Woman sharing Inuit stories through grassroots musical

An adopted woman reconnecting with her Inuit heritage is setting traditional stories told to her by her grandmother to music.

Julia Davis, who also goes by her traditional name Ulayok, quickly gained attention on TikTok  after posting the first song she wrote for a musical. The musical, which is in the beginning stages, sets music to the stories Davis was told by her biological grandmother about Inuit culture.

“I’m adopted. And so I’ve always been lucky enough to know where I come from,” David said. "The story that my grandma told me was that if you whistle at the northern lights they'll come down and take you up with them."

Wanting to see more representation of Inuit people, Davis began writing the musical from those stories, not realizing others would be interested.

"A lot of people have you know been rediscovering themselves and wanting to share and that's something I got from TikTok.”

Thousands of people have been watching her journey. Now, Davis wants others to be encouraged to share their own cultures.

“There were many years where I didn’t really feel comfortable with that,” she said. “I think it is important that you stay true to yourself. I guess that’s the most important thing – to tell truthful stories.”