QIA producing educational materials from dog sled conference
3-day event wrapped Thursday in Iqaluit
This group photo shows participants at Qikiqtani Inuit Association’s regional Qimuksiqtit conference held at the Aqsarniit Hotel and Conference Centre in Iqaluit. (Photo by Livete Ataguyuk)
This story was updated on Monday, Nov. 27, 2023 at 12 p.m.
Inuit dogsledders met this week in Iqaluit to discuss the cultural practice, and what they said will be used to create educational resources for others.
The Qikiqtani Inuit Association organized the Qimuksiqtiit conference, which ran Tuesday through Thursday at the Aqsarniit Hotel and Conference Centre.
Delegates encouraged young people to keep dogsledding alive.
Keynote speaker Laura Pia Churchill, a former dogsled owner and advocate for dogsledding, spoke passionately about her journey and experience of owning an Inuit dog team.
“Let us not forget our Inuit traditional knowledge,” she said.
“What I am saying is that young people should not forget our knowledge of owning a dog team,” she said.
“We young people need to learn to work and maintain a dog team the Inuit way. Harvesting and skinning animals are just some of the tasks, and let’s ask our elders about their knowledge and guidance.”
QIA uses funding through the federal government’s formal apology and acknowledgement of the Qikiqtani Truth Commission’s findings to establish traditional programming, such as the Qimuksiqtiit event.
Delegates anticipated their fellow Inuit from Greenland would attend but they were not able to due to unforeseen circumstances.
“We have heard what you discussed here and we’d like to hear your comments and what improvements you would like to see in the future,” said Seepoola Noble, assistant director of Inuit programs and services for QIA, in her closing remarks.
“We will analyze all the recorded materials and [comments] before we produce Inuit dogsled educational resources.”
Correction: This story has been updated to correct the name of the keynote speaker.
Nunavut dog problem is like a third world country dog problem. If people can’t care for 1 dog or their own kids what makes you think they can care for an entire dog team?
Please use a different name.
Dogteam revitalization is a great initiative. Hopefully QIA is consulting with Greenland inuit who use dogteam for much of their daily lives.
If it bothers you, you can always move down south. No dog team down there. Lotsa kids, but no dog team.
Honey, Nunavut doesn’t even have the longest dog-team race in the country. AND they can still feed, clothe, and educate their children in their mother tongues.
At our little sik-sik hole in Nunavut, there are countless skinny neglected dogs chained outside houses and have never known anything else but being chained there for years. (Heart breaking). And they’re thrown a left over bone monthly.
How about lessons on how to take care of….ONE…dog?
NTI received 250 million from the feds to train Inuit, how about a few thousand,to train a few Inuit vets
This comment is really quite misguided.
There is absolutely no shortage of money for beneficiaries who want to pursue post-secondary education. The funding via the GN and the various Inuit orgs is incredibly generous. Inuit students are incredibly financially privileged.
What there is, is a lack of students interested in pursuing this profession. This is understandable as it would mean being away from Nunavut 8-12 years or so to become a vet.
Misquided, what do you have against dogs and Inuit vets, your time tells me your a dog hater, poor soul,
One dog a team is not made of.
I love dogs. But I love children more. Wouldn’t it be more practical to put the money toward educating.
Parents on how to look after their children. How many people will use education materia. ON how to care for sled dogs.
When looking at the picture of the attendants of the meeting. They all look so pleased with themselves. AS if they really accomplished something.
Alianait, katimayiqalirmat. Qimukuktunit qimiqarumanamat.
When Nunavut was created, the Eskimo Husky was named as our territorial animal. It is high time that Nunavut take this seriously, as the current status of this breed is abysmal.
In Iceland their breed of horse was as important to them as our husky dogs are to us. They are particularly useful for their rugged and sparse home. In AD 962- over a millennia ago- their Parliament passed a law banning the import of horses. Since that time, their breed of horse has been preserved, and these horses continue to be an important part of Icelandic daily life. Also, an Icelandic horse, if it is brought out of Iceland, is no longer considered part of the breed.
Nunavut should be doing the same thing. No more southern breeds, even if they are spayed or neutered. Only husky dogs. We all say blah, blah, blah about our fragile and unique environment but we do nothing about the one species made for Nunavut that was our constant partner in survival.
Honestly, the garbage short haired dogs that people bring up are really hard to take, especially when our unique breed mainly only exists as raised by southern breeders.
Pray tell, if our garbage dogs are so bad then why is it your northern dogs that are always dead at the dump to the tune of hundreds per year (in my community according to an earlier Nunatsiaq News article)
You call them what you want, I’ll call em what I want. Inuit Dump Dogs.
Un, and where would you expect that Nunavut would get this legislative authority?
Maybe some effort should be made to produce educational material on:
How to raise children,
How to prepare meals,
How to get a job,
How to clear a criminal conviction,
How to develop self control,
How to build houses,
How to keep a house clean,
How to care for the sick and the elderly,
How to repair engines,
How to manage money,
How to avoid addictions,
How to overcome addictions.
There’s a lot of work to owning a dog team: feeding them, exercising them, making harnesses, hunting seals to feed them… Not just a status symbol. This is why there are not many now, easier to run a snowmobile if you can afford it along with the gas and upkeep. Likely a government program would have to subsidize the dog food and vet services, and maybe somebody to exercise the dogs. So this would all be contrary to bringing back a cultural icon.