Inuit adoption


Book Description

Utilizing primary ethnographic evidence from Hudson Bay and documentary evidence pertaining to other regions of the Arctic, the author examines the practice of Inuit adoption. The conclusions of this study have significant ramifications with respect to understanding Inuit social organization and kinship.




Inuit Women


Book Description

Inuit Women is the definitive study of the Inuit during a time of rapid change. Based on fourteen years of research and fieldwork, this analysis focuses on the challenges facing Inuit women as they enter the twenty-first century. Written shortly after the creation of Nunavut, a new province carved out of traditional Inuit homelands in the Canadian North, this compelling book combines conclusions drawn from the authors' ethnographic research with the stories of Inuit women and men, told in their own words. In addition to their presentation of the personal portraits and voices of many Inuit respondents, Janet Mancini Billson and Kyra Mancini explore global issues: the impact of rapid social change and Canadian resettlement policy on Inuit culture; women's roles in society; and gender relations in Baffin Island, in the Eastern Arctic. They also include an extensive section on how the newly created territory of Nunavut is impacting the lives of Inuit women and their families. Working from a research approach grounded in feminist theory, the authors involve their Inuit interviewees as full participants in the process. This book stands alone in its attention to Inuit women's issues and lives and should be read by everyone interested in gender relations, development, modernization, globalization, and Inuit culture.




The Politics of Adoption


Book Description

Adoption has always had a political dimension. Its potential use to achieve political ends has been evident throughout history and in many different cultures. In Roman 1 times an emperor would adopt a successful general to continue his rule. In Ireland under the Brehon Laws the reciprocal placements of children between clans was 2 an accepted means of cementing mutual allegiances. In Japan the adoption of non-relatives was traditionally seen as a means of allying with the fortunes of 3 the ruling family. The willingness of governments to use adoption as a political strategy was apparent, for example, in Australia where it was used to further 4 the assimilation of indigenous people. It is now present in the phenomenon of intercountry adoption where the ?ow of children, particularly in the aftermath of war, is often politics by proxy and which arguably attracts the involvement of 5 some countries for reasons of economic and political expediency. Adoption does not function in isolation. It plays a distinct role within the c- text of family law proceedings. The extent to which it is available as a resource for children in the public care system or as an adjunct to marriage proceedings is essentially politically determined. It is itself susceptible to political in?uence. 6 In fact direct political leadership, exercised ?rst by President Clinton and then 1 See, Gibbons, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Harrap, London 1949 at p. 30.




In Order to Live Untroubled


Book Description

Despite the long human history of the Canadian central arctic, there is still little historical writing on the Inuit peoples of this vast region. Although archaeologists and anthropologists have studied ancient and contemporary Inuit societies, the Inuit world in the crucial period from the 16th to the 20th centuries remains largely undescribed and unexplained. In Order to Live Untroubled helps fill this 400-year gap by providing the first, broad, historical survey of the Inuit peoples of the central arctic.Drawing on a wide array of eyewitness accounts, journals, oral sources, and findings from material culture and other disciplines, historian Renee Fossett explains how different Inuit societies developed strategies and adaptations for survival to deal with the challenges of their physical and social environments over the centuries. In Order to Live Untroubled examines how and why Inuit created their cultural institutions before they came under the pervasive influence of Euro-Canadian society. This fascinating account of Inuit encounters with explorers, fur traders, and other Aboriginal peoples is a rich and detailed glimpse into a long-hidden historical world.




Social Fabric Or Patchwork Quilt


Book Description

Both historical and contemporary features of Canadian social welfare are explored in this wide-ranging and in-depth collection. Social Fabric or Patchwork Quilt explores the evolution of the Canadian social welfare state from a system based upon voluntarism and philanthropy to one in which the State's involvement has increased considerably. It also shows how the roles of governments at all levels have changed in recent times. Chapters describe the developing Canadian welfare state from Confederation to the present. Beginning with an integrative framework in the general introduction, the selected essays represent many perspectives: chronological, regional, multidisciplinary and ideological. An important feature of this collection is the consideration of providers and recipients. Such wide-ranging outlooks are possible given the diverse backgrounds of contributors, which include historians, sociologists, social workers, public policy experts and political scientists. As well as historical and sociological studies, topics include key programs (discussed in detail), the quality of services received by principal target groups, new directions in research; some contributions even revisit foundational older works and key government documents.




Canadian Inuit literature


Book Description

A study of the development of contemporary Inuit literature, in both Inuktitut and English, including a discussion of its themes, structures and roots in oral tradition. The author concludes that a strong continuity persists between the two narrative forms despite apparent differences in subject matter and language.




The Inuit World


Book Description

The Inuit World is a robust and holistic reference source to contemporary Inuit life from the intimate world of the household to the global stage. Organized around the themes of physical worlds, moral, spiritual and intellectual worlds, intimate and everyday worlds, and social and political worlds, this book includes ethnographically rich contributions from a range of scholars, including Inuit and other Indigenous authors. The book considers regional, social, and cultural differences as well as the shared histories and common cultural practices that allow us to recognize Inuit as a single, distinct Indigenous people. The chapters demonstrate both the historical continuity of Inuit culture and the dynamic ways that Inuit people have responded to changing social, environmental, political, and economic conditions. Chapter topics include ancestral landscapes, tourism and archaeology, resource extraction and climate change, environmental activism, and women’s leadership. This book is an invaluable resource for students and researchers in anthropology, Indigenous studies, and Arctic studies and those in related fields including geography, history, sociology, political science, and education.




Incorporating the Familiar


Book Description

Drummond (law, McGill U.) focuses on the delivery of justice in Inuit communities in northern Quebec in order to investigate the complexities and contradictions of accommodation between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal legal systems. She argues that the conflicts project an incommensurability between underlying cultural codes, and reflects on intercultural history, concepts of identity and belonging, and communication across cultures and genders. Canadian card order number: C97-900716-x. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR




Names and Nunavut


Book Description

"...a thought-provoking book. Alia lays out the intricacies of Inuit naming so clearly, describes the Arctic environment so vividly, and conveys such a rich sense of Inuit values, concerns, and humour that readers are likely to hunger for more information and to pose ethnographic and on mastic questions that press forward the horizons of Inuit ethnography. Names and Nunavut is a welcome addition to Arctic ethnography and should be of interest not only to linguists and anthropologists working in the Arctic but to anyone interested in the relationship between onomasty, personhood, and cosmology and to anyone looking for fresh insights to the micropractices of linguistic and onomastic colonialism." - NAMES A Journal of Onomastics "Embedded within this nuanced and extraordinarily well-researched account of the political onomastics (the politics of naming) involved with Inuit (colonial) history are an abundance of theoretical, ethical and political insights into both the complex nature of the Inuit and their evolving engagement with Qallunaat (non-Inuit, Euro-Canadian), as well as the complex nature of engaging in such research. This publication, refreshing in its focus on extensive local community research, delves into the complicated dynamic between colonial administration and its effects on the culture and identity of the Inuits. - British Journal of Canadian Studies On the surface, naming is simply a way to classify people and their environments. The premise of this study is that it is much more - a form of social control, a political activity, a key to identity maintenance and transformation. Governments legislate and regulate naming; people fight to take, keep, or change their names. A name change can indicate subjugation or liberation, depending on the circumstances. But it always signifies a change in power relations. Since the late 1970s, the author has looked at naming and renaming, cross-culturally and internationally, with particular attention to the effects of colonisation and liberation. The experience of Inuit in Canada is an example of both. Colonisation is only part of the Nunavut experience. Contrary to the dire predictions of cultural genocide theorists, Inuit culture - particularly traditional naming - has remained extremely strong, and is in the midst of a renaissance. Here is a ground-breaking study by the founder of the discipline of political onomastics.




Inuit songs from Eskimo Point


Book Description

A collection of forty-one Inuit songs from Eskimo Point, Northwest Territories, featuring three genres: ajajait (personal songs), animal songs, and songs sung by children playing games.