Abstract
This paper reports on interviews conducted during June and July 2015 to document ecological knowledge of beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories. Beluga whales are not a traditionally available or important species for Ulukhaktomiut, but they have appeared in increasing numbers in the waters around the community, and hunters have actively pursued and taken them. We conducted interviews in English with 31 Inuit about their beluga knowledge. A Key Words in Context (KWIC) analysis of the word “know” in the narratives reveals different conceptions of what it means to know something about whales. “Know” variously references practical skill, concern and empathy for others, or the developing awareness of one’s place in the world. Each of these meanings is coded uniquely in Inuinnaqtun, providing insights about the important differences between researchers and Inuit in how “ecological knowledge” is understood and activated.
Highlights
In the community of Ulukhaktok, beluga whales have since 2000 become increasingly common visitors during July and August, and residents of the community have hunted them opportunistically
The findings suggest that Inuit categorize “ecological knowledge” as practical or factual
“what does it mean to know something?” When we asked our interviewees about beluga ecological knowledge – broadly, “what do you know about beluga whales and how to hunt them?” – how do we account for a reluctance to claim authority about beluga hunting despite evidence of both hunting success and indications that hunters did, possess considerable knowledge about how to hunt these animals? To address this question, we examine the different ways that Inuit use the English word “know” in their narratives and explore how different
Summary
In the community of Ulukhaktok, beluga whales have since 2000 become increasingly common visitors during July and August, and residents of the community have hunted them opportunistically. Rather than focus on the limited sets of facts about whale behavior, feeding practices, toolkits, or hunting procedures in our interviews, we https://mc06.manuscriptcentral.com/asopen-pubs turned our attention to a broader inquiry into what kinds of knowledge our informants conveyed to us. We provide a brief overview of beluga hunting in Ulukhaktok before turning to a condensed review of some of the research on Inuit worldview and ways of knowing. We turn our attention to the interview narratives, focusing on how the word “know” is used in different ways, ranging from the concrete and straightforward “I don’t know” to more complicated uses that signal the importance of establishing empathy and understanding the needs of others. A second publication Collings and Pearce (n.d.) employs the same interview data to examine the specific knowledge, practices, and history of beluga hunting in Ulukhaktok. A third publication (Collings n.d.) examines how different layers of knowledge inform and guide the https://mc06.manuscriptcentral.com/asopen-pubs technological adaptations Ulukhaktomiut have made to incorporate whales into their subsistence regime
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