ᖃᓪᓗᓈᓄᑦ
ᐊᒥᓱᐊᓗᖕᓂ ᑕᑯᒃᓴᐅᑎᑕᐅᔪᖅ ᕙᐃᔅᐳᒃᑯᑦ ᑎᑎᕋᕐᕕᐅᓲᒥ ᓇᓗᓇᐃᖅᓯᕗᖅ ᖃᓪᓗᓈᑦ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᖃᕈᓐᓇᖅᐳᑦ ᐃᓅᖃᑎᒥᒃ ᐊᑭᕋᖅᑐᕐᓂᕐᒥ ᐊᔾᔨᒌᙱᓐᓂᕐᒧᑦ, ᑮᓇᐅᔾᔭᒃᓴᕐᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᓇᓕᒧᒌᙱᓐᓂᐅᔪᒥ
Dear Qallunaat QXQDYXW QHZV
Viral Facebook post outlines ways non-Inuit in Nunavut can address racism, economic disparity
Volume 73 Issue 40 MONDAY, February 11, 2019
ᐃᖅᑲᖅᑐᐃᕕᖕᒥ ᓴᐳᓐᓂᐊᖅᑎ ᐱᒋᐊᖅᑎᑦᑎᔨ ᓵᓐᑐᕋ ᐃᓅᑎᖅ
ᐊᒻᒪ
Lawyer and activist Sandra Inutiq
by Sandra Inutiq
Special to Nunavut News
(Editor's note: Sandra Inutiq originally posted this letter to her personal Facebook page, where it has been shared by 1,000 other users. Inutiq agreed we could share it here with our readers.) I have thought a lot about the level of damage having a highly transient white population does to Nunavut. The indifference to social conditions, policy inertia and all the collective micro-aggressions that maintain Inuit in not getting ahead in poverty conditions. Here are ways that maybe you can be a better white person, or may I suggest, maybe even an ally?! I don't hate you by posting this. It's out of love for myself that I share it! Even though this is primarily addressed to white people, even non-whites who can be complicit to white supremacy – including Inuit (even me!) either to get ahead or not to be left behind, it is also addressed to you. I hope this stimulates a healthy discussion. 1. You are a visitor, on Inuit homeland. No matter how long your family has been in Canada or Nunavut, you are a settler on Inuit land. 2. Proximity: Being close to Inuit does not make you an expert and a voice for Inuit, including having Inuit children/having adopted an Inuk child, an Inuk spouse, family or friends. Having lived in or travelled back and forth to the North for a number of years, even knowing some Inuktitut. These situations do not give you Inuit identity, or the right to claim authority over the subject of Inuitness or defining answers for Inuit; Asking other white or outsiders how long they have been here is a common question to seemingly test legitimacy
New language law overlooks Inuktut
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in the North, as if competing for expertise. Going further, just because you have travelled to exotic places does not make you automatically culturally sensitive. 3. Ways that power is maintained: Using working in Nunavut or with Inuit to embellish your resume; After working with or studying Inuit, many become an "expert" on Inuit or Inuit Nunanga. These situations make people appear to be more 'equitably minded', 'culturally sensitive', therefore more appealing to hire, or work with. We have sleuths of consultations that arrive on daily flights from the south, a lot of men with white heads. 4. Meritocracy is a system that assumes everyone is on a level playing field i.e. education, skills and experience are considered to hire or give economic opportunity. Meritocracy assumes these competencies are fairly considered and applied, a system that privileges white people already and the reason why we need employment equity efforts. In meritocracy, adding 'cultural awareness' to that list makes one become irresistible and most desirable to hire. 5. Attitude that the North/Inuit Nunangat is inferior and backwards: Statements that infer it is a punishment being here "Can't wait to get out of here", "I've been here for five years" with a tone of voice that infers it is like a jail sentence, "Only in Nunavut would this happen" (insert shitty event). There are enough miserable people that are here for earnings and experience who cannot seem to leave due to the 'golden handcuffs' of economic opportunity. These miserable people have huge impacts on the morale of workplaces and the community. Guess what? There are daily flights going south. You are welcome to leave, taking your shitty attitude with you. You are
Nursing ‘burnout’ risk to health care
$.95 (plus GST)
doing more harm than good by being here. If you yourself are not saying it, please do not just let this mentality pass unchallenged. 6. Claiming reverse racism: This is often exclaimed when one does not get a job, education/training opportunity, some kind of benefit, or are made to feel uncomfortable with their privilege. Reverse racism or racism against white people is not a thing. It does not exist. The premises of racism is colonialism and transcontinental slave trade and the subsequent years of oppression based on idea of white supremacy that ensued from those events. These show through disparity in social conditions and inequity today. To be a racist you need both prejudice and power. People of colour can be prejudiced against white people, but white people simply are not experiencing disempowerment. 7. You cannot be the one to judge whether an act is racist, culturally insensitive or appropriate. Also, by saying "I'm not racist" or "There is no racism" does not absolve racism or responsibility not to be. You are assuming because you cannot see it, it does not exist. If an Inuk, or person of colour is calling something out, pay attention and listen. Listen to those that face racism e_v_e_r_y d_a_y! Including superficial small talk (sending a message you're not worth relating to), being spoken down to, not being listened to and clear differential treatment. Mostly that the system tells you in many ways your life is not worth anything or very little. If there are mainly Inuit spaces, allow that to be, either by excluding yourself or by listening (and not talking). Please see Assimilation, page 3
Tom Cochrane eager for Kitikmeot Trade Show
"Everybody was so used to getting free rides from their friends or family members, but it’s starting to pick up."
– Iglulik taxi company owner Wayne Ungalaq, whose service fills a void empty for a year-and-a-half, page 12.