Inuit knowledge and use of wood resources on the west coast of Nunavik, Canada

• Main Authors: Steelandt, Stéphanie, Bhiry, Najat, Marguerie, Dominique, Desbiens, Caroline, Napartuk, Minnie, Desrosiers, Pierre M.
• Other Authors: Centre d'études nordiques et Département de Géographie, Université Laval Québec (ULaval), Centre de Recherche en Archéologie, Archéosciences, Histoire (CReAAH), Le Mans Université (UM)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Rennes 1 (UR1), Université de Rennes (UNIV-RENNES)-Université de Rennes (UNIV-RENNES)-Université de Rennes 2 (UR2), Université de Rennes (UNIV-RENNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Ministère de la Culture (MC)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2013
• Subjects: demo; info; Akulivik; Arctic; Canada; Hudson; Hudson Bay; Inukjuak; Ivujivik; Nunavik; The Beaches; Umiujaq; Arctique*; inuit; inuktitut; Subarctic; subarctique*; James Bay
• Online Access: https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01511310

International audience Driftwood and shrubs are the primary wood resources available in most areas of coastal Nunavik. Today, they are mainly used as fuel for campfires, but historically they were very important for the ancestors of present-day Inuit. This article documents Inuit traditionalknowledge about the origin, availability, gathering, and exploitation of wood resources in this region located in the Low Arctic and the Subarctic. Interviews were conducted with 27 Inuit between 60 and 89 years of age in the villages of Ivujivik, Akulivik, Inukjuak, and Umiujaq onthe east coast of Hudson Bay. Our data reveal, among other things, that Inuktitut names for pieces of driftwood were based on shape, aspect, colour, and texture. This traditional knowledge was very accurate and highly diverse in the southern villages because of their significantexposure to driftwood. Wood from shrubs (i.e. willows, birches, and alders) was mainly harvested in the fall and used to make fires, mattresses, sleeping mats (alliat), and other objects. According to the participants, driftwood originates in southern Hudson Bay and James Bay and is washed up on the beaches in late summer and the fall. In the far north of Nunavik, where driftwood is small and slender, Inuit used to collect it during the summer from a boat (umiaq orqajaq). Further south, it was gathered during the winter by dogsled. Le bois flotté et les arbustes sont les principales ressources en bois présentes dans la plupart des régions côtières du Nunavik.Aujourd’hui, ces matières premières sont utilisées pour le feu dans les campements mais dans le passé, elles tenaient une place importante dans la vie des ancêtres des Inuit. Cet article documente le savoir traditionnel inuit concernant l’origine, la disponibilité, la collecte et l’exploitation des ressources en bois dans cette région située en Bas-Arctique et en Subarctique. Des entrevues ont été réalisées avec 27 Inuit âgés de 60 à 89 ans habitant à Ivujivik, Akulivik, Inukjuak et Umiujaq, des villages de la côte est ...