The Inuit had fifty-two names for snow because it was
important to them: there ought to be as many for love.
—Margaret Atwood
important to them: there ought to be as many for love.
—Margaret Atwood
This is the quote that got me started with this project looking into terms for snow and experiencing and really looking closely at snow in all of its forms and conditions in the Kananaskis region of southwestern Alberta. While Canada's north is far from Kananaskis I have a curiosity with snow and a fascination with how Indigenous communities describe it. While not described in words, my photographs attempt to capture the visual vocabulary of snow with a focus on a single geographic area.
Following links provide lists of snow and ice-related words that demonstrate the richness and depth of Indigenous languages. This leaves me a bit cold with how limiting the English language really is.
31 words from the Igloolik Research Centre
https://eu-interact.org/field-sites/igloolik-research-center/
31 words from the Igloolik Research Centre
https://eu-interact.org/field-sites/igloolik-research-center/
A Sample Set of Utkuhiksalingmiutitut Ice Words
Utkuhiksalingmiut Uqauhiitigut: Dictionary of Utkuhiksalingmiut Inuktitut Postbase Suffixes
by Jean L. Briggs, Alana Johns, and Conor Cook: ISBN 978-1-897568-32-3
Cree Words for Snow from Cree Dictionary
https://www.creedictionary.com/search/index.php?q=k%C3%B4na&scope=1&cwr=61633