INUVIALUIT LANGUAGE and IDENTITY: PERSPECTIVES on the SYMBOLIC MEANING of INUVIALUKTUN in the CANADIAN WESTERN ARCTIC by Alexand
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Native Land Claims and the Future of Archaeology in the Northwest Territories, Canada Thomas D
17 Native Land Claims and the Future of Archaeology in the Northwest Territories, Canada Thomas D. Andrews Charles D. Arnnold Elisa J. Hart Margaret M. Bertulli The settlement of comprehensive land claims is ushering in major changes in the manage ment of land and resources in the Northwest Territories, including heritage resources. This chap ter summarizes the progress that has been made in completing land claims, anticipates the impact that the claims will have on the way archaeological research is conducted, and discusses how the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) is responding to these changes. Suggestions for dealing with the current social and political setting in the design and implementation of archaeological projects are also presented. OUTLINE OF NATIVE LAND CLAIMS IN THE NORTHWEST TERRITORIES In the early 1970s, the Government of Canada established a comprehensive claims policy to guide negotiations with Native groups in settling Aboriginal interests in lands that they tradition ally occupied. Although the Northwest Territories has its own legislative assembly and its own bureaucracy to administer most of the business of government, the Government of Canada has the sole responsibility for settling Aboriginal land claims in the Northwest Territories. The Indigenous peoples of the Northwest Territories are the Inuit, the Dene, the Cree, and the Metis. The Inuit include the Inuvialuit of the Beaufort Sea and Amundson Gulf areas of the west ern Arctic, who, in 1984, were the first Aboriginal group in the Northwest Territories to settle a land claim with the Government of Canada (see Figure 1). In May, 1993, the Inuit of the eastern Arctic, an area commonly referred to as “Nunavut” signed a final agreement on a land claim. -
Understanding Aboriginal and Treaty Rights in the Northwest Territories: Chapter 2: Early Treaty-Making in the NWT
Understanding Aboriginal and Treaty Rights in the Northwest Territories: Chapter 2: Early Treaty-making in the NWT he first chapter in this series, Understanding Aboriginal The Royal Proclamation Tand Treaty Rights in the NWT: An Introduction, touched After Great Britain defeated France for control of North briefly on Aboriginal and treaty rights in the NWT. This America, the British understood the importance of chapter looks at the first contact between Aboriginal maintaining peace and good relations with Aboriginal peoples and Europeans. The events relating to this initial peoples. That meant setting out rules about land use contact ultimately shaped early treaty-making in the NWT. and Aboriginal rights. The Royal Proclamation of 1763 Early Contact is the most important statement of British policy towards Aboriginal peoples in North America. The Royal When European explorers set foot in North America Proclamation called for friendly relations with Aboriginal they claimed the land for the European colonial powers peoples and noted that “great frauds and abuses” had they represented. This amounted to European countries occurred in land dealings. The Royal Proclamation also asserting sovereignty over North America. But, in practice, said that only the Crown could legally buy Aboriginal their power was built up over time by settlement, trade, land and any sale had to be made at a “public meeting or warfare, and diplomacy. Diplomacy in these days included assembly of the said Indians to be held for that purpose.” entering into treaties with the indigenous Aboriginal peoples of what would become Canada. Some of the early treaty documents aimed for “peace and friendship” and refer to Aboriginal peoples as “allies” rather than “subjects”, which suggests that these treaties could be interpreted as nation-to-nation agreements. -
Indigenous Languages
INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES PRE-TEACH/PRE-ACTIVITY Have students look at the Indigenous languages and/or language groups that are displayed on the map. Discuss where this data came from (the 2016 census) and what biases or problems this data may have, such as the fear of self-identifying based on historical reasons or current gaps in data. Take some time to look at how censuses are performed, who participates in them, and what they can learn from the data that is and is not collected. Refer to the online and poster map of Indigenous Languages in Canada featured in the 2017 November/December issue of Canadian Geographic, and explore how students feel about the number of speakers each language has and what the current data means for the people who speak each language. Additionally, look at the language families listed and the names of each language used by the federal government in collecting this data. Discuss with students why these may not be the correct names and how they can help in the reconciliation process by using the correct language names. LEARNING OUTCOMES: • Students will learn about the number and • Students will learn about the importance of diversity of languages and language groups language and the ties it has to culture. spoken by Indigenous Peoples in Canada. • Students will become engaged in learning a • Students will learn that Indigenous Peoples local Indigenous language. in Canada speak many languages and that some languages are endangered. INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES Foundational knowledge and perspectives FIRST NATIONS “One of the first acts of colonization and settlement “Our languages are central to our ceremonies, our rela- is to name the newly ‘discovered’ land in the lan- tionships to our lands, the animals, to each other, our guage of the colonizers or the ‘discoverers.’ This is understandings, of our worlds, including the natural done despite the fact that there are already names world, our stories and our laws.” for these places that were given by the original in- habitants. -
The Importance of Continuous Dialogue in Community-Based Wildlife Monitoring: Case Studies of Dzan and Łuk Dagaii in the Gwich’In Settlement Area1
1 ARTICLE The importance of continuous dialogue in community-based wildlife monitoring: case studies of dzan and łuk dagaii in the Gwich’in Settlement Area1 Rachel A. Hovel, Jeremy R. Brammer, Emma E. Hodgson, Amy Amos, Trevor C. Lantz, Chanda Turner, Tracey A. Proverbs, and Sarah Lord Abstract: Rapid environmental change in the Arctic elicits numerous concerns for ecosystems, natural resources, and ways of life. Robust monitoring is essential to adaptation and management in light of these challenges, and community-based monitoring (CBM) projects can enhance these efforts by highlighting traditional knowledge, ensuring that questions are locally important, and informing natural resource conservation and management. Implementation of CBM projects can vary widely depending on project goals, the communities, and the partners involved, and we feel there is value in sharing CBM project examples in different contexts. Here, we describe two projects in the Gwich’in Settlement Area (GSA), Canada, and highlight the process in which local management agencies set monitoring and research priorities. Dzan (muskrat; Ondatra zibethicus (Linnaeus, 1766)) and łuk dagaii (broad whitefish; Coregonus nasus (Pallas, 1776)) are species of great cultural importance and are the focus of CBM projects conducted with concurrent social science research. We share challenges and lessons from our experiences, offer For personal use only. insights into operating CBM projects in the GSA, and present resources for researchers interested in pursuing wildlife research in this region. CBM projects provide rich opportuni- ties for benefitting managers, communities, and external researchers, particularly when the projects are built on a foundation of careful and continuous dialogue between partners. -
Gwich'in Nomination Chapter
Nagwichoonjik, the ‘river through a big country’ Gwich’in Chapter Nomination of the Mackenzie River as a Canadian Heritage River Prepared by Randy Freeman, DownNorth Consulting, Yellowknife October 6, 2005 2 The Mackenzie River corridor from Vihtr’ii tshik [Thunder River] to about Srehtadhadlaii [Point Separation] … was important for a number of reasons. It was one of the links connecting the different regions, and most families travelled on the river at some point during the year. Many families also spent the summer season at one of the fish camps located on both sides of the river. The sites for the great summer gatherings of ts’ii deii days were also located along this stretch of the river. So important is the river that, in [Gwich’in Elder] Gabe Andre’s words, it is a ‘highway’ of the Gwichya Gwich’in.1 1 Michael Heine, Alestine Andre, Ingrid Kritsch, Alma Cardinal and the Elders of Tsiigehtchic. Gwichya Gwich’in Googwandak: The History and Stories of the Gwichya Gwich’in. (Tsiigehtchic and Yellowknife, NT: Gwich’in Social and Cultural Institute, 2001) 59. Nagwichoonjik, the ‘river through a big country’ 3 Introduction Nagwichoonjik is the traditional Gwich’in name for the Mackenzie River. The name means ‘river through a big country’ and for the Gwich’in of the Northwest Territories it’s both literally and figuratively their main ‘highway’, the backbone of their traditional lands. Background The Gwich’in inhabit an expanse of sub-arctic boreal forest stretching from the interior of Alaska eastward through northern Yukon to the lower Mackenzie valley of the Northwest Territories. -
Y-Chromosome Analysis Reveals Genetic Divergence and New Founding Native Lineages in Athapaskan- and Eskimoan-Speaking Populations
Y-chromosome analysis reveals genetic divergence and new founding native lineages in Athapaskan- and Eskimoan-speaking populations Matthew C. Dulika, Amanda C. Owingsa, Jill B. Gaieskia, Miguel G. Vilara, Alestine Andreb, Crystal Lenniec, Mary Adele Mackenzied, Ingrid Kritschb, Sharon Snowshoeb, Ruth Wrightb, James Martind, Nancy Gibsond, Thomas D. Andrewse, Theodore G. Schurra,1, and The Genographic Consortium2 aDepartment of Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6398; bGwich’in Social and Cultural Institute, Tsiigehtchic, NT, Canada X0E 0B0; cInuvialuit Regional Corporation, Inuvik, NT, Canada X0E 0T0; dTłįchǫ Community Services Agency, Behchoko, NT, Canada X0E 0Y0; and ePrince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, Yellowknife, NT, Canada X1A 2L9 Edited* by Francisco Mauro Salzano, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil, and approved April 10, 2012 (received for review November 21, 2011) For decades, the peopling of the Americas has been explored mtDNA data (5). Even the dental traits used to justify a three- through the analysis of uniparentally inherited genetic systems in migration hypothesis did not group all Na-Dene speakers into Native American populations and the comparison of these genetic a single category separate from the other two (Amerind and data with current linguistic groupings. In northern North America, Eskimo-Aleut) groups and furthermore, suggested the inclusion two language families predominate: Eskimo-Aleut and Na-Dene. of Aleuts with Athapaskan speakers from northwestern America Although the genetic evidence from nuclear and mtDNA loci (3). Thus, although it is generally accepted that the two language suggest that speakers of these language families share a distinct families differ from each other, it is not clear whether they have biological origin, this model has not been examined using data from different genetic origins or instead, are the result of separate paternally inherited Y chromosomes. -
Kwakwaka'wakw Storytelling: Preserving Ancient Legends
MARCUS CHALMERS VERONIKA KARSHINA CARLOS VELASQUEZ KWAKWAKA'WAKW STORYTELLING: PRESERVING ANCIENT LEGENDS ADVISORS: SPONSOR: Professor Creighton Peet David Neel Dr. Thomas Balistrieri This report represents the work of WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of a degree requirement. WPI routinely published these reports on its website without editorial or peer review. For more information about the projects program at WPI, seehttp://www.wpi.edu/Academics/Projects Image: Neel D. (n.d.) Crooked Beak KWAKWAKA'WAKW i STORYTELLING Kwakwaka'wakw Storytelling: Reintroducing Ancient Legends An Interactive Qualifying Project submitted to the faculty of Worcester Polytechnic Institute in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Science. Submitted by: Marcus Chalmers Veronika Karshina Carlos Velasquez Submitted to: David A. Neel, Northwest Coast native artist, author, and project sponsor Professor Creighton Peet Professor Thomas Balistrieri Date submitted: March 5, 2021 This report represents the work of WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of a degree requirement. WPI routinely published these reports on its website without editorial or peer review. For more information about the projects program at WPI, see http://www.wpi.edu/Academics/Projects ABSTRACT ii ABSTRACT Kwakwaka'wakw Storytelling: Preserving Ancient Legends Neel D. (2021) The erasure of Kwakwaka'wakw First Nations' rich culture and history has transpired for hundreds of years. This destruction of heritage has caused severe damage to traditional oral storytelling and the history and knowledge interwoven with this ancient practice. Under the guidance of Northwest Coast artist and author David Neel, we worked towards reintroducing this storytelling tradition to contemporary audiences through modern media and digital technologies. -
Documenting Linguistic Knowledge in an Inuit Language Atlas
Document generated on 10/01/2021 7:23 p.m. Études Inuit Studies Documenting Linguistic Knowledge in an Inuit Language Atlas Documenter les connaissances linguistiques dans un atlas en langue inuit Kumiko Murasugi and Monica Ittusardjuat Curriculum scolaire inuit Article abstract Inuit School Curriculum The traditional method of orally transmitting language is weakening with the Volume 40, Number 2, 2016 passing of fluent Elders and language erosion in contemporary Inuit society. Language documentation is a vital component of language maintenance and URI: https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/1055437ar revitalization. In this paper we present a pilot online, multimedia DOI: https://doi.org/10.7202/1055437ar cybercartographic Atlas of the Inuit Language in Canada, the goal of which is to help protect and strengthen the vitality of Inuit dialects through the documentation of their words. The main component of the atlas is a See table of contents multidialectal database of written and spoken words. We discuss the role of dictionaries in language documentation, introduce the features of the atlas, explore the appeal of the atlas to different types of users (in particular, Publisher(s) language learners), and present future directions for the atlas project. Centre interuniversitaire d’études et de recherches autochtones (CIÉRA) ISSN 0701-1008 (print) 1708-5268 (digital) Explore this journal Cite this article Murasugi, K. & Ittusardjuat, M. (2016). Documenting Linguistic Knowledge in an Inuit Language Atlas. Études Inuit Studies, 40(2), 169–190. https://doi.org/10.7202/1055437ar Tous droits réservés © La revue Études Inuit Studies, 2019 This document is protected by copyright law. Use of the services of Érudit (including reproduction) is subject to its terms and conditions, which can be viewed online. -
PALATALIZATION and ‘STRONG’ /I/ ACROSS INUIT DIALECTS*
PALATALIZATION AND ‘STRONG’ /i/ ACROSS INUIT * DIALECTS Richard Compton and B. Elan Dresher University of Toronto Inuit dialects that show palatalization all distinguish between ‘strong i’ and ‘weak i’. This distinction descends from a contrast in the proto-language between */i/, which causes palatalization, and */ə/ (the ‘fourth vowel’), which does not. All Inuit dialects that have completely lost the contrast between these vowels also lack palatalization. This raises the question, why are there no /i a u/ dialects in which all i trigger palatalization? We propose that this typological gap is not accidental. According to the Contrastivist Hypothesis, only contrastive features can be active in the phonology. Contrastive features are determined by a contrastive hierarchy. We propose that the Inuit contrastive hierarchy is [low] > [labial] > [coronal]. It follows from these assumptions that i can trigger palatalization only if in contrast with a fourth vowel. 1. Introduction Proto-Eskimo had four vowels, */i ə a u/ (Fortescue et al. 1994). They survive as distinct vowels in the Yupik branch of Eskimo but, apart from some sub- dialects of Alaskan Inupiaq, no surface /ə/ remains in the Inuit branch. In most Inuit dialects, this vowel merged with */i/. Original */i/ could cause palatalization of consonants, and some Inuit dialects show palatalization (or former palatalization) (Dorais 2003: 33). In these dialects it is traditional to distinguish between ‘strong i’, which descends from */i/ and causes palatalization, and ‘weak i’, which descends from */ə/ and does not. In some of these dialects the two types of i exhibit other kinds of distinct behaviour as well. -
Aboriginal Languages and Selected Vitality Indicators in 2011
Catalogue no. 89-655-X— No. 001 ISBN 978-1-100-24855-4 Aboriginal Languages and Selected Vitality Indicators in 2011 by Stéphanie Langlois and Annie Turner Release date: October 16, 2014 How to obtain more information For information about this product or the wide range of services and data available from Statistics Canada, visit our website, www.statcan.gc.ca. You can also contact us by email at [email protected], telephone, from Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the following toll-free numbers: • Statistical Information Service 1-800-263-1136 • National telecommunications device for the hearing impaired 1-800-363-7629 • Fax line 1-877-287-4369 Depository Services Program • Inquiries line 1-800-635-7943 • Fax line 1-800-565-7757 To access this product This product, Catalogue no. 89-655-X, is available free in electronic format. To obtain a single issue, visit our website, www.statcan.gc.ca, and browse by “Key resource” > “Publications.” Standards of service to the public Statistics Canada is committed to serving its clients in a prompt, reliable and courteous manner. To this end, Statistics Canada has developed standards of service that its employees observe. To obtain a copy of these service standards, please contact Statistics Canada toll-free at 1-800-263-1136. The service standards are also published on www.statcan.gc.ca under “About us” > “The agency” > “Providing services to Canadians.” Standard symbols Published by authority of the Minister responsible for Statistics Canada The following symbols are used in Statistics Canada publications: . -
Project Summary Report April 30Th, 2020
Improving Communication on Climate Change and Long-Range Contaminants for Communities and Researchers in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region Project Summary Report April 30th, 2020 [Type here] Background It is well recognized that climate change will have significant impacts on not only the physical landscape, but also on social and economic landscapes within the Arctic. More specifically, climate change represents “an acute threat to socioecological systems, one that disproportionately impacts Arctic peoples”1. How these impacts will be transferred to the level of human activity remains uncertain. Therefore, the need to standardize and ensure comprehensibility of climate change wording and concepts in Inuvialuktun, is imperative in supporting informed responses by Inuvialuit communities to climate change. Climate change impacts to the Arctic environment has also sparked an unprecedented growth in climate change research being conducted in Arctic communities across the globe. This growth in research has resulted in increasingly more sophisticated and specialized terminology being used in climate change discourse. As a direct result of this advancement in scientific terminology, climate change information relayed to Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR) communities has become increasingly difficult to comprehend, both conceptually and linguistically. More importantly, how an issue is framed by academic or political discourse can significantly affect the interpretation and thus the responses provided. Consequently, the gap between Traditional Knowledge (TK) and the scientific community has continued to increase over time, creating an unfortunate disconnect between researchers, politicians and ISR community members. Sallirmiutun, Uummarmiutun, and Kangiryuarmiutun, collectively known as the Inuvialuktun language, are the three dialects spoken in the ISR (Figure 1). The Inuvialuktun language is spoken by fewer than 50 per cent of the population, many of whom are Elders. -
Meaningful Consultation, Meaningful Participants and Meaning Making: Inuvialuit Perspectives on the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline and the Climate Crisis
Meaningful Consultation, Meaningful Participants and Meaning Making: Inuvialuit Perspectives on the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline and the Climate Crisis by Letitia Pokiak BA Anthropology, from the University of Alberta, 2003 A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS in the Department of Anthropology © Letitia Pokiak, 2020 University of Victoria All rights reserved. This Thesis may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without the permission of the author. We acknowledge with respect the Lekwungen peoples on whose traditional territory the university stands and the Songhees, Esquimalt and WSÁNEĆ peoples whose historical relationships with the land continue to this day. Supervisory Committee Meaningful Consultation, Meaningful Participants and Meaning Making: Inuvialuit Perspectives on the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline and the Climate Crisis by Letitia Pokiak BA ANTHROPOLOGY, from the University of Alberta, 2003 Supervisory Committee Dr. Brian Thom, Department of Anthropology Supervisor Dr. Robert Hancock, Department of Anthropology Departmental Member ii Abstract This Inuvialuit ‘story’ revolves around the Inuvialuit uprising and resurgence against government and industrial encroachment, and the self determination efforts to regain sovereignty of traditional territories. This ‘story’ also discusses how meaningful consultation made the Inuvialuit Final Agreement a reality, through which Inuvialuit land rights and freedoms were formally acknowledged and entrenched in the Canadian Constitution. Through meaningful consultation, Inuvialuit have become ‘meaningful participants’ in sustainable and future-making decisions of Inuvialuit nunangat (Inuvialuit lands) and waters, with respect to the Inuvialuit People and natural beings that Inuvialuit depend upon and maintain relationship with. As ‘meaningful participants’, Inuvialuit have the sovereign rights to “make meaning” and carve out a future as a sovereign nation within the country of Canada.