Inuvik (Oct 03/03) - A celebration of two decades of capturing culture, language and lifestyles took place in Inuvik recently with a birthday party for the Inuvialuit Communications Society.

Wendy Smith, executive director for ICS, said the society started off as Inuit Okangit Inungnun in Dec. 1978, but changed to ICS Oct. 24, 1983 as a communications branch from the Committee of Original Peoples' Entitlement hearings.

"The goals of the society are to promote, enhance and enrich Inuvialuit culture and language," Smith said.

ICS now has two half-hour television shows aired nationally on the Aboriginal People's Television Network, Suaangan and Tamapta.

"Tamapta is made in our language and it is translated," she said. "It's meant to keep using our language in that program and have that re-affirmed into everyday use."

The stories provide history based on elders' accounts and oral history, traditional knowledge and culture.

Suaangan is more of a current affairs style format that airs stories on events of concern to Inuvialuit.

"We also profile beneficiaries who are good role models for youth," she said. "There is also a lot of coverage of art and music."

They are now in their fifth season with APTN.

ICS also has the bi-monthly newspaper, Tusaayaksat, which was also started in 1983. The society staffs nine employees including television and the newspaper.

Smith says the plan for the next 20 years will remain focused on what they are doing now, but with renewed emphasis on language.

"Recognizing that our elders are growing older, we think it's even more important to document the stories that are here right now," she said. "We're trying to promote the fact that we are losing our language very quickly and the work we do here now, will benefit us down the road."

Smith said having the language recorded for future generations will prove "invaluable" to linguists and historians.

"I myself don't know my own language and it is so important to get these stories recorded now."

Funding the newspaper and the television programs are proving to be a new challenge for the society.

"We're funded about half of what they originally started with and it's just not meeting our needs," she said.

To celebrate the anniversary ICS held a birthday party at Ingamo Hall on Sept. 19, where a feast was held, bloopers and outtakes from the shows and an old-time dance followed.