Book Description
Profound changes in education accompanied sustained contact between Inuit and Qallunaat, or non-Inuit, in the 20th century. A definition of "Inuit Education" is established here, and through four periods--the Traditional, Colonial, Territorial and Local--this history will investigate: aspects of Inuit Education employed in formal schools, their purpose and success; the relationship between Inuit Education and the Qallunaat system of schooling; and exploration of who initiated and controlled educational change. During the Local Period, 1985--1999, most educational decision-making occurred at the level of district education authorities and regional school boards, focusing on the re-establishment of Inuit Education within the formal school system. These mechanisms of local control brought about a form of education widely contributed to, and supported by, Inuit. As this thesis will demonstrate, it was this approach to education that had the best capacity to reflect Inuit culture, their relationship with the environment, and their vision of the future.