Nunatsiavut, ‘Our beautiful land’: Inuit landscape ethnoecology in Labrador, Canada

Type Article
Date 2022-02
Language English
Author(s) Cuerrier Alain1, Clark Courtenay1, Dwyer-Samuel Frédéric1, Rapinski Michel2, 3
Affiliation(s) 1 : Institut de Recherche en Biologie Végétale, 98672, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
2 : Institut de Recherche en Biologie Vegetale, 98672, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
3 : Laboratoire Écologie, Évolution, Interactions des Systèmes Amazoniens (LEEISA), CNRS, Université de Guyane, IFREMER, Cayenne, French Guiana, France
Source Botany (1916-2790) (Canadian Science Publishing), 2022-02 , Vol. 100 , N. 2 , P. 159-174
DOI 10.1139/cjb-2021-0112
WOS© Times Cited 2
Keyword(s) landscape ethnoecology, Inuit, traditional ecological knowledge, Nunatsiavut, Labrador Inuttitut
Abstract

For Inuit in the subarctic transition zone of northeastern Canada, an intimate knowledge of the environment and local biodiversity is crucial for successful traditional activities. This study examines what kinds of landscape features and habitats Inuit of Nunatsiavut recognize and name. During interviews, community members (mostly Elders) were shown photographs from the region, and were asked to describe and name salient types of places in Labrador Inuttitut. The most frequently reported geographical units dealt with the region’s topography (e.g., ‘mountain’, ‘island’, ‘flat-place’), hydrology (e.g., ‘river’, ‘bay’), and superficial characteristics (e.g., ‘bedrock’, ‘permanent snow patch’). Ecological considerations were also prominent, such as plant associations and animal habitats (e.g., ‘shrubby-place’, wetland’, ‘caribou-return-to-place’). Areas were often characterized by a dominant species or substrate type, being named using the plural form of the species/substrate (e.g., napâttuk ‘tree’/ napâttuit ‘forest’, siugak ‘sand’/siugalak ‘sandy-area’). Some types of places reported by Inuit were significant mainly for traditional activities (e.g., ‘berry-patch’, ‘seal-place’, ‘dry-wood-place’, ‘danger-place’), aiding navigation and resource finding. Integrating Inuit conceptions of ecosystems and their component landscape units with those of contemporary science can improve our understanding of subarctic ecology, benefit climate change adaptation strategies and Inuit language/culture conservation initiatives.

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