Extreme Landscape The Canadian Arctic Jason Vandenberg Masters of Architecture Student Studio Portfolio
Assignment 1 - Research Essay Governance and Education in Inuit Society Defining Terms Through research and class discussion it was found that the relationship between governance and education within the Inuit culture of Nunavut is a difficult topic to give one concrete definition too. Therefore, before diving into the research I have done for this project, a few terms must be given a definition in order to help better understand the research moving forward. There are four main terms which are needed: government, governance, education, and success. Defining government and governance is important because they can, and have been, confused for being synonyms of each other. This is an improper understanding of the two terms, for government is the institution which is separate from the citizen who stands in place, representing a larger group. While governance can best be described by a quote from Tim Plumptre & John Graham’s article, “Governance and Good Governance: International and Aboriginal Perspectives.” The idea of governance makes it easier to have discussions about how communities or other social actors can take action in collaboration with, or perhaps independently of, established government structures to address issues of concern to citizens – community governance (Plumptre, T., Graham, 1999).” As one can tell, governance does not equal government and this is an important note moving forward with this discussion of governances role within education in the Inuit society. Through the cycle of Inuit history, it can be seen how the effects of a loss of governance, better known as colonialism, has affected Inuit society. Moving on to define education and success will help give a base understanding of the difference between knowledge growth in two societies. As we are all very familiar with, education within the Canadian context can be defined as a group of students learning from an instructor through an oral lecture. However, within the Inuit culture, education really is not a separate activity like it is in Canadian society. It can be said that “in traditional Inuit education, learning and living were the same things (Pearce, T. et al., 2011).” With two very different understandings of what education is, how does one define success then? Success in any context is very subjective, especially in this paper where two different cultures can have different ideas of success. Therefore, it is important to define success to attempt to take away any misunderstanding of what is being written. For the use of this paper, success is being defined as the potential for opportunity. Under this definition, someone who has a great potential opportunity is more successful than someone who has very little potential for opportunity. I use this definition of success because our ideas of success in the education system as a Canadian society fall into grade point averages. But the issue is, is that because the Canadian culture and Inuit culture are different, grade point averages struggle to correlate into success for Inuit students (Fuzessy, C., 2003). Therefore, defining success as the potential for opportunity can better identify the subjectivity of being successful in Inuit culture (Lees, J. et al., 2010). With all this being said, its time to look at three different eras of governance and its relationship to education. Beginning with a look into traditional Inuit culture, this paper will look at the understanding of education and some examples of how children were learning. Then there will be a focus on the effects of colonization within the Inuit society and how their way of learning changed post-colonization. Finally, a look at modern educational programs and how they are attempting to weave together Inuit and Canadian styles of teaching to offer students the greatest chance of success. In Tradition As mentioned before in traditional Inuit culture there was the understanding of education as not being this institution which one goes to, but rather it was just a part of everyday life. “Learning and living were the same thing (Pearce, T. et al., 2011).” In the climate in which the Inuit live, this belief is understandable because the harsh natural elements make every day a struggle to survive. As has been mentioned in other presentation in class, everyone in society had to participate in daily activities in order to survive. Survival was everything, they even had a word to describe what could be paraphrased as the education of survival. “Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit means knowledge that has been passed on to us by our ancestors, things that we have always known, things crucial to our survival - patience, and resourcefulness (Bennett, J., et al. 2014).” Some examples of Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit can be seen in the roles given to men and women. Boys would learn from their fathers and brothers how to hunt and provide necessary materials for survival (Minor, K., 1992). Girls would learn from their mothers and sisters how to care for children, care for the household, and the preparation of materials and food (Minor, K., 1992). After Colonization When Europeans came to colonize North America, this had a profound effect on the Aboriginal people across the continent. The Inuit were no exception to this. The European people who would form Canada, and create a unique Canadian society, forced the Inuit away from their traditional ways of living as a way to “educate them.” This is when the Inuit people lost their governance. They lost the ability to make decisions based on the concerns of the citizens because the new Canadian government felt like they were not able to make those sorts of decisions on their own. With colonialization, the Inuit saw the creation of formal schools, the introduction of money, wage employment, and the move from a nomadic life to a life living in a permanent settlement. All these new ways of life ended up creating struggles for the Inuit people as they tried to figure out how to understand and fit into this society that they were being forced into. In this era of Inuit history, you see children forced away from their parents and into residential schools and taught, “reading, writing, arithmetic, composition, grammar, geography, dictation, literature, history and holy scripture in English and native, both in the syllabics and in the Roman characters (Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada., 2016).”
Present Day Today Today, the horrors of residential school are over. However, the “cultural genocide,” can still felt by all Aboriginal people in Canada today and the work to fix what the Canadian government did to the Aboriginal people is ongoing. One of the most important aspects which are helping Aboriginal, including Inuit, people heal is the fact that they are gaining back their governance which was stolen from them during the colonization era. Through my research, it is obvious that through the inclusion of the community and elders’ programs and initiatives are being created which benefit the Inuit people (Lees, J. et al., 2010). “Inuit educational leaders are re-thinking the environments and structures of their schools and there is growing recognition of the need for schools to change and of, ―the central role of an Aboriginal perspective on learning that is integral to the well-being of First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities (Lees, J. et al., 2010).” This ability to have a voice in the decisions of the community is helping the Inuit succeed again in this new society (Lees, J. et al., 2010). Being able to bring in traditional Inuit ways of teaching into modern classrooms is proving to be beneficial for Inuit students (Lees, J. et al., 2010).
Colonialism
Bennett, J., & Rowley, S. D. M. (2004). Uqalurait. McGill-Queen’s University Press. Canada, Truth and Reconciliation Commission of. (2016). Canada’s residential schools: The inuit and northern experience. Montréal, CA: McGill-Queen’s University Press. Fuzessy, C. (2003). An investigation of teachers’ role definitions in nunavik. Canadian Journal of Native Education, 27(2), 195-207. Retrieved from http://proxy.library.carleton.ca/login?url=https:// search-proquest-com.proxy.library.carleton.ca/docview/230305552?accountid=9894 Lees, J., Burgess, J., Walton, F., National Committee on Inuit Education, Canadian Electronic Library (Firm), & Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (Organization). (2010). Capacity building in inuit education: A literature review. Ottawa, Ont: Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami. Minor, K. (1992). Issumatuq: Learning from the traditional helping wisdom of the canadian inuit. Halifax, N.S: Fernwood Pub. Pearce, T., Wright, H., Notaina, R., Kudlak, A., Smit, B., Ford, J., & Furgal, C. (2011). Transmission of Environmental Knowledge and Land Skills among Inuit Men in Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories, Canada. Human Ecology, 39(3), 271-288. doi:10.1007/s10745-011-9403-1 Plumptre, T., Graham, J. Institute On Governance. (1999) Governance and Good Governance: International and Aboriginal Perspectives. Institute on Governance.
Inuit Beginnings
Canadian Culture
Bibliography
Inuit Culture
After looking through the effects that governance had on education through the cycle of Inuit history, the relationship between governance and education is clear. The loss of governance because of colonialism cause many negative effects for Inuit people. It lowered their potential for opportunity because they were being forced into a system, they did not understand but now with the integration of traditional Inuit ways into modern Canadian forms of education, there is hope for greater success in the future for Inuit people.
Assignment 2 - Knowing the Land at different Scales Three Scales: THe Land, THe People, and The Mind
My name is Jason Vandenberg. The theme of my project is the Inuit’s interconnected understanding of the land. The three scaled which I have chosen are the land itself, the people, and the mind. Through the reading of oral histories and traditional stories, I gained some insight of how their beliefs (the mind) caused them to perform a certain activity (the people) which correlated to specific locations (the land). I also paid attention to keep my focus on stories which came from the region which Igloolik is located in, to do my best to portray the Inuit people of Igloolik. Earlier in the week, we were talking about how the extreme colds we were experiencing here in Ottawa could be related to, or at least give us an idea, of the temperatures we can easily expect in Nunavut. If I use the -30 degree Celsius temperatures as my understanding then this begins to paint a picture for me of the arctic landscape. For me, hearing my alarm clock go off those mornings of extreme cold sucked. I hated the idea of leaving my warm bed, already wondering if my car was going to start today, already not looking forward to my numb toes, fingers, and ears that never seemed to warm up. While there are many times that I love the cold and snow, those days of extreme cold and snow were not highlights of my winter. I then got to thinking, this is a constant reality for those in Nunavut. I am complaining about having two days of this type of weather when they have months of it. In a harsh environment like that, I can understand why it is a mental battle to live there. I am empathetic towards the struggles the Inuit face, even if it is a bare minimum understanding. However, with that being said, I was re-reading the stories which I have based my project around and something astonished me. Misery was not the overriding emotion which I felt when going through these stories. It was excitement. Story after story spoke about being happy and about being excited about events happening or about to happen. It was through their beliefs that they found happiness. I could see how being in a harsh environment had let them appreciate things which we may take for granted in modern Canadian society. They celebrated flowers, celebrated the sun rising, and celebrated the air around them. They were able to see these small things within there environment and not only find joy within them, but also give them meaning. A curling plant meant to move inland to hunt caribou. An egg could determine if you would get good weather. The return of the sun would be cause for celebration. Re-reading these oral stories helped me see deeper into the words I was reading and begin feeling the excitement which spoke with. I focused on four traditional oral stories from my research for this project, which I felt best exemplified this excitement which I was feeling from their words. I think this may be ultimately why I ended up choosing to use the materials I did in my visual representation. I have a background of carpentry and love to try new things to grow my skills with it. This is something I find exciting. I have never made a proper cube before or attempted this type of carving before. Trying these things for this project, made me feel excited. I think this is where what I have learned from these oral stories and my project come together. They look at a precise flower for a perfect pelt, I look at a precise cut for a perfect fit. I have learned through the reading and reflection of these stories that the feeling of excitement that they feel towards the flower, and my feeling of excitement for a precise cut are linked. This is because in both situations we understand that something else is going to happen because of this one aspect. It all goes back to the understanding of these events being interconnected. Whether it be interconnected with the land like it is for the Inuit or interconnected with a well-built product like it is for me.
Assignment 3 - Intervention The Dryas Prefab House I couldn’t tell you how long its been. It seems like it was such a long time ago that I moved into this town, into this house. I thought it was the right decision to live more like they did, more like the Southerners. To live in these houses like they do, to eat the food that they do. But in these houses, all I do is drink. I drink because I miss those that I left on the land. I drink because I barely know the people I live with in this town. I drink because I am bored. I cannot comprehend the passing of time when I am in these walls. Day is night and night is day. Weeks blur into months. I do not belong in this house. I do not feel a part of this town. I blame this house for everything. I sometimes yell at the walls, wishing they would say something back. These walls don’t speak to me the way the snow blocks of the Igloo did. They speak of Southern ways and Southern living. Now that I live like Southerners do, I have grown accustom to many of the new ways. Many of these aspects of life which were introduced by those coming from Ottawa, Calgary, Winnipeg or whatever Southern city it was. The Southerners brought hockey into my life! Go Leafs go! I watch them all the time on my big tv. They brought heat into this house. Which is probably the only good thing I can say about this house. I can stay warm anytime of day, no matter what it is like outside. I also love the internet, it makes me feel better sometimes when I can contact my brother in Iqaluit over the phone. He wants to live with me to help me quit my drinking. But this house is so small already. When I think about it, I imagine something better. I want to continue to enjoy these new Southern aspects of life, but I want to do so in a way which reminds me of my old life. I do not want to feel alone anymore. I want to enjoy the house I live in, I want to call it a home. I am Inuit. I am not Canadian. I do enjoy what Canadians have given us, but I do not enjoy living exactly like they do. It just doesn’t work for me. I want out of this Southern house and into a home which is both Inuit and Canadian.
W
W
W H
W H
W H
W H
W
Ground Floor Scale:
C
1:150
A103
W
A A101
Third Floor Scale:
1:150
N
N
W
*
*
*
W
W
W
W
DW
B A102
Second Floor Scale:
D A104
1:150
A A001
Extended Site Plan Scale:
1:3000
A A002
Site Plan Scale:
1:1000
A A201
The Dryas House Jason Vandenberg
Fourth Floor Scale:
1:150
N
N
Stages of Building Expansion Scale:
1:150
A A001
Extended Site Plan Scale:
1:3000
A A002
Site Plan Scale:
1:1000
W
W
W H
W H
W H
W H
W
Ground Floor Scale:
C
1:150
A103
W
A A101
Third Floor Scale:
1:150
N
N
W
*
*
*
W
W
W
W
DW
B A102
Second Floor Scale:
D A104
1:150
N
Fourth Floor Scale:
1:150
N
A A201
Stages of Building Expansion Scale:
1:150