The Tusarniqtut Project was initiated by Judy McGrath in 1991 in partnership with the Spence Bay Craft Co-op members Bessie Ashevak, Neeveovak Marqniq and Anouyok Alookee. The project was self-funded and developed as an educational resource to introduce Inuit children to the Netsilingmiut language and traditional Inuit stories. A series of twelve stories were selected by the group and were self-recorded on cassette tapes in 1993. The contents were transcribed into Netsilingmiut script by Janet McGrath, and also translated into English. In 1994, the team developed a series of sewn textile dioramas based on each story. Both the process and final product of these images were self-documented through photography.

 

In 1994, the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) offered to provide formal documentation for the Tusarniqtut Project, and in the same year produced professional audio and video recordings of Bessie Ashevak, Neeveovak Marqniq and Anouyok Alookee narrating the stories.

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