Inuit women : their powerful spirit in a century of change / Janet Mancini Billson and Kyra Mancini.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Billson, Janet Mancini.

Contributor:

Mancini, Kyra, 1969-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Inuit women--Nunavut--Social conditions.

Inuit women.

Inuit women--Nunavut--Social life and customs.

Sex role--Nunavut.

Sex role.

Families--Nunavut.

Families.

Feminist anthropology--Nunavut.

Feminist anthropology.

Manners and customs.

Social conditions.

Nunavut--Social conditions.

Nunavut.

Nunavut--Social life and customs.

Physical Description:

xxviii, 461 pages : illustrations, maps ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Lanham, Md. : Rowman & Littlefield, [2007]

Summary:

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.

Contents:

1 "The People" 3

Lessons from Knud Rasmussen

From the Late Traditional Period to Resettlement

From the Transitional Period to Nunavut

Map 1.1 Nunavut in Canada

A Case Study of Pangnirtung

Map 1.2 Nunavut

The Collision of Cultures

The Late Traditional Period

The Resettlement Period

Table 1.1 Population Shift from the Land to Pangnirtung

Figure 1.1 Population Shift from the Land to Pangnirtung and Clyde River, 1966

Part II Life Out on the Land 27

2 Traditional Roles: Gender and Survival 29

Jagging for Fish

A Nomadic Life

The Gender Calculus

Gender Roles in the Whaling Period

Figure 2.1 The Annual Cycle of Hunting, Fishing, and Gathering

Figure 2.2 The Annual Cycle of Processing, Sewing, and Other Female Productivity

Crossing Role Boundaries

3 Traditional Power: A Delicate Balance 51

The Woman of the Waves

Definitions of Male and Female

Traditional Power Relations

Orchestrating the Family Structure

Spousal Exchange and Adoption Decisions

Female Infanticide

Arranged Marriages

Respect for Parental Authority

4 Traditional Socialization: Learning by Doing 77

Teachers on Land and Sea

Preference for the Male Child

The Ideal Woman, the Ideal Man

A Natural Discipline Out on the Land

Names and Naming

Part III Metamorphosis 91

5 The Bad Times: Starvation Stalked the Land 93

The River

Hunger and Death

The Dislocations of Leaving the Land for Education and Social Services

The Tuberculosis Epidemic and Other Diseases

Table 5.1 Inuit Death Rates, 1945, per 100,000

Table 5.2 Inuit TB Mortality Rates, 1950-1960

Figure 5.1 Inuit TB Rates, 1961-1990

Culture Shock

Town Growth

Race Relations

6 Transforming Traditional Culture 121

Matters of the Spirit

Religion

Education, Southern Style

The Lure of Television

Language

Part IV Living on the Edge 139

7 Culture Shock and Marginality 141

The Peninsula

Caught between Two Worlds

Cultural and Structural Marginality

Cultural Marginality

Structural Marginality

The Challenges of Marginality

8 The Impacts of Resettlement 153

People from the Outpost Camp

Far-Reaching Social Repercussions

The Shape of the Population

Fertility Rates

Infant and Maternal Mortality

Most Pressing Issues

The Interplay of Issues

Figure 8.1 Major Problems Facing Younger Women

Figure 8.2 The Products of Anger, Worry, and Low Self-Esteem

Figure 8.3 An Array of "Family Problems"

Figure 8.4 The Sources of Anger

Figure 8.5 Solutions to the Most Pressing Problems

Creating New Mechanisms for New Problems

The Spousal Assault Committee

The Mental Health Committee

9 Families Redefined 177

Suicide and the Cry for Help

Daycare

Guiding Their Children

The Seductions of Alcohol and Drugs

Alcohol

Drugs and Solvents

Figure 9.1 Drug Use in Nunavut, Western NWT, and Canada

Suicide

Rates

Figure 9.2 Suicide Rates per 100,000 for Inuit, Indians, and Canada

Struggling to Understand "Why?"

Female Attempts

When Suicide Hits Home

Part V Life in Town: The Changing Balance of Power 203

10 Contemporary Roles: The Female Advantage 205

Visiting

Role Expansion and Role Reversal

The Impacts of Role Reversal

Women as Hunters

11 Contemporary Power: A Reversal of Position 217

In the Wilderness

Balancing Act

Power Differentials

The Generational Lag

Communication and Emotions

Intimacy, Affection, and Sexuality

12 Contemporary Socialization: Passing on the Culture 231

Needles and Dreams

A Preference for the Male Child

Ulus and Harpoons

Cultural Inclusion

Cooking and Country Food

Sewing, Embroidering, and Weaving

Sewing

Embroidery

Drawing, Printmaking, and Carving

Pangnirtung Tapestry Studio

Dancing and Singing

Part VI The Bonds of Intimacy 255

13 Love and Living Together 257

Qatsuq 's Daughter

The Reluctant Brides

Living in Common Law

The Stigma of Remaining Single

Customary Adoption

14 Marriage and Divorce 275

Like Moths to a Candle

Divorce

The Legacy of Guilt

Infidelity, Jealousy, and Divorce

The Stigma of Divorce

Traditional Ways to Resolve Conflict

Part VII The Challenges of Change 285

15 Violence against Women and Children: The Complexities of Power 287

Coming of Age in the Midnight Sun

The Traditional Patterns

The Contemporary Patterns

Rates of Spousal Assault

Causes of Spousal Assault

Loss of Balance in the Settlements

The Male Physical Advantage

Alcohol and Drug Abuse

Disagreement and Jealousy

Lack of Communication

Children as Victims

The Complexities of Reporting and Intervention

Shelters and Safe Houses

The Criminal Justice System

Part VIII A New Century Emerges 313

16 The Promise and Price of Education 315

The Carvers: A Certain State of Mind

The Gender Gap

Attitudes toward School

Entrance into Higher Education

17 The Meaning of Work 335

The Whale Hunters

Welfare: A Double-Edged Sword

A Staggering Unemployment Rate

White Collar, Services, and the Arts

Entering the RCMP

Women as Providers

Part IX The Road to Equality 349

18 Women's Rights and Political Participation 351

The Kitaq: More Than a Room of Her Own

The Constitutional Clause

Violence and Women's Liberation

Women's Involvement in Community Politics

Women in Territorial Politics

Gender Parity

The First Nunavut Legislative Election

Other Political Routes

Women's Involvement in National Politics

Pauktuutit

Dreams for Their Daughters

19 Nunavut: Defining a New Political Identity 371

Capitalism, Northern Style

The Nunavut Dream

Devolution

The Nunavut Settlement Area Final Agreement

Table 19.1 Significant Land Claims Agreements

Preparing for Implementation

Anticipated Benefits of Nunavut

Anticipated Challenges

A Conceptual Framework for Change

The Overriding Power of Gender Relations

Conflict-Functional Analysis

Social Impact/Social Vitality Analysis

Marginality and Marginalization

Toward the Future

In the Elder's Room.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 403-443) and index.

ISBN:

9780742535961

0742535967

9780742535978

0742535975

OCLC:

104889687