Inuit Arctic Sovereignty

Arctic expeditions were harbingers for the destruction of First Nations living there. Records of the early expeditions give detailed descriptions of Inuit communities living in the Arctic. It is clear that the Inuit relied on this land, as they had lived there for generations, long before explorers ever “discovered” it. Unsurprisingly, the Inuit were overcome by the European explorers and pushed out of their land. As settlement in Canada expanded and the British began to take ownership over sections of the north, “Native populations … were assumed to need no … provisions”. By 1913, the Inuit were being used by explorers on the Canadian Arctic Expedition as aid. Photographs of the Inuit in 1913 compared to descriptions from the 1800ds show immense change. The Inuit were no longer living their traditional way of life, as their land was being taken away. They now wore European clothes and relied on European provisions and small salaries in order to survive. One Inuit woman named Mamayauk who was employed by explorers, bitterly stated that the Europeans were “in [her] land” and remembered a time “when there was nobody around”. Today, only 40,000 Inuit live in the Arctic, yet in deplorable conditions. They live in 26 communities dotted over 4,000 kilometers, stretching from the Labrador Sea to the western Arctic. The Inuit infant mortality rate is three times the national average, the life expectancy is 13 years less than the average Canadian, the tuberculosis rate is 185 times the national rate as of 2010 and less than 50% of Inuit children have accessed a doctor . This is because the Canadian government, responsible for Inuit land loss, refuses to provide sufficient infrastructure and aid to these communities that are still part of Canada. It is clear to see that expansion into the Arctic has crippled the First Nations who once lived there.