If the Weather Permits: Inuit People and Modernity

Introduction

The documentary If the Weather Permits presents the plight of the native Inuit Eskimo Aboriginal people of Northern Canada. On one hand, the introduction of elements of modern society, including modern technology, has improved their lives. On the other hand, the same changes have damaged other aspects of their traditional lifestyle in ways that may outweigh any of the benefits of modernity.

The Importance of Traditional Lifestyles to Aboriginal Peoples

Generally, Aboriginal and other native peoples have societies based on ancient traditions, rituals, customs, and ways of life. Their cultures reflect the cumulative knowledge and traditions of all of their previous ancestral generations. The Inuit people have traditionally lived in very harsh winter climates, hunting seal and other arctic wildlife and making sure to consume or use as much as possible of their kills. This practice stems largely from a cultural belief in the importance of respecting the animals whose sacrifice is necessary for their continued subsistence.

Changes Attributable to Mixing with Modern Society

Since the encroachment of modern society on their territories, the traditional Aboriginal Inuit people have experienced significant social changes, many of which are not necessarily beneficial to them. Since the middle of the 20th century, modern governments have established settlements near the traditional territories of the Inuit. In many instances, they have required that the Inuit live on those established settlements instead of maintaining their traditional nomadic way of life across their entire traditional territory.

Ironically, the improvement in healthcare — in particular — that has been available to the Inuit in the last half century has caused their population to grow beyond their ability to sustain entirely through traditional means. Modern industry and land development have also greatly reduced the availability of their traditional hunting prey, which is necessary for their existence. Likewise, the mandatory inclusion of Inuit children in formal public education systems has made it very difficult for the Inuit to retain their cultural integrity and heritage among new generations.

Even worse, the infusion of modern outside society into the world of the Inuit has made it impossible for many adults to secure steady employment, because they are not formally educated and lack the marketable skills required for professional success in the wider society. Crime, substance abuse, and alcoholism have become serious problems throughout their community, largely as a result of despair and a lack of opportunity to secure gainful or rewarding employment. Even traditional Inuit cultural practices have been diluted by the need to use them to generate income from tourism. Whereas their ancestors made clothes and artwork from their natural environment and from their prey strictly out of necessity, many Inuit today have no choice but to produce similar artifacts for the tourism trade, further eroding the integrity of their traditional culture.

Conclusion

The Inuit are just one example of traditional Aboriginal people whose lives have been changed dramatically by the encroachment of modern society on their traditional home territories. Certainly, modern society offers substantial benefits and opportunities. However, when those benefits are imposed on Aboriginal peoples without due regard for the complex ways that modern society can transform traditional cultures, the outcome is not necessarily in the best interests of those Aboriginal people.