The project brings together young Inuit with experienced hunters, sewers, and elders to build hunting equipment, learn how to travel on the sea ice and hunt seals in the winter, and how to prepare and sew traditional sealskin clothing. Over the past year the community workshop has been busy with young men building naulaqs and unaaqs (harpoon heads and shafts), haviks (snowknives), oinikhuits (open- water boats) and alliaks (sleds). At the nearby Kayutak Centre, women have learned to sew nattiq hats, prepare ugyuk (bearded seal) skins and sew kihiks (bearded seal kammiks) and nattiq parka.

Many of the participants, young men and women between 18 and 40, have long been seeking to learn these skills, and are embracing the opportunity with a burning pride and passion. One young woman said that she has always wanted to learn to sew with sealskin but lacked the confidence to try.

A young man putting the finishing touches on his oinikhuit said that he has dreamed of following the experienced hunters to the open water and now he has the equipment and opportunity to do so. Having such knowledge and skills provides young Inuit with the opportunity to engage in productive activities that continue to have value economically and socially in Ulukhaktok.

Nunamin Illihakvia is different than other government-funded projects in that the community facilitates all aspects of the project, including project design, finances and decision-making. In the short term Ulukhaktok aims to use Nunamin Illihakvia to revive participation in winter seal hunting, and sealskin sewing. In the long term the goal is to develop Nunamin Illihakvia as an Inuit-led cultural school to help document, preserve and promote Inuit traditional knowledge and skills that are important for a healthy lifestyle, physically, mentally and culturally.