Eskimo Eradication: Why is the U.S aiding the destruction/starvation of the Inuit?

[stamperben]

I always thought commenting that a post was so long whatever point it was trying to make was lost might be construed as an invitation to make the point in a more concise manner.

If you're trying to make a point but the point is lost among a wall of words and videos I'd have thought you'd be interested to know that at least some people aren't seeing whatever point it is you want to make. As you said, anyone can Google things but frankly your opening post didn't inspire enough interest to make me want to find out more.

Whether you do anything with that or not is up to you. Calling me rude doesn't really help though, does it?

If you want to comment or make suggestions on a poster's style, the PM is a much better venue to do so as it won't divert from the OP.

 

[Gxg (G²)]

I always thought commenting that a post was so long whatever point it was trying to make was lost might be construed as an invitation to make the point in a more concise manner.

If you're trying to make a point but the point is lost among a wall of words and videos I'd have thought you'd be interested to know that at least some people aren't seeing whatever point it is you want to make. As you said, anyone can Google things but frankly your opening post didn't inspire enough interest to make me want to find out more.

Whether you do anything with that or not is up to you. Calling me rude doesn't really help though, does it?

If you want to comment or make suggestions on a poster's style, the PM is a much better venue to do so as it won't divert from the OP.

Thank you for noting that, stamperben

An OP gives clarity on what is up for discussion - and anyone else not wanting to discuss that (even as it concerns basic review of one paragraph or utilizing a GOOGLE search to see what's up on an issue in less than 2 to 3 minutes)..there are other places to go. But it is rude to go past what's offered in an OP only to discuss something else entirely focused on posters rather than actually squaring up with info.

Commenting on a post being too long is an avoidance of an OP - and distraction, paticularly when others comment on it where they do and actually deal with it. If they can do so, there is ZERO excuse as to why others cannot do so as well - unless frankly they did not care on the issue to begin with....and in that case, one would simply be wasting time speaking on the issue since they could not do basics in addressing points. The bottom line reality is that others process at quicker levels and at an easier pace than others - and whereas for some it'll always be a matter of "walls of words" if it's past 2 paragraphs (slothfulness, really), others have no issue and deal with it as it is. Even if they feel something may take time to read, they can go online - see what is said...and then offer thoughts. If they're actually interested.

As it is, it is lazy whenever others try to complain on why they can't go through a 2 minute video - or exaggerating it as if it somehow means there are HUNDREDS when that was no where close.

 

[Gxg (G²)]

It was, essentially, a joke. But whatever happens, we can be sure the US y and large consider themselves the wronged party, and thats not a joke

So true...

 

[Gxg (G²)]

Even though their culture has been in place around the arctic circle since CE 1000? Do a little research. You can begin here.

You don't just write people off in a culture they took time to develop when you're harming their world.....and can do things to prevent that.

The Inuit Culture is based on a traditional economy. ..one where tradition and community are big deals. The Inuit parents teach heir children the survival skills needed to survive in the Arctic Circle's severe climate - from fishing to hunting to making effective tools. And once learned, these skills are passed down to the next generation. In the Inuit hunt, it is traditional for them to distribute the harvest with other families in the community. In example, if a walrus or bear is harvested, hunters divide it evenly into as many pieces as there are heads of families in the hunting party - and the hunter most responsible for the successful hunt has first choice, the second-most helpful hunter chooses next, and so on. Due to this custom of distribution, as long as skilled hunters live in the village, the Inuit survive the long, cold winters with the food and goods required to sustain themselves.

But those outside the culture are unaware of that and often have no awareness of how significant their culture on the ice is. As said elsewhere, for quick reference and brief excerpt:

A traditional economy, an economy based on custom and tradition, may seem like something that is only read about in history books.... However, there are still places in the world where a traditional economy guides the choices of children, adults, and elders as they make decisions as producers or consumers. The Inuit of northern Canada serve as a prime example of a traditional economy. ...Unlike traditional economies, in a market economy individuals generate wealth by pursing those activities that others value and are willing to pay for. Income earned is then used to buy the clothes, food, and other items needed, wanted or desired. People in market economies are seldom dependent on others as are the Inuits. However they are interdependent because they need others to provide the goods and services they themselves do not produce because of high opportunity costs.​

Preserving the Artic Circle is a big deal - for everyone - but the ways others dismiss that seems no different than others telling Native Americans you have to move off the land they cultivated - and then in moving them, say "Well it's your fault if you get harmed by our developing culture!!!"

 

[Gxg (G²)]

It was, essentially, a joke. But whatever happens, we can be sure the US y and large consider themselves the wronged party, and thats not a joke

In light of how expensive food is in the North and how many Inuits cannot afford to eat, someone suggested that what should be proposed is a competitive tariff for all U.S. professional services exports. ..meaning that the payoff would reach each Inuit population for some time.

Some have made proposals for the Inuit to have more shares as it concerns land distribution (more here at Land Claims Agreement Between the Inuit of Labrador and Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Newfoundland and Labrador and Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada ).

One excellent read - entitled From Talking Chiefs to a Native Corporate Elite: The Birth of Class and Nationalism among Canadian Inuit - discussed via the primary sources and secondary literature a compelling analysis of the Inuit co-op as a development tool used by the state...with astute evaluation of contemporary Inuit land claims shown, concluding that the Inuit have been unequally incorporated into the Canadian class system because of their ethnic status and lack of capital.

Others have promoted ideas to help the Inuit out in practical ways - as seen in OIFS: Organization for Inuit Food Security. Basically, the idea is to build hydroponic green houses in order to grow food that would otherwise be unavailable in the cold and infertile Inuit territories...with these greenhouses designed specifically to be suited to arctic climates by using a dome shape design and incorporating a woven poly as the building material, and ensuring produce will be grown through the use of uniquely designed hydroponic systems. And through the use of hydrophonic systems as co-operatives, the members could buy shares from the co-op to obtain fresh produce at a cheap price, even turning competitors into partners by offering local grocery stores the chance to buy shares.
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As a result, the members of the community would be able to purchase the fresh produce directly from the greenhouse, rather than from a grocery store or market place where it's already EXTREMELY expensive for most - and . the Inuit people would be able to save their children from the epidemic of childhood obesity, while saving money and not spending on over priced organic food.

They - the Inuit - are truly beautiful people. And I wish that their culture wasn't be dismissed by so many as it has. For good review from another who lived among them:

• Inuit: People of the Arctic by John Tyman ~ Contents

Also, for another, one can go to Journeyman Pictures : documentaries : People of a Feather (HD) (as it concerns the Inuit Traditions).

 

[Gxg (G²)]

I'm glad you enjoyed the video.

I don't know how you identify with the Blackfeet. Do you go to pow-wows?

For myself, although my roots from my mother connect me with Afro-Hispanic and West Indian culture, my grandmother from my biological father's side was strong BlackFoot Indian. If you saw pictures of her (from the red skin to the high cheek bones), you'd see instantly. It's something I've often had a lot of battles with in explaining to others since they'd look at me and never think I had that in my blood and loved that culture...or that it's possible to have mixture from mutliple cultures into one person/group - just like it was for the Black Seminoles. Truthfully, it is amazing to see how many blacks have often had a lot of sharp battles with Indigenious groups when it comes to identity, as many have said blacks weren't "Indian" enough while other Indigenious groups who accepted blacks that were mixed were deemed as harming the tribe/limiting authenticity. First Nations Groups/Native Americans have the concept of others being adopted into tribes/being considered to be fully amongst the people...although even this is something that does not always play out without flaw since many in differing tribes often had issue with others due to their ancestry from others outside the tribe...whereas others had no issue acknowledging where one could be BlackFoot and yet have other blood in them.

One of the best reads I was able to check out on the issue years ago is entitled "Black Indians" by William Lorenz Katz ----and for more info, one can go online/investigate an article under the name of "William Loren Katz | Black Indians. Black West." () and "Black Indians by William Loren Katz" () The book itself goes into great depth discussing the issues of what went down for those who were products of mixed marriages/alliances between American Indians and Blacks.....and it also talked on why it seemed that blacks and Native Americans often were quick to form alliances more in ways that amazed the Europeans coming to conquer them...even though there were many battles between the groups even after intermixing (more shared here at "Indivisible: African Native American Lives in the Americas" ( ) ).
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I knew a good brother in Christ, Richard Twiss, who was native Sioux and had taken part in the AIM occupation of the BIA in 1972. After giving his life to Christ, he led a group called Wiconi International, taking part in cultural events as far away as Tibet. He went to be with the Lord earlier this year.

Knew of Richard Twiss - as he was one of my inspirations...and although I still mourn his passing, I am so grateful for what the Lord used him to to. Talked on him before elsewhere on multiple occassions - including on many of his books/videos he shared (as seen here, here and here ).

CCDA National Conference 2011: Richard Twiss​

I never have been able to ascertain what tribe I come from. I know I am 7% Native American, and I know my NA ancestry, from several lines, all came through Oneida County, NY. Some of it may have been Mohawk or Abnaki from VT; some may have been Brothertown from SE NY; some may have been Brothertown, Stockbridge or Oneida. It is all on female lines; but cross-line (F-F-M-F, etc.), so that even if I could trace the exact line, I could not enroll in those matriarchal tribes. I don't worship the Indian spirits, can't hunt or fish worth a hoot, and am a terrible runner; so I'm thoroughly a white guy. My daughter married a Chinaman, though; and when I see my Eurasian grandchildren, I imagine what it was like for some of my ancestors.

Cool to know...

The Eskimo will certainly lose their culture eventually, one way or another. If you look at things objectively, even we whites have lost our culture. We do not live as our ancestors did; and judging by the comments on CF, not many even remember their religious and cultural heritage. If my New England ancestors, such as Elder William Brewster, were to see what has become of this country, they would be glad they're in the grave and don't have to witness it. Also, my ancestors were among the first settlers of Albany, Kingston, Manhattan and Brooklyn, NY. Do they collect any rents? No. Is their Dutch language spoken anywhere? No. They're forgotten, and have been replaced by Blacks, Puerto Ricans, Italians, Irishmen and Jews.

Although others have lost their cultures, I don't think it's the case for all that it is like that with all...and I don't think the Eskimos HAVE to lose their culture. Even others who are Aboriginal or Tasmanian have kept their cultures alive - as have others.

Some may have to adapt in differing ways - but many keep it going.

I hope the video survives, though. It's one of my favorites.

 

[Lilly Owl]

To break the Innuit stranglehold on strategic ice reserves, obviously...

Sounds entirely plausible.
Just like the sanctions the U.S. and her allies put on Iraq during Hussein's reign. Sanctions that decimated the population and helped in the spread of HIV/AIDS due to hypodermic needles having to be reused in hospital.

Meanwhile, once America invaded and occupied while those sanctions were in place they noticed they'd done so in the midst of Saddam being in the process of constructing his seventh palace. Sanctions certainly crippled him! *cough*

What's disconcerting is that for all the Inuit that are Christian their prayers aren't being answered. Or maybe it just appears that way.

 

[stamperben]

Has it been mentioned that it is believed that there are massive oil reserves in the Arctic, in addition to iron ore, zinc, nickel, gold, uranium, and other minerals?
Oil: Only part of the Arctic's massive resources

And as the earth continues to warm it makes exploiting those resources that much easier.

 

[Gxg (G²)]

Has it been mentioned that it is believed that there are massive oil reserves in the Arctic, in addition to iron ore, zinc, nickel, gold, uranium, and other minerals?
Oil: Only part of the Arctic's massive resources

And as the earth continues to warm it makes exploiting those resources that much easier.

It'd be to our detriment to speed up the process of melting the Artic environment - as that'd lead to all manner of ecological disasters ...from flooding to destruction of land and other things. The benefits of enjoying oil would be short-lived....

But as it concerns the pragmatic reasons for ignoring the situation in the Artic and the Inuit, I'm not surprised that such is now occuring when seeing what kind of money is involved.

 

[Gxg (G²)]

Sounds entirely plausible.
Just like the sanctions the U.S. and her allies put on Iraq during Hussein's reign. Sanctions that decimated the population and helped in the spread of HIV/AIDS due to hypodermic needles having to be reused in hospital.

Meanwhile, once America invaded and occupied while those sanctions were in place they noticed they'd done so in the midst of Saddam being in the process of constructing his seventh palace. Sanctions certainly crippled him! *cough*

Very keen analysis and thank you for bringing that up - as it concerns the ways the U.S often says it's "Involved" to deal with a situation and yet it is simply distraction from the ways damage keeps getting done intentionally.

And this is happening with the Inuit. In example, the Inuit community of the coast of Alaska is North America's longest known inhabitants, with a lineage dating back to 800 B.C. However, last Novemeber, it was noted that Shell Oil has finally been given permission to begin exploratory drilling there after decades of legal wrangling. The native people there view this development with dread, as they far it will cut off the delicate marine life that is their main source of food.

• Artic oil here we come! Inuit tribe dread oil drilling coming to their homeland - U.s. - Catholic Online

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People need to pay more attention to the way politics greatly impacts the world of the Artic and how the Inuit are treated..for understanding their situation can help in building better autonomy for them in various ways:

• Arctic Voice - the inuit
• Inuit - History, Modern era, Acculturation and Assimilation
• Arctic Geopolitics & Autonomy - Arctic Perspective Initiative
• Dynamic Inuit Social Strategies in Changing Environments: A Long-Term Perspective

One of the issues facing the Inuit right now, in addition to starvation, is the subject of drastic migration. As said elsewhere

Future climate change threatens to further compromise Inuit right to culture by affecting the migration timing, population health, quality of meat and furs, and availability of wildlife species important in subsistence-based hunting (Moore and Huntington, 2008).

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As it concerns what will be done to prevent it..

Mitigation is central to efforts to tackle climate change and lower emission futures will give Inuit and the ecosystems on which they depend more time to adapt. Indeed, “dangerous” climate change may already be occurring in Canada’s Arctic regions, or will happen soon, thereby compelling Parties to the FCCC to act immediately through mitigation to avoid “dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system,” (Article 2) (Ford, 2009a). Mitigation is particularly important for the Arctic because unabated or ‘runaway’ climate change could have

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potentially irreversible negative impacts (IPCC, 2007b). However, we argue that adaptation should become a central feature of climate change policy development for Canada’s Inuit region, and a priority for Inuit political negotiations both domestically and internationally. Adaptation is needed to uphold domestic Inuit rights and to prevent internationally recognised human rights
being compromised (Ford, 2009a).

• Climate Change Policy Responses for Canada's Inuit Populations: The Importance of and Opportunities for Adaptation

What's disconcerting is that for all the Inuit that are Christian their prayers aren't being answered. Or maybe it just appears that way

Even though there is a lot of devestation going on, there is the reality of how many get through it due to their eschatological views - for others holding a mindset of end-times that says things will continue to get worse are not surprised .....and for others, the mindset that says persecution/harm will come (even though they must rejoice) is what is present. Some have a mindset that folks should get involved knowing that God has called us to have proper stewardship of the planet - and that it's not somethign where the Lord will intervene outside of His people crying out/doing something on it (in the same way that prayer didn't change the Dust Bowel incident in the 1930s when the Great Plains were abused with continual farming/not allowing for rest and dust storms of epic proportions arose to harm many in the U.S).

If change can occur, it has to be man making a choice to do so - with believers holding on in prayer and raising their voice. And thankfully, many Inuit are seeing prayers answered - although in differing ways. In example, last year, Arctic Christians got first complete Inuit Bible ..and many have seen salvations and the working of the Lord on differing levels. I'm reminded of some of the stories I heard years ago on the matter..specifically on an incredible testimony of God's spirit coming into a small eskimo church, caught on tape - and for reference, one can go here:

• Revival On Ice - Charisma Magazine
• Canada: Fire and Ice | Christianity Today
• About the Leadership of Glad Tidings Arctic Missions Society
• The birth of a Catholic Inuit community. The transition to Christianity ...
• The Arctic: The Consequences of Human Folly | Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople ...

 

[Gxg (G²)]

Has it been mentioned that it is believed that there are massive oil reserves in the Arctic, in addition to iron ore, zinc, nickel, gold, uranium, and other minerals?
Oil: Only part of the Arctic's massive resources

And as the earth continues to warm it makes exploiting those resources that much easier.

I think a lot of people seem to pacify themselves on the situation by saying "Well, at least they'll get paid for the oil reserves" - but the issue is that there's no payment that can be enough to replace a healthy way of life and environmental responsibility. The same logic of $$$$$ and payment being the solution has never worked - as that's what harmed the Native Americans when their culture was destroyed due to relocation and destruction of the land....and the settlers thought it was enough to make a contract.

 

[Gxg (G²)]

Has it been mentioned that it is believed that there are massive oil reserves in the Arctic, in addition to iron ore, zinc, nickel, gold, uranium, and other minerals?
Oil: Only part of the Arctic's massive resources

And as the earth continues to warm it makes exploiting those resources that much easier.

Is there the potential for oil spills to occur further?

 

[stamperben]

Is there the potential for oil spills to occur further?

Of course there is, the recent grounding of the oil rig shows that. But that's not the point. The point is that corporations from the south will have an easier time exploiting those resources with the Inuit out of the way.

 

[Douger]

There are few things more important in life than for people to live in harmony and stability in their natural surroundings.
Something that the onward march of civilization seems to destroy wherever it goes.

 

[Gxg (G²)]

Of course there is, the recent grounding of the oil rig shows that. But that's not the point. The point is that corporations from the south will have an easier time exploiting those resources with the Inuit out of the way.

Read an interesting article on the issue from the last issue in March of "Popular Science" magazine on the ways that they were hoping to avoid oil spills by attempting to devlop a new kind of pump...the first of its kind..that would operate on the Ocean Floor.

• Under The Sea | Popular Science

  Drilling in the Arctic is a matter of when and not if. With summer sea ice having declined 30 percent since 1979 and continuing to shrink, companies are racing to prospect above 60° North. The Arctic contains an estimated 90 billion barrels of recoverable oil and 1,670 trillion cubic feet of natural gas—nearly a quarter of the world’s undiscovered supply. Royal Dutch Shell has already spent $4.5 billion drilling off the coast of northern Alaska. ConocoPhillips wants to sink a well in the Chukchi Sea by next year. And Exxon announced a partnership with a Russian company to drill in the waters north of Siberia in 2015.......In the past several years, both Statoil and Shell Oil have begun testing subsea gas compressors—a crucial piece of a factory—in water-filled pits that simulate the ocean.

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It sounds promising - but the ways the Inuit are being potentially harmed in the process regardless....I do wonder if it's simply PR.

 

[Gxg (G²)]

There are few things more important in life than for people to live in harmony and stability in their natural surroundings.
Something that the onward march of civilization seems to destroy wherever it goes.

What examples did you have in mind as it concerns living in harmony/stability with natural surroundings?

I feel you where you're coming from, by the way - as it seems man has a tendency to thrill destruction rather than celebration creation.

 

[Gxg (G²)]

Of course there is, the recent grounding of the oil rig shows that. But that's not the point. The point is that corporations from the south will have an easier time exploiting those resources with the Inuit out of the way.

The work of Marie-Pierre Lardeau seems to stand out in regards to finding ways of combining what happens in the modern era with traditional lifestyles and trying to merge them so that the Inuit are aided. For reference:

• Group Members | Climate Change Adaptation Research Group
• Marie-Pierre Lardeau: Vulnerability of Inuit Communities in a Changing Arctic...
• Inuit Food (In)Security in Canada: Assessing the Implications and Effectiveness of Policy...
• Feeding the family during times of stress: Food security, climate change and globalization in the Canadian North ...

Besides addressing the negative changes Inuit people face, Marie-Pierre Lardeau also discusses the activity around a drop-in centre --and she also mentions that it might be closed down. In many ways, Marie-Pierre Lardeau and those working with her are truly top-notch. For recording, preventing and addressing food security issues in the Inuit communities offers Inuit leaders insight into best re-assimulating communities toward their traditions so that there is a modern day balance of both lifestyles.

 

[Gxg (G²)]

There are few things more important in life than for people to live in harmony and stability in their natural surroundings.

Loved seeing how the Inuit have sought to do this - especially when it comes to their diets. In example, the gathering of roots and berries (in addition to meat) still provided many of the essentials for Alaskan Eskimo in their diet even when they had to deal with severe changes in environment...and worked with what they had rather than destroying the environment to make it work for them. As said best elsewhere:

While it is not possible to cultivate plants for food in the Arctic, the Inuit have traditionally gathered those that are naturally available. Grasses, tubers, roots, stems, berries, fireweed and seaweed were collected and preserved depending on the season and the location. According to Edmund Searles in his article “Food and the Making of Modern Inuit Identities,” they consume this type of diet because a mostly meat diet is “effective in keeping the body warm, making the body strong, keeping the body fit, and even making that body healthy

And with the berries they eat, the type of berries being blueberries, salmonberries and crowberries to provide needed vitamins and other nutrients to their diet..

 

[Gxg (G²)]

• Missing and Murdered Inuit Women and Girls | Pauktuutit

Sad to see this occurring in addition to other environmental ills the Inuit have to now face..

 

[Gxg (G²)]

Letting others know there have been a lot of outroars from the Inuit in regards to wanting to hunt one of their food sources (Polar Bears). For Of all the animals the Inuit hunt, Nanuk, the polar bear, is the most prized. And yet many have been on their case due to claims that their choosing to hunt polar bears will lead to the extinction of the species - even though others have noted that the Inuit are having their way of life threatened due to how they've sought to be wise in their traditions...

As another noted best (for brief excerpt) at Inuit, the Polar Bear and Climate Change - The Ecologist:

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]The Greenlandic government, a largely autonomous Inuit outfit, have been garnering condemnation from environmentalists for years over its whaling, fishing and hunting practices and its reluctance to cooperate with internationally enforced restrictions. Its members argue, alongside the Canadian Inuits, that the polar bear hunt is sustainable and the bear’s population stable. The same argument is behind their demands for an increase in the subsistence whaling quota that have, until now, refused to be heard. [/FONT][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Isolated from external factors, the arguments hold up. It is not hunting that is decimating the polar bear population but climate change, while whales, similarly affected, have suffered the additional pressure of decades of over fishing from foreign boats. Without these factors, the Greenlanders' relatively small harvest would be sustainable, but when taken into account, it presents an added pressure the animals can’t support. [/FONT]

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]‘The thing is, the Inuit didn’t bring about climate change, but we have to pay the price’ says Egede. ‘That’s why we wish that the US and Europe would do something about their carbon emissions, instead of chasing us about our hunting and fishing. That would be much more beneficial to everyone, the polar bear included.’[/FONT]
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For more resources:

• Polar bear hunters promise restraint - The Nation
• Canada's Inuit: Polar-bear politics | The Economist
• The Economics of Polar Bear Trophy Hunting in Canada
• Inuit and Polar Bears: Cultural Observations from a Hunt near ...
• Canada's Inuit roar in protest over move to protect polar bears - Los ...

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