“THE ESKIMO OF RANKIN INLET: A PRELIMENARY REPORT”
blog by Jordan Konek
April 29 2011
WRITTEN BY: ROBERT C. and LOIS A. DAILEY
The Rankin Inlet Nickel Mine 1957 - 1962
As we read the document I noticed how the word “Eskimo” was used a lot. One of the things I mentioned during the meeting is that I was a bit offended how the word “eskimo” was used quite often. In real life I am not offended by the word eskimo, but when looking back to how Inuit were treated probably gave me a thought to think that I should be offended.
After having read the document I started thinking about how it would be like to live during that time. When the Inuit were given a settlement that seemed to have fewer and less comfortable houses plus getting a pay from the mining that was half the amount of what the white people were getting. Did they feel that they should be getting a better pay and better housing? Did they know that they were treated like they were not as important? If I was there would I have known that I have the same rights as the other mine workers?
The Inuit had no electricity, no toilet, and no heating in their 500 square feet houses. Not only were the houses empty, they were also over crowded with 3 families in one house, while the white people had electricity, toilet and heating but also had only few people living in one house, not shared by 3 families.The Inuit lived a longer distance from the mine than the white people. The white people were living closer to the mine.
There were 4 different zones in the old settlement. “Zone one comprises seven tents with two or three outdoor cooking huts. This zone is occupied exclusively by families from Eskimo Point. These people secure their water from a large run-off pool a few hundred feet to the north and west.
Zone 2 consists of approximately 15 dwellings of which nine are more of less permanent, the remainder being tents that are erected in this zone are situated on a lower beach than those of zone one…
Zone 3 is built on a higher ground than that occupied by either zones one or two, and is seperated from the latter by a distance of several hundred feet. There are ten houses in this zone spread out over a larger area. Again they consist mostly of shacks with a few tents pitched here and there. Water for this zone is secured from a run-off pool located on the top of a high gravel beach that lies to the rear of the area.
Zone 4 extends Northward for almost one-thousand feet terminating on a rocky point of land. There are fourteen dwellings in this area. Only about half of these are occupied, their owners having moved to the new Eskimo Settlement.
There is a lot of information on this document. I will read through it again blog about what I think should be seen. We had a presentation going on for the community see. During one of the videos I saw, I saw that when belugas were passing by the mine Inuit quickly rushed to the water to hunt the belugas, during the working hours. I wish I was able to go hunting during regular working hours! I’d get someone to replace me because my view to the South is perfect and that’s where the geese comes from.
‘ᐃᓄᒃ ᑲᖏᖅᖠᓂᕐᒥᑦ: ᓯᕗᓪᓕᖅᐸᒥᒃ ᑐᓴᒐᒃᓴᖅ’
ᑎᑎᕋᖅᑕᐅᔪᖅ: ᕋᐳᕐᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓗᐃᓯ ᑎᓕ
ᑲᖏᖅᖠᓂᕐᒥᑦ ᓴᕕᖕᓄᑦ ᐅᔭᕋᒃᑕᕆᐊᖅ 1957ᒥᑦ 1962ᒧᑦ
ᐅᖃᓕᒪᖅᑎᒃᖢᑕ ᐅᔨᕆᓚᐅᕋᑉᑯ ᖃᓄᖅ ‘ᐃᓄᒃ’ (Eskimo) ᑕᐃᔭᐅᒐᔪᓚᐅᖅᒪᖓᑦ. ᐅᖃᓚᐅᕋᒪ ᑲᑎᒪᑎᒃᖢᑕ ᐃᖢᐃᓪᓕᒐᔭᓚᐅᕋᒪ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᖅ ‘ᐃᓄᒃ’ (Eskimo) ᑕᐃᔭᐅᒐᔪᒃᑐᓚᐅᑦᔪᒃᒪᑦ. ᐃᓄᓯᓪᓗᐊᕕᖕᒥᒡᓕ ᐃᖢᐃᓪᓕᖅᑕᖏᒃᑐᖓ ᑕᐃᔭᐅᒐᓗᐊᕋᖓᑦ ‘ᐃᓄᒃ’ (Eskimo), ᑭᓯᐊᓂᓕ ᑭᖑᒃᒧᑦ ᑕᐅᑐᒃᑐᓂ ᖃᓄᖅ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐃᓕᐅᖅᑕᐅᓱᓚᐅᖅᒪᖓᑕ ᐃᓱᒻᒥᓕᓚᐅᕋᒪ ᐃᒻᒪᖃ ᐃᖢᐃᓪᓕᒥᐊᕆᐊᖃᖅᑐᖓ.
ᐅᖃᓕᒪᒐᓂᒃᓯᒪᓕᖅᑎᒃᖢᖓ ᐃᓱᒪᓕᓚᐅᖅᑐᖓ ᖃᓄᖅ ᐃᓄᓯᖃᕋᔭᕐᓇᕐᓂᖅᒪᖓᑦ ᑕᐃᑉᓱᒪᓂ. ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᑐᓂᔭᐅᑉᔪᑎᒃ ᓄᓇᓕᐊᓚᒥᒃ ᐃᓄᐃᓴᖕᓂᖅᓴᐅᑉᓗᓂ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᒥᓱᖏᓂᖅᓴᓂᒃ ᐃᒡᓗᕐᔪᐊᖃᖅᖢᓂᓗ ᐊᑭᓕᖅᑐᒐᐅᐱᒪᕐᓗᓂ ᐅᔭᕋᒃᑕᕆᐊᓄᑦ ᓇᒃᐸᐃᓇᒃᓇᖓᓂᒃ ᖃᑉᓗᓇᑦ ᐊᑭᓕᖅᑐᒐᐅᒃᑕᓚᐅᕐᓂᖏᑦᓂᒃ. ᐊᑭᓕᖅᑐᒐᐅᒃᑎᐊᕐᓂᖅᓴᐅᓱᐊᓚᐅᖅᐸᓂᑉᑯᐊ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᒡᓗᕐᔪᐊᖃᒃᑎᐊᕐᓂᖅᓴᐅᓱᐊᖅᖢᑎᒡᓗ? ᖃᐅᔨᒪᓚᐅᖅᐸᑦ ᐃᓄᒡᓗᐊᖅᑕᐅᒃᑕᕐᓂᒥᑦᓂᒃ? ᑕᐃᑲᓂᓯᐅᓚᐅᕈᒪ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᓗᖓᓗ ᐊᑦᔨᒋᖕᓂᒃ ᐱᔪᖕᓇᐅᑎᖃᕐᓗᖓ ᐊᓯᖏᒃᑕ ᐅᔭᕋᒃᑕᕆᐊᖅᑎᐅᔪᑦ?
ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐃᑭᒃᑕᖅᑐᖃᖏᑕᐃᓐᓇᖅᑐᑦ, ᖁᕐᕕᖃᕋᑎᒡᓗ, ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐅᖁᓪᓗᐊᕕᖏᑕᐃᓐᓇᖅᖢᑎᒡᓗ 500 ᐊᑉᓗᕐᓂᖏᑦ ᐃᒡᓗᕐᔪᐊᓂ. ᐃᓗᓕᖃᖏᑕᐃᓐᓇᖅᑐᑦ, ᑭᓯᐊᓂᓕ ᐃᓄᒋᐊᒃᑐᓚᐅᑦᔪᐃᑦ ᐱᖓᓱᓂᒃ ᐃᓚᒋᖕᓂᒃ ᐊᑕᐅᓯᕐᒥᒃ ᐅᕙᒍᖃᖅᖢᑎᒃ, ᖃᑉᓗᓇᔭᑦ ᐃᑭᒃᑕᖅᑐᖃᖅᖢᑎᒡᓕ, ᖁᕐᕕᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐅᖁᒃᑎᐊᖅᖢᑎᒡᓕ ᑭᓯᐊᓂᓕ ᐊᒥᓱᖏᒃᑐᑦ ᐊᑕᐅᓯᕐᒥᒃ ᐃᒡᓗᕐᔪᐊᒥᓯᐅᖅᖢᑎᒃ, ᐊᒥᑦᖃᖏᒃᑐᑦ ᐱᖓᓱᓄᑦ ᐃᓚᒋᖕᓄᑦ. ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐅᖓᓯᓐᓂᖅᓴᓚᐅᑦ ᐅᔭᕋᒃᑕᕆᐊᕐᕕᖕᒥᑦ ᖃᑉᓗᓇᓂᒃ. ᖃᑉᓗᓇᔭᑦ ᖃᓂᒃᑐᖅᑕᐅᑉᔪᑎᒃ ᐅᔭᕋᒃᑕᕆᐊᕐᕕᖕᒧᑦ.
ᑎᑎᖃᑕᓕᒃᑎᐊᒥᐊᖅ ᑕᒡᕙᓂ. ᐅᖃᓕᒪᑦᑲᓐᓂᕐᓂᐊᖅᐳᖓ ᑎᑎᕈᒪᕐᓗᒋᓪᓗ ᐃᓱᒪᒋᔭᒻᓂᒃ ᑕᑯᔭᐅᔭᕆᐊᖃᕈᒋᔭᒻᓂᒃ. ᑕᐅᑐᒃᑎᑎᓚᐅᕋᑉᑕ ᓄᓇᓕᐊᓚᓄᑦ ᑕᑯᔭᒃᓴᐅᑉᔪᑎᒃ. ᑕᕐᕆᔭᐅᒃᒥᑦ ᑕᑯᓚᐅᕋᒪ, ᕿᓇᓗᒃᑲᑦ ᖃᖏᖅᖠᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᐅᔭᕋᒃᑕᕆᐊᑦ ᓴᓂᐊᒍᑦ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᑐᐊᕕᖅᖢᑎᒃ ᕿᓇᓗᒃᑭᕆᐊᖅᑕᓚᐅᖅᒪᑕ, ᐱᓕᕆᓐᓇᐃᑦ ᐃᑲᕐᕋᐃᒃᓂᒃ. ᒪᖃᐃᒃᑐᓪᓗᐊᓚᐅᖅᑐᖓ ᐱᓕᕆᓐᓇᒥ! ᐃᓇᖏᖅᑕᐅᒃᓇᖅᓯᓇᕐᓗᖓ ᑕᐅᒃᑐᕈᓯᕋ ᖃᑉᓗᓇᑦ ᓄᓇᒃᓂ ᓇᒻᒪᓚᕆᒃᒪᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑎᖕᒥᐊᑦ ᑎᑭᒃᑕᔪᒃᒪᑕ ᖃᑉᓗᓇᑦ ᓄᓇᑦᓂ.
2 Notes/ Hide
- nanisiniq-blog-blog posted this