Learning about the Inuit High Arctic Relocation
Here’s another short piece I’ll share from my work as a Gladue report writer serving the Nunavik Inuit community. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗔𝗿𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 is another example of how government assimilation measures have contributed to the intergenerational trauma that continues to effect the Inuit people today:
During the Cold War, Canada became concerned over the sovereignty of the High Arctic with the encroaching presence of US military. In the 1950s, officials also identified what they called the “Eskimo problem”, where economic instability, poor health, and an increasing dependence on government benefits began to affect Inuit communities. At a conference on “Eskimo Affairs” (where no invitation was extended to any Inuit representatives), it was decided that Inuit families would be moved to the High Arctic where they could continue to thrive in their traditional setting, away from the influence of white people.
So in the summer of 1953 and 1955, the Canadian federal government moved 11 families from the town of Inukjuak in northern Quebec to Grise Fiord and Resolute Bay in the High Arctic by boat. The families had been sold the idea of better living conditions, in addition to abundant wildlife for hunting. They had also been reassured that their return could be arranged after two years if they so wished.
Officials did not know how many families would settle in each location. Apparently, this was to be decided on the boat as they approached their destination. At random, families were separated and dropped off. Instead of the better life they were promised, the Inuit arrived to a barren land of which they knew little and were subject to harsh climate conditions for which they were not prepared: unrelenting snow, even colder temperatures, sparse game, and a 3-month period of darkness—a reality that was unlike anything they had known before. There were even hunting restrictions and fines put in place for hunting certain animals.
The families suffered from hunger, depression, and declining health conditions, among other hardships. With the eventual introduction of a bar on location, alcoholism slowly developed into a rampant issue.
In the 1970s and 1980s, relocated Inuit began returning home to Inukjuak on their own accord. They were given little, if any support by the government, even though they had been promised to be able to return when they wanted. The majority of the money the Inuit had earned trapping furs and doing odd jobs for the RCMP and military was unknowingly being credited to the “Eskimo loan fund”, which was taken out to supply the High Arctic Relocation. It was only in 1988 that the federal government took responsibility for paying for their return.
For more information on the Inuit High Arctic Relocation, check out the documentary below:
Sources:
- Broken Promises – The High Arctic Relocation. (1995). Patricia Tassinari. National Film Board of Canada.
- Our Inuit Ways. (2021). Lyne St-Louis & Phoebe Atagotaaluk, in Volume 493: Développements récents en droit des autochtones.
- https://cbc.ca/news/canada/north/forced-relocation-high-arctic-inuit-1.4182600
