How making viral TikTok videos about Inuit culture brought this mother and son closer

They still can’t quite believe it — 11.7 million views and counting. That’s almost 100 times the entire population of Canada’s North.

“Honestly, it’s kind of weird. It’s super cool, but when you really think about it, you’re like, wow, like, that is just nuts,” said Braden Johnston, who made the viral TikTok video with his mom, Hovak Johnston.

The 56-second clip, posted last month, shows Hovak demonstrating how to cut a piece of muktuk using an ulu, as a spellbound Braden looks on, almost visibly salivating. That’s all there is to it — there’s no clever editing, no music, no gags in this video, just