Uqalurait
An Oral History of Nunavut
Description
Uqalurait, pointed snowdrifts formed by Arctic blizzards, "would tell us which direction to go in," says elder Mariano Aupilarjuk. This oral history, guided by the traditional knowledge of Inuit elders from across Nunavut, also follows the uqalurait.
Thousands of quotes from over three hundred Inuit elders about their culture and customs cover all aspects of traditional life, from raising children to hunting, the land, and architecture, to belief systems, cosmology, and the Inuit's remarkable ability to make do with what they had. Given the recent creation of Nunavut and current attention to the Arctic due to climate change, Uqalurait is a timely source of insight from a people whose values of sharing and respect for the environment have helped them to live for centuries at the northern limit of the inhabitable world.
Reviews
"In Uqalurait the history of the Inuit is told in their own words. This thorough and comprehensive work is a formidable achievement that will allow their traditional knowledge to be handed down throughout the generations. The book's simple, logical structure enables non-Inuit to gain a solid and insightful understanding of Inuit life, thought, and society. One of the very fine attributes of this work - and of the Inuit who shared their memories - is that it covers all aspects of Inuit life with complete frankness." Ken S. Coates is Canada Research Chair in Regional Innovation in the Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy at the University of Saskatchewan
"Uqalurait is the most comprehensive compilation of Inuit traditional knowledge to date." TOPIA - Canadian Journal of Cultural Studies
"Recuperates and preserves the dwindling knowledge of how the Inuit lived prior to moving into permanent settlements ... profound and remarkably humorous." The Walrus