Annie Aningmiuq

Raised in Panniqtuuq (Pangirtung), NU, Annie Aningmiuq grew up without any practicing throat singers in her community but can still recall being inspired when she first heard the album Tudjaat (1994), released by throat singing duo Madeleine Allakariallak and Phoebe Atagotaaluk. Determined to eventually become a throat singer herself, it would not be until her late teens that she would first learn from a friend who had learned during her time at Nunavut Sivinuksavut in Ottawa, ON. Aningmiuq eventually followed suit and attended the Nunavut Sivinuksavut program following her high school education, both expanding her repertoire of songs and meeting her throat singing partner, Cynthia Pitsiulak. Together, Aningmiuq and Pitsiulak have performed across Canada and internationally, touring Europe three times during their time as a duo.

While initially creating jewellery pieces for just for herself and her throat singing partner to wear onstage, Aningmiuq now creates popular jewellery items using recycled or upcycled fur and sealskin scraps under her label Piujutit, which she sells primarily through her social media channels.  Crafting pieces for a broad audience, she is clear on the values that drive her creative process and inspire her work.

“I definitely knew I wanted [the line] to have an Inuktitut name.” She says of her business, “Based on the feedback I was getting from women had bought my jewellery saying how beautiful they felt in them or even saying how they felt like it was an armour or protection, I chose "Piujutit" which translates to "you are beautiful". I really wanted to use that name to connect to what people were saying about how they felt while wearing the pieces I was creating.” [1]