Attima Hadlari - Induction Video

Attima’s connection to traditional Inuit games began long before Nunavut itself was established. He was involved with the Arctic Winter Games from their beginning in 1970, participating over the years as an athlete, coach, judge, and official.

For Attima, however, sport was about much more than competition, he taught the spirit behind the games: that an athlete should strive not only to improve themselves, but also to help others improve.

That philosophy defined Attima.

He was a teacher and a keeper of knowledge. Through decades of involvement in traditional Inuit games, he helped pass skills from one generation to the next. He taught, coached, officiated, and demonstrated Inuit games while sharing the cultural meaning behind them with audiences at home and around the world.

Attima was also an accomplished Natchilingmiut drum dancer. Over the years, his drum took him around the world, where he shared not simply a performance, but the stories, traditions, and knowledge carried within Inuit songs and dance.

His commitment to preserving Inuit knowledge extended far beyond sport. Attima worked for decades as an interpreter and translator and helped develop a Natchilingmiutut dictionary. He was a strong advocate for Inuktut, education, wildlife, the environment, and Inuit ways of life.

The Nunavut Sport and Recreation Hall of Fame exists to preserve the stories of Nunavummiut whose achievements have shaped sport and recreation in our territory. Attima Hadlari’s story belongs here. His legacy can be found in the athletes he encouraged, the officials and coaches he taught, the traditional games he helped preserve, and the knowledge he shared so generously throughout his life.

He showed us that the greatest measure of an athlete or a leader is not simply how far they themselves can go, but how many others they help along the way.

For more than half a century of dedication to Arctic Sports, for his service as an athlete, coach, judge, official, teacher, and cultural leader, and for helping ensure that traditional Inuit games continue to thrive for future generations, it is our honour to induct Attima Hadlari into the Nunavut Sport and Recreation Hall of Fame.