Dark Past: “We were basically human flagpoles”

'Human Flagpoles': Dark story behind Inuit scene on $2 bill

Musician Lucie Idlout says the discontinued bank note reflects a dark time for Canada's Inuit

Andrew Friesen · CBC News · May 7, 2014

Circulated between 1974 and 1979, the two-dollar bill features Joseph Idlout and his relatives preparing their kayaks for a hunt. (Bank of Canada / National Currency Collection)

If you’re a Canadian of a certain age, you’ve likely seen the Idlout family. In fact, you’ve probably carried them around in your back pocket.

The reason: they’re featured on the back of the 1974 two-dollar bill.

Part of the Scenes of Canada series, the discontinued bank note depicts a group of six Inuit men preparing their kayaks for a hunt.

One of the men is Joseph Idlout, the grandfather of Canadian musician Lucie Idlout. On a recent episode of the CBC Radio program DNTO, she revealed how the photograph of her grandfather and his relatives came to be taken.

Photographer Douglas Wilkinson spent years documenting Joseph Idlout and his community. (Douglas Wilkinson / Library and Archives Canada (PA-189095))

“My grandfather was known to be an excellent hunter,” said Idlout.

“He was one of the first few Inuit to receive the Coronation medal from the Queen - I kind of view him as a superhero, even though I never met him.”

Based on a photograph taken by documentarian Douglas Wilkinson, the bill features Joseph Idlout and his relatives hunting nearby the Baffin Island community of Pond Inlet.

On its surface, the bill appears to reflect nothing more than an innocent scene of daily Inuit life. But dig a little deeper, and the story behind the photograph becomes much more complicated.

“We were basically human flagpoles.”

In the 1950s, the Canadian government relocated a number of struggling Inuit families from Inukjuak (Quebec) to the communities of Resolute Bay and Grise Fiord - hundreds of kilometres to the north.

Ostensibly done to improve their standard of living, the realities of life in the High Arctic proved difficult for families accustomed to the warmer temperatures and more fertile tundra of Quebec. To ease their transition, Joseph Idlout was hired to instruct the southern Inuit on life in the unforgiving northern climate.

“His role in Resolute Bay was to assist with teaching Inuit how to survive in a much harsher climate than what they were used to,” said Idlout.

As the transplanted Inuit struggled to adapt to their new surroundings, the motivation behind their relocation became increasingly clear.  

“The sad story is that we were basically human flagpoles, so the Canadian government could assert sovereignty over the high arctic.”

Lucie Idlout: "It is another example of how Inuit were part of asserting sovereignty" (Facebook)

In 2010, the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development issued an apology to Canada’s Inuit people, expressing regret “for the hardship and suffering caused by the relocation.” 

And while adjusting to a new and unfamiliar landscape was challenging, Lucie Idlout said that it was the actually the change in lifestyle that had the biggest consequences - both for the transplanted communities and for her grandfather. 

“With the amenities and modernness of southern life coming to the north … it really changed the way Inuit lived," said Idlout.

“It was a lot of change that happened really quickly, and it had a lot of negative impacts on the people who lived there.”

And though he was considered to be an exceptionally skilled and well-respected man, the move proved to be particularly traumatizing for Joseph Idlout. Although reports of his death vary, Lucie Idlout says that her grandfather’s eventual suicide can be traced back to the relocation.

“The transition of life was just too fast and too much.”

Bills were meant to inspire Canadian pride

The Scenes of Canada series, which was printed and put into circulation between 1969 and 1979, was meant to instill pride and reflect Canadian settlements from sea to sea.

When asked how she feels looking at the bill today, Idlout says she has mixed feelings. 

Detail of the 1974 "Scenes of Canada" two-dollar bill (Bank of Canada)

“I don’t think there’s any coincidence the photograph was shot in the 50s, just before the relocation,” said Idlout. “It is another example of how Inuit were part of asserting sovereignty over different parts — so Canada could claim it as their own.” 

But despite the darkness the bill represents, Idlout still feels a certain pride when she looks at the image of her family on the $2 note.

“It became less of a photo and more of a piece of our history - that involved important people from my family and people I love very much.”

SOURCE: https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/human-flagpoles-dark-story-behind-inuit-scene-on-2-bill-1.2632380

What Greenland’s Indigenous Inuit really want

Greenland's flag with Mount_Akuliaruseq in the background (Photo: Eider Palmou via Wikimedia/CC)

 

(and it’s not to be a part of America)

February 17, 2025 By Art Hughes 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download 

Greenland hasn’t had this much attention from America since the William Taft Administration.  Rhetoric, and even a few congressional proposals, are flying over the prospect of the United States purchasing — or perhaps invading — the autonomous territory of Denmark.  Strategic positioning and untapped mineral resources are the main drivers of the argument.  The likelihood of such an action appears remote.  The Inuit people, who make up the vast majority of the population, are more seriously focused on independence from the colonial power of Denmark and cooperative efforts to reduce the effects of climate change.  We’ll hear from elected leaders and other Greenland residents about the current political pressures.

How Indigenous traditional knowledge is improving our understanding of Aurora Borealis

 Inuit hunters use the aurora borealis to forecast hunting conditions

Adam Killick · CBC Radio · Dec 22, 2024

Tour operator Joe Buffalo Child welcomes the northern lights near Yellowknife. (Submitted by Joe Buffalo Child)

Northern lights are our night sky guides

When Nicholas Flowers was young, he made sure to never whistle at the northern lights. 

It was disrespectful, his grandmother taught him. "She told me, if you whistle at the northern lights, they may actually harm you by cutting off your head," he told Unreserved host Rosanna Deerchild.

It's advice that Flowers, who teaches the Inuktitut language and Inuit culture in Nunatsiavut, N.L., still follows today. "Learning about these traditions in our culture plays a big role in our survival, and also in our well-being. As Inuit we need to remember that we simply couldn't exist without the land."

While modern science explains the mechanism of the aurora borealis, members of First Nation, Inuit and Métis communities say that their traditional knowledge, which goes back thousands of years, can help explain its meaning — in mythology, legend and even weather forecasting. 

The two ways of knowing can be complementary, said Jennifer Howse, an education specialist at the Rothney Astrophysical Observatory, just north of Calgary. Howse is also a member of the Métis Nation of Alberta.

It all starts with the sun

Auroras are caused when charged particles that are released from the sun get trapped in the polar areas of the Earth's magnetic field. These interact with the Earth's magnetic field, creating the northern lights.

The amount of charged particles the sun releases varies on an 11-year cycle, and we're currently at the busiest time of the cycle, Howse said.

The varying colours of the lights relate to what gases in the atmosphere are being affected: green is oxygen, red is upper-atmosphere nitrogen. "It's essentially showing us our atmosphere with these colours," she said.

Intermediate colours, like purple, magenta and even blue, result from different gases reacting. "These gases are coming together, almost like when you're mixing paint colours," Howse said.

The Rothney Astrophysical Observatory near Calgary. (Rothney Astrophysical Observatory)

Howse said that although newer technologies are teaching scientists about auroras, there are still many mysteries, which can be addressed by Indigenous stories.

"Northern Canadians have so much mythology around the aurora. If you listen to the stories, you'll hear all of the science, and all of the observations," she said. 

• Christy's weather: The science behind the northern lights

• Why the northern lights have been lighting up southwestern Ontario skies, and how you can see them tonight

The First Nation science involves understanding the timing of the lights, their colours, how they move, and how those movements might impact weather, for example. "[The stories] use a lot of wonderful metaphors of things that we understand in our relations with ourselves and with the natural world," Howse said.

She compared Indigenous stories to ancient Greek maps of the sky, "that tell you about the sky, of course, but it also tells you about that ancient Greek astronomer and their perception of the sky overhead."

Auroras in Indigenous teachings

It would be difficult to find anyone who gets more excited about the northern lights than Joe Buffalo Child.

And that's even after 18 years of taking tourists out around Yellowknife to see the aurora borealis and talk about Dene culture.  

Joe Buffalo Child has operated North Star Adventures for the last 18 years. (Submitted by Joe Buffalo Child)

"I get to see it every night, and people always say to me, 'Joe, don't you get tired of it'? And I say, 'No. Take a look. How can you get tired of that?'" he said.

"It's a connection between my culture and my grandparents, so it has a very special meaning for me."

Buffalo Child was raised by his grandparents, who have since died. His grandmother taught him that when the aurora are dancing quickly, it's a message from someone recently departed.

"Someone from the other side is sending a message.… 'I'm doing OK, no need to be sad anymore,'" he said.

Buffalo Child believes Yellowknife is the best place in the world to see the aurora borealis. The lights appear directly above, and are often visible for four hours or more, almost every night in winter.

"We often call it the sore neck aurora," he joked.

Like Buffalo Child, Flowers was also taught that the dancing lights show the continuing presence of those who've passed away.

He also believes that the legend of the lights decapitating those who whistle at them is to demonstrate the importance of having respect for the land and for nature. 

Nicholas Flowers teaches the Inuktitut language and Inuit culture in Nunatsiavut, N.L. (Submitted by Nicholas Flowers)

But auroras also offer less morbid warnings, too.

The way the lights behave can also help predict the weather, Flowers said. For example, if they are still, it suggests the following day would have fair weather and light winds — perfect hunting conditions.

However, if they are dipping and diving and moving quickly, the forthcoming weather will not be as ideal, he said.

Howse said it's been wonderful to see how Indigenous traditional knowledge has blended with science to form a more complete picture of the aurora.

"This has just been such a really wonderful time to be Métis. I mean, imagine that I'm able to say that out loud!"

STORY: CBC AUDIO:  https://www.cbc.ca/radio/unreserved/how-indigenous-traditional-knowledge-is-improving-our-understanding-of-aurora-borealis-1.7414899

Inuit Voices: What is lacking is political will #MMIWG

News  Sep 12, 2024  MMIWG

Pauktuutit leader calls for Inuit voices to be heard in fight against violence

Nancy Etok shares experience from meeting with Indigenous women from U.S., Mexico earlier this month in Mexico City

Pauktuutit president Nancy Etok, left, speaks at the Sixth Convening of the Trilateral Working Group on Violence Against Women and Girls in Mexico City, which ran Sept. 3 and 4. (Photo courtesy of Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada)

By  Kierstin Williams

Inuit voices must be included in conversations about ending violence against Indigenous women, girls and gender-diverse people, says Pauktuutit president Nancy Etok.

Etok attended a trilateral working group that included representatives from Canada, the United States and Mexico on Sept. 3 and 4 in Mexico City on behalf of Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada, the national non-profit Inuit women’s organization.

The meeting aimed to address the alarming rates of violence against Indigenous women and girls.

“We were able to share what kind of work we do at Pauktuutit,” Etok said, adding she also had the chance to listen to what Indigenous women had to say about finding solutions.

“If I were to close my eyes and just listen, all women were facing all of the same struggles with violence,” she said.

The trilateral working group was established as a result of the North American Leaders Summit in June 2016, which brought national leaders from Canada, the U.S. and Mexico together to discuss the “alarming” rates of violence against this demographic, a joint statement from the group released Sept. 5 said.

This month’s meeting marked the sixth time the working group has convened.

Etok said the discussions in Mexico City highlighted the ongoing failure by governments to implement promises made to Indigenous communities.

For Canada specifically, she said the federal government must be held accountable on following through on recommendations stemming from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

The MMIWG inquiry was hosted across Canada between 2016 and 2019. It gave Indigenous women and girls the chance to provide testimony about their experiences with violence, police, the justice system and other colonial systems.

In its final report, released in 2019, the inquiry said high rates of violence against Indigenous women and girls amounts to a genocide. It released 231 calls to action aimed at governments, institutions and the public.

“The Government of Canada has been given a clear path forward to end this genocide. What is lacking is political will,” said Etok.

In a joint statement from the meeting, the trilateral working group called on the three countries’ governments to respond to the group’s demands from previous years by Nov. 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

The group wants to see a “matrix” of each of the trilateral group’s demands by year. It should provide corresponding information as to how the governments have responded to these demands, and include resources developed and future plans for continuing efforts on the group’s requests.

“Pauktuutit is going to keep asking on what the government committed to. They need to start delivering,” said Etok.

“Inuit women’s voices must be heard and it’s absolutely essential that Pauktuutit is included in those conversations because we have the ideas, we have the solutions, and we are ready.”

Members of the working group are scheduled to have quarterly meetings to allow Indigenous leaders to independently shape the group’s agenda and focus on priorities outside the influence of the three national governments.  Indigenous leaders in the U.S. are set to host the first meeting on Jan. 15.

“With unwavering resolve and collective commitment to justice, we stand united in our mission to create a future where Indigenous rights are honoured, respected, upheld, and protected,” reads a portion of the group’s statement.