Presented at the 2012 International Polar Year conference
Date: April 25th 2012, 10:30am
Session: 3.1.4 Collaborative Approaches to Research
Location: Palais des congrès, 514 a/b
Click here for more details.
Unequal Exchanges: “Money” and Inuit/ Qablunaat research relationships
1. Nanisiniq Arviat History Project
Unequal exchanges
“Money” and Inuit/ Qablunaat research
relationships
Presenters: Primary Investigator Dr. Frank Tester, Jordan Konek and April Dutheil
School of Social Work, University of British Columbia, Vancouver Canada
In partnership with the Sivulinuut Elders Society, Arviat Canada
Funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
International Polar Year Conference 2012
April 25 2012
4. Nanisiniq Arviat History Project
Understanding the Structural Barriers
to Developing Good Working
Relationships
• Think about “class differences”
• Think about Western economic systems and how they
effect social relations
• Think about (mis)communication in relationship to the
above
5. Nanisiniq Arviat History Project
Conflicting Social Realities
“People don't get taught before they come here - people
that haven't understood what reality here is.”
- Jordan Konek, September 11 2011
7. Nanisiniq Arviat History Project
Examples of (Mis) Communication
“I know we can understand English and can read English,
the point was that Inuit don't read books. We're verbally
organized; verbally as in speaking only. ... A lot of Inuit
also don't understand some of your higher English and
professional speaking/writing skills.”
- Jordan Konek, August 5 2011
9. Nanisiniq Arviat History Project
Money & Respect
“Let's say that you were someone that I really, really wanted to interview
because you almost died in a plane crash . …You were in that situation and I
found you, and you lost a friend dog and it was really important to you. Then I
came and finally found you and you had a lot of knowledge about that incident.
I wanted to get in a detailed answer, not that we asked the Elders to talk in
detail. But I wanted that from you and you gave me a real good answer, and I
get paid a lot of money to get some words from you. Inuit Elders are not just
people that lived in the past as you know it. They lost their loved ones, they
nearly starved, they nearly froze and they were mistreated, and we are putting
them back to the past where we think is best for them. But maybe during the
same best year of their life they also had a bad experience. We don't want that,
we don't want to drive them back to that incident. They already have done so
much to keep their families alive, which had taken them up to me being alive
and me working for you. …So, when we interview Elders and people who
provide the money are giving this much (a reference to a token amount) ... I
never like it.”
- Jordan Konek, September 27 2011
10. Nanisiniq Arviat History Project
Economic Expectations
Dutheil: ...When we first did the interviews with the youth, there were
some expectations that the youth would receive the same amount of
honorarium as the Elders - $50. Why do you think the group felt that
youth should be given the same amount of money as Elders for their
time?
Konek: ...I'm wondering where this is going. Who's going to read this? I
feel like Inuit are ‘a family’. Don't mean to be rude. But one thing is that
why are we talking about how we are 'expecting money' I really don't
feel like answering that question. I'm sure you would feel the same.
This kind of feels like we're doing this to make Inuit look bad when it
comes to money... that they they're only looking for money. I'll be glad
to answer that too as well but it's [definitely] not making sense to why
we're going back to [money]...
- September 27 2011
11. Nanisiniq Arviat History Project
Economic Expectations
“I don't think the word "expect" should be used on this one.
It's kind of a shame to use it anyways when it comes to
money...I'm not blaming no one for anything, but it's
something that people should learn. We're not expecting
anything, but we're being taught to expect something from
someone. It's something silent that a lot of people are
doing, it doesn't make sense huh? I know.”
- Jordan Konek, September 27 2011
12. Nanisiniq Arviat History Project
Economic Expectations
“Why are [Inuit youth] feeling they should get some money?
Well, if you feel that "wealthy people" are funding you and
you have some needs or wants, why not just ask for it? It's
all these simple things we can think about. If I were the
interviewee what would I think? Well they're a big group,
meaning they might have money and I think I should get a
bit of it and to me it's all understandable.”
- Jordan Konek, September 27 2011
13. Nanisiniq Arviat History Project
Complaining
“We're becoming people that always complain and it's
becoming the norm to everything that we're doing.
Complain, complain complain and I have a reason for that.
Blame the Government, since we were taught that we can
fight back for our rights, we've become people that are
complaining all the time because we lost so much…”
- Jordan Konek, September 29 2011
14. Nanisiniq Arviat History Project
Orientation towards Qablunaat
Dutheil: When I was in Arviat, a few people asked me if I
was rich. Any ideas why people might have thought
that?...Why do people from the South appear to be "rich"
but really they might be barely making it?
Konek: The reason why Inuit think white people are rich is because
they come to the North, either for work or to visit, either way they
obviously have enough money to fly up here, where it costs a lot to fly
and to live. And if you're deciding to live here, you're well educated and
have learned to control money yourself. We're just starting to learn to
use money. If an organization sent you here to work, you are instantly
a rich person because the organization you work for is making good
money and will provide you enough money.
- September 24 2011
15. Nanisiniq Arviat History Project
Orientation towards Qablunaat
“Southerners appear to be rich because Inuit are still
learning to understand how society works. How all humans
are pretty much the same. We're on the same level, we
have the same feelings and we go through the same
situations. We're just learning the norms of socializing.”
- Jordan Konek, September 25 2011
17. Nanisiniq Arviat History Project
Acknowledgements
• Elders: Martha Okotak and Silas Illangiaiok
• Youth participants: Curtis Konek, Patrick Pingushat, Amy
Owingayak, Elizabeth Mukyunik, Robert Mukyunik and
Joseph Thompson
• Arviat coordinator: Tamar Mukyunik
• Co-investigators: Paule McNicoll and Peter Irniq
• Partners: Nunavut Arctic College, Nunavut Research
Institute
• Funders: Funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council of Canada
Frank -Not money as currency, but as a symbolic exchange that impacts how we relate to one another and negotiate exchanges
Frank Introduces Project Who: A Team of Researchers, Sivulinuut Elders Society and the University of British Columbia School of Social Work What: Two-year multi-media history project employing participatory action research methodologies Where: Arviat Nunavut and Vancouver Canada When: May 2010-April 2012 Why: Arctic History from an Inuit Perspective, identity
April -Research is product orientated, it’s concerned with results. A lot of attention is paid to the what- (results) and not the how (the process). When we work across cultures, we have to be sensitive to instances of miscommunication. -(Mis) communication & (Mis) understanding We have a problem, we have southern researchers who are of a particular class and are quite priveledged. When working with communities we need to beware of class-based differences related to access to resources and Western based economy. I want to acknowledge that this is a difficult topic to discuss. We lack a clearly defined language to discuss this. It is an uncomfortable topic to talk about. We don’t have the language. There are problems with referring to Inuit as lower class because it’s demeaning. People don’t want to talk about this because it’s difficult, but it’s important for two reasons: 1) We can become more knowledgeable about these differences 2) We learn more about who we are through these processes. We learn about our identity and how to relate to one another.
April: - this paper aims to create a better understanding between Inuit and Qablunaat researchers. It challenges the ethno-cultural analysis often applied to Inuit and Qablunaat relations. Other notes -More than just cultural clashes -The two systems infiltrate our ways of knowing, being & communicating -Creating incompatible exchanges at multiple levels and approaches -perpetuates colonial relations, instead of based on racism, it is based on the strength of one economy disappearing the other -currently the language used to talk about this issue is sparse. To address the social inequality that these relationships perpetuate, we believe it is important to begin a dialogue on these issues. For a more tangible goal, this conversation is integral to carrying-out and strengthening meaningful Inuit/Qablunaat relations.
Jordan reads quote
April -turned to Facebook to document and discuss instances of miscommunication during the project -this analysis of miscommunication reflects a close reading of these conversations
Jordan reads
April explains -realities of accounting & accountability-> combined with logistic problems can have negative impacts on good working relations -late cheques, inability to set up direct deposit for project participants, difficulties cashing cheques in a small, remote community, 4-6 weeks for processing & delivery, difficulties issuing cash for honourariums, on-the-spot expenses, difficulties related to travelling, airlines that don’t give out boarding passes, general lack of understanding of the realities of arctic communities -difficulties explaining the realities of accounting and accountability, which are hidden from view -dealing with, and up against a history of poor research relationships in Inuit communities that affects the building of trust and good working relations
Jordan reads quote
April & Jordan
April
Jordan
-Jordan reads & explains
April & Jordan
Jordan
April & Jordan We can’t disappear class differences, Acknowledge them 2) Important for our identity
