The Inuit Contribution to Canada's Identity
An Inukshuk, Arctic Char and Inuktitut Help Brand Canada
In Ottawa, a group of people gather every Saturday morning to learn Inuktitut, the language of the Inuit. Most of the students are originally from Nunavut or Nunavik but they were raised in the southern part of Canada and no longer remember their language. Others are connected in a variety of ways to the Inuit communities in Canada’s North.
Language as Heritage
One of the students is a French Canadian woman whose daughter is married to an Inuk. She would like to contribute to the children’s retention of their heritage and culture. She understands well what a language means to culture. Inuktitut was an oral language until the missionaries arrived. Missionaries working in the western Arctic used the Roman alphabet to transcribe the language. Those missionaries dwelling in the eastern Arctic created a syllabic transcription model to accompany the Roman writing system. Students of Inuktitut have the rare opportunity to learn a non-indoeuropean language that is part of Canada's heritage.
Inuktitut
According to the 2001 census, 70 percent of Canada’s Inuit population speak Inuktitut. At the present moment nine post-secondary institutions in Canada offer courses in Inuktitut. McGill University, in 1975, established links with the Kativik School Board in northern Quebec, and with Nunavut’s Arctic College, to offer courses in Inuktitut. The University of Laval has been teaching Inuktitut since 1972. Other universities have come on board since the forming of Nunavut in 1999. Canada’s other original languages are not faring as well.
Research in the Arctic
One of the students in the Saturday morning class is a university professor who conducts research in the Arctic. Universities in Canada have long been active in Arctic research. The University of Laval has had an extensive Arctic research program. At the University of Ottawa, researchers have been tracking the behaviour of diminishing glaciers in the Arctic. The Arctic Institute of North America at the University of Calgary has as its mandate to study the North American and circumpolar Arctic region. Presently, the government of Canada is planning to establish a High Arctic research station in one of the towns positioned along the Northwest Passage: Pond Inlet, Resolute Bay or Cambridge Bay. Issues around Arctic sovereignty are at the top of the diplomatic agenda.
Arctic Tourism
Still another of the students traveled through the Arctic by sea on an adventure tour. Arctic tourism is increasing rapidly. The Northwest Passage is attracting numerous boat tours. Fishing and hunting in the High Arctic is becoming popular with people seeking new adventures. The Arctic Winter Games, which involves participants from all the circumpolar nations, will be held in Grand Prairie, Alberta in 2010.
Canada’s Identity as a Northern Nation
When Barack Obama visited Ottawa on February 19, 2009, David Serkoak and the students from Nunavut Sivuniksavut were in the crowd on Parliament Hill to welcome him. Dressed in traditional clothing, they performed drum dances and sang Inuit songs, thrilling the other people who were waiting to catch a glimpse of the popular president. Obama enjoyed Arctic char at his luncheon.
At the Vancouver Olympics in 2010 the whole world will see the iconic Inukshuk. And in a small classroom, a mixed group of students will continue to study their syllabic alphabet and gain a unique insight on their own identity as Canadians.
Inukshuk
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