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Mark Kalluak

Mark Kalluak was born in 1942 and raised in the traditional Inuit lifestyle in and around the Tavanie area on the Western shore of Hudson’s Bay. In 1948, he was among many Inuit polio victims evacuated from their igloo homes to Winnipeg for medical treatment. During four long years in the hospital, he literally taught himself to read and write syllabics, and how to read and write a second language: English.

Mark has worked in education ever since the first instructional programs were established in the North. He has served as a teacher, translator, classroom assistant and adult educator. He is now the Cultural Heritage Coordinator for the Government of Nunavut’s Department of Education, working to ensure Inuit traditional knowledge is truly imprinted in Nunavut’s new Kindergarten to Grade 12 curriculum.

Mark first heard the traditional stories he documents from his mother. He has published (and illustrated) some of these in a variety of collections, beginning with How Kabloonat Became and Other Inuit Legends, published by the Northwest Territories Department of Education in 1974.

Mark is a recipient of the Order of Canada. He holds a number of awards and certificates in recognition of his skills as a writer and language specialist. He is also a respected elder in Arviat, where he lives surrounded by his seven children and many grandchildren.

From the author:

I wrote these stories because I know that they would disappear because life is changing and people don’t listen to stories from their grandparents anymore. If more kids knew the traditional stories, they’d be more knowledgeable. These stories help you to think about how you should behave among other people.







				Mark Kalluak Mark Kalluak was born in 1942 and raised in the traditional Inuit lifestyle in and around the Tavanie area on the Western shore of Hudson’s Bay. In 1948, he was among many Inuit polio victims evacuated from their igloo homes to Winnipeg for medical treatment. During four long years in the hospital, he literally taught himself to read and write syllabics, and how to read and write a second language: English. Mark has worked in education ever since the first instructional programs were established in the North. He has served as a teacher, translator, classroom assistant and adult educator. He is now the Cultural Heritage Coordinator for the Government of Nunavut’s Department of Education, working to ensure Inuit traditional knowledge is truly imprinted in Nunavut’s new Kindergarten to Grade 12 curriculum. Mark first heard the traditional stories he documents from his mother. He has published (and illustrated) some of these in a variety of collections, beginning with How Kabloonat Became and Other Inuit Legends, published by the Northwest Territories Department of Education in 1974. Mark is a recipient of the Order of Canada. He holds a number of awards and certificates in recognition of his skills as a writer and language specialist. He is also a respected elder in Arviat, where he lives surrounded by his seven children and many grandchildren. From the author: I wrote these stories because I know that they would disappear because life is changing and people don’t listen to stories from their grandparents anymore. If more kids knew the traditional stories, they’d be more knowledgeable. These stories help you to think about how you should behave among other people.