Indigenous Canadian artist Mark Igloliorte

Inuk artist Mark Igloliorte made a travel pillow from seal skin and used it on his flight to New Zealand to highlight how Inuit communities are suffering from restricted international trade in seal skins. The pillow is now on show in his exhibition called Traverse, that's part of the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association Conference being held this week at Waikato University. Traverse also features a large painting to remind people that the word "Kayak" is from the Inuit language, and the vessel was originally a Seal Hunting Boat. Mark Igloliorte tells Lynn Freeman that, just like te reo here in Aotearoa, language is vitally important to his people.