“Narwhal are recognized as a #cultural cornerstone by Inuit, the #narwhal holds profound significance,” Jason Akearok, executive director of the #Nunavut#Wildlife Management Board, said on Wednesday.
“In alignment with their cultural relevance, the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board commits to a thorough examination of #scientific insights and #Inuit#Qaujimajatuqangit [knowledge] from #COSEWIC, evaluating their assessment of the narwhal as ‘Not at Risk.'”
By The Associated Press
Updated March 4, 2024 9:27 am
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — "A group of Indigenous women in Greenland has sued Denmark for forcing them to be fitted with intrauterine contraceptive devices in the 1960s and 1970s and demanded total compensation of nearly 43 million kroner ($6.3 million), their lawyer said Monday.
"The 143 #Inuit women say Danish health authorities violated their #HumanRights when they fitted them with the devices, commonly known as coils. Some of the women — including many who were teenagers at the time — were not aware of what happened or did not consent to the intervention.
"They each are demanding 300,000 kroner ($44,000), the women’s lawyer, Mads Pramming, told The Associated Press.
"The purpose was allegedly to limit population growth in Greenland by preventing pregnancies. The population on the Arctic island was rapidly increasing at the time because of better living conditions and better health care. The small T-shaped device, made from plastic and copper and fitted in the uterus, prevents sperm from fertilizing an egg.
"Danish authorities say as many as 4,500 women and girls — reportedly half of the fertile women in Greenland — received coil implants between the 1960s and mid-1970s.
"In September 2022, the governments of Denmark and Greenland launched an investigation into the program. The outcome of the probe is due next year.
"But Pramming said they won’t wait until then, and that the only option for the women is to seek justice through the court.
"'The oldest of us are over 80 years old, and therefore we cannot wait any longer,' one of the women, Naja Lyberth, told Greenland public broadcaster KNR. “As long as we live, we want to regain our self-respect and respect for our wombs.”
Our next spotlight is on number 2 from The List, submitted by MetalheadDana.
Tanya Tagaq is a woman of immense talent. She’s the bestselling author of Split Tooth, a stunning piece of fiction/memoir set in 1970s Nunavut, written in both poetry and prose. Her English/Inuktitut picture book for children, It Bears Repeating, is set to come out in August this year. She’s an activist and overall exceptional human being, not afraid to speak her mind and call people, corporations, and governments out for the crimes they have committed against her people, others, and the environment. She co-directed and -wrote the documentary Ever Deadly, about her own life and career. And, more recently, she’s an actor, appearing in season 4 of True Detective, which she also provided the soundtrack for.
Which brings us to what she’s most known for, and why we’re here. Tanya Tagaq – often performing under the name “Tagaq” – is an award-winning experimental musician and composer, combining Inuit throat singing with improvisational vocals and various backdrops such as avant-garde classical violin, jazz, electronic beats, or nothing else at all. She’s collaborated with artists such as the Kronos Quartet, Buffy Sainte-Marie, and Björk. While she often performs at folk festivals, Tagaq’s music is truly the most metal thing you could possibly hear.
The first I heard Tagaq’s voice was on the first track of Björk’s 2004 vocal album and utter masterpiece, Medúlla. From day 1, Medúlla was instantly my favorite Björk album, not in small part due to Tagaq’s incredible guest vocals (especially on the track “Ancestors”, which reappears on Tagaq’s first LP, the 2005 Sinaa, co-produced by Björk). It would be nearly 10 years before we (myself and MetalheadDana) finally got to see Tagaq live, in an old movie theatre, improvising a soundtrack to the 1922 silent film Nanook of the North with the film playing on the screen behind. There we picked up copies of Sinaa and the 2008 Aux / Blood (or ᐊᐅᒃ, in Inuktitut syllabics). We got to chat with her for a few minutes while she signed our CDs, and she was giddy to mention that she was thinking about doing some covers for future albums, Pixies’ “Caribou” and possibly also some Iron Maiden. Soon after that performance, she released the 2014 Animism (which we’ll come back to another day since it also appears on The List).
While I typically listen to Tagaq’s later work, going back to Aux / Blood, I think this is perhaps her most accessible album in her discography. If you’re not familiar with Tagaq’s gripping music and/or Inuit throat singing in general, this is a great introduction. Fans of Faith No More will be happy to pick out Mike Patton’s guest vocals on the album. And, for Canadian folks from Edmonton/Calgary/Vancouver, make sure you check out “Force”, “Burst”, and “Construction”, which feature the brilliant beat-boxer Shamik (also of Too Attached, Shamik’s duo with his sister – another woman of immense talent – Vivek Shraya; the duo has also performed alongside Tagaq).
#Kativik Regional Govt adopted a plan giving it greater control over the way non-Inuit organizations use land in #Nunavik.
A new bylaw approved by regional council Tuesday is a legally enforceable tool regional government can use to oversee activities happening across the region.
It provides KRG the authority to enforce a cleanup at a company’s cost if environmental contaminants are left behind.
The bylaw applies to non-Inuit-beneficiary land users.
Itinérance inuit à Montréal : a-t-on détourné le regard?
The Open Door refuge in a church basement in #Montreal’s Milton-Parc area offers a space for #inuit without a home. Neighbourhood is still fighting to close it.
Open to Inuit living outside of Inuit Nunaat in what is known as Canada.
Submission Deadline: January 22, 2024
Launch Date: March 2024
This zine invites Inuit living in the south, or outside of Inuit Nunangat, to submit any artistic expressions (visual and/or writing) that reflect upon home, being Inuk, land, and kinship, to be released in March 2024. The zine will be printed in colour and launched as a part of -miut, an exhibition that features five contemporary Inuit artists living in Treaty 6 and 7 territories at the Mitchell Art Gallery in Edmonton, Alberta, curated by Ooleepeeka Eegeesiak. Each selected contributor will receive an $85.00 honorarium. https://mitchellartgallery.macewan.ca/news/miut-zine#Inuit#InuitArt#Indigenous@indigenousauthors#InuitAuthors#InuitPoets
Two class actions against the #RCMP have been certified and can go forward now that the Supreme Court said it would not hear an appeal of a lower court decision in the case of representative plaintiff Joe David Nasogaluak, in which legal council estimates $600 million in damages.
Now there’s a class action in the north that alleges RCMP abuse, and there’s one in the south that covers abuse across the rest of Canada.
In a position paper issued just before the start of a major international #ClimateChange conference, the #Inuit#CircumpolarCouncil listed 5 major recommendations for ways that the “stark warnings” that the #Indigenous people of the #Arctic have been issuing for decades can be addressed. The council includes #Inupiat and #Yupik representatives.
Finality of Dusk is set in the year 2045. It’s a film about the few humans remaining on earth following an environmental disaster. Because of the poisonous air, those still alive must wear filtration masks in order to survive.
Katarina Ziervogel, a member of Sagkeeng First Nation in Manitoba, helped create the film. She is a deaf woman and brought a unique perspective to the main characters' interactions.
The Indigenous economy is continuing to make progress, with corporations and governments working to partner with Indigenous Nations to include them in business and industry successes.
Reconciliation may be driving the inclusion, said a panel at the Indigenomics Bay Street conference in Toronto, but it’s up to everyone to ensure that progress is built on what is best for future generations.