Holy crap, Holy Yahweh. Came across some interesting history of Iqaluit, in Nunavut, and the attitudes of the colonialist. Site I came across them is on the links side bar now.
Matter of fact I came across some of that same attitude this past Tuesday. More things change the more they stay the same.
Some may say that that was then, attitudes change with the times, well in many cases they don't. People on the north cost of Labrador have been upset with colonialist type attitudes towards them by people and businesses in their own region, to wit Happy Valley- Goose Bay. This was strengthened on Tuesday by one persons attitude and by another persons confirmation that this stuff did and does happen.
2 comments:
Interesting stuff. Jack's got a good site there. OS Finnie was the director of The NWT and Yukon Branch of the Deaprtment of the Interior for roughly ten years from 1921 to 1930 or so. Frank Tester and Peter Kulchyski in their book "Tammarniit" cast him in a somewhat favourable light, as one of the first progressive administrators in the Northern service, who was interested in Inuit livelihoods and health, etc... His letter to the Inuit reminds me very much of the early letters from the Newfoundland Ranger Walter Rockwood to the Inuit. They have this clipped, wooden sound to them. It's like when someone talks to a foreigner and they think, "If I talk slow and loud, they'll understand me."
Good work on the transportation stuff. If the transportation problems aren't sorted out, it will make a perfect excuse for governments to one day attempt a road-building program. That's the way it seems to work: issues become so problematic through incompetence and inattention that eventually policy makers dream up radical action to solve them.
So there were some weird opinions at these meetings?
Peter said,
So there were some weird opinions at these meetings?
Weird opinions indeed.
And you are correct about the ulterior motives, a road maybe, but before that the powers are trying to get the shipping point to north out of Goose Bay, even up to Nunavut.
As we pointed out; fat chance until GB business change from their racist, paternalistic, colonialist attitudes.
Surprising we had an unlikely ally on that subject. Sort of boosts the confidence, makes the other guys look more like the idiots they are, and in front of one of their own, loved it.
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