"The word 'Inuit' means 'the people' in the Inuit language called, Inuktitut and is the term by which Inuit refer to themselves. The term 'Eskimo', applied to Inuit by European explorers, is no longer used in Canada."
- Inuit are a very community based culture. There are close family relationships and ties even when individuals are living in separate houses.
- Studies indicate that 73% feel strong ties with family members living in other houses within the community.
- Adoption was and is a vital part of their traditions. Often birth mothers will seek out a family for their child. Some unique Inuit features of adoption include: adopting opposite gender if you can't have one, that the child refers to birth/adopted parents equally without judgement, and that the first grandchild is likely to be adopted by the grandparents. Adoption is complicated by the adoption bureaucracy now in place in the countries as a whole.
- Approximately 25% of Inuit children live with a lone parent
- Inuit traditionally learn through observation and imitation, and nowadays attend schools.
- There are no Inuktitut immersion schools in Canada, so most acquired language stems from home. They are taught Inuktitut up until grade 3 and then education continues on in English or French.
- Inuit curriculum is a combination of their own developed curriculum and the curriculum of southern Canadian provinces.
- literacy rates are significantly lower in Inuit communities, but this does not always impact their ability to be successful in those communities.
- There is a high drop out rate in high school of about 50%. This is partially because the school year collides with the hunting season. Students are then asked to choose between traditional customs or modern education.
- The Canadian government provides some compensation for post-secondary education as long as the students meet certain requirements (i.e., grades)
No comments:
Post a Comment