Speak/Sing Native™ Artist Archive
Susan Aglukark
Inuit/Inuk
“Susan Aglukark, OC (Inuktitut syllabics: ᓲᓴᓐ ᐊᒡᓘᒃᑲᖅ suusan agluukkaq) …is a Canadian singer whose blend of Inuit folk music traditions with country and pop songwriting has made her a major recording star in Canada. Her most successful song/single is O Siem, which reached No. 1 on the Canadian country and adult contemporary charts in 1995. Overall, she has released nine albums and six singles, and has won four Juno Awards.”
She is the author of three books: 2018 - Una Huna: What is This?; 2022 - Una Huna?: Ukpik Learns to Sew; 2025 - Kihiani: A Memoir of Healing
She also received two Honorary Degrees in Law (University of Alberta and Calgary University), an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Lethbridge University, and a Doctor of Letters from the Laurentian University.
Susan Aglukark was born in Churchill, Manitoba and raised in Arviat, Northwest Territories (now in Nunavut).
“Susan Aglukark is an Inuk musician, community activist, and children’s author whose blend of Inuit folk music traditions with pop songwriting has made her a recording star in Canada. She has nine albums released to date and has been the recipient of four Juno awards.
“She has the unique distinction of having been awarded the first Aboriginal Achievement Award in Arts & Entertainment.
“She has long been an advocate for Northern Canadian communities. Susan is the founder of the Arctic Rose Project, which helps create emotionally safe environments for Indigenous children and youth. She is also the co-founder of the Aboriginal Literacy Project and the former chair of the Arctic Children and Youth Foundation.
“Susan Aglukark is an Officer of the Order of Canada. Her other awards and distinctions include the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, Canadian Country Music Association Vista Rising Star Award, Canadian Aboriginal Music Award, Native American Music Award, and three honorary doctorates. Her single O Siem reached No. 1 on the Canadian country and adult contemporary charts in 1995.” (Source: Studio Bell National Music Center)
Professional Information
Susan has held command performances for:
- HRH Queen Elizabeth (twice)
- Canadian Prime Ministers Jean Chrétien and Brian Mulroney
- President of France, Jacques Chirac.
- Nelson Mandela
- Governor General of Canada Adrienne Clarkson
- Her Excellency the Countess of Wessex
She has served on or led the following organizations:
- Arctic Inspiration Prize Selection Committee
- Chair of Arctic Children and Youth Foundation (2008-2011)
- Board Member of National Aboriginal Literacy Foundation (2004-2007)
- Founder and Chair of the Arctic Rose Foundation (Nov 2016-Present)
- Advisor for Left Behind By Suicide (Jan 2006- Present)
- Aboriginal Artists Alliance
- Aglukark Entertainment Inc. President (Aug 1993-Present)
Discography (Albums)
1990 - Dreams for You
1992 – Arctic Rose
1995 – This Child
1999 – Unsung Heroes
2003 – Big Feeling
2006 – Blood Red Earth
2011 – White Sahara
2013 – Dreaming of Home
2022 – The Crossing
(Singles)
1992 - Song of the Land
1993 - Little Toy Trains
1994 - Still Running
1995 - Hina Na Ho (Celebration)
1995 - Breakin' Down
1995 - O'Siem
Discography (Albums)
1990 - Dreams for You
1992 – Arctic Rose
1995 – This Child
1999 – Unsung Heroes
2003 – Big Feeling
2006 – Blood Red Earth
2011 – White Sahara
2013 – Dreaming of Home
2022 – The Crossing
(Singles)
1992 - Song of the Land
1993 - Little Toy Trains
1994 - Still Running
1995 - Hina Na Ho (Celebration)
1995 - Breakin' Down
1995 - O'Siem
Folk, traditional, pop, country, adult contemporary
Musician, singer, songwriter, childrens author, activist
Vocals
Video
- Willie Dunn, Susan Aglukark, Fara Palmer, Sylvie Barnard, Don Ross, Shingoose
Children of the World - Willie Dunn, Susan Aglukark, Fara Palmer, Sylvie Barnard, Don Ross, Shingoose
Venue:
Format: Official
Duration: 4:39
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"What's A Highway?!" - Susan Aglukark | 5 Songs That Changed My Life -
Venue: CBC Music
Format: Interview
Duration: 5:42
- Susan Aglukark -
O Siem - Susan Aglukark -
Venue:
Format: Official
Duration: 3:56
Her single O Siem reached No. 1 on the Canadian country and adult contemporary charts in 1995.
- Susan Aglukark and Kathleen _________
Breaths - Susan Aglukark and Kathleen _________
Venue:
Format: Documentary
Duration: 4:28
“’The North is the place where I feel I’m completely myself.’ In this evocative documentary short, Inuit singer-songwriter and humanitarian Susan Aglukark weaves together stories of artistry, family, and belonging as she explores the complex cultural shifts of the last 50 years of Inuit life. Turning her lens on the turbulence of colonial transition, director Nyla Innuksuk examines the forces that shaped Aglukark’s voice and how that voice is now being translated for a new generation of Inuit artists.”
Produced by the National Film Board of Canada in co-operation with the National Arts Centre and the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards Foundation on the occasion of the 2016 Governor General's Performing Arts Awards.
Tribal Information
Inuit/Inuk
also known as "Inuit"
“Inuit are Indigenous people of the Arctic. The word Inuit means "the people" in the Inuit language of Inuktut. The singular of Inuit is Inuk. According to the 2021 Census, there are 70,545 1 Inuit in Canada. Many Inuit in Canada live in Inuit Nunangat, which means "the place where Inuit live."
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“Inuit are a group of culturally and historically similar Indigenous peoples traditionally inhabiting the Arctic and Subarctic regions of North America and Russia, including Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, Yukon, Alaska, and the Chukotsky District of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. The Inuit languages are part of the Eskaleut languages, also known as Inuit-Yupik-Unangan, and also as Eskimo–Aleut
“Canadian Inuit live throughout most of Northern Canada in the territory of Nunavut, Nunavik in the northern third of Quebec, the Nunatsiavut in Labrador, and in various parts of the Northwest Territories and Yukon (traditionally), particularly around the Arctic Ocean, in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. These areas are known, by Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and the Government of Canada, as Inuit Nunangat. In Canada, sections 25 and 35 of the Constitution Act of 1982 classify Inuit as a distinctive group of Aboriginal Canadians who are not included under either the First Nations or the Métis.” (source Wikipedia) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inuit
.There are over 630 First Nations communities in Canada, which represent more than 50 Nations and 50 Indigenous languages. As in the United States, the Canadian Constitution is the supreme law of Canada.
Section 35 of the Constitution Act of 1982 explicitly recognizes and affirms the existing Aboriginal and treaty rights of the Aboriginal peoples of Canada. Section 35 also indicates that the term “Aboriginal peoples of Canada” includes the First Nation, Inuit and Métis peoples of Canada.
Further, section 25 of the Constitution Act, 1982 protects the Aboriginal and treaty rights that are recognized in section 35 and ensures that no other provision of the Charter can take away or supersede those rights.