Christine Grimard
Northern News Services
Wednesday, July 11, 2007

RANKIN INLET - A group of scholars were in Rankin Inlet the week of June 25 as part of a study to find out about doing business in the North.

Aldene Meis Mason, a doctoral student at the University of Regina, is studying the use of caribou in commerce in three different Inuit regions, one of them being Rankin Inlet and Coral Harbour.

"I'm trying to get an understanding of the context, of what it means to be a community here," said Mason.

So far, she's noticed how much traditional knowledge is valued alongside more modern, scholastic knowledge.

"The traditional hunter is just as rich in knowledge and in life," said Mason. "People here are listening and valuing each other's knowledge. All of these different viewpoints help to move the community forward."

Mason travelled with a handful of other scholars, including Ana-Maria Peredo, a professor with the University of Victoria.

Both noted that the Inuit's perspective on development will be vital in boosting Northern business.

"They are prepared to take advantage of opportunities rather than being victims of development," said Peredo.

Many parts of Inuit culture lend well to business development, said Peredo. She commented on the culture's inherent competitiveness, apparent in Inuit games. Mason said those competitive skills are useful and transferable to business.

They also noted that the region's strong youth base is an asset. Canada is set to fall into a recession because people aren't having enough children, not a problem in Nunavut with a birthrate falling at 25.6 per 1,000, more than double the Canadian average of 10.5 according to Statistics Canada.

The two say that the key will be ensuring the youth are well taken care of and educated.

In all of their optimism, the two did acknowledge that Nunavut is well behind the rest of the country's economy.

They partly blame isolation for dampening the economy, with poor transportation to the rest of the country.

They also say that businesses have often brought the colonial mindset when dealing in the region, staying only for short-term gain and leaving nothing for development.

Mason is getting her PhD in Management through the University of Canterbury. She visited Coral Harbour during her stay in Kivalliq, and is studying one Inuit community in Quebec and one in Labrador as part of her study.