Glossary

Handcrafted decorations and designs, includes beading, painting, drawing, carving, printmaking, and jewelry making.

A flat bread made of flour, fat, salt, and water; baked in the oven, cooked on a griddle or over a fire.

Includes berries that are natural to the Canadian North such as blueberries, blackberries, cloudberries, etc.

The collection of information about all aspects of a population. The Census is conducted every five years and collects information from all Canadians.

Wild game such as caribou, seals, arctic char and other fish, plants, and other wild foods. Also called traditional Inuit food or simply Inuit food.

An event pertaining to Inuit culture, such as a feast.

Traditional Inuit activities, such as throat singing, drum dancing, and sewing.

‘Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food which meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.’ [United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization]

Picking or harvesting country food, such as wild berries and shellfish.

To pursue and kill wild animals or game for food.

The Inuit language is spoken by Inuit throughout the circumpolar region. It has many regional and local dialects and several written forms.

The Canadian Inuktitut term that includes land, water, and ice, and is used to describe the Inuit homeland. Inuit Nunangat includes the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR), Nunavut, Nunavik, and Nunatsiavut.

In the Inuit language the term means a place to learn for and about Inuit.

Refers to one Inuit person.

The Inuvialuit Settlement Region is located in the northwest corner of the Northwest Territories. The Inuvialuit Final Agreement was signed on June 5, 1984. The ISR is the homeland of the Inuvialuit and encompasses six communities. Of the 5,710 people living in the ISR, 3,115 (54.6%) are Inuit.

The Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement was ratified in 2005, creating self–government for Inuit in northern Labrador, known as Nunatsiavut. Nunatsiavut was the last of the four Inuit regions to win self–government. There are five communities in Nunatsiavut. Of a total population of 2,415 in the region, 2,155 (89.2%) are Inuit. Nunatsiavut means ‘Our Beautiful Land.’

Nunavik makes up the northern part of the province of Quebec. It was the first Inuit region in Canada to sign a Land Claims Agreement. The James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement was ratified in 1978. There are 14 communities in the region. Of a total population of 10,570 in Nunavik, 9,565 (90.5%) are Inuit. Nunavik means ‘Place to Live.’

Nunavut is in Canada’s Eastern Arctic. It became the country’s third territory when the Northwest Territories was divided on April1, 1999. There is a system of public government in Nunavut. There are 25 communities and of a population of 29,325 in the territory, 24,635 (84%) are Inuit. Nunavut means ‘Our Land.’

The collection of information from some or all people in a population and compiling the information into a useful summary.

A Traditional Aboriginal Healer is someone who is recognized by the community as a traditional counsellor or someone who provides guidance and traditional medicines (such as herbs).

The medicines (plants, herbs) used by traditional healers to treat illness and to promote wellness. Examples include plant roots and leaves.

A method of hunting wildlife.

Numbers that are too small to be published, such as statistics from small communities where the identity of individuals might be determined. Numbers from Statistics Canada are suppressed to meet the confidentiality requirements of the Statistics Act.