Results
The TUKTU research project was carried out from 2013–2017 (though it was informed by the ECOTRAD project, which took place from 2008–2009). Each year of the project, the research theme was redefined in order to align with the concerns identified by the population of Qamani’tuaq. Each research assistant involved in the project also brought his/her individual approach to tackling the issues, whether in terms of exchanging with inhabitants, constructing workshops, choosing suitable tools, or communicating their work and results.
TUKTU project summary
The TUKTU research project was launched in 2013 and was completed at the end of 2017. It was co-designed by a group of Inuit elders in a series of participatory workshops conducted in 2009 and co-facilitated by the late Vera Avaala, a Baker Lake resident who acted as a co-researcher and advisor in developing the TUKTU project.
Four main concerns identified by the elders were translated into research questions and served as guidelines for the project: the future for Nunavut youth, intergenerational knowledge transmission, safeguarding a caribou-centred livelihood, and mining impacts. The project also investigated ways to strengthen ties between Inuit and Saami communities through a youth exchange.
Since 2013, an annual spring fieldwork visit has started with a community meeting to report back on the results of the previous year and to co-construct the research questions to focus on in the coming year. Each year, the new programme follows on from the previous year’s programme to ensure continuity. The results are posted on the TUKTU project Facebook page to keep the community informed, and each year prior to their visit, new students and research assistants introduce themselves through a short video to get acquainted with the community.
The annual investigations carried out with the community from 2013 to 2017 found that Baker Lake residents feel that mining extraction generates positive opportunities (e.g. jobs, skills training and income), but also has negative impacts (e.g. environmental pollution, changes to caribou migration patterns, effects on social cohesion).
In 2013, Anna Deffner worked with elders to develop the CARIBOU WHEEL, a radar chart showing the importance of the caribou to traditional life and evaluated the impacts of the Agnico Eagle gold mine on the community’s caribou-centred livelihood. The Inuit–Saami youth exchange project was initiated by the Baker Lake school and a caribou/reindeer livelihood booklet created as part of an approach to strengthen the exchange. The TUKTU project also contributed financially to the Pauktuutit/Tester study on the social and economic impacts of the gold mine on the Inuit women of Baker Lake.
In 2014, at the request of the community, Annabel Rixen focused on mining scenarios (1 mine, 2 mines, 0 mines) and evaluated these using a WELL-BEING WHEEL co-designed with Baker Lake residents in a series of participatory workshops. She explored alternative activities to gold mining and studied likely tipping point issues and resilience strategies.
In 2015, Elise Brunel went to Baker Lake with expertise in participatory video. She spent her time with six families out on the land, giving the video camera to her hosts to film what was meaningful to them. Mining issues were barely addressed in these videos; participants chose to discuss their caribou-centred livelihood and document other issues such as Inuit culture and language and the future for young people. Also in 2015, Amélie Broage went to Sapmi in Sweden, bringing drawings, letters and questions from Baker Lake school students (grades 5 and 9) and presenting them to the Saami students in Gällivare and Karesuando schools.
Working with a network that includes local institutions, mining company representatives and residents, the project employed triangular collaboration to facilitate local planning during this transition period. This included exploring new avenues for alternative activities, as well as the possibility of recovering mining infrastructure for local use.
In response to local research interests, it was also decided to engage in a more accurate assessment of changes in caribou migration and the role of the mining industry in these (Warren Bernauer, 2015). To investigate mining impacts on migratory caribou, we took into account traditional ecological knowledge and the community’s empirical observations of the land, comparing these with available scientific data (geographical surveys, wildlife and vegetation studies).This was developed in collaboration with the Kangiqsujuaq community of Nunavik and the Gällivare and Övre Soppero communities of Northern Sweden. A comparative study is planned, applying the methods developed in Nunavik and Qamani’tuaq to Sweden in the BOAZU project.
In 2016, the TUKTU project continued with improved methodological tools based on outcomes from previous field trips, and a focus on strategic planning for future mining scenarios. These were in some flux as the gold mine was to be closed and a uranium mine opened, but this did not take place in the end. The TUKTU project was completed in 2017.
The TUKTU project also developed an ongoing Saami–Inuit youth exchange to strengthen the ties between communities facing a similar paradox between mining offering employment opportunities yet having a negative impact on caribou hunting and reindeer herding. In the long term, this youth exchange may generate new ideas for sustainable management, Indigenous rights and economic alternatives to mining. As part of this programme, in both Saami and Inuit schools, Anna, Annabel, Elise, Cécile and Amélie developed short-term research projects co-designed and co-led by youths in conjunction with elders: one of these was a caribou/reindeer livelihood booklet that will continue to be added to. Saami students produced similar materials that were then presented in the Baker Lake schools.
With the connections between Inuit and Saami schools now established, we have submitted an extension to this programme to Nordregio, a Nordic research centre, with a proposal to include a school in Northern Greenland in the exchange.
Results
[expand title= »Films »]
To watch the videos, enter the password : tuktu
The welcome (with Jamie Lee Nagyougalik)
The colonisation (with Sylvia Manugalik Tookanachiak)
The transmission (with Peter et Jeannie Innakatsik-Kalluk)
On the land (with Carolina Tugak)
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[expand title= »Projects reports »]
Deffner, A., 2013. Mining impacts on Inuit communities in Northern Canada : the case of Baker Lake.
Rixen, A., 2014, TUKTU : Future scenarios.
Jourdren, M., 2014. Mining impacts on employment opportunities.
Rixen, A., 2015. Newsletter Arctic Change.
Le Merre, E., 2016. Rapport de campagne TUKTU 2.
2017-SUMMARY_NOTES_SCHOOLS- Couëtil, T
2017-SUMMARY_NOTE_COMMUNITY-Couëtil, T
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[expand title= »Publications »]
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[expand title= »Powerpoints presentations »]
Deffner, A., 2013, Master defense presentation
Rixen, A., 2014, Master defense presentation
Blangy, S., Rixen, A., Jourdren, M., Presentation to Pauktuutit, 2014
Broage, A., 2015, Master defense presentation
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[expand title= »Inuit-Saami youth exchange booklets »]
Saami-Inuit Youth Exchange complete booklet
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[expand title= »Master’s thesis »]
Deffner, A., 2013. Impacts du développement minier sur les communautés Inuit du Grand Nord canadien, le cas de Qamani’tuaq (Baker Lake) au Nunavut.
Rixen, A., 2014. The Future is Mine? Conceptualizing Future Mining Scenarios with the Inuit community of Qamani’tuaq: Impacts on local well-being and caribou livelihoods.
Jourdren, M., 2014. « Welcome to the moon » – Working at the mine and Inuit employees integration.
Broage, A., 2015. Autochtonie et gestion territoriale moderne, quel avenir pour le mode de vie des Sámi ?
De Sérigny, C., 2016. Impacts of the local mine on people’s well-being : considering projects to increase happiness and their feasibility.
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Yearly results
Each year, the TUKTU research assistants have conducted their own project, addressing concerns that had been identified this particular year.
[expand title= »2009″]
During the ECOTRAD project field work, the objective was to identify the major concern of the Qamani’tuaq inhabitants. A set of workshops led to the following wheel of concerns :
The chart revealed that tourism was really at the back seat of the Inuit challenges ; it redirected the research theme and brought Sylvie Blangy to redefine the problem, taking into account the participants opinions. This is the birth of the TUKTU project.
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[expand title= »2013″]
From Anna Deffner
At first, it seemed necessary identified how deeply important the caribou resource was, and for which reasons. The result of the workshops with hunters and elders is this Caribou Wheel :
Another form of workshop led 4 Inuit women to produce this Force & Field graph which assessses the positive (in blue) and negative (in red) impacts of maintaining traditional livelihoods :
A major component in the community life was also the mining industry. This was the subject of the second part of 2013 TUKTU project. The participants evaluated the probability and contribution of each factor, linked with mining industry, that could impact the dailylife. This led to construct a Cartesian graph :
The 2013 TUKTU research team ended the year project on possible future scenarios to consider the perspectives. They also took the time to identify the stakeholders and their relative influence, illustrated by the following Rainbow graph :
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[expand title= »2014 – 2015″]
[expandsub1 title= »Qamani’tuaq : is the future mine ? »]
From Annabel Rixen
In the community workshop, the participants proposed some research questions to tackle, such as : « How has caribou migration changed? Has it been affected by the mine? », « How hard will it be to get a job after the mine closes? », « What can be an economic Development Plan for 2020? (short‐term, midterm, long‐term) » « What are alternatives to mining ? »; the key themes were «Caribou Futures » and « Job Futures » after mine closure. This wheel allows us to measure well-being at Qamani’tuaq and compare how different mining situations (gold mining, uranium mining, and mine closure) might impact local well‐being :
The common questionning was about the « possible futures » for Qamani’tuaq. We focused on two situations : life after the closure of the Meadowbank mine (2017) and life during possible uranium mine projects (2025). Together, participants built Timelines, told stories and assessed possible impacts on their well‐being.They are a creative way to explore what is possible. They summarize the ideas and stories shared by local Elders, hunters, women, mine workers, families and youth from Baker Lake.
→ If the gold mine would close in 2017 …
→ If the uranium mine would open in the years to come …
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[expandsub1 title= »Kangiqsujuaq : Raglan, welcome to the moon ! »]
From Marine Jourdren
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[expand title= »2016 – 2017″]
[expandsub1 title= »Qamani’tuaq : on the other side of the screen »]
From Elise Brunel
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[expandsub1 title= »Jåkkåkaska : Sàmi livelihoods »]
From Amélie Broage
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[expandsub1 title= »Qamani’tuaq : well-being criteria & action levers »]
From Etienne Le Merre
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[expandsub1 title= »Qamani’tuaq : community wellness »]
From Cécile de Sérigny
All of the workshops focused on the impact of a local mine on people’s well-being. The discussion points included suggestions for community projects that could contribute to the community’s happiness. People mentioned their willingness to learn how to initiate a wellness program, so the work has been conducted along with Eva Noah, a wellness coordinator for the community.
Three questions were tackled : What would improve community happiness in Baker Lake from your perspective? What would be the ideal project to improve happiness in your viewpoint? What is the feasibility of this project and its impact on community happiness?
The three workshops conducted led to this results, ordered by feasibility and helpfulness :
First workshop
Second workshop
Third workshop
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