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Nunavut Generations

Change and Continuity in Canadian Inuit Communities

Ann McElroy

Change in arctic populations has not been a sudden phenomenon, but rather a gradual process that has occurred over a number of generations. In this longitudinal case study, McElroy introduces readers to four Baffin Island communities in the eastern Canadian Arctic and focuses on the challenges and hardships they face in transition from hunting-gathering lifestyles to wage employment and political participation in towns. Through long-term fieldwork, historical material, and life histories collected from elders, Nunavut Generations richly illustrates political and ecological change alongside native stability and self-determination.

$16.50 list, 187 pages

10-digit ISBN: 1-57766-489-2

13-digit ISBN: 978-1-57766-489-5

© 2008

“This is an outstanding examination of Nunavumiut sociocultural dynamics through the last fifty years. McElroy skillfully blends elements of her own research (and personal experiences) with a critical overview of the social, economic, and political developments affecting Inuit in the late twentieth century. This work captures the nuances, as well as the ‘facts,’ leading up to and during the creation of Nunavut.”  — George Wenzel, McGill University

 “An erudite book on the process of doing ethnographic research and the nature of interactions with people in the field. Excellent for students with no prior research experience.”  — Wanni Anderson, Brown University

Table of Contents

1. Inuit and Astronauts

The Human Geography of Nunavut / What Is the Difference between "Inuit" and "Eskimos"? / The Theme of "Generation" / Adaptation and the Colonial Footprint / Organization of the Book / Why This Book?

2. Early Encounters

Ancestors and Origins / Contacts with Europeans in Eastern Canada / Commercial Whaling / Inuit as Cultural Brokers / Trading Companies / Memories of Traders

3. Dance from the Heart

The Myth of Sedna / Missionaries / Traditional Inuit Healing and the Arrival of Western Medicine / Royal Canadian Mounted Police / Military Influences

4. Living with the People

First Fieldwork / A Humbling Experience: Field Notes / Mosquitoes, Tourists, and Anthropologists / Doctoral Research / 1992 to 2006

5. Becoming Townspeople

An Inuit Perspective on Migration / Moving to Iqaluit / Moving to Pangnirtung / Moving to Cape Dorset (Kinngait) / Moving to Qikiqtarjuaq / Memories of Living in Town

6. Growing Up Biculturally

Birth and Neonatal Care / Naming Practices / Infancy / The Toddler / Encountering a Wider World / The Middle Years / Teachers and School Principals / What Did Inuit Parents Want? / The Extinction Myth: A Series of Flawed Assumptions

7. Relocation and Loss

A Traumatized Generation / Mina and Lucassie

8. Finding a Political Voice

The Dream of Nunavut / Impacts of Nunavut / Elders' Views of Nunavut / Food Security in Nunavut / A Vision for Nunavut

Epilogue

Glossary