“We don’t know anything about whales”: ecological knowledge and ways of knowing in Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories, Canada

This paper reports on interviews conducted during June and July 2015 to document ecological knowledge of beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories. Beluga whales are not a traditionally available or important species for Ulukhaktomiut, but they have appeared in incre...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Arctic Science
Main Authors: Peter Collings, Tristan Pearce, Joseph Kann
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
French
Published: Canadian Science Publishing 2018
Subjects:
qualitative data analysis
traditional ecological knowledge
inuit qaujimajatuqangit
beluga whales
anthro-se
socio
Canada
Northwest Territories
Ulukhaktok
Arctic
Beluga
Beluga*
Delphinapterus leucas
inuinnaqtun
inuit
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2017-0030
https://doaj.org/article/a760f17e9b814e32b3e5908298ee8ee7
Description
Summary:This paper reports on interviews conducted during June and July 2015 to document ecological knowledge of beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories. Beluga whales are not a traditionally available or important species for Ulukhaktomiut, but they have appeared in increasing numbers in the waters around the community, and hunters have actively pursued and taken them. We conducted interviews in English with 31 Inuit about their beluga knowledge. A Key Words in Context (KWIC) analysis of the word “know” in the narratives reveals different conceptions of what it means to know something about whales. “Know” variously references practical skill, concern and empathy for others, or the developing awareness of one’s place in the world. Each of these meanings is coded uniquely in Inuinnaqtun, providing insights about the important differences between researchers and Inuit in how “ecological knowledge” is understood and activated.

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