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A newcomer’s guide to Inuit culture

Acclaimed publication is updated, modernized in new edition

JANE GEORGE

The Inuit Way, whose cover is shown here, reflects Pauktuutit’s goal to offer insight into Inuit culture.

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Called The Inuit Way, the booklet was first published in 1989. The 10,000 copies were printed then quickly disappeared.

Many went on to acclaim the slim The Inuit Way as the “single best resource” to introduce Inuit culture to non-Inuit.

“Early in our mandate, we recognized that a significant cultural gap existed between Inuit and non-Inuit in the Canadian Arctic. It has become apparent that non-Inuit were encountering challenges in some of their interactions with Inuit, challenges that had their basis in a lack of understanding and familiarity with our culture,” says the introduction to The Inuit Way.

The idea to produce the book came up in the late 1980s when an Inuit woman in Ottawa had a child taken away from her due to an apparent cultural misunderstanding.

The new and improved The Inuit Way reflects Pauktuutit’s continuing attempt to prevent these kinds of misunderstandings and provide some insight into Inuit culture.

“I am optimistic that this revised The Inuit Way... will continue to encourage understanding and lead to a strong and optimistic future for Inuit and for all who come to Canada’s north,” says Martha Grieg, the president of Pauktuutit, in her foreword to The Inuit Way.

Many of the 2,000 copies printed earlier this year in English and Inuktitut are already in circulation, although some copies are still available.

Newcomers working in the Inuit regions can benefit from reading The Inuit Way, which is written in a simple, straightforward style. The text is beautifully illustrated with photos from the past and present as well as works of Inuit art.

There’s a section called “A little history,” which includes everything from the legend of Sedna to an overview of land claims, the residential school experience and a discussion of Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit.

“Don’t let the phrase scare you,” counsels The Inuit Way. “It simply refers in Inuktitut, the Inuit language, to the Inuit way of knowing or traditional knowledge.”

Also included are brief looks at traditional law and the methods of social control used in the past such as gossip, withdrawal, shaming, ridicule. There are anecdotes about how these methods work even today, even though they are now admittedly “less effective” in larger communities.

There’s also a section on child rearing, looking at issues such as discipline, and the child’s spirit: “these beliefs regarding children have resulted in Inuit parents allowing their children a much greater degree of freedom than most non-Inuit parents.”

Sections on family and community dynamics examine traditional Inuit values such as independence and sharing.

“These values have and will continue to play a significant role in the way Inuit define themselves,” says The Inuit Way.

The Inuit Way also suggests a well-chosen selection of books for additional information.

David Boult, a longtime consultant with an Ottawa-based Inuit organization, worked on both editions of The Inuit Way, along with a steering committee of Inuit.

Boult said everyone felt it was important to update the original material because “we didn’t want people to think it’s locked in time.”

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