Modern Food Sharing Networks and Community Integration in the Central Canadian Arctic

Abstract

ABSTRACT. From June 1992 to July 1993, research on wildlife harvesting and subsistence relations was conducted among a sample of householders in the Inuit community of Holman. In an earlier paper, the authors examined the involvement of younger Inuit in subsistence hunting, noting that despite the sweeping political, social, and economic changes that have been experienced in Holman and across the Canadian North, hunting remained an important sociocultural and economic activity for some members of the sample group. This paper focuses specifically on the informal socioeconomic aspects of subsistence in Holman. Using primary data from the 1992-93 sample, we examine the range of economic mechanisms employed by Holman Inuit for the distribution of wild resources and compare the present range of such activity to that observed by Stefansson, Jenness, Rasmussen, and Damas in their work on Copper Inuit food sharing. These data indicate 1) that the sharing form most frequently cited ethnographically, obligatory seal-sharing partnerships, is more irregular than formerly; and 2) that voluntary, nonpartnershipbased sharing remains an important element in the contemporary economic system. Key words: subsistence, Copper Inuit, food sharing, distributional mechanisms RÉSUMÉ. De juin 1992 à juillet 1993, on a fait de la recherche sur les prélèvements fauniques et les rapports de subsistance parmi un échantillon de foyers dans la communauté inuit de Holman. Dans un article précédent, les auteurs étudiaient la participation de jeunes Inuit à la chasse de subsistance, notant que, malgré les changements profonds sur les plans politique, social et économique qui s'étaient produits à Holman et à travers tout le Nord canadien, la chasse restait une activité socioculturelle et économique importante pour des membres du groupe d'échantillonnage. Le présent article porte en particulier sur les aspects socio-économiques informels de la subsistance à Holman. En utilisant des données brutes provenant de l'échantillon de 1992-93, on se penche sur l'éventail des mécanismes économiques employés par les Inuit de Holman pour la distribution des ressources provenant de la nature et on compare l'éventail actuel de cette activité à celui qu'ont observé Stefansson, Jenness, Rasmussen et Damas dans leurs travaux sur le partage de la nourriture chez les Inuit du cuivre. Ces données indiquent 1) que le mode de partage le plus fréquemment cité par les ethnologues, c'est-à-dire le partenariat obligatoire du partage du phoque, est moins courant qu'auparavant; 2) que le partage volontaire, qui ne s'appuie pas sur le partenariat reste un élément majeur du système économique contemporain.Mots clés: subsistance, Inuit du cuivre, partage de la nourriture, mécanismes de distribution Traduit pour la revue Arctic par Nésida Loyer.

Cultural attitudes are stronger predictors of bushmeat consumption and preference than economic factors among urban Amazonians from Brazil and Colombia

“…For instance, in modern food sharing among the Inuit, resources are transferred during visits to pay for hospitality in town (Collings et al 1998). Again, our informal interviews also suggest that gifts of bushmeat are a local form of repaying favors, particularly among indigene http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol20/iss4/art21/ families who often reciprocate by assisting in the preparation of agricultural plots (personal observation).…”

Food security in Nunavut, Canada: barriers and recommendations.

“…The practice of sharing, although under strain as indicated earlier, remains an important part of Inuit life and facilitates the redistribution of needed food into families. Voluntary sharing remains an important part of the contemporary mixedeconomic system (40,42,43) and government subsidies to Harvester Support Programs lend support for this legacy (42).…”

Prevalence of food insecurity in a Greenlandic community and the importance of social, economic and environmental stressors

“…Food insecurity exists when food systems are stressed, compromising the ability to attain foods in appropriate quantities or of sufficient quality (3). In the circumpolar region, food security research has primarily focused on the impacts of contaminants, the role of traditional foods within Inuit society and changes in dietary preference known as the "nutritional transition" (i.e., food quality) (4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9). More recently, studies have begun considering the nutritional, sociocultural and economic needs of communities, expanding previous definitions of food security to encompass not only the availability of food but also elements of food quality and access (10)(11)(12)(13).…”