“Caribou was the reason,and everything else happened after”: Effects of caribou declines on Inuit in Labrador,Canada |
| |
| Institution: | 1. Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, Guelph N1G 2W1, Canada;2. HERD Caribou Project Steering Committee: Aaron Dale (Torngat Wildlife, Plants, and Fisheries Secretariat), Charlie Flowers (University of Guelph), Jim Goudie (Nunatsiavut Government), Amy Hudson (NunatuKavut Community Council), Charlene Kippenhuck (NunatuKavut Community Council), Meredith Purcell (Torngat Wildlife, Plants, and Fisheries Secretariat), George Russell (NunatuKavut Community Council), Joseph Townley (Nunatsiavut Government);3. School of Arctic and Subarctic Studies, Labrador Institute, Memorial University, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador A0P 1E0, Canada;4. Torngat Wildlife, Plants, and Fisheries Secretariat, Labrador A0P 1E0, Canada;5. Department of Health and Social Development, Nunatsiavut Government, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador A0P 1L0, Canada;6. Department of Geography, University of Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 2E9, Canada;7. School of Public Health, University of Alberta, Alberta T6G 1C9, Canada |
| |
| Abstract: | For many Indigenous Peoples in the Circumpolar North, cultural engagement and continuity across generations is directly related to relationships between and among people, animals, and landscapes. However, minimal research outlines the emotional responses and disruptions to culture and identity that are driven by ecological change, and the subsequent cultural dimensions of coping and adapting to this uncertainty. Through a case study that explores how caribou population declines and a caribou hunting ban are impacting Inuit in the Nunatsiavut and NunatuKavut regions of Labrador, Canada, this article examines the critical interplay between cultural continuity and adaptive capacity for responding to ecological uncertainty. More specifically, this study: 1) described the central role that caribou play for Inuit emotional wellness, identity, and cultural continuity; 2) explored how the rapid declines of caribou in Labrador are affecting Inuit emotional wellness, identity, and cultural continuity; and 3) characterized the ways in which Inuit are adapting to these emotio-social, cultural, and ecological changes. Drawing from an Inuit-led, multi-year, multi-media qualitative and visual media research program, data from video interviews (n = 84: Nunatsiavut region: n = 54; NunatuKavut region: n = 30) were analyzed using a video-based qualitative analysis, constant-comparative methods, and inductive qualitative approach. Results indicated that caribou are a foundational element for Inuit emotional wellness, identity, and cultural continuity. The changes in caribou populations are resulting in complex emotional responses, losses to cultural meaning and knowledge, and alterations to Inuit identities. The impacts on emotions, identity, and cultural continuity related to Inuit-caribou relations at an individual and collective level reflect the interconnections between cultural continuity and adaptive capacity that underlie the loss of this culturally important species. Though this research focuses on two Inuit groups and caribou in Labrador, the insights from these lived experiences highlight the ongoing cultural and identity consequences associated with species declines occurring globally. |
| |
| Keywords: | Caribou Cultural continuity Adaptive capacity Identity Inuit Nunatsiavut NunatuKavut |
| 本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录！ |
|
