Origin on Nunavut - Now in Living Color

Origin of Nunavut

By Odin Callahan Swidzinski

What

Preamble

The third territory of Canada, Nunavut has a lot of history, from the Inuit culture to the creation of the territory that is now Nunavut out of Eastern Northwest Territories; to which it explain the Inuit, the history of the group, and how it became a territory of Canada.

Origin of the Inuit Ethnic Group

The area known today as Nunavut has been inhabited by the Inuit, for nearly 4,000 years since they first arrived to Nunavut. The Inuit were descendants of the Thule culture, which emerged from Alaska and spread through Northern North America. Eventually, the Thule culture displaced the Dorset culture, which was closely related to the Inuit. The Inuit relied on driftwood, bones and animal hides, but some tools were made out of stone, made of worked stone, especially soapstone. Ivory from walrus is used to make knifes, while ivory and bone is used to make sculptures of everyday activities.

Traditional Culture of the Inuit

   Art has played an important part of Inuit culture and continues to do so to this day, because paintings of the Inuit and print use relatively soft stones like soapstone, for example. The clothes of the Inuit were made from animal skin, sewn using needles made of bones so to make it easier to make clothes. They also used threads made of materials like sinew, with the parka is made in a similar fashion of other Arctic cultures throughout the world. Inuit’s lived in igloos during the winter while during the summer, when the temperature is above freezing, they live in tents supported by animal bones, however, some Inuit live in houses made of sod.

   Traditionally men were hunters and women took care of the children, as the norm in many cultures throughout the world, but there were girls that hunted, either by necessity or by personal choice. At the same time, men need to know how to cook and sew, because they may be away from camp for many days at a time. Polygamy, divorce, and remarriage were common in the Inuit groups though for some Inuit groups, divorce required the approval of the group, especially if they had children. It is very common for women to marry at puberty, and for men to marry once they become hunters. Every household in the Inuit family has a head, whether it is an elder or respected man in the family. Goods were shared in a household and community.

The Inuit have been referred to as a nomadic tribe, since they are hunter gatherers. Virtually all Inuit have stories about raids of other first nations and even fellow Inuit clans, and taking vengeance on them after the raids. Inuit nations existed throughout history and even confederations were formed to defend themselves against a stronger and more prosperous Inuit nation. During the 19^th century, the Inuit suffered a decline of 90% of the population, by foreign diseases including smallpox, and tuberculosis, especially in the Western Arctic.

 By c. 1911, the HBC (Hudson Bay Company) started moving north to commence fur trading in the Arctic. As it grew, Inuit moved closer to the trading posts meaning that by 1923, all Inuit in Northern Canada were within travelling distance of a trading post by the HBC. Also in 1923, the NWT (Northwest Territory) Council issued rules regarding relief, which is a medical officer, an RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) officer, or a designated officer, usually a trader, or a missionary.

Political History and Inuit Land Claims of Nunavut

   In 1976, the Inuit ethnic group demanded a separate territory, carved from the Northwest Territories, before they can sign any land claims agreement, to which it was bought up at the NWT (Northwest Territories) Legislature. In 1980, they voted in favour of splitting the Northwest Territories into two parts. In 1993, the Federal Government passed the Land Claims agreement of 1993 and the Nunavut Act and 6 years later, on April 1st, 1999, Nunavut was created.

 So What

  The reason why this topic is important to Canadian heritage is because that in an era of when we have to focus on celebrities, the internet and major obesity, it is important to know the cultural and political history of Nunavut, which is not known by a lot of Canadians except those inside the territory of Nunavut.

Now What

In the future, this article will be important, since it represents the history of Nunavut, a topic hardly discussed among the history of Canada. It is developing slowly, so that one day, Nunavut will become a Province of Canada, but until then, it has to be a territory. It is growing slowly, and that in the future, it will be prosperous. This article is to show why it is important to learn about the history of the 3rd territory of Canada, which is Nunavut, and what it means to the Aboriginals of Canada.

Conclusion

   In conclusion of this article about Nunavut, the essay has described as much as it could possibly describe, and that it showed history of Nunavut, both culturally and politically and how it became a territory in Canada. Nunavut is a land of history, which once started out as part of the Northwest Territories, after a land claims treaty that also gave a new territory, governed by the Inuit; it now has its own government, its own name and still has a language and culture around. May Nunavut last for as long as she can!

Remember to comment and discuss the essay for my heritage fair!

Sources for my display and essay

(1939&, W. W. (n.d.). Nunavut. Encyclopedia of the Nations – Information about countries of the world, United Nations, and World Leaders. Retrieved January 18, 2011, from http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/canada/Nunavut-to-Yukon/Nunavut.html

Nunavut - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Wikipedia. Retrieved January 3, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nunavut

Purich, D. (1992). The Inuit and their land: the story of Nunavut. Toronto, Ont: Lorimer.

Swidzinski, Odin. Interview by Joelyne Swidzinski. Personal interview. 3 Jan. 2011.