A.They were a useful source of unskilled labor.B.The Ca……
TEXT C
Eskimo villages today are
larger and more complex than the traditional nomadic groups of Eskimo kinsmen.
Village decision making is organized through community councils and co-operative
boards of directors, institutions which the Eskimos were encouraged by the
government to adopt. They have been more readily accepted in villages like Fort
Chimo where there is an individualistic wage ethos and where ties of kinship are
less important than in the rural village such as Port
Burwell,
where communal sharing between kinsmen is more emphasized. Greater contact with
southern Canadians and better educational facilities have shown Fort Chimo
Eskimos that it is possible to argue and negotiate with the government rather
than to acquiesce passively in its policies.
The old-age
paternalism of southern Canadians over the Eskimos has died more slowly in the
rural villages where Eskimos have been more reluctant to voice their opinions
aggressively. This has been a frustration to government officials trying to
develop local leadership amongst the Eskimos, but a blessing to other
departments whose plans have been accepted without local obstruction. In rural
areas the obligations of kinship often ran counter to the best interests of the
village and potential leaders were restrained from making positive contributions
to the village council. More recently, however, the educated Eskimos have been
voicing the interests of those in the rural areas. They are trying to persuade
the government to recognize the rights of full-time hunters, by protecting their
hunting territories from mining and oil prospector, for example. The efforts of
this active minority are percolating through to the remoter villages whose
inhabitants are becoming increasingly vocal.
Continuing change
is inevitable but future development policy in ungave must recognize that most
Eskimos retain much of their traditional outlook on life. New schemes should
focus on resources that the Eskimos are used to handling as the Port Burwell
projects have done, rather than on enterprises such as mining where effort is
all to easily consigned to an unskilled labor force The musk-ox project at Fort
Chimo and the tourist lodge at George River are new directions for future
development but there are pitfalls.
Since 1967 musk oxen have
been reared near Fort Chimo for their finer-than-cashmere undercoat which can be
knitted. But the farm lies eight kilometers from the village, across a river,
and it has been difficult to secure Eskimo interests in the project. For several
months of the year-at the freeze-up and break—up of the river ice—the river
cannot be crossed easily, and a small number of Eskimo herdsmen become isolated
from the amenities and social life of Fort Chimo.
The original
herd of fifteen animals is beginning to breed but it will be difficult to
attract more herdsmen as long as other employment is available within the
village.
The Eskimo-owned tourist lodge near George River has
been a success. American fishermen spend large mounts of money to catch trout
and Arctic char, plentiful in the port sub-Arctic rivers. The lodge is
successful because its small size allows its owner to communicate with his
employees, fellow villagers in George River, on a personal basis. This is
essential when Eskimos are working together, ff the lodge were to expand its
operations, the larger number of employees would have to be treated on a more
impersonal and authoritarian basis. This could lead to resentment and a
withdrawal of labor.
What was the Canadians’ attitude towards Eskimos in the past
A.They were a useful source of unskilled labor.
B.The Canadians had the responsibility of looking after them for the Eskimos’ own good.
C.They should be encouraged to carry out useful government projects.
D.They should be kept under firm government control.