Études/Inuit/Studies

Études/Inuit/Studies
Name	Études/Inuit/Studies

Études/Inuit/Studies is an interdisciplinary field examining Inuit peoples across Arctic regions including Kalaallit Nunaat, Alaska, Nunavut, Inuvialuit, and Chukotka. The field integrates historical, linguistic, anthropological, archaeological, legal, and cultural studies drawing on sources from explorers, missionaries, traders, and Indigenous institutions. Scholars collaborate with communities, governments, and organizations to document language revitalization, land claims, legal decisions, and artistic expressions.

History

Research traces contacts from Norse voyages associated with Eric the Red, Leif Erikson, and the Vinland sagas through European exploration by James Cook, William Scoresby, John Franklin, and Martin Frobisher. Whaling and trading histories involve Hudson's Bay Company, Royal Navy, United States Coast Guard, Russian-American Company, and figures like Sir John Richardson and Knud Rasmussen. Missionary activity linked to Moravian Church, Anglican Church of Canada, Roman Catholic Church, and individuals such as Samuel Hearne and Hans Egede altered social structures. Colonial policies by Kingdom of Denmark, United Kingdom, Canada, and United States intersect with legal milestones like the Nunavut Act, Inuit Land Claims Agreement, Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, and decisions involving the Supreme Court of Canada. Archaeological work cites sites related to Dorset culture, Thule culture, Pre-Dorset, and researchers including Diamond Jenness and Fridtjof Nansen. Twentieth-century events reference the Cold War, DEW Line, High Arctic relocation, and institutions such as Royal Geographical Society and Smithsonian Institution.

Language and Terminology

Scholars document Inuktut dialects including Inuktitut, Inuinnaqtun, Kalaallisut, Nunatsiavut, Greenlandic, and Siberian Yupik variants studied by linguists like Edward Sapir and Michael Fortescue. Terminology debates involve organizations such as Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, Qikiqtani Inuit Association, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, Kalaallit Nunaanni entities, and standards from ISO 639-3. Comparative work engages with typologists referencing Noam Chomsky, Roman Jakobson, J.R.R. Tolkien (on language construction), and corpora curated by Library and Archives Canada and the Vancouver Maritime Museum. Language policy intersects with legal texts like the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and administrative frameworks of Government of Nunavut and Greenland Home Rule.

Culture and Society

Ethnographies reference communities in Baffin Island, Victoria Island, Hudson Bay, Labrador, Nunavik, Kalaallit Nunaat, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, and settlements including Iqaluit, Rankin Inlet, Pond Inlet, Barrow, Alaska, Nain, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Qaanaaq. Social studies cite leaders and cultural figures such as Jasper Unguaq, Alootook Ipellie, Pitseolak Ashoona, Kenojuak Ashevak, and activists linked to Qikiqtani Inuit Association, Makivik Corporation, Nunavut Sivuniksavut, and ArticNet. Kinship, oral history, and ceremony research draws on archives at Natural Resources Canada, National Museum of Denmark, Canadian Museum of History, National Gallery of Canada, and collaborations with UNESCO and Arctic Council.

Art, Music, and Literature

Artistic traditions include carvings, printmaking, and drawing by artists associated with the West Baffin Eskimo Cooperative, Cape Dorset, and galleries like the National Gallery of Canada. Prominent creators include Kenojuak Ashevak, Pitseolak Ashoona, Quvianatuaq, Jessie Oonark, Shuvinai Ashoona, Germaine Arnaktauyok, and Angaangaq Angakkorsuaq. Music and performance link to festivals like the Alaska Native Heritage Center, artists such as Susan Aglukark, Taqralik Partridge, The Jerry Cans, Silla + Rise, and collaborations with institutions like CBC Radio, NFB, and Taqralik Partridge. Literature and poetry include works by Michael Kusugak, Mitiarjuk Nappaaluk, Ethel R. P. Y., Alootook Ipellie, Rita Joe, and writers anthologized by Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and publishers like Arsenal Pulp Press.

Subsistence, Economy, and Environment

Studies examine hunting, trapping, fishing, and harvesting practices around species managed under frameworks involving Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Northwest Territories, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and international bodies such as the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization. Research intersects with climate science from Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, glaciology studies referencing Hans Øer, and impacts of shipping in routes like the Northwest Passage and Northern Sea Route. Economic analyses include resource development debates involving Nunavut Impact Review Board, Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, Hudson Bay Company, and projects such as Voisey's Bay and Nanisivik Mine.

Politics, Law, and Self-Governance

Political history and legal scholarship cover land claims and governance instruments including the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement, James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement, Inuvialuit Final Agreement, Greenland Self-Government Act, Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, and rulings by the Supreme Court of Canada (e.g., cases involving Indigenous rights). Organizations and political bodies include Inuit Circumpolar Council, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, Kalaallit Ingannermik Napparsimmavissut, Nunatsiavut Government, Government of Nunavut, Greenlandic Government, Alaska Native Regional Corporations, and international forums such as the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Arctic Council, and Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

Education and Research Studies

Institutions engaged in scholarship include Nunavut Arctic College, Ilisimatusarfik (University of Greenland), University of the Arctic, Memorial University of Newfoundland, University of Alaska Fairbanks, McGill University, University of Toronto, University of British Columbia, Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Denmark, and research networks like Polar Research Board and ArcticNet. Key scholars and contributors include Frantz Boas, Diamond Jenness, Kenneth Oakley, Helge Larsen, Louise Peltier, and contemporary researchers affiliated with McMaster University and Université Laval. Educational programs intersect with community-run initiatives such as Nunavut Sivuniksavut and cultural preservation projects funded by bodies like Canadian Heritage and Nordic Council.

Category:Inuit studies