49Social Transition in the North Domestic function and Inupiaq households

• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Inupiaq; Alaska
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.665.3287; http://www.circumpolarhealthjournal.net/index.php/ijch/article/download/17775/20246/

Objective. This paper examines domestic transitions among Inupiaq households, including changes in household composition, household functions, kin networks, and possibly in cultural ideologies such as et-hics of cooperation, achievement, and economic attainment. Study Design. STN survey data included extensive information on the characteristics of households. This survey data is combined with STN project data from ethnographic accounts and focus groups; so-cio-economic trend data; and demographic and epidemiological information about community change to gain a clear picture of Inupiaq family structure. Results. Household data reveal that Inupiaq households living under one roof are rarely an independent entity, either economically or in other ways. Members of one household seldom carry out all the social and economic functions needed to sustain the household. Instead, relatives or friends from two or more households frequently form social networks that support several households. Conclusion. Inupiaq families were found to be opportunistic, flexible, and creative in responding to the challenges of daily life. Domestic functions are divided among a network of kinspeople—people who may live in several separate households and even in separate communities—but who consider themsel-ves related. Key word suggestions: Family structure, social change, Alaska and Russian Indigenous communities.