Cultural Tourism in Nunavik

Aivirtuuq ('the place where there are walruses') is located on a peninsula south
Two young Inuit, Aipili Sakiagak (front) and his brother Putulik (back), getting
Kangirsujuaq on the south shore of Hudson Strait. Kangirsujuaq is the first comm
The locations of the three communities visited in Nunavik (Émilie Ruffin 2011).

Cultural tourism has now become the “in” thing in Nunavik. In the early 1990s, the first few attempts saw little success, but there is now a “business” will to include tourism as a facet of economic development. As recently as April 2010, cultural tourism was a major topic at an economic summit in Kuujjuaq. 

The Avataq Cultural Institute, an IPinCH partner organization, has advocated the development of cultural tourism for some time, but Avataq sees a world’s difference between what it envisions as responsible development and certain economic interests’ vision for cultural tourism. This case study, coordinated by Daniel Gendron of Avataq’s Archaeology Department, will identify the different parties involved and their underlying motivations. Daniel, along with Taqralik Partridge of Avataq’s Department of Communication and Publication, Nancy Palliser, Avataq’s Executive Director and Local Cultural Committees Supervisor and Émilie Ruffin, Researcher with the Avataq Cultural Institute, has worked with local communities to answer key questions: What part do the Nunavimmiut really play in this development? Are they silent participants or, on the contrary, the driving force behind this development? One of the aims of the research is to re-centre the meaning of cultural tourism as a means of protecting Inuit culture, possibly in tension with the Quebec government’s “Plan nord” for Northern economic and tourism development.
 
Final Report in preparation. 
 

Aivirtuuq ('the place where there are walruses') is located on a peninsula southeast of Kangirsujuaq. Aivirtuuq is an important place with many sites, including 2 Dorset long houses and Saunitarlik ('the river of bones') where the original story of the movie 'White Dawn' apparently took place (in reality, there are several places in the Arctic where this story and others like it took place). Whether the 'real' location or not, for the Kangirsujuammiut, this place holds a story that stimulates the imagination and became the location of a cultural tourism endeavour developed in parallel with the IPinCH cultural tourism study undertaken by Avataq these past 2 years.

(Bottom Left): Two young Inuit, Aipili Sakiagak (front) and his brother Putulik (back), getting ready to leave for Aivirtuuq, the location that Kangirsujuammiut want to develop for tourism. The brothers were part of the Cultural Tourism in Nunavik community-based initiative crew in 2010 (photo courtesy of D. Gendron).  (Bottom middle) Kangirsujuaq on the south shore of Hudson Strait. Kangirsujuaq is the first community to get involved in cultural tourism. At the forefront is the Qarmait site, which will be one of the archaeological attractions; (Bottom right) The locations of the three communities visited in Nunavik (Émilie Ruffin 2011). 

 
Research Themes
The Apache Heritage Reunion Event

The diversity of the world’s cultures, both past and present, is one of the key attractions of travel. Governments, the tourism industry, and communities work hard to create unforgettable cultural products and experiences. 

Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) methods engage communities in all aspects of the research process. 

Presentations
George Nicholas
2011
American Anthropological Association Conference, Session: Reversing the Legacy of Colonialism in Heritage Research (Montreal, Quebec)
Videos & Podcasts
Daniel Gendron

Daniel Gendron presenting on the Cultural Tourism in Nunavik project at the IPinCH Midterm Conference, Sept 30th - Oct 1st 2011.