Where Are They Now: Christine Qillasiq Lussier
Christine Qillasiq Lussier is an alumna of Inuit Futures who completed her Master of Arts in the Individualized Program in Fine Arts in 2024, under the supervision of Dr. Heather Igloliorte and committee members Dr. Cathy Richardson and Prof. Jason Edward Lewis. Soon after, Christine began a PhD at Concordia in the Individualized Program in Social Sciences. We had the pleasure of catching up with Christine recently to reflect on her important MA research and check in on how her PhD is going
Christine's Master's program was based on research-creation, culminating in both a thesis and a 13-minute short film. Her work focused on Inuit oral history through the lens of her grandmother, Alacie Naluiyuk. To gather her research, Christine traveled to Salluit, Nunavik to conduct fieldwork with her grandmother, a first-language Inuktitut speaker. She filmed around the town, conducted interviews with relatives, and enlisted her aunt, her brother’s mother-in-law, and her brother’s sister-in-law to help with translation. Christine chose to create a short film as part of her research to make her findings more engaging and accessible to a wider audience. She first shared the film with her grandmother before showing it during her thesis defence.
The film captures the life history of her grandmother and, by extension, the community members of Salluit. Alacie’s life story is representative of many Inuit experiences. Christine’s grandparents and great-grandparents lived off the land until missionaries arrived and enforced a sedentary lifestyle. Alacie’s experiences reflect the broader colonial narrative faced by many Inuit in the Arctic: her children were placed in foster care, she was forced to learn English at the expense of her Inuktitut language, and she lived through the traumatic sled dog slaughters, among other events.
Since completing her MA, Christine has been working part-time with Tasiutigiit, a Montreal-based organization that supports Indigenous youth living in cross-cultural adoptive or foster families. She has been involved with their Thrive summer camps and has found great joy in the work. She also works as a research assistant at Concordia in collaboration with Qarjuit Youth Council, examining youth leadership.
Photo by Julie Katsuak Lussier, 2025.
Still from Christine’s short film.
Reflecting on her experiences with Inuit Futures, Christine fondly recalls the Auviqsaqtut: Inuit Studies Conference held at the University of Winnipeg and Winnipeg Art Gallery - Qaumajuq in 2022. Following the conference, she attended the Arctic Arts Summit in Whitehorse, YT, where she participated alongside fellow Inuit Futures Ilinniaqtuit, Mentors, and members of the Leadership Group. These events allowed her to connect with other Inuit in similar situations, coming from small communities and now pursuing post-secondary education. She formed lasting friendships and found inspiration for creative projects. Christine shares:
"It was really refreshing... to be part of projects and discussions that centered on Inuit voices and perspectives about Inuit, by Inuit, and for Inuit. I had rarely been in a space so focused on our culture."
Reflecting further on her experience at Auviqsaqtut, she adds:
"It felt like being with family, caring for each other like family. It was so Inuk. The sense of community was there from the start, and that was very special for me."
"Inuit Futures has been a dream come true—a community I can rely on during this time in my life. Thanks to it, I am much more in touch with fellow Inuit."
Chrstine’s master’s thesis titled “Memories of Salluit: An Oral History” is available to read online here.
Last year Christine began her PhD at Concordia University in the Individualized Program in Social Sciences under the supervision of Dr. Natasha Blanchet-Cohen. She plans on continuing working with oral histories, with a focus on facilitating workshops for youths to repurpose oral history archives through arts-based methods. Young people will have the opportunity to learn Inuit (hi)stories as well as arts-based methods under the guidance and mentorship of Inuit artists and elders, and will be offered the possibility to work in the artform of the Inuit artists selected to participate in the project, making it an intergenerational and community-facing initiative. This is an exciting development; continuing her MA work into her doctoral research, while helping others to also explore their Inuit heritage through the arts.
Still from Christine’s short film.