Two Worlds
Whaling
Whale of a Waist.
Southern ladies’ fashions during the whaling era included corsets made of baleen (suqqaq) to make their waists appear smaller.
Traditional Inuit lifestyle began to change in the 1700s, when the whalers went North. Whaling ships from Scotland and New England arrived just as the winter ice broke, staying until it formed again four months later. Whalers traded trinkets, tools and some food supplies with Inuit in exchange for guidance to the most promising whaling areas and help with butchering the mammals. Harvesting whales in enormous quantities over such an extended time period nearly depleted the Arctic whale population. The most threatened of this species was the bowhead whale.
Europeans lost interest in Arctic whaling when the whale population dropped dramatically. While the impact on the whalers was mainly financial, the decline and abandonment of whaling left Inuit without a source of income and modern supplies they’d learned to depend on for decades. Inuit relied on whales for meat, and they used the oil to keep the qulliqs burning. It was an integral part of Inuit lifestyle and diet.
Qulliq
Inuit lamp, originally with a stone base, lit by whale or seal oil. Tending the qulliq is a very important task. Young women were not allowed to marry until they could tend a qulliq of their own.
Forgotten Songs
Scottish and American whalers brought contemporary music to Inuit when they brought fiddles and accordions on the voyages. Some whalers taught Inuit to play jigs and reels, and Inuit in turn taught their children. As a result, one can often hear folk tunes from another era in Inuit communities. In addition to the music, whalers also introduced the basics of square dancing, adaptations of which have become one of the most popular, joyous Inuit activities today.
The Fur Trade
Furry Fashion
During the “Roaring Twenties,” white fox stoles were very stylish amongst wealthier women. Many furs trapped and traded by Inuit ended up in high society ballrooms.
The fur trade boomed when trading companies established trading posts throughout the Arctic. The Hudson’s Bay Company was the biggest. Inuit and other Aboriginal peoples provided the backbone of the industry by hunting, trapping and trading fur with established posts. They travelled miles carrying stacks of furs to trade for guns and ammunition, tobacco, tea, sugar, cloth, metal tools and other basic necessities.
The fur trade affected every part of the Arctic. Trapping is still an important part of Inuit harvesting today, and fur is still used to make clothing. In more recent times, economic benefits have been seriously undermined by the activities of southern-based animal rights movements.
Although the fur trade tapered off in the 1930s, and became severely restricted in the 1970s, abandoned trading posts still remain, dotted across isolated areas of the Arctic. Even after the Hudson’s Bay Company ceased trading fur, the company had a store in almost every Inuit community until Northern Stores replaced them in 1987.
Missionaries
One of the biggest influences on Inuit traditional culture was the arrival of Missionaries. The Moravians were the first, establishing the Nain Mission Station in Labrador in 1771. Over a century later, Catholic and Anglican Missionaries spread Christianity through the Arctic.
Missions were often located near trading posts for convenience, and like the posts, received annual supplies by ship. In addition to being places of worship, they lent shelter and assistance.
Christian doctrine presented a new world view to Inuit, which often clashed with traditional beliefs and values. Missionaries discouraged many aspects of Inuit culture — shamanism in particular.
Marching to the Drum
The Moravians discouraged Labrador Inuit from performing traditional drum dances and songs because they were considered pagan rituals. The tradition lay forgotten for over a century until a group of high school students revived it by imitating the dances of Inuit in other regions.
Until Europeans arrived, Inuit had never been exposed to diseases such as measles and tuberculosis, and their immune systems weren’t equipped to deal with the new viruses. Many Inuit died as a result.
Government
By the 1940s, Inuit were living a very different lifestyle than the previous generation. During World War II and the Cold War, Canadian government presence was established throughout the Arctic to demonstrate Canadian sovereignty and to deliver government services to Arctic residents.
One of the most profound changes to Inuit culture, in addition to the influence of the church, was the government-led initiative to move Inuit from their traditional camps to larger permanent settlements. A program was launched to provide modern homes for Inuit families. Health, education and social services also became a regular part of community life and led to rapid population expansion both of Inuit and non-Inuit in these permanent settlements.
Within the first thirty years of settlement, Inuit became almost completely dependent on government assistance. Children were sent to residential schools and the ill were sent away for medical treatment. All of these decisions were made by government officials with little direct knowledge of Inuit.
In four generations, Inuit went from being self-reliant, making every necessity of life from natural resources, to surfing the Internet. This dramatic revolution did not occur without heart-wrenching conflict. However, Inuit have proven their ability to adapt and change with their land claims agreements. Inuit as a collective society are determined to tackle the challenges of modernization head on.