Hands-on Heritage: 3D Artifact Replicas as Tools for Connecting Inuinnait Youth with Elder Knowledge and Archaeology

This paper reports on the Hands-on Heritage project, a community-led initiative in Iqaluktuuttiaq (Cambridge Bay), Nunavut, developing archaeology-based educational kits for local schools. In partnership with the Pitquhirnikkut Ilihautiniq/Kitikmeot Heritage Society (PI/KHS) and archaeologists at the University of Toronto, the project integrates 3D-printed replicas of Inuit and Paleo-Inuit (Dorset) artifacts with Elder-recorded Oral Histories and pedagogical materials grounded in Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (IQ, Inuit Traditional Knowledge). The kits aim to bring archaeology into classrooms, foster intergenerational learning, and strengthen youth engagement with cultural heritage. This report documents the co-development process, including artifact selection, 3D scanning and printing, and consultations with Elders, Knowledge Holders, and educators. The project demonstrates how archaeology can be mobilized to support local priorities, enhance heritage education, and build community capacity. By foregrounding collaborative, service-oriented approaches, the Hands-on Heritage project highlights the potential of archaeology to function as a meaningful educational and cultural resource, offering an example of how Arctic research can foreground community-centred practices and youth engagement.