Here's an article that claims Nunavut's high number of swine flu cases is due to extensive testing.
Because of all the video problems and barbecue yesterday, I forgot to write about an important piece of news. Pia came into the Heritage Society yesterday afternoon, saying, "Did you hear? There was a suicide this morning."
Though none of us knew the woman, we all knew her biological son; a 10th grade boy I met working in Jacques' shop. Quiet and shy, he has sparkling eyes and a ready smile, and my heart went out to him. He has never lived with his mother, but that does not lessen the grief he must be feeling. A solemn mood passed over the room...
for a few minutes. Then, everything returned to normal. We went back to getting ready for the barbecue and I started to work on my video again. In fact, we pretty much forgot about it for the rest of the day.
Later yesterday night, Renee reflected back, saying, "You know, the fact that we all just returned to work so quickly shows you how desensitized this community is to death now." In the past six months, at least ten deaths have occurred in Cambridge Bay. Probably only half of them occurred naturally. Renee said Julian's (the boy who committed suicide from jumping from a plane) death shook the community for several days; that all of Cambridge Bay became like a ghosttown. After experiencing that kind of grief, what can shock them?
Here's a happy picture to make up for the bad news! This is Pia's son, Waylon, trying on her sunglasses.
Abbey! That picture is adorable. Also, I think the issue of being desensitized to death is something important your supervisor brought up. You've probably already elaborated on this before, but I guess the question that keeps hitting me is this: How does one reverse this culture that often fosters depression and low educational expectations? Maybe reverse is the wrong word - I guess we shouldn't mean to change their culture, but perhaps some of the effects of living in the area that has experienced this issues. :-\
ReplyDeletePlease DO NOT have Swine flu...That would be awful! It would be a cool story later..."This one time, I got swine flu in Cambridge Bay..."
ReplyDeleteGet well soon!
Feel better, Abbey! (And, I agree with Hannah- please do NOT have swine flue in Cambridge Bay). When you get back, I would love to hear you talk more about the similarities between Cheraw and Cambridge Bay. And, reading through your blogs, I can see how you have really, truly, have become a part of this community. That was not an easy accomplishment, Abbey. When you noted that you didn't know as much about the needs of your own community of 15 years, it really struck me. I wonder why that is... I think that's probably true of many of us. Take good care of yourself. Get better fast! Safe travels home.
ReplyDeleteHi everybody! : )
ReplyDeleteDavid, you have asked the million-dollar question...What will it take to improve the welfare of this community? More importantly, how can we do that without stripping them of their culture? For example, the more we push English literacy, the less emphasis we put on Inuinnaqtun literacy. Or, think about this: There are Canadian laws that say parents are not allowed to touch their children, and some Inuit claim that this goes directly against their culture, which encourages the disciplining of children. To further complicate the issue, domestic abuse is a big problem here, just as in other indigenous communities...so what is truly the best solution? After two months here, I have become a little frustrated, because I seem to be asking more questions (like these) than answering them.
Some things that are "cultural," like low educational expectations, are obviously bad, right? But perhaps the "white way" of "fixing" the problem won't work well here. What if emphasis on learning traditional skills was the solution to the education issue? That is why it is important for us to immerse ourselves in the communities in which we are serving. Until we understand their values and their culture, it is not our right to propose solutions. Not doing so was what resulted in indigenous communities having to deal with the social problems they now face.
So I know I really didn't answer your question at all, but if I did know the answer I would probably win the Nobel Peace Prize, right? : ) I guess all we can do is work to make small changes in the ways that we do know will produce positive, lasting results.
Something else to think about is how this relates to what you are learning in Marion. The South and Cambridge Bay share a lot of the same struggles against alcoholism, domestic abuse, lower educational expectations, etc (to answer Minda's question, lol). So how do we make changes to these issues in our own communities? Will different strategies work differently in each place? Probably, but as we are more familiar with the South, it is easier for us to deal with the issues in our own backyard than to solve the problems of people thousands of miles away. I have become more aware of this community's concerns than of my own...isn't this awful? It's funny that it took a trip to the Arctic to inspire me to get more involved in my hometown. I wonder if other scholars have had a similar experience.
Thanks for the post!
Hannah, I am indeed feeling better, but I agree that it would be AWESOME to be able to say I got swine flu (as long as I recover, heehee). I've really been enjoying your blog!!
Minda, there are so many similarities! However, there are no vanilla wafers here to make banana pudding with. I am quite distressed! : ) Can't wait to see you soon and share more with everybody! Hope you're having a great summer!