Creating Culturally-Safe Spaces and Care for Inuit Women and Their Families A Resource Guide for Service Providers Did you know this about Inuit? 1 I • 65,000 in Canada Inuit Nunangat means Inuit • 27 percent live outside Inuit Nunangat ᐃᓄᕕᐊᓗᐃᑦ Nunangat ‘Inuit Homeland’ Inuvialuit • 51 percent are under 25 years of age and includes the • Are the fastest growing population in Canada Inuvialuit Settlement • Inuit means people, Inuk is one person ᓄᓇᕗᑦ Nuna vut • Inuktitut has over 15 dialects and is written in Region, Nunavik, ᓄᓇᑦᓯᐊᕗᑦ Nunatsiavut Inuktitut syllabics ᓄᓇᕕᒃ Nunatsiavut, and Nunavik As a service provider, understanding the lived experience of Inuit women clients is key to providing culturally-competent Nunavut. quality care. Why do Inuit women move south? Contemporary realities 2 Reasons for relocating are often linked to the impacts of Social and economic ine—qualities colonization. • Number of physicians per person • 30 per 100,000 in Nunavut Pull Factors • 119 per 100,000 in urban centres • Higher education • Median income across Inuit Nunangat • Employment • $23,485 for Inuit • Family unity and reunification • $92,011 for non-Inuit Push Factors • Percentage of households without enough food • Lack of services • 70 per cent of Inuit in Nunavut • High cost of living • 8 per cent in the rest of Canada • Health care • Overcrowded homes in Inuit Nunangat • Overcrowded, inadequate, or unaffordable housing • 52 per cent of Inuit • 9 per cent of non-Inuit Colonization These realities depict the continuing effects of colonization, including impacts on health, such as TB with a rate 300 times Inuit have a 5,000-year history of distinct worldview and beliefs higher among Inuit vs the Canadian born non-indigenous population. yet recently have endured rapid acculturation. Between the Learn about TB, and the Inuit Tuberculosis Elimination Framework. 3 1920s and 1990s, Canada’s federal government exercised control with policies that: Root causes of abuse • led to the loss of individual/collective autonomy, and intergenerational trauma; • disrupted a thousands-year-old nomadic culture by forced Loss of Trauma Fear relocation to the high Arctic and permanent settlements; Cul ture Breakdown Mistrust Cycle • removed children from their families and communities to in Families of Abuse residential schools; Loss of Alcohol use Abuse Denial • led to forced and coerced medical treatment, sudden Control Powerles sness removal, relocation and multi-year institutionalization for tuberculosis (TB) treatment; • led to the killing of sled dogs the sole land transportation, vital for hunting, protection and the — 1 Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (2018), Inuit Statistical Profile 2018 w Inuit way of life; and 2 https://www.itk.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Social_Inequity_ w • created mistrust of non-Inuit including health/social Infographic_English.pdf w 3 https://www.itk.ca/inuittbeliminationframework/ . service providers, public institutions (schools, police, p 4 Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada (2006), National Strategy to Prevent a government), and others with perceived power. u Abuse in Inuit Communities k t u u t i t . c a Safety and violence Inuit communication styles Inuit women who move south may be seeking safety for Create a safe space by becoming aware of how Inuit communicate. themselves and their children. Intimate partner violence (IPV) • Be attentive to non-verbal cues ates in Inuit Nunangat are 14 times the national average, yet r • Raising of eyebrows means yes . only 15 women’s shelters service 51 communities across Inuit • Scrunching of the nose means no . Nunangat, most of which are fly-in. However, life in urban centers may also present risks and challenges for Inuit • Attentive listening women and their families • Show you are listening and respectful by being patient allow for silence before expecting or giving a response.— Leaving home is socially and • Observation and reflection financially costly. A flight south • Not indicating an acknowledgement may reveal reflection, not a lack often exceeds $2,000/person. of understanding. SILENCE • Be mindful Inuit may be Moving south reluctant to ask questions and ≠ • Social norms may not reveal pain or other CONSENT • Inuit smile when greeting, and it is customary to share food symptoms. and visit without planning or knocking. • Effective information sharing • Respecting individual decision-making is deeply valued. • Inuit hold a holistic world view, • New surroundings so explaining purpose and • City life may be disorienting (public transit, trees, hospitals, outcomes is important. skyrises). • Speak in clear, plain language. • Language barriers are challenging for those who do not speak English. • Ask questions like, “Is this helpful?,” “Does this make sense?,” and • Loss of social network “Do you have any questions?” • Without family and friends nearby, Inuit women may feel isolated. • When providing medication information, explain side effects, how to prevent them, the purpose of the • Access to housing medication, expected outcomes, and the importance • Securing housing is often challenging. Your clients may not of taking all of it. have a permanent home. 5 • New challenges • Create welcoming spaces by learning Inuktitut words • Inuit women may experience negative assumptions, • Thank you: nakurmiik (nah-koor-meek) racism, or be targeted for abuse and violence. 6 or qujannamiik (khoo’-yan’-nah-meek) • Relocating is complex, with competing priorities, so it is • You’re welcome: ilaali (ee-laah-lee) important to be mindful, patient and compassionate. • Welcome: tunngasugit (too-nga-soo-git) Inuit principles — Values that What next? guide, shape and strengthen Continue to develop your cultural awareness and Inuit identity competency by visiting these websites. • Respecting people, and the environment • Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada: www.pauktuutit.ca • Fostering inclusion, and being of service • Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami: www.itk.ca • Consensus decision-making • Empowerment and action-based learning w 5 Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada (2006), National Strategy to Prevent • Working for the common good w Abuse in Inuit Communities • Being innovative and resourceful 6 Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada (2017), Understanding the Needs of w . p Urban Inuit Women, Fact Sheets a u k t u u t i t . c a.