Special Interest - Non Credit Courses

Keshen Goodman Library Lecture Series –

Fridays 1:30 - 2:30pm

Nunavut: Pictures of Change in the Eastern Arctic

with Nick Newbery

The Keshen Goodman Library and Mount Saint Vincent University are pleased to offer our twelfth public lecture series beginning in January 2012.

This series of talks will provide a study of the people of Nunavut from earliest times to the present and the opportunity to examine issues that Canadian Inuit now face on a daily basis. The seminar will examine traditional society, the change brought about by the arrival of Europeans, the loss of independence by Inuit, the land claim agreement and the creation of the territory of Nunavut. This will serve as the background for the main focus of the presentations, that of understanding the realities of life in Nunavut today. Sessions will be delivered primarily through a slide-show/lecture combination, supported by a unique display of northern artifacts and artwork, a few surprises and a dash of humour!

January 13:  Pre-Contact Society 1 – The Physical Aspect

The survival of the Inuit over 4000 years, prior to regular contact with Europeans, was due to their remarkable ability to create everything they needed from the land and animals around them.

January 20:  Pre-Contact Society 2 – The Social Aspect

Despite living in such a harsh environment, traditional Inuit society survived due to emphasizing community and family over the individual and was sophisticated enough to enjoy its own legal system, religion, music and even artwork.

January 27:  The Coming of Outsiders & Loss of Independence

The more recent influence of explorers, whalers, missionaries, police, traders, military & government brought change to the Inuit world, with the inevitable pros and cons, including the impact of the relocations and the residential school system.

February 3:  Regaining Control: The Land Claim and Creation of Nunavut

By the start of the 1970s Inuit felt they were no longer masters in their own house and decided to push for a land claim and a new territory with the federal government. It took 20 years but in 1993 they signed a huge land claim agreement and by 1999 they had political control of their homeland.

February 10:  The Nunavut Economy

To find a sustainable lifestyle within the new North, Inuit now have to find their economic place in a homeland affected by outside issues such as sovereignty, mining and global warming.

February 17:  Education and Inuit Youth

The next generation is the key to Nunavut’s success. A new hybrid society is evolving, but Inuit youth face unique difficulties and many remain largely unimpressed by the northern education system, resulting in identity loss, high drop-out rates, social upheaval, suicide and disproportionate unemployment levels.

February 24:  The Arts

The artistic creativity in Nunavut plays a disproportionately high role in the economy of a region of relatively high unemployment, a talent that not only illustrates and preserves the Inuit perspective but provides some source of income for more than one third of the population…with unique and beautiful results.