Words For My Enjoyment A word is a unit of language that carries meaning and consists of one or more morphemes which are linked more or less tightly together, and has a phonetic value.

Like many other aboriginal cultures around the world, the Inuit of the Canadian Arctic have made use of drums in some of their traditional music for centuries. Inuit drum dancing played a part in many special occasions such as births, marriages, an Inuit boy’s first hunt, changing of seasons, greetings for visitors or to honor someone who had passed away. News of these special events was spread by word of mouth and many Inuit traveled great distances to attend.

The Inuit drum called a qilaut was traditionally made from caribou skin with seal or walrus skin around the handle. Before, Inuit drum dancing was most commonly done by men but eventually both men and women performed it. There were various Inuit songs called ajaaja that were sung while drum dancing. In the past, many individuals had their own ajaaja songs that were unique to them and about their own personal life experiences. There were also many songs that were passed down through many generations of Inuit.

Like Inuit throat singing, the practice of Inuit drum dancing was banned by Christian missionaries for many years. Eventually, the Inuit regained their right to perform their drum dances. However, Inuit drum dancing is not as important today to Inuit life as it once was since western lifestyles have become such a big part of the northern Arctic. Inuit drum dancing is still sometimes performed at symbolic celebrations such as opening ceremonies for conferences, festivals, graduations and shows for tourists. Watching an Inuit drum dancer perform his or her music can be almost hypnotic and is one of the special treats from Inuit culture to be enjoyed by all. Inuit drum dancers are a common subject for Inuit art carvings and drawings. Inuit artists have even outfitted some of their animal subjects with Inuit drums.

By: Clint Leung

History

On January 22, 1947, the first commercial TV station west of the
Mississippi River, KTLA, began operating in Hollywood. In
December of that year, the first Hollywood movie production was
made for TV, The Public Prosecutor. In addition, in the 1950s,
music recording studios and offices began moving into Hollywood.
Other businesses, however, continued to migrate to different parts
of Los Angeles, primarily to Burbank, California. A lot of the movie
industry remained in the area, although the district’s outward
appearance changed.

The famous Capitol Records building on Vine Street just north of
Hollywood Boulevard was built in 1956. It is a recording studio not
open to the public, but its unique circular design looks like a stack
of old 45rpm vinyl records.

The Hollywood Walk of Fame was created in 1958 and the first star
was placed in 1960 as a tribute to artists working in the
entertainment industry. Honorees receive a star based on career
and lifetime achievements in motion pictures, live theatre, radio,
television, and/or music, as well as their charitable and civic
contributions.

Progress
In 1985, the Hollywood Boulevard commercial and entertainment
district was officially listed in the National Register of Historic Places
protecting important buildings and seeing to it that the significance
of Hollywood’s past would always be a part of its future.

In June 1999, the long-awaited Hollywood extension of the Metro
Red Line subway opened, running from Downtown Los Angeles to
the Valley, with stops on Hollywood Boulevard at Western Avenue,
at Vine Street and at Highland Avenue.

The Kodak Theatre, which opened in 2001 on Hollywood Boulevard
at Highland Avenue, where the historic Hollywood Hotel once
stood, has become the new home of the Oscars.

In 2002, a number of Hollywood citizens began a campaign for the
district to secede from Los Angeles and become its own
incorporated city. Secession supporters argued that the leaders of
Los Angeles were ignoring the needs of their community. In June,
the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors placed secession
referendums for both Hollywood and the Valley on the ballots for a
“citywide election.” To pass, they required the approval of a
majority of voters from all over Los Angeles. In the November
election, the referendums failed to receive the required percentage
of votes by a wide margin.

Modern day Hollywood is a diverse, vital, and active community
striving to preserve the elegant buildings from its past.

By: smgenie

At first, all Inuit soapstone sculptures from the Arctic may look alike. However, there are variances in artistic styles among the different Inuit art producing communities. Although all communities produce Inuit sculptures featuring both animal and human subjects, some seem to do more animals while others do more people figures. Some communities make their subjects appear quite realistic with lots of high detail while in others, a more crude and primitive look is preferred. There are Inuit sculptures that have a highly polished finishes and some that are the complete opposite where they are left dull and unpolished.

Some areas specialize in producing small scale miniatures much like the artwork by their ancestors who first came into contact with white men. Inuit sculpture can range from quite conservative to bold or even wildly outrageous. Scenes can be playful like a piece depicting two Inuit children playing or with a sense of humor like a walrus waving. On the other end, transformation and shamanic pieces can look disturbing or even frightening to some. Hunting scenes can portray the gory realities of life and death in nature.

One thing that all Inuit sculptures have in common is that they show the fact that Inuit people have deep connections with their family life, their natural surroundings and spiritual beliefs. It is interesting to observe that even if some Inuit artists have converted to Christianity as their religion, they may still include Inuit spirituality and legends as a big part of their lives. This is portrayed in some of their Inuit sculpture and other artwork.

The differences in artistic style are partly due to the different types of stone and other materials available in each community as well as regional preferences. Of course there can be outside influences when Inuit artists travel from community to community. This is particularly the case with larger growing communities like Iqaluit which has seen an influx of Inuit from other parts of Nunavut ever since becoming its capital. One can find a variety and blending of Inuit art styles here.

By: Clint Leung