Iqaluit (July 28/03) - Monica and Serapio Ittusardjuat are both involved in their cultural traditions. But it hasn't always been like that.

Serapio and Monica Ittusardjuat, originally from Iglulik but now living in Iqaluit, played the drum and sang ajaajaa songs for tourists arriving by cruise ship last week. - Yose Cormier/NNSL photo

Both are from Iglulik but have now lived in Iqaluit on and off since 1971.

Monica happened to learn how to sing ajaajaa songs when she was getting her masters in education at the University of Ottawa.

She recalls how someone working at the friendship centre in Ottawa was planning a show focusing on Inuit culture and had asked her to sing.

"When he asked me to sing ajaajaa songs, I laughed and if he were Inuk he would have understood the tone of my voice and it meant 'who me.' But he thought that I was happy to be asked," she said.

But the problem was that Monica didn't know how to sing ajaajaa songs.

"When we saw the program and he had put my name and my husband to drum dance, I was in trouble," she said.

There was an answer though. Her daughter had brought a tape from school.

"I had to learn in two days how to sing," she said.

Now that they have learned about their culture, they are always willing to share it.

"We are proud of our culture. It has been passed down from generation to generation. It almost died for a while because of the missionaries but people in Iglulik revived it and I am able to learn the songs now," she said.

Monica and Serapio have six children and 12 grandchildren. A son and daughter, as well as a grandchild play the drum.

"I went to residence school and I never heard my father sing. They stopped for a while. They used to learn it as children but we didn't. Now, we have the opportunity to teach it to our children though," she said.

Monica is the community wellness coordinator with the cultural development department at Nunavut Tungavik Incorporated.

Serapio used to be a heavy equipment mechanic but has been taking fine arts and craft lessons. Last year he learned about Inuit jewellery and this year he learned about goldsmithing.