This is a past event
What does it mean to be Inuit today? This talk looks at the internal challenges posed by curating heritage with new Inuit expressions of identity.
Museum objects often conjure up images of southerners' heroic exploits and their unique encounters with 'ancient' people living in a frozen landscape. This talk critically examines southern stereotypes of the Canadian Arctic and its people by exploring the dynamic nature of contemporary Inuit identity across art, language, and hunting.
Southern audiences are often disappointed when they see footage of an Inuit whale or seal hunt. Some will ask why endangered animals must be killed. Others bemoan the fact that high power rifles are involved. The latter prefer to see the 'original' Inuit; a hunter who speaks Inuktitut, thrusts a handmade harpoons, travels in a seal skin qayaq, and shares meat in an igloo. Southern imagery of Inuit life is highly iconic, largely static, and easily disappointed. Demand for Inuit art, such as sculpture and print, is still largely expected to reflect this stereotype. But what does it mean to be Inuit today?
This talk critically assesses southern ways of imagining the north, by looking at examples of stereotype deconstruction in contemporary Inuit language use, hunting practices, and art production. It also looks at the internal challenges posed by curating heritage while making space for new Inuit expressions of identity.
Admission is free but booking is advisable.
- Speaker
- Alexander C Oehler
- Hosted by
- Special Collections Centre
- Venue
- The Sir Duncan Rice Library
- Contact
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