Sociopolitical Organization of the Canadian Inuits (Post by Andrea Townsend via Jacqualine Walker)

   There are many different groups of Canadian Inuit, the main groups being: Labrador Inuit, Ungava or New Quebec Inuit, Baffin Island, Igloolik, Caribou, Netsilik, Copper and Western Arctic Inuit. The Inuit people live in small groups or bands consisting of family and friends. There is no official “chain of command” although the most skillful hunter might be considered a “leader”. Leadership is recognized at the household and family level. Broader leadership is given to those men recognized as great hunters and powerful shamans. Informal village councils composed of elder men of the village settle local level disputes. The sociopolitical structure was built around sharing and trade between families, multi-family settlements, bands, and regional groupings of bands. War and conflict was very rare between Inuit groups. Each of the Inuit groups value self-restraint and sharing as traits of their culture. With sharing as the basis of their culture, the Inuit people survive the harsh environment and elements by depending on each other for food, equipment, clothing and money between not only their family and friends, but also their communities.

    For many generations the Inuit have lived according to an unwritten system of self-governance. Members of Inuit tribes were expected to work selflessly for the common good and survival of the people. Those who threatened the safety and security of these once nomadic peoples, were dealt with in ways that ensured the stability of the community. This resulted in the tribes maintaining a relatively peaceful existence. All of this began to change as outsiders brought their laws to the northernmost regions of Canada. Along with the attempts to assimilate Aboriginal peoples into mainstream Canadian life, former practices were greatly disrupted.

   The term Nunangat refers to the Inuit homeland which comprises the land, water and ice contained in the Arctic region. “In 2011, approximately 73 per cent of all Inuit in Canada lived in Inuit Nunangat, with nearly half living in Nunavut, followed by Nunavik (in northern Québec), Nunatsiavut (located along the northern coast of Labrador), and the western arctic (Northwest Territories and Yukon), known as Inuvialuit.” The traditional Inuit practices included hunting and gathering. “Large regional groupings were loosely separated into smaller seasonal groups, winter camps (called "bands") of around 100 people and summer hunting groups of fewer than a dozen.” Bands were roughly identified based on their location.

   Over the course of 4000 years, the Arctic region has encountered the appearance of outsiders who brought with them continual cultural change, such as the Norse in the 11th century. “The subsequent arrival of explorers, whalers, traders, missionaries, scientists and others began irreversible cultural changes.” Acting as trail guides, survival guides, and traders, the Inuit actively participated in the exchange of culture. “Despite adjustments made by the Inuit over the past three centuries and the loss of some traditional features, Inuit culture persists — often with a greater reflective awareness.”

   The Indian Act: Canadian statute; registered Indians, their bands, Indian reservations. Passed in 1876, governs how Canadian state is to interact with bands and their members.

   The Inuit, never subject to the Indian Act, were largely ignored by the Canadian government until 1939. A court ruling that the Inuit were a federal responsibility but not to be subjected to the policies of the Indian Act. Instead, “what followed were policies that enforced assimilation into a Canadian way of life”. A nomadic peoples, their lives were transformed through forced relocation into sedentary communities. Disc numbers were introduced for an administrative need to replace the Inuit naming system. This system used location based serial numbers and was seen as fostering structural inequality.

   Beginning to organize politically in the 1960s and 1970s, in response to the assimilative policies and government restrictions on their ancestral lands, a group of Inuit people formed the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada. Created in 1971, this organization supports and advocates for the interests of all Inuit living in Nunangat. “Such interests represent an array of interconnected issues and challenges, including social, cultural, political, and environmental concerns.” With the passage of the Nunavut Land Claim Agreement Act in 1993, and the building of a strong political base of politically experienced leaders, a relatively smooth transition to the status of official territory was achieved in 1999. “Despite gains made in self-government and other fields like business, teaching, transportation, medicine and broadcasting, many Inuit in northern communities face significant challenges, such as living in some of the most crowded conditions in Canada.” The Inuit have lacked adequate housing and have suffered related health issues due to overcrowded conditions and lack of access to healthcare. With a suicide rate among Inuit youth much higher than that of for the rest of Canada, suicide prevention is a key component for continual cultural growth.

Sources

Anthony William Smith. (2013). Inuit - The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved from The Canadian Encyclopedia: http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com