Willow Allen, Inuvialuk Model x ELLE Canada

How These Indigenous Women Are Reclaiming Their Culture

On the front lines of change for their communities, four trailblazers are honouring the legacy of Inuit.

BY : CAMILLE CARDIN-GOYER- JAN 28TH, 2022

Willow Allen grew up in Inuvik, NWT, a small Arctic community where locals experience an average of 30 days of polar night every winter. “I was raised in both worlds,” says the 23-year-old Inuvialuk model. “I learned to live off the land at my family’s bush camp, hunting and trapping the way my ancestors did and being told traditional stories by my parents, and attended school and university in Saskatchewan.” While initially her goal was to follow in her mother’s footsteps and go into social work, Allen was launched into an unexpected modelling career after being spotted by an agency on social media a couple of years ago.

“It has been so empowering to represent the beauty and culture of my people,” she says. “[With] this platform, I’m hoping to inspire younger generations and raise awareness about the issues that Indigenous peoples face.” One of these issues is the intergenerational trauma that’s a result of residential schools; it’s what prompted Allen’s dream to work in mental health in her community of just under 3,400. “We will not forget the children who never made it back home, the survivors and their descendants who are hurting or the attempts to erase Indigenous culture in the name of assimilation.”

For Allen, there’s still a long way to go on the path to reconciliation. “Having a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a start,” she says. “Beginning to search residential-school sites for unmarked graves is a start. Acknowledging that Indigenous women and girls are missing is a start. Canada is just starting.” Proudly embracing Inuit culture is Allen’s way of calling for more significant change, which will lend to the healing of her people. “I will never change myself or my image because I know my strength comes from my identity as an Inuvialuk woman,” she says. “Wear your traditional dress with pride, learn your language and speak to your elders. We are strong, we are resilient and we are Indigenous.”