About us

At Made up North, a part of Pijunnaqniq Pathways, we create hands-on, culturally grounded learning experiences that help children learn Inuktitut through everyday life.

In a world full of screens, learning should feel interactive and connected to everyday moments and routines. Our goal is to bring learning back to play, connection, and shared time between children and their caregivers.

Daily life can feel busy and demanding, and it is not always easy to find simple, meaningful ways to slow down and spend time together. These products are designed to support those moments through interactive learning that encourages connection, play, and shared use of language.

Our products focus on hands-on learning through play and interaction, using familiar elements and culturally relevant designs. Rooted in Inuit life, this approach supports language learning in a way that feels natural, engaging, and easy to bring into everyday moments.

A note from the Artist

I’m an Inuk mother living in the North, raising two boys in a mixed household where three languages are spoken, with some loss of Inuktitut along the way. My work is rooted in lived experience and in creating meaningful, hands-on ways that bring families and educators together, with Inuit culture and language as an important part of that foundation. Through this work, I am also finding ways to keep and bring Inuktitut back into our home.

Growing up in a small community of Kimmirut, Nunavut, I LOVED playing with Barbies. I either always had one in my hands or on my mind. We didn’t always have access to all the accessories and toys that came with them, so I learned to make my own using what I could find around the house, often cardboard. I spent hours building and imagining, and even then, I remember thinking that one day I wanted to make toys as a grown-up. As I got older and grew out of playing, that idea faded as life moved on.

Now as an adult, having access to tools that I never thought I could have, brought that feeling back. It reminds me of what I always loved—creating, building, and imagining and I'm reminded of that early dream of making toys and things.

I get to do that now—for children growing up where I did, in places where our language is at risk of being lost and there are still few toys that reflect who we are.

-Syzula Pitsiulak