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How does tending a qulliq connect you with your identity? Share your thoughts by writing. or recording a short video or audio clip.

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we had someone come in to show us how she lights up a qulliq and she was kind enough to let us students light it ourselves. For me it amazed me to light it up because I don’t have much opportunities to do much of our culture and it brought me closer to my/our culture

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The qulliq is important for Inuit. It’s use to heat up the tent or igloo. Use for light cooking and drying up clothing. They use animal fat and cotton to light up there qulliq

Karen

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I’ve learn as an ECE instructor about how the qulliq is used back then as Becky Kudlu told her mother used seal, walrus or whale fat or oil. Travelling and in tent, igloo or qaqmat. The qulliq was used for heat, cooking and drying clothing. She said the best oil fat was the whale oil or fat as it was the brightness to use. Using a match to light a qulliq was amazing as we need to fix the wick, then use a lighter, match is lighting the wick is amazing. Need to use the Taquti to make the wick wider is amazing. I’ve learn that by putting oil on the wick makes the light longer.

By Rhoda Hiqiniq

ECE instructor

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I was amazed and mesmerized when our local elder Becky Kudloo came to show us how to light up a qulliq, made me feel more connected and thought it was awesome.

I’ve only ever seen Coleman stove being lit up but when I saw the qulliq I was so amazed. And happy I got to light it up, I’m glad I was given the chance to light it up as it may be the only chance to ever light one up as we don’t use those kind of qulliqs anymore as most of us use a Coleman stove or stove.

Janaya Niego

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I learned how to light up a qulliq, today October 16/2025. It connects me and feels to the older days- it was their only source of light, warmth and ways to cook.  We had Becky Kudloo here to teach us how to light up, she gave as many information as she could. She also talked about residential schools. It was heartbreaking that she went through it. Inuit use different fat within animal fat such as seal, whale, some used aiviq fat, caribou was also mentioned but they had to use their mouth to try and get oil. For whale, it was to cut some fat and hammer it up for oil. Our older generation had its hard ways of living without technology. I appreciate Becky for coming and speaking of her experience, some of it anyways.

Hattie Aningaat

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As I was watching the lady getting ready and being told that we need to try too because we need to learn something from our culture, I was nervous as first then when I went on the chair where the qulliq is it made me feel a little complete because it is our culture and tradition, I learned that it keep us warm and feed us while cooking with the qulliq, I enjoyed it and hoping one day ill own one, for our cold days and the power outage, I have learned from Becky that during a power outage that she have used her qulliq during power outage and it helped her and her family alot, and how to light it up picking up the oil to make it light up more, and how to shut it off..

-krisy

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Lighting a qulliq for myself helped me feel content and mesmerized by the flame, just thinking about my ancestors. How strong and resilient they were. When I lit the qulliq myself, I felt a sense of belonging and who I am as an Inuk. Becky Kudloo who taught us told us a few stories of how qullit were used back then. She also informed us that the little handle we use to control the flame is called taqqut(ᑕᖅᖁᑦ) in the Igloolik dialect and taqquti(ᑕᖅᖁᑎ) in the Baker Lake dialect.

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It was my first time to light up a qulliq with the help of our special guest Becky Kudloo. I was very amazed as I never did that before, it made me feel a sense of accomplishment and I understood a bit more of our Inuit tradition. She told our class her experiences using the traditional qulliq growing up out on the land so it made me more aware of what our identity means as Inuit. Becky told us about how the qulliq was their only source of light and heat at night inside the tent or iglu. I realized that Inuit are very resourceful.

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I was amazed that when Becky told that the light on the qulliq can scare off the animals during the night and that it can warm up a place, it can also cook meat and other things like bannock and donuts. I enjoyed watching Becky demonstrating lighting the qulliq and other student participating and learning how to lit a traditional qulliq.

Verna Kalluk

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Watching our special guest by Becky Kudloo, lighting a qulliq i was so amazed because how she was saying that it’s the only light and heat in the past. Becky was telling us about that the qulliq can be lit for a long period of time. Becky said that it can be used for cooking and use for our clothing to dry. I was so surprised that when she told use to feel it, it was so warm ( almost hot) it was so beautiful to see..

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I have learned about a traditional lamp, our class was told by an elder that it helps to keep us warm, provides light for sewing, heat for cooking, body warmth and to dry clothing. Back then they used a flint to light it up or went to the Hudsons Bay Company to trade Inuits fur (that they have skinned) with matches, bullets, food or anything that Inuit couldn’t get from their homeland. Most, or some times they would split the match stick in half to have them last longer.

-Angel A.

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Having the experience to light a qulliq has made me feel very lucky and thankful that we no longer live the nomadic lifestyle. I learned that whale blubber is the brightest and that seal blubber was used most to keep the igloo warm.

Lighting the qulliq has made me feel proud of myself, at first I felt shy, but I was able to overcome that feeling and was able to light it with one match.

Lighting the qulliq brings a sense of calming and relaxing feeling.

Hillary Pauloosie

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It was cool and fun learning about how our elders lit a qulliq and how much heat came off of a small flame. And the qulliq was their only source of light and heat

It’s so calming and relaxing watching the flame flicker and dance

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This is Becky Kudloo lighting a qulliq and showing the students how to light a qulliq

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Lighting a Qulliq in Baker Lake

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This is Becky kudloo lighting up an Inuit Coleman stove. Known as Qulliq.

Thanks to her myself and my classmates got to experience lighting a qulliq

janaya