Placing Identity: Town, Land, and Authenticity in Nunavut, Canada

Searles, Edmund

doi:10.1080/08003831.2010.527531

Cited by 35 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Equally, research has indicated that social networks through which traditional foods are shared between and within households are often weaker in RICs, a function of demographics, predominance of livelihoods based on the waged economy, in-migration and transiency in habitation [47-49]. Moreover, the larger settlements, while increasingly prosperous, have significant pockets of inequality, characterized by high and persistent unemployment, poverty, and house overcrowding [50,51].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The characteristics and experience of community food program users in arctic Canada: a case study from Iqaluit, Nunavut

2012

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BackgroundCommunity food programs (CFPs), including soup kitchens and food banks, are a recent development in larger settlements in the Canadian Arctic. Our understanding of utilization of these programs is limited as food systems research has not studied the marginalised and transient populations using CFPs, constraining service planning for some of the most vulnerable community members. This paper reports on a baseline study conducted with users of CFPs in Iqaluit, Nunavut, to identify and characterize utilization and document their food security experience.MethodsOpen ended interviews and a fixed-choice survey on a census (n = 94) were conducted with of users of the food bank, soup kitchen, and friendship centre over a 1 month period, along with key informant interviews.ResultsUsers of CFPs are more likely to be Inuit, be unemployed, and have not completed high school compared to the general Iqaluit population, while also reporting high dependence on social assistance, low household income, and an absence of hunters in the household. The majority report using CFPs for over a year and on a regular basis.ConclusionsThe inability of users to obtain sufficient food must be understood in the context of socio-economic transformations that have affected Inuit society over the last half century as former semi-nomadic hunting groups were resettled into permanent settlements. The resulting livelihood changes profoundly affected how food is produced, processed, distributed, and consumed, and the socio-cultural relationships surrounding such activities. Consequences have included the rising importance of material resources for food access, the weakening of social safety mechanisms through which more vulnerable community members would have traditionally been supported, and acculturative stress. Addressing these broader challenges is essential for food policy, yet CFPs also have an essential role in providing for those who would otherwise have limited food access.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The characteristics and experience of community food program users in arctic Canada: a case study from Iqaluit, Nunavut

2012

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“…Many Indigenous groups in Canada have been reclaiming traditional practices, relearning land and hunting skills, and revitalizing Indigenous languages in the wake of the colonial experience (Corntassel, Chaw-win-is, & T'lakwadzi, 2009;Pauktuutit, 2012;Qikiqtani Inuit Association, 2010;Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, 2012). Time on the land has been incorporated into healing programs for adults and youth struggling with substance misuse, trauma, incarceration, and the effects of collective/intergenerational trauma (Berman, 2009;Brady, 1995;Dorais, 2005;Lyons, 2010;Robbins & Dewar, 2011;Searles, 2001Searles, , 2010. The power nuna (land) holds for Nunavummiut is enriching and healing.…”

Section: Literature Review and Consultationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Various studies support land-based programs and the incorporation of time on the land for healing and reconnecting with one's Indigenous heritage (Ilisaqsivik, 2010a(Ilisaqsivik, , 2010bSearles, 2010;Takano, 2005;Tierney, 2007;Wilson, 2003). Many Indigenous groups in Canada have been reclaiming traditional practices, relearning land and hunting skills, and revitalizing Indigenous languages in the wake of the colonial experience (Corntassel, Chaw-win-is, & T'lakwadzi, 2009;Pauktuutit, 2012;Qikiqtani Inuit Association, 2010;Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, 2012).…”

Section: Literature Review and Consultationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The large, growing population of youth, and concerns about the mental health of young Nunavummiut 1 , prompted a series of studies and public engagement sessions about Rothenberg, & Sheps, 2006), are factors contributing to the mental health challenges in today's communities. Previous research has indicated that many young Inuit today do not feel a connection to or sense of stewardship for the land (avatittinik kamatsiarniq), or knowledge of harvesting skills and practices that are highly regarded in Inuit society (Nunavut Tunngavik, 2011;Searles, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Eight Ujarait (Rocks) Model: Supporting Inuit Adolescent Mental Health With an Intervention Model Based on Inuit Ways of Knowing

Healey

Noah²,

Mearns³

2016

IJIH

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Objective: This study responded to a community-identified need to form an evidence base for interventions to promote mental health and wellness among youth in Nunavut. Methods: A literature review was conducted using the terms adolescence and Inuit and intervention or program or camp or land-based. PubMed and Google Scholar databases were used to find peerreviewed and grey literature on community-based youth programs. The literature review was presented to parents, elders, and youth for discussion over several months in [2009][2010]. Results: Key themes included: self-esteem, physical activity, stress and coping, positive peer relationships, Inuit identity, mental health and well-being, and the effects of intergenerational trauma on youth in Nunavut. Themes were incorporated into a model for youth mental health interventions based on Inuit terminology, philosophy, and societal values-the Eight Ujarait/Rocks Model. The model was implemented as a camp program in 6 pilots in 5 communities from 2011 to 2013. Data were collected before and after the camp. Results indicated that the program fostered physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellness among youth. Parent observations of participants included an improvement in behaviour and attitude, strong cultural pride, greater confidence in identity, and improved family and community relationships. Conclusion: Evidence-based, community-driven models for youth mental health interventions in the North hold promise. The application of one such model through a camp program had a lasting impact on the individuals involved, beyond their immediate participation. Long-term monitoring of the participants, and ongoing evaluations of camps as they continue to unfold across Nunavut, are needed to contribute to the robust evidence base for this program over time.

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“…What does it mean to be Inuit today? Ned Searles (2001Searles ( , 2002Searles ( , 2006Searles ( , 2008Searles ( , 2010 through his extensive ethnographic work discusses the dialectics between modernity and tradition. He attempts to identify the components or main features of Inuit-ness, so to speak.…”

Section: From the Inuit's 'Traditional' Way-of-life To 'Modernity'mentioning

confidence: 99%

Inuit Identity and Technology: An Exploration of the Use of Facebook by Inuit Youth

Castleton¹

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This thesis engages in a broad discussion of technology, communications, identity, and cultural change in the Canadian Arctic. Using an ethnographic methodological strategy, it looks at how a group of Inuit college students in Iqaluit use the online social network Facebook. It was found that Inuit youth are intensive users of Facebook, basically using it to communicate with their communities of origin, to maintain friends and family ties across a vast territory, to access cultural referents on Facebook groups, discuss issues, shape their identity, ask questions, access pictures of the land and recall traditions. In these Facebook groups, there is a cultural memory and remembrance of the past collectively established through the hypertext of Facebook which further shows how technology is incorporated and adapted to a culture rather than being undermined by that technology's incorporation. In this sense, Inuit youth "travel" through Facebook using it for their own purposes such as accessing cultural referents of the land in a multimedia interface. This research also argues, from an actor-network perspective, that Inuit youth are immersed in a culture of connectivity (van Dijck, 2013) through which social life and experiences are increasingly mediated by social network sites. 2 groups 1 (Scobie and Rodgers, 2013). The site is extensively used and has acquired a special presence in the media-scape, and plays an important role in defining Inuit presence on the Internet.Previous literature on how indigenous peoples have used media and communication technologies tended to looked at this relation positively

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Placing Identity: Town, Land, and Authenticity in Nunavut, Canada

Cited by 35 publications

References 11 publications

The characteristics and experience of community food program users in arctic Canada: a case study from Iqaluit, Nunavut

The characteristics and experience of community food program users in arctic Canada: a case study from Iqaluit, Nunavut

The Eight Ujarait (Rocks) Model: Supporting Inuit Adolescent Mental Health With an Intervention Model Based on Inuit Ways of Knowing

Inuit Identity and Technology: An Exploration of the Use of Facebook by Inuit Youth

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