Nunavut Marks Its 15th Anniversary
April 1, 2014 is the 15th anniversary of the proclamation of the Territory of Nunavut, which means “Our Land” in Inuktituk. It came into being after decades of hard political work, negotiation of Inuit land claims, plebiscites, and recommendations to form a government responsive to the Inuit majority in the eastern Arctic.
The working languages of the government are Inuktitut, Inuinnaqtun and English, and French is also an official language. Nunavut (along with the North West Territories) has a consensus style of government rather than the more common one of party politics, and all members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) are elected as independents.
Nunavut, located in far northern Canada, with a polar climate and a small population scattered over a huge land mass, is remote and easily ignored by the denizens of southern Canada. Yet this is a cutting edge place, where new forms of government, new ways to maintain and revitalize language and culture, and innovations to combat the challenges of climate, distance and poverty are capturing the attention of scholars worldwide.
Here's a guide to learning more:
Searching the Library Website
Suggested Titles
The Arctic promise : legal and political autonomy of Greenland and Nunavut
Like the sound of a drum: Aboriginal cultural politics in Denendeh and Nunavut
Nunavut : rethinking political culture
Nunavut : Inuit regain control of their lands and their lives
Nunavut : a health system profile
Names and Nunavut : culture and identity in Arctic Canada
Ilagiinniq : interviews on Inuit family values from the Qikiqtani Region
Inuit education and schools in the Eastern Arctic
Inuit prints : Japanese inspiration : early printmaking in the Canadian Arctic
Uuturautiit : Cape Dorset celebrates 50 years of printmaking = Cape Dorset célèbre 50 ans de gravure
Baffin Island: the ascent of Mount Asgard
Suggested Magazines and Journals
Inuktitut (Hard copy back issues 1966-2002 in Toronto Reference Library)
Online:
Inuktitut (Current issues and back issues from 1959)
Suggested Article Databases
You can find magazine and newspaper articles on Nunavut by searching the library’s electronic databases. Suggested databases include CBCA Complete, Canadian Periodicals Index (CPIQ), and Canada in Context. These resources can be searched from library computers, or from home or school using your Toronto Public Library card.
Additional Online Sources
Legislative Assembly of Nunavut
Fact Sheet on Concensus Government
Nunavut Department of Justice-Statutes and Regulations
Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami--Canada's National Inuit Organization
Project Naming (The identification of Inuit people in the photographs of Library and Archives Canada)
For further assistance contact:
Humanities & Social Science Department, Toronto Reference Library
416-393-7175
trlhss @ torontopubliclibrary.ca
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