Thèses / Dissertations

Despite profound social and economic changes, travelling on the land and the sea still plays a very significant role in the lives of the Inuit of Igloolik, in the territory of Nunavut, Canada. For Inuit hunters, travelling implies a comprehensive understanding of and a thorough engagement with the environment in which they live. In this context, orienting means more than locating one’s geographic position or one’s destination in abstract space. The activities and skills involved in orienting and wayfinding are embedded in a particular way of approaching the territory and of understanding people’s place in it. This thesis studies different aspects of the Inuit approach to travelling and orienting, and some characteristics of their knowledge of the territory. It also describes how Inuit hunters in Igloolik relate to the sea ice and how they break trails on fresh snow, recreating routes (or courses) that have been part of the community’s memory throughout many generations. Finally, it analyzes the changes brought up by a contemporary setting, and discusses the use of Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers by Inuit hunters in the context of a theoretical debate around technology and change. Malgré de profond changements sociaux et économiques, voyager dans les terres et sur la mer joue encore un rôle très important dans la vie des Inuit d'Igloolik (Nunavut, Canada). Pour les chasseurs inuit, voyager implique une compréhension totale de l'environnement dans lequel ils vivent. Dans ce contexte, s'orienter veut dire plus que localiser sa position géographique ou sa destination dans un espace abstrait. Les activités et les aptitudes liées à l'orientation et à la façon de trouver son chemin sont intégrées dans une approche particulière pour comprendre le territoire et la place de ses habitants. Cette thèse étudie différents aspects de l'approche inuit du voyage et de l'orientation ainsi que certaines caractéristiques de leur connaissance du territoire. Elle y décrit aussi la façon dont les chasseurs inuit d'Igloolik perçoivent la mer glacée et comment ils font de nouveaux chemins sur la neige fraîche en recréant des routes qui font partie de la mémoire communautaire depuis des générations. Enfin, elle analyse les changements contemporains et aborde la question de l'utilisation de receveurs GPS (Global Positioning System) par les chasseurs inuit dans le contexte d'un débat théorique concernant la technologie et le changement. This dissertation is an ethnography of the lived experience of contemporary social work in a Yup'ik (Eskimo) village. Despite efforts to increase “cultural competence,” there has been little systematic investigation of the everyday meaning of formal social work/social services in the lives of rural Alaska Natives. This research addresses that gap by examining current service systems and local, culturally-informed perceptions of need and appropriate responses. I conducted fieldwork in one Bering Sea village. I used participant-observation and multiple conducted ethnographic interviews with various community members, especially the local social service providers and others involved with specific cases. Data consist of fieldnotes, interview transcriptions, and pre-existing documents. I adapted grounded theory and discourse analysis techniques for analysis. I returned to the village to conduct follow-up interviews and to present the initial findings to key informants, and I presented the elaborated findings to the tribal Human Research committee. I developed a schema of how the community thinks about “social problems” and responses to them, with an emphasis on the roles of formal professional (typically Anglo) and paraprofessional (typically Yup'ik) service providers. I used a composite case study to elaborate the schema and discuss issues of fit between the service systems and local culture; in particular, how responses internal to the village and interventions that require leaving the village are activated and utilized. …