The Forgotten Inuit Culture
Canadian Inuits Struggle in Poverty to Retain Their Culture
Canada's Inuit suicide rates are shockingly high. The many factors that contribute to this include the lack of understanding and support in regards to their culture.
There are some Inuit regions that have six times the suicide rate as the rest of Canada according to the Canadian Psychiatric Association. This is an alarming number and shows that their problems need to be addressed.
Some of the many factors that contribute to this statistic are:
Isolation:
Inuit’s are isolated because many of the areas where they live are in small remote places that only an aircraft can get to. Canadian Inuits mainly live in remote areas of the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Quebec and Labrador. This makes it difficult for them to take advantage of the many resources we have in place for the rest of the general population.
Education and Loss of culture:
Inuit culture is threatened because areas are over fished and hunting seal is frowned upon. Seal have always been part of the Inuit culture and they made many things like boots and mittens from their skins as well as using their meat to eat. Global warming has also affected their ability to properly hunt and travel.
Inuit’s are not often offered specialized schooling that encourages their Inuit language Inuktitut or culture. This can lead to confusion with identity, which is often already a problem with teens and made worse with their culture being squeezed out. It also doesn’t encourage Inuit youth to stay in school when they’re not even being taught in their native language. The high drop out rate contributes to high poverty and suicide rates.
Addictions and mental health issues:
The hardships of trying to fit in with our western culture contributes to the likelihood of developing addictions, mental health issues, poverty and self esteem problems. There is a National Native Alcohol and Drug Abuse Program in place with some treatment centers participating. Also a specific Native Youth Solvent Abuse Program began in 1993 (NYSAP) which is ran through ten Youth Solvent Addictions Centers. Since they began they’ve been used to maximum capacity which shows the need for more serious help.
All of the above issues in turn contribute to poverty as well as an increased likelihood of suicide. The Inuit have a beautiful language and culture that deserves to be preserved and respected. They were here long before us and yet often seem to be treated as second class citizens. There are some unique traditions and talents Inuit offer in arts and music. They have interesting traditional styles of drum dancing and throat singing.
Susan Aglukark is probably the most well known Inuit singer who has crossed the western boundary into the media with a unique contemporary Inuit style blending with pop. She has refreshingly brave honest lyrics that have expressed many Inuit problems and concerns including suicide and sexual abuse. This has helped publicize issues that were not known to many before.
