Research over the past several decades on the nature of Inuit hunting of narwhals has focused upon harvesting technologies and the traditional ecological knowledge of modern hunting of the species. However, as much as such work has contributed to our understanding of Inuit and narwhal interaction, less is known about contemporary Inuit hunting behaviour of narwhal. The research presented in this dissertation redresses this gap by providing a detailed behavioural description and analysis of the Inuit narwhal hunting in two critical environments utilized by the Inuit of Pond Inlet---those of the spring floe-edge and the summer open water. / This information and its analysis are presented through three manuscripts. The first manuscript forms the analytical basis of the behavioural description by presenting through the use of a decision flow chart, the parameters that affect narwhal hunting. The second and third manuscript explore different foraging strategies involved in several major decisions the Inuit typically face when pursuing narwhal at the floe-edge (Manuscript Two) and in the open water environment (Manuscript Three). The data pertinent to the major decision factors influencing actions in both environments were obtained through participant observation, supplemented by interviews with hunters and elders. / The main results of this research pertain to the different, but complementary, strategies employed by Mittimatalingmiut (Pond Inlet Inuit) hunters during the floe-edge and ice free seasons, as well as during the transition between the two. Before break-up, the most frequent method employed in floe-edge and outpost camp hunts is an ambush or a sit-and-wait strategy. Interestingly, during the transition between floe-edge and complete open water, Pond Inlet Inuit utilized both sit-and-wait and pursuit hunting strategies to maximize their hunting opportunities.

Thèse (D. en psychologie)--Université du Québec à Montréal, 2005. / En tête du titre: Université du Québec à Montréal. Comprend des réf. bibliogr. Publié aussi en version électronique.

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xiv, 143 p. / The amplified effects of climate change in the Arctic are well known and, according to many commentators, endanger Inuit cultural integrity. However, the specific connections between climate change and cultural change are understudied. This thesis explores the relationship between climatic shifts and culture in the Inuit community of Salluit, Quebec, Canada. Although residents of Salluit are acutely aware of climate change in their region and have developed causal explanations for the phenomenon, most Salluit residents do not characterize climate change as a threat to Inuit culture. Instead, they highlight the damaging impacts of globalization and internal colonialism as a more serious problem. This counter-narrative suggests that focusing narrowly on climate change can obscure the broader and more immediate challenges facing Inuit communities. Such a realization demonstrates the need for researchers to locate climate change within a matrix of non-climatic challenges in order to mitigate threats to indigenous cultures. / Committee in charge: Susan W. Hardwick, Chairperson; Alexander B. Murphy, Chairperson; Michael Hibbard, Member

Over eighty polar-themed exhibitions were held in Britain between 1819 and the 1930s, a time of intense exploration of both the Arctic and Antarctic. These varied from panoramas and human exhibits to displays of ‘relics', equipment, photographs and artwork, waxworks and displays shown as part of a Great Exhibition. This period also saw the creation of the first dedicated polar museums. These displays were visited by thousands of people throughout the country, helping to mediate the subject of exploration for a public audience. Despite this, the role exhibitions played in forming popular views of the polar regions has not been fully assessed. This thesis addresses this gap. It is the first to consider all the polar exhibitions held during this period as a collective body, making it possible to study how they developed over time and in response to changing circumstances. The thesis uses a variety of archival sources to both reconstruct the displays and place them in their historical and museological contexts. The study shows that exhibitions evolved in response to changes both in the museum sector and in exploration culture. It demonstrates that, while they were originally identified with the shows of the entertainment industry, polar exhibitions began to take on more of the characteristics of museum displays. At the same time their dominant themes changed; the natural world was relegated in favour of ideas relating to the human experience of the regions such as heroism, adventure and everyday life in an exotic environment. While other media may have been more effective in disseminating ideas about exploration, visitors could find the experience of visiting an exhibition more compelling. This thesis contributes to our understanding of this distinct role that exhibitions played in presenting the polar regions to the British public.

The contamination of seafood with methylmercury (MeHg) is a global health issue, as MeHg is a well known neurotoxin. Since dietary nutrients may interact with MeHg toxicity, and oxidative stress is one of the primary mechanisms underlying MeHg neurotoxicity, we characterized dietary antioxidant-MeHg interactions. Firstly, we used an ethnobotanical study to confirm the antioxidant activity of Northern Labrador Tea, Rhododendron tomentosum ssp. subarcticum (Tea), for the Canadian Inuit, a population with elevated MeHg exposure. Secondly, we determined the ability of Tea to ameliorate MeHg-induced toxicity in a rat perinatal exposure study. MeHg exposure (2 mg/KgBW/d) was associated with perturbed development and behaviour, elevated brain N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors, and serum lipid peroxidation. Surprisingly, Tea co-exposure (100 mg/KgBW/d) modulated MeHg’s effects on brain NMDA-R levels and lipid peroxidation, but also increased mercury serum concentrations. Thirdly, using a toxicogenomics approach we determined that MeHg exposure caused the down-regulation of Nr4a2 and its protein product Nurr1. These novel MeHg targets are implicated in developmental learning functions and were corrected with MeHg + Tea co-exposure. Lastly, we conducted a risk assessment survey and cross-sectional dietary epidemiology study in Costa Rica to further investigate dietary nutrient-MeHg interactions. Costa Rica is a Central American country with multiple sources of Hg and a high per capital fish consumption. Here, 5 of the 14 populations we studied exceeded the recommended MeHg provisional tolerable daily intake (pTDI) of 0.2 µg/KgBW/d. In Heredia the pTDI was exceeded by 34% of woman participants, primarily associated with canned tuna consumption. Interestingly, we detected that Hg body burden was significantly reduced by the consumption of antioxidant-rich dietary items. Considering our collective results, we hypothesized that MeHg toxicokinetics may be altered by dietary nutrients at the site of intestinal absorption from the disruption of gut flora, or at the site of cellular demethylation in tissues from the improvement of cellular redox state. The interaction of dietary nutrients on MeHg outcomes has a large impact on risk assessment and may provide a public health approach for managing the risk associated with MeHg exposure without reducing local fish consumption.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the leading cause of disability in North American and has major economic consequences for society. People with knee OA experience the worst quality of life, among musculoskeletal conditions, with function and mobility being influenced by symptoms such as pain and stiffness. However, the impact of OA symptoms varies due to intrinsic and extrinsic factors, leading many researchers to employ biopsychosocial and other population health frameworks to study the disease. These population health approaches have not been adopted when studying knee OA outcomes in bioarchaeology, where a limited biological lens prevails due to the sole reliance on skeletal remains. The purpose of this research was to explore methods for identifying the impairment potential of knee OA in archaeological populations using a clinical sample and population health approaches. Clinical studies have the advantage of assessing not only the biological implications of knee OA but also the functional outcomes. By creating a knee OA grading system applicable for both MRI and dry bone femora samples (Clinical Archaeological Osteoarthritis Score) a link between clinical and archaeological populations was proposed. Using this link to infer functional deficits onto archaeological populations using population health frameworks, a theoretical analysis was performed with two populations; the 17th century Huron and the 19th century Inuit from the Igloolik region of Nunavut. The results demonstrated the increased impairment potential of knee OA in the Inuit population versus the Huron population, produced by contrasting factors captured by the determinants of health, including social and physical environments.

Au Nunavik, la rage du renard arctique demeure endémique et les morsures de chiens représentent une source importante d’exposition humaine. Cependant, nous disposons de peu de données probantes pour guider les stratégies de gestion et de prévention dans ce contexte socio-culturel assez particulier. Dans la présente étude, nous analysons les données de signalements des morsures animales déclarées à la direction de santé publique du Nunavik (DSPN) de 2008 à 2017 en tenant compte du contexte spécifique et global ainsi que des différences entre les enfants et les adultes dans le but d’extraire les informations utiles pour le contrôle, la gestion et la prévention des morsures animales, particulièrement canines, et des expositions à la rage. Sur les dix ans, 320 signalements ont été rapportés avec une augmentation importante dans les déclarations à partir de 2012. Plus de 90% des cas ont impliqué un chien. L’incidence cumulative annuelle a été plus élevée que celle rapportée ailleurs au Canada et aux États-Unis. La distribution spatiale des cas d’exposition humaine potentielle à la rage ainsi que les cas de rage animale étaient variables entre les villages de la baie d’Hudson et ceux de la baie d’Ungava. Deux profils de victimes sont ressortis à travers les analyses, à savoir les enfants de moins de 15 ans qui étaient plus souvent exposés au niveau de la tête et du cou et dans un contexte de jeu et les jeunes adultes de sexe masculin, plus souvent exposés au niveau des extrémités supérieurs et à travers des activités telle que le mushing ou la chasse. Ces différents patrons d’expositions seraient importants à considérer et à cibler dans les stratégies de prévention. Durant la période d’étude, 15 animaux rabiques ont été identifiés. Bien que le taux de positivité ait été plus élevé parmi les animaux sauvages, 60% des expositions humaines confirmées à la rage ont impliqué des chiens. Les résultats de cette étude démontrent l’importance de considérer les morsures canines en tant qu’enjeu prioritaire de santé publique au sein des communautés Inuit du Nunavik et soulignent le besoin d’adopter des approches préventives adaptées au contexte. / In Nunavik, arctic fox rabies is still endemic and dog bites represent a considerable source for human exposure, nevertheless, we are lacking scientific evidence to guide management and prevention strategies in this particular socio-cultural context. In the present study, we analyze cases of declared animal bites that were reported to the Nunavik Regional Health Board (NRHB) from 2008 to 2017, taking into account the specific and global context, as well as the differences between children and adults in order to retrieve accurate, contextual and reliable information to guide future control and prevention strategies. Over the ten year period, 320 cases of animal related injuries were reported with an important increase during the study period. Over 90% of these cases involved dogs. The annual incidence was higher than previously reported in other regions in Canada and the United States (US). The spatial distribution, for potential human exposures to rabies as well as animal rabies cases, was different between the villages of Hudson Bay and Ungava Bay. Two main victim profiles have emerged through the analysis, namely children under 15 years old (y/o) who were most likely to be exposed in the head and neck, mostly during play and young male adults through activities such as mushing and hunting; these differences should be considered and targeted in prevention strategies as risk factors. During the study period, 15 rabid animals were identified. Although positivity rate was higher among wildlife, most confirmed human exposures occurred with a dog (60%). These results sustain the importance of dog bites as a public health issue in Inuit communities of Nunavik and highlight the need for preventive approaches that are adapted to the context.

A dissertation examining technological diversity in Indigenous copper metallurgy of the North American Arctic and Central Subarctic. Variation in technological diversity is assessed cross-culturally, chronologically, and geographically. This is accomplished using diversity statistics to characterize Richness and Evenness of spatiotemporal archaeological assemblages of copper artifacts, performing regression analysis to examine the relationship to the results of a GIS Path Distance analysis that models the cost of acquisition of raw or modified copper, and performing chi-square tests of independence to compare assemblages inter-regionally and temporally. Portable X-Ray Fluorescence was utilized to discriminate geologically pure copper from smelted trade copper and a comprehensive typology of copper artifacts was created using a compiled database of known copper artifacts from across the North American Arctic and central Subarctic. Inter-regional, chronological, and cross-cultural differences in technological diversity were identified and implications for Arctic and Subarctic archaeology and technological innovation are discussed.

Au Canada comme ailleurs, les peuples autochtones font preuve d’une grande résilience face à de nombreux problèmes de santé physique et psychosociale. Le traumatisme intergénérationnel issu de la colonisation passée et actuelle est vu comme l’une des explications de ces difficultés, additionné à un manque de services pour répondre aux déterminants du bien-être impliqués. Pour faire face à ces difficultés, des approches communautaires favorisant l’empowerment et l’autogouvernance sont recommandées. Des intervenants non-autochtones sont amenés à soutenir la mobilisation communautaire et leur apport peut être substantiel. Néanmoins, il apparait essentiel de décoloniser les interventions, notamment en procédant à une introspection sur sa propre présence et impact en contexte autochtone. En première partie, une analyse ethnographique sur mon processus comme jeune étudiante-chercheuse sera réalisée et permettra une analyse des sentiments, tensions, questionnements et réflexions qui ont façonné ce mémoire. Ensuite, les résultats d’analyse qualitative phénoménologique de cinq entrevues réalisées auprès d’intervenantes non-Inuit travaillant au Nunavik ou au Nunavut seront présentés. L’analyse de ces verbatim aura permis de faire ressortir des considérations de l’intervenante par rapport à elle-même et par rapport aux communautés, dans une perspective décoloniale. L’analyse qualitative inductive d’un groupe de discussion effectué auprès d’intervenantes Inuit sera ensuite présentée, permettant de valider certaines considérations. Cette étude aura permis d’appuyer l’importance de la connaissance de soi et de la reconnaissance des privilèges invisibles en lien avec l’histoire passée et actuelle de colonisation, de manière à répondre prioritairement aux besoins des communautés à travers l’établissement de relations de confiance significatives et maintenues dans le temps. / Aboriginal peoples are highly resilient to many physical and psychosocial health issues. Intergenerational trauma from past and current colonization is seen as one of the explanations for these difficulties, coupled with a lack of services to address the determinants of well-being involved. To address these challenges, community-based approaches that promote empowerment and self-governance are recommended. Non-Aboriginal stakeholders are involved in supporting community mobilization and their contribution can be substantial. Nevertheless, it seems essential to decolonize interventions, particularly by carrying out an introspection on one's own presence and impact in an indigenous context. In the first part, an ethnographic analysis of my process as a young student-researcher will be carried out and will allow an analysis of the feelings, tensions, questions and reflections that shaped this thesis. Then, the results of phenomenological qualitative analysis of five interviews conducted with non-Inuit stakeholders working in Nunavik or Nunavut will be presented. The analysis of these verbatim will have made it possible to highlight the speaker's considerations in relation to themselves and in relation to the communities, from a decolonial perspective. The inductive qualitative analysis of a focus group conducted with Inuit stakeholders will then be presented, validating some considerations. This study will have supported the importance of self-knowledge and the recognition of invisible privileges of non-aboriginal people in relation to past and current history of colonization, in order to meet the needs of communities as a priority through the establishment of meaningful and lasting trust-based relationships.