Talking about Nanuk, the Inuit narratives about polar bears
As we celebrate International Polar Bear Day today, Polar Journal AG invites you to discover Nanuk Narratives, an online documentary series that sheds light on the link between Inuit and polar bears.
Launched last December, an online documentary series examines the relationship between Inuit and polar bears. Produced by Inuit, these Nanuk Narratives offer invaluable video testimonials directly from those who have lived with polar bears for millennia.
Started in 2021, the project has brought together an interdisciplinary working group made up of members of Inuit co-management boards, local communities, government and academic institutions. The aim is to give Inuit a voice in the issue of polar bear management, while promoting Inuit knowledge and understanding of Arctic wildlife.
And the result is remarkable. Nanuk Narratives is a series of short videos covering a multitude of themes and points of view. Artists, polar bear hunters, elders, cooks and young people recount their experiences and knowledge of the bear, while evoking the often close bond between Inuit and the Davis Strait ‘nanuk’ sub-population. Located between Greenland and Baffin Island in Canada’s Nunavut, the Davis Strait is home to around 2 000 polar bears, that come into contact with the inhabitants of Greenland, Nunavut, Nunavik and Nunatsiavut.
This generates a wealth of information. The Inuit have a front-row seat for observing changes in the Arctic and their impact on wildlife. Their observations and expertise could well complement the knowledge acquired by science, and vice versa. “They know what we don’t know, and we know what they don’t know,” says Sammy Unatweenuk from Nunavik, who would like to see scientists working with the Inuit.
The Inuit know so much about polar bears thanks to their proximity to the species. A closeness that has forged a deep bond over centuries of close cohabitation. This has laid the foundations for a relationship that is not solely based on hunting, a hunt that can go both ways: “Sometimes Inuit hunt nanoq and sometimes nanoq hunts Inuit”, notes Ikimaliq Pikilak. This artist, filmmaker and knowledge holder lives in Nuuk, Greenland. In her testimony, she explains what polar bears mean to the Inuit and the connection between them. “Through millenia, Inuit observed nanoq’s hunting techniques and mastered survival skills on land and navigating icy waters for seal hunting.”
This link is also found in Inuit culture and spirituality, where the polar bear plays an important role. It is the bear that enables an Inuk to become an angakkoq, or shaman. The bear is also the one who can heal the sick by devouring the evil spirits that torment them, thus enabling healing.
Admired for its power and hunting skills, the polar bear is also a source of food and clothing. Nanuk Narratives also tackles this aspect with two videos on how to cook bear meat and use its fur, shedding real light on the cultural significance linked to the consumption and use of the animal.
The strength of Nanuk Narratives lies in its ability to cover a wide range of polar bear-related topics. Cultural aspects are covered as much as safety issues (‘How to be safe around polar bears’) or the changing behavior of bears in a changing Arctic. Like these polar bears who have taken up Arctic char fishing: “They’re waiting like a grizzly bear”, says Sammy Unatweenuk. “They’re catching fish and putting them away for later use. That’s what we’re witnessing now.”
Available in English and Inuktitut, the Nanuk Narratives website also offers an online course designed to explore Inuit knowledge and experience of the polar bear. Based on the Davis Strait polar bear sub-population, the course explores five key themes, from the Inuit approach to wildlife to bear co-management, observation, use and safety in encounters with the animal. Didactic and interactive, the course is free and open to all upon registration.
And the Nanuk Narratives adventure doesn’t stop there, as the site encourages visitors to share their stories. Whether it’s an observation, an experience, a memory or a feeling about polar bears, the platform remains open to new testimonials. All of which encourages the sharing of knowledge rooted in thousands of years of cohabitation, and in a deep and lasting relationship.
Find out more on the Nanuk Narratives website: https://www.nanuknarratives.com
Mirjana Binggeli, Polar Journal AG
More on the subject
