Susan Aglukark

Susan Aglukark is an Inuk Canadian Juno Award-winning singer/songwriter and a passionate advocate for Canada's northern communities. Her music blends traditional Inuit folk traditions with popular songwriting and in 1995 her anthemic song, "O Siem,"ade her the first Inuk performer to have a top-10 hit in Canada. Aglukark was born in Churchill, Manitoba, and grew up in Arviat, Nunavut. In 2015, she launched the Arctic Rose War Cry campaign to address the suicide crisis among Indigenous youth, and in November 2016 she acquired charitable status for her Arctic Rose Foundation. Her many awards and distinctions include appointment as an Officer of the Order of Canada, three Juno Awards, and three honorary doctorates. In 2016, Aglukark received a Governor General's Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award.

"The North is the place where I feel I’m completely myself. We are not who we are without our land, without our language, without our people. That word ‘home’ is not even strong enough – that’s your heart."