtual visitor to Project Naming and has sent in about 20 to 30 positive identifications on family members.

"We've been in fairly regular contact for awhile now, and it was through her invitation and encouragement that I came to Rankin.

"I've been working on this project since 2003, and as much as I talk about it, this was the first time I got to talk about it in Nunavut.

"The timing was right and I got the approval, so that led me here.

"I tried to fit a couple of more communities in, but I couldn't make the logistics work, so I'm hoping there will be other visits in the future."