Yes, the Inuit have dozens of words for snow – but what does each one mean exactly?

You’ve probably heard that there are dozens of Inuit names for snow, but what do they each mean, and what purpose do they each serve? In this short documentary, the Inuk filmmaker Rebecca Thomassie from the remote village of Kangirsuk in the far north of Quebec in Canada learns many of these terms from a local elder, Tommy Kudlak, so that she might pass them along to her three-year-old daughter. As Thomassie and Kudlak travel by snowmobile through the pristine white landscape, he teaches teaches her words describing snow that’s ideal for building igloos or shelters, snow that’s good for drinking, and more. Produced by Wapikoni Mobile, a nonprofit organisation that helps Indigenous filmmakers craft films that reflect their cultures, issues and rights, Thomassie’s short makes for a charming and fascinating window into Inuit cultural knowledge.