Supervised by:

Esther Lévesque (Regular Member (Co-researcher))

Research project description

“[...] We had to stop going [ice] fishing because it was too dangerous” Spatial and temporal changes in winter activities in the Kangiqsualujjuamiut territory, Nunavik

Introduction

In Nunavik, the 14 Inuit communities are not linked by roads and are only accessible by sea or air. Semi-permanent roads are used in winter on the sea, lakes and rivers to access hunting and fishing grounds. Inuit attach particular importance to frequenting the territory surrounding the village and consider it essential to their mental, spiritual and physical health (Chanteloup et al. 2018; Lebel et al. 2022). Due to environmental changes, winter travel in the Arctic has become more dangerous and the territory is less accessible (Ford et al. 2019).

Objectives

This research takes place in a context where concerns have been expressed by the community of Kangiqsualujjuaq about its practice of traditional activities after observing changes in the snow and ice regime (Rapinski et al. 2018; Gérin-Lajoie et al. 2016). The research aims at a better understanding the relationship between environmental changes, winter travel and subsistence activities.

Study Sites

Kangiqsualujjuaq is in Ungava Bay, Nunavik, in an area that is close to the tree line, the sea and large bodies of fresh water. The travel area extends from the George River watershed, through the Koroc River watershed, to the former settlement of Killiniq.

Material and methods

The methods used include semi-structured interviews, participatory mapping, and a calendar of activities. The mixed methods in this research provide the necessary complementarity to answer the questions.

References

Chanteloup, Laine, Fabienne Joliet, et Thora M. Herrmann. 2018. « The Environment of the Nunavimmiut as Seen through Their Own Eyes ». Écoscience 25 (4): 359‑79. https://doi.org/10.1080/11956860.2018.1517631. Ford, James D., D. Clark, T. Pearce, L. Berrang-Ford, L. Copland, J. Dawson, M. New, et S. L Harper. 2019. « Changing Access to Ice, Land and Water in Arctic Communities ». Nature Climate Change 9 (4): 335‑39. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-019-0435-7. Gérin-Lajoie, José, Alain Cuerrier, et Laura Siegwart Collier. 2016. ’The Caribou taste different now: Inuit Elders Observe Climate Change. Nunavut Arctic College Media. Rapinski, Michel, Fanny Payette, Oliver Sonnentag, Thora Martina Herrmann, Marie-Jeanne S. Royer, Alain Cuerrier, Laura Siegwart Collier, Luise Hermanutz, et George Guanish. 2018. « Listening to Inuit and Naskapi Peoples in the Eastern Canadian Subarctic: A Quantitative Comparison of Local Observations with Gridded Climate Data ». Regional Environmental Change 18

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