Ingamo Hall Friendship Centre: Healing Through Culture and Tradition – Supporting Sixties Scoop Survivors
Akwesasne, Ontario, July 15, 2025
The Ingamo Hall Friendship Centre in Inuvik, Northwest Territories, continues to be a place of healing, connection, and cultural revitalization for both Elders and youth from the Gwich’in and Inuvialuit communities, as well as other Indigenous groups. Through a variety of culturally grounded programs and activities, Ingamo Hall is helping to reclaim traditions that were disrupted by the harmful impacts of the Sixties Scoop.
Supported in part by funding from the National Sixties Scoop Healing Foundation of Canada, this unique program provides meaningful opportunities for Sixties Scoop Survivors and their families to reconnect with their languages, customs, and ancestral knowledge. Central to the program is the practice and preservation of the Gwich’in and Inuvialuit languages, shared in daily, hands-on activities that honour traditional northern lifestyles.
Participants many of whom are Sixties Scoop Survivors or their family members engage in seasonal harvesting practices such as hunting caribou, moose, fish, and small game. These harvests are followed by teaching sessions on butchering, processing, and preserving food in traditional ways, including drying, smoking, and preparing country food meals. These skills not only strengthen cultural identity but also promote healthy eating and food safety within the community.
Traditional sewing, games, music, and dancing are also integrated into the program, fostering connection and joy between generations. Elders share their wisdom with youth in these activities, ensuring that sacred knowledge and cultural pride continue to pass from one generation to the next.
A vital component of the program is the inclusion of mental health professionals who facilitate important conversations about the ongoing impacts of the Sixties Scoop. These discussions provide a safe space for Survivors and their families to explore healing, share their experiences, and support one another in their journeys.
Ingamo Hall’s commitment to cultural reclamation and community wellness offers a powerful example of how land-based learning, cultural practice, and trauma-informed support can come together to promote healing, resilience, and hope for Survivors of the Sixties Scoop and future generations.
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For more information about the Foundation please visit our website: https://www.sixtiesscoophealingfoundation.ca/