DIY Nunavut Day Contest: Enter for a chance to win!
Calling all Nunavut makers!
We can't wait to celebrate Nunavut Day on July 9th with you all! We’re starting off with our annual Nunavut Day DIY Contest running June 26th to July 10th. Whether it’s a beaded bracelet, seal skin mitts, a razor-sharp ulu, or other creations you’re proud to show off – we want to see it!
Enter for your chance to win the new iPhone 14 Pro Max with a do-it-yourself project you’re proud of. All you have to do is comment a photo or video on the Facebook contest post to enter! We will announce the winner on July 10th, 2023.
Nunavut Day is an important day to recognize, respect, and learn from the unique culture and traditions of Inuit people. We’re honoured to host this contest each year to shine a spotlight on northern artists and makers in Nunavut. Read on to learn about how Rįhñuh’s, last year's winner, took the cake!
Mitts stitched with a warm heart: How Rįhñuh won 2022’s Nunavut DIY
Rįhñuh, whose mitts can be found at Stitched By Rina won a prior Nunavut Day DIY contest with her sealskin mitts.
Rįhñuh Iśśałuk made her first pair of mitts at the age of 12.
‘I was at my friend's house playing when her mom said, OK! Get over here and let’s teach you how to make mitts.’ While she made hers with beaver, my friend and I worked with scrap material. At the end, I had made my first pair of mitts – and I was amazed.
Rįhñuh honed her craft by taking a sealskin mitt-making program at the community centre in Arctic Bay and soon she was making her very own patterns. But it wasn’t just her friend's mother who inspired her to take up the art. Her grandma did too. She explains, “When I was little, I remember watching my grandma make mitts with caribou skin, and I thought, I want to do that.”
It’s when the colder months start to approach that she takes up stitching new designs in preparation. When we spoke last August, Rįhñuh was already planning for the winter with new mitts for loved ones and to sell with her business.
She has also began expanding to different garments, “I’m getting ready to sew for my children and myself and get our coats ready for the winter. I make parkas for my family, and recently started making seal skin headbands.”
Rįhñuh received the top prize of a new top of the line Phone by sharing the handiwork of her sealskin mitts with us in the Nunavut Day DIY Contest.
“I was shocked when I won - I’ve never won anything like this, and I’d never been so proud of myself before!”
Maybe this year the winner will be you!*
Enter the Nunavut DIY contest here
Here’s a few more of last year’s finely crafted submissions to get you excited for Nunavut Day!
*Contest closed to Northwestel employees, but open to employee family members.
