Inuits
Article by Sofia Kadiri
Revendications
What is a claim/revendication? → It is a complaint that is considered a right, as essential, that is claimed (requested). It is a legal action, in order to establish a law or others.
The rights of most indigenous people to hunt, trap and fish in the territories of their ancestors are examples of ancestral rights, sometimes these are not enough and people claim. In order for a claim to be executed, the Inuit must receive the approval of the governments of Nunavut, Canada and Denmark. These governments have the power to accept a claim, municipal governments are probably also involved.
Examples of Inuit claims: Inuit groups from Canada and Greenland would like to convince 4 governments to let them manage their affairs and travel to part of the Arctic Ocean, one of the most productive environments in the North. The Inuit hope to be able to manage the area of the Arctic Ocean, make it a protected area and move around across international borders. Prior to September 11, 2001, Inuit were able to travel freely by dog sled, small airplanes, or even snowmobiles between islands. They are now claiming those rights that have been taken away from them.
Lifestyle
Living in the difficult conditions of the north of the continent, the Inuit have developed a great resistance to the cold and adapted their way of life to the climate. They created shelters, houses, igloos often made of snow and ice, and clothing to protect them from extreme environmental conditions. Some Inuit are also very spiritual, the people have a multitude of captivating legends and stories.
Nutrition
To feed themselves throughout the year, they hunt marine animals: fish, whales, beluga, walruses, seals, narwhals ... Or terrestrial: polar bears, civets, caribou ...
In summer, they can also hunt sea birds. Most Inuit people eat raw meat. In addition, some people collect lichens and small flowers.
In the territories occupied by the Inuit, the ground is almost always frozen. This then makes it impossible to practice agriculture. As the climate did not leave them too much choice, the Inuit had a nomadic way of life (nowadays they are sedentary). Giving tasks like the Algonquin, they also adopt a patrilineal social structure where the father is a central figure.
Origins
Where are they from?
The Inuit are indigenous to the North American Arctic of the Bering Strait. The territory is over 6000 kilometers. There are also Inuit who live in northern Alaska and Greenland (sometimes even in Russia).
Nomadic or sedentary? A few years ago the Inuit were nomadic, but over time they gradually became sedentary. Nowadays, many still live with hunting and fishing despite their sedentarization.
INUIT POPULATION
Greenland 50,000 (2010)
Russia 1,738 (2010)
Rest of Canada 10,410 (2016)
United States 7,673 (2010)
Total population ≈150,000
"Eskimos"
Inuits are united by a common cultural heritage and a common language. Until recently, people still called the Inuit “Eskimos”, which means “raw meat eater”. Now they prefer to use the less offensive term “Inuit”, which simply means “people”.
Personal Reflexion
"Knowledge of the Indigenous world will improve relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people"
The geography teacher at Collège Mont Notre-Dame, Marie Massé made this statement, I then reflected on why the statement is true in my opinion.
For several years, hundreds of Aboriginal people have suffered unfortunate events and prejudices because of their origin, so our community is trying to find solutions. The Geography teacher now offers us to learn about and be aware of the indigenous world to improve relationships between non-Aboriginals and Aboriginals. In my opinion, knowledge of the Indigenous world could indeed improve relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people for several reasons. This essay will explain in more detail why knowing the Indigenous world would have a positive impact on their relationships.
Prejudices
Most people have an idea of indigenous peoples, for example they claim that they live in tipis, that they have feather headbands, that they live in longhouses, or that they sing and dance all day. Obviously, some of his information is true, but there is more to it. Before doing my research on the Inuit, an indigenous people living in the north, my view of the Inuit was totally different from what I have now. In my head, they were dressed in clothes made from animal skins, they were fishing and Husky dogs carried them on sleds. Now that I know more about this people, their ways of life, their traditions ... I realize that what I thought I knew was only a fraction of the reality of the natives, a reality not always easy and admirable under several points of view.
Claims
For decades several Indigenous peoples have had conflicts with governments and non-Indigenous people, in my opinion, if each learned about the other and had a better understanding of each other's reality and world, there would be less conflict and misunderstanding. Often, it is the natives who are not heard, for example, the Inuit have several claims that have never been realized. I recently read an article written by Heritage of Newfoundland and Labrador on Inuit claims and saw that the majority of claims are not even considered, which I find unfair to Indigenous peoples! The Inuit would like to be able to move freely over part of the Arctic Ocean, but for this they need the approval of three governments, that of Nunavut, Canada and Denmark. In addition, they would like to have the right to move freely by dog sled, small plane, or even snowmobile between the islands, a right they had previously. In short, Inuit peoples like many other Indigenous peoples have a multitude of demands that are not always heeded, but if governments and non-Indigenous people knew better about peoples, perhaps they would grant them rights and would be in a healthier relationship. For now, all indigenous people can do is claim and pressure governments for rights. It remains only for the other non-natives to learn and listen to the natives.
Suicide
We now know that it is essential to listen to indigenous people and at least try to understand them, but the majority do not know why, why is it vital that non-indigenous people know about the indigenous world? Well, already we know it's important to listen to others, native or not, to make sure they feel right and in their place. Nonetheless, beyond all this, I believe that more time and effort should be given to listening to First Nations because the suicide rate among Inuit and First Nations is three times higher than that of non-Indigenous people! This information from the article by Fatima Houda-Pepin (Journal de Montréal) struck me, it is all the more reason to learn more about the Inuit, for non-natives to try to put themselves in their shoes of an indigenous individual. We have to resolve conflicts and give a voice to the Aboriginals to understand, to understand why being part of an indigenous people gives them more chance to take their own lives? Sylvie D'Amours, the Minister of Indigenous Affairs, had alleviated on July 29, 2019, "there is no better way to understand the realities and issues of First Nations and Inuit than to meet them in their communities and their villages and to hear what they have to share with us”, and I am totally convinced of this statement, which confirms that yes, knowing the indigenous world can improve relations between indigenous and non-indigenous people. Furthermore, I am convinced that if the natives see the effort that we are ready to put in for them, to improve their reality and our relationships, they will feel more listened to and respected.
We now know that it is essential to listen to indigenous people and at least try to understand them, but the majority do not know why, why is it vital that non-indigenous people know about the indigenous world? Well, already we know it's important to listen to others, native or not, to make sure they feel right and in their place. Nonetheless, beyond all this, I believe that more time and effort should be given to listening to First Nations because the suicide rate among Inuit and First Nations is three times higher than that of non-Indigenous people! This information from the article by Fatima Houda-Pepin (Journal de Montréal) struck me, it is all the more reason to learn more about the Inuit, for non-natives to try to put themselves in their shoes of an indigenous individual. We have to resolve conflicts and give a voice to the Aboriginals to understand, to understand why being part of an indigenous people gives them more chance to take their own lives? Sylvie D'Amours, the Minister of Indigenous Affairs, had alleviated on July 29, 2019, "there is no better way to understand the realities and issues of First Nations and Inuit than to meet them in their communities and their villages and to hear what they have to share with us”, and I am totally convinced of this statement, which confirms that yes, knowing the indigenous world can improve relations between indigenous and non-indigenous people. Furthermore, I am convinced that if the natives see the effort that we are ready to put in for them, to improve their reality and our relationships, they will feel more listened to and respected. Here are statistics of the suicide rate of First Nations men compared to that of non-Aboriginal men, available on the Statistics Canada site. I found this picture very interesting, you can clearly see the seriousness of the thing.
References
1. ACACIA, Johnson, National Geographic, (online), November 2020, [1], (accessed November 18, 2020).
2. BOB, Weber, Journal Metro, [online] November 23, 2007, [2], (accessed November 24, 2020).
3. HOUDA-PEPIN, Fatima, Le journal de Montréal, [online], August 7, 2019, les-inuits-loin-des-pieds-loin-du-cur, (accessed April 8).
4. Innulitsivik, [online], (n.d) [3], (accessed April 5, 2021).
5.Heritage of Newfoundland and Labrador, [online], 2008, [4], (consulted on November 19, 2020).
6.PROULX, Gilles, Le journal de Montréal, [online], March 18, 2021, [5], (consulted April 7, 2021).
7.Wikipedia, [online], October 23, 2020, [6] ,, (accessed November 9, 2020)
8.Alloprof [online], (n.d) [7], (accessed November 29)
9.Inuulitsivik, [online], (sd), [8], (accessed December 5)
2020-2021
Inuits
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