Inuit Groups Research Articles

Native American and First Nation Perspectives on the Use of Human Remains in Education & Proximity to Death

Cultural attitudes regarding interactions with the deceased, the dead and contact with the lifeless human body vary throughout the world, including among Native American, First Nation, Metίs, and Inuit groups in North America. From remains that have been obtained without consent to working with cadaveric specimens, this talk addresses the beliefs and concerns of indigenous peoples regarding the use of human remains as educational specimens and interaction with the dead. Both speaker perspectives as well as preliminary results from research will address the diverse attitudes towards the dead, treatment of the dead, use of human remains for teaching and research purposes. We will also acknowledge the principle of informed consent in a colonial world. Anatomical education is often reliant on the gracious donation of humans but what are we to do if they were not obtained with consent as are many of the indigenous specimens still maintained at universities?Working with human remains can also be of concern for indigenous students with respect to their cultural beliefs. This talk will address the importance and considerations needed for indigenous students while providing the audience with a basic understanding of some of those cultural beliefs. It is not only important to have respect for the human remains but also for the students who encounter them. Anatomical educators must have an awareness of cultural and religious beliefs that are at odds with working with human remains or being in the presence of a lifeless body, so that we are prepared to provide inclusive learning environments for our students. We hope to provide an inclusive discussion on Native American and First Nation perspectives on the use of human remains in education and the proximity to death.

Behind the Ice: The Archaeology of Nunatarsuaq, Southwest Greenland

Here we present the results of archaeological surveys carried out 2012–2019 in Nunatarsuaq, a remote and little investigated region bordered by glaciers and the Kangersuneq ice-fjord at the head of Nuup Kangerlua, Southwest Greenland. We provide a detail analysis of Nunatarsuaq's medieval Norse sites and settlement patterns, clarify previous site identification inconsistencies, and outline the character of subsequent Thule culture/historic Inuit activities. The long-term historical ecology of Nunatarsuaq and Kangersuneq informed by this evidence contradicts an existing notion of the region's marginality. In fact, we find that the Norse settlement included three sizable farms practicing transhumance, a set of new 14C-dates implying that activities were part of first colonization (ca. AD 1000) of the Norse Western Settlement, and continued into the 14th century. We find no evidence that Little Ice Age climatic deterioration, possibly setting in as early as AD 1200, had an immediate impact on Norse settlement in Nunatarsuaq. Successful Norse adaptation strategies probably involved heavy reliance on the locally abundant wild marine and terrestrial species that also attracted and sustained the subsequent Thule culture and later Inuit groups.

“Caribou was the reason, and everything else happened after”: Effects of caribou declines on Inuit in Labrador, Canada

For many Indigenous Peoples in the Circumpolar North, cultural engagement and continuity across generations is directly related to relationships between and among people, animals, and landscapes. However, minimal research outlines the emotional responses and disruptions to culture and identity that are driven by ecological change, and the subsequent cultural dimensions of coping and adapting to this uncertainty. Through a case study that explores how caribou population declines and a caribou hunting ban are impacting Inuit in the Nunatsiavut and NunatuKavut regions of Labrador, Canada, this article examines the critical interplay between cultural continuity and adaptive capacity for responding to ecological uncertainty. More specifically, this study: 1) described the central role that caribou play for Inuit emotional wellness, identity, and cultural continuity; 2) explored how the rapid declines of caribou in Labrador are affecting Inuit emotional wellness, identity, and cultural continuity; and 3) characterized the ways in which Inuit are adapting to these emotio-social, cultural, and ecological changes. Drawing from an Inuit-led, multi-year, multi-media qualitative and visual media research program, data from video interviews (n = 84: Nunatsiavut region: n = 54; NunatuKavut region: n = 30) were analyzed using a video-based qualitative analysis, constant-comparative methods, and inductive qualitative approach. Results indicated that caribou are a foundational element for Inuit emotional wellness, identity, and cultural continuity. The changes in caribou populations are resulting in complex emotional responses, losses to cultural meaning and knowledge, and alterations to Inuit identities. The impacts on emotions, identity, and cultural continuity related to Inuit-caribou relations at an individual and collective level reflect the interconnections between cultural continuity and adaptive capacity that underlie the loss of this culturally important species. Though this research focuses on two Inuit groups and caribou in Labrador, the insights from these lived experiences highlight the ongoing cultural and identity consequences associated with species declines occurring globally.

The Inuit discovery of Europe? The Orkney Finnmen, preternatural objects and the re-enchantment of early-modern science

ABSTRACT The late-seventeenth century saw a peak in accounts of supposed encounters with “Finnmen” in Orkney. These accounts have shaped the folklore of the Northern Isles. Scholars linked to the Royal Society suggested the accounts represented encounters with Inuit. Subsequent explanations included autonomous travel by Inuit groups and abduction and abandonment. These accounts should be understood as part of a European scientific tradition of preternatural philosophy, occupied with the deviations and errors of nature. Far from indicating the presence of Inuit individuals in Orkney waters, they provide evidence of the narrative instability of early-modern science and its habit of “thinking with things.” Captivated by Inuit artefacts, the natural philosophers and virtuosi of the Royal Society imagined Orkney as a site of reverse contact with the “primitive.” Nineteenth-century antiquarians and folklorists reliant on these texts failed to understand the extent to which objectivity was not an epistemic virtue in early-modern science.

Lumbar spondylolysis in ancient Siberian Eskimo

AbstractPrevious studies have shown that North American and Greenland Arctic groups are characterized by high incidence of spondylolysis. The hypotheses explaining the high predilection to spondylolysis in these populations range from genetic predisposition to lifestyle characteristics. To date, however, no study assessed the presence of spondylolysis in the Siberian Eskimo. Thus, the current study presents new data from the Asian side of the Beringia, the original homeland of the North American and Greenland Inuit groups. The skeletal material originates from the Ekven burial site in Chukchi Peninsula, Russia. Most burials belong to the Old Bering Sea tradition of marine mammal hunters, embracing the period from the beginning of the 1st to the beginning of the 2nd millennium AD. Totally, 71 individuals were studied. Spondylolysis was present in 38% of individuals and in 11% of studied lumbar vertebrae, with higher incidence in juveniles and young adults compared with other ages and in males compared with females. There was an evident increase in the severity of the stress fractures from adolescence to middle adulthood (i.e., more vertebrae affected per individual and higher proportion of bilateral fractures). The reported incidence of spondylolysis in the Ekven is in the range of the values reported for the North American and Greenland Inuit groups and is expectedly high against the values for groups of European and African ancestry. Although the accumulation of gene variants responsible for spondylolysis in Arctic groups is possible, it is more plausible that some adaptive morphological characteristics make them prone to fatigue fractures of the lower spine in the conditions of the specific physical activity.

HIV/AIDS Risk and Prevention Issues Among Inuit Living in Nunavut Territory of Canada.

HIV infections occur across the Arctic but their incidence among aboriginal populations varies vastly. At the time this research was initiated there were no data on their occurrence, risk of HIV/AIDS or preventive strategies among Inuit living in the Nunavut territory of Canada. This review is the first to assess the risk of HIV infection among Inuit and evaluate current prevention strategies among Canadian-Inuit populations. The contents of this article are based on the author's own research, undertaken during 3 visits to the Canadian Arctic and the published literature. Disproportionately high rates of Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea within Inuit communities confirm the potential threat of silent HIV transmission. Inuit awareness of HIV/AIDS issues remains inadequate. It is easy to blame distorted perceptions fuelled by the media, religious influence and socio-cultural factors. Aboriginal and Inuit groups, including youth, women and injection drug abusers are at increased risk of infection. The adaptability of proven prevention methods including condom use and male circumcision are discussed. Access to treatment, adherence and resistance issues in the North Canada, require attention. HIV/AIDS poses a considerable threat to Canadian Inuit public health. The most important problem to be addressed is Inuit lack of awareness and understanding of HIV. Education is the single most effective means of prevention. Inuit-specific and culture-sensitive interventions are recommended. Further research opportunities exist to investigate Inuit understanding over HIV/AIDS issues and to assess local prevention efforts.

Trends and key elements in community-based monitoring: a systematic review of the literature with an emphasis on Arctic and Subarctic regions

Community-based monitoring (CBM) is receiving much attention from the research community, particularly in Arctic and Subarctic regions of Canada and other circumpolar regions. Currently, there is a lack of understanding of the trends and patterns in its use within the literature and a documented need to improve environmental CBM efforts in the Arctic and Subarctic regions. A systematic literature review was conducted of CBM publications in peer-reviewed and grey literature to provide a synthesis of trends on the topic and to clarify key elements that are needed to operate an environmental CBM program in Arctic and Subarctic regions. Both sets of literature show a significant growth in the publication of CBM studies over time, with a high proportion of research taking place in North America and in the field of environmental sciences. More CBM studies are reported in connection to First Nations and Inuit groups, as compared to other Indigenous groups. Thirteen key elements of environmental CBM programs, commonly reported in the literature focused on Arctic and Subarctic regions, were identified in the analysis. Specifically, traditional and local ecological knowledge (TLEK) was a unique component highlighted in Arctic and Subarctic sources and a specific feature observed in studies focusing on Indigenous groups. The identification of such key CBM elements serves as a resource to guide current and future environmental CBM initiatives in northern regions and elsewhere. Future research on this topic should contrast and compare literature findings with existing environmental CBM programs and provide more case studies to show the process and utility of environmental CBM initiatives in the Arctic and Subarctic, particularly with use of TLEK and the ways to facilitate it within a CBM program.

Rediscovering lost relationships: Canadian Arctic ethnographic materials recovered from the ‘ghost ship’ Baychimo and the University of Alaska Museum of the North

ABSTRACTIn 1931, the Hudson's Bay Company cargo steamer, SS Baychimo, was trapped in sea ice and abandoned in the Chukchi Sea off the northern coast of Alaska. Large amounts of scientific and navigational instruments and gear and personal items were left aboard, among them an ethnographic collection gathered in 1930 from Inuit groups in the Canadian Arctic by Richard Sterling Finnie. The ship was boarded several times over the next three years with items being salvaged by locals from nearby Wainwright and Barrow. In 1933, crew and passengers from MS Trader, a small trading vessel from Nome, boarded the abandoned ship and recovered several of Finnie's ethnological specimens. In 1934, Peter Palsson, crewmember of Trader, gave several ethnological specimens to members of the United States Department of the Interior-Alaska College Archaeological Expedition. That year, the Baychimo collection was accessioned to the nascent University of Alaska Museum (now, the University of Alaska Museum of the North). For over 80 years, the collection's relationships with Finnie, the Baychimo, and Palsson remained obscure, and its historical significance has just been rediscovered. This paper describes the collection and the path it took from the Baychimo to the University of Alaska Museum.

A catch history for Atlantic walruses (<i>Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus</i>) in the eastern Canadian Arctic

Knowledge of changes in abundance of Atlantic walruses (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) in Canada is important for assessing their current population status. This catch history collates available data and assesses their value for modelling historical populations to inform population recovery and management. Pre-historical (archaeological), historical (e.g., Hudson Bay Company journals) and modern catch records are reviewed over time by data source (whaler, land-based commercial, subsistence etc.) and biological population or management stock.Direct counts of walruses landed as well as estimates based on hunt products (e.g., hides, ivory) or descriptors (e.g., Peterhead boatloads) support a minimum landed catch of over 41,300 walruses in the eastern Canadian Arctic between 1820 and 2010. Little is known of Inuit catches prior to 1928, despite the importance of walruses to many Inuit groups for subsistence. Commercial hunting from the late 1500s to late 1700s extirpated the Atlantic walrus from Quebec and the Atlantic Provinces, but there was no commercial hunt for the species in the Canadian Arctic until ca. 1885. As the availability of bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) declined, whalers increasingly turned to hunting other species, including walruses. Modest numbers (max. 278/yr) were taken from the High Arctic population in the mid-1880s and large catches (up to 1400/yr) were often taken from the Central Arctic population from 1899 -1911, while the Foxe Basin stock (Central Arctic population) and Low Arctic population were largely ignored by commercial hunters. Land-based traders (ca. 1895-1928) continued the commercial hunt until regulatory changes in 1928 reserved walruses for Inuit use. Since 1950, reported walrus catches have been declining despite a steady increase in the Inuit population. Effort data are needed to assess whether lower catches stem from declining hunter effort or decreased walrus abundance. The recent take of walruses by sport hunting has been small (n=141, 1995-2010), sporadic and local.These landed catch estimates indicate the minimum numbers of walruses removed but do not account for under-reporting or lost animals that were killed but were not secured. Unreported and lost animals may represent a significant fraction of the total removals and must be considered in any modelling exercise. The sources, quality and completeness of the catch data vary widely over time and space and between the different hunt types. This variability confounds interpretation and contributes to the uncertainty that needs to be incorporated into any modelling. The data on Inuit subsistence catches before ca. 1928 are particularly fragmentary and uncertain.

The peopling of Greenland: further insights from the analysis of genetic diversity using autosomal and X-chromosomal markers.

The peopling of Greenland has a complex history shaped by population migrations, isolation and genetic drift. The Greenlanders present a genetic heritage with components of European and Inuit groups; previous studies using uniparentally inherited markers in Greenlanders have reported evidence of a sex-biased, admixed genetic background. This work further explores the genetics of the Greenlanders by analysing autosomal and X-chromosomal data to obtain deeper insights into the factors that shaped the genetic diversity in Greenlanders. Fourteen Greenlandic subsamples from multiple geographical settlements were compared to assess the level of genetic substructure in the Greenlandic population. The results showed low levels of genetic diversity in all sets of the genetic markers studied, together with an increased number of X-chromosomal loci in linkage disequilibrium in relation to the Danish population. In the broader context of worldwide populations, Greenlanders are remarkably different from most populations, but they are genetically closer to some Inuit groups from Alaska. Admixture analyses identified an Inuit component in the Greenlandic population of approximately 80%. The sub-populations of Ammassalik and Nanortalik are the least diverse, presenting the lowest levels of European admixture. Isolation-by-distance analyses showed that only 16% of the genetic substructure of Greenlanders is most likely to be explained by geographic barriers. We suggest that genetic drift and a differentiated settlement history around the island explain most of the genetic substructure of the population in Greenland.

The environment and emancipation in critical security studies: the case of the Canadian Arctic

The traditionally dominant discourse of The Great White North views Canada as a land of vast wilderness and abundant resources. However, this discourse excludes growing environmental risk and prevalent insecurity felt by vulnerable populations in Canadian society, namely indigenous groups whose livelihoods are deeply dependent upon their relationship with their environments. The effect of the relationship between the physical environment and conceptions of security can contribute to a deeper understanding of traditional and critical accounts of security. This article investigates traditional Canadian environmental security discourses and alternative environmental security discourses promoted by Arctic Inuit groups. It examines how these discourses impact the analytic and normative goals of critical security studies and interprets the way in which they affect the concept of emancipation. It argues that Canadian security is co-constituted with its understanding of the environment, and that the Canadian case compels an expansion of the notion of the referent object of security to include the environment – a change which throws it into contrast with other schools of critical security, whose visions of emancipation might not, as currently theorized, be equipped to overcome these phenomena.

Identification of a Probable Aarnguaq in a Sadlermiut Grave from Native Point, Southampton Island, Nunavut, Canada.

The skeletal remains of an adult Sadlermiut Inuit woman were excavated from a grave at the Native Point site on Southampton Island, Nunavut, Canada, in 1959. Forming part of the woman’s mortuary assemblage was a small wooden human figurine that had been perforated in its face, chest, and pelvic regions. Such modifications had not previously been noted on Thule Inuit anthropomorphic carvings and the rationale for their presence on this figurine was not initially apparent. However, examination of the associated human remains revealed skeletal abnormalities that matched two of the figurine’s three perforations; indirect evidence suggests a third now archaeologically invisible soft tissue pathology was also present. This paper uses ethnohistoric accounts of the Sadlermiut, in combination with ethnographic observations made among other Inuit groups, to suggest that the Native Point figurine was not simply a “doll,” but was instead an aarnguaq (object with powers) wielded by a shaman as part of a healing ritual intended to heal an obviously ill person.

Metabolic profile in two physically active Inuit groups consuming either a western or a traditional Inuit diet

Objectives: To evaluate the effect of regular physical activity on metabolic risk factors and blood pressure in Inuit with high BMI consuming a western diet (high amount of saturated fatty acids and carbohydrates with a high glycemic index).Study design: Cross sectional study, comparing Inuit eating a western diet with Inuit eating a traditional diet.Methods: Two physically active Greenland Inuit groups consuming different diet, 20 eating a traditional diet (Qaanaaq) and 15 eating a western diet (TAB), age (mean (range)); 38, (22–58) yrs, BMI; 28 (20–40) were subjected to an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), blood sampling, maximal oxygen uptake test, food interview/collection and monitoring of physical activity.Results: All Inuit had a normal OGTT. Fasting glucose (mmol/l), HbA1c (%), total cholesterol (mmol/l) and HDL-C (mmol/l) were for Qaanaaq women: 4.8±0.2, 5.3±0.1, 4.96±0.42, 1.34±0.06, for Qaanaaq men: 4.9±0.1, 5.7±0.1, 5.08±0.31, 1.28±0.09, for TAB women: 5.1±0.2, 5.3±0.1, 6.22±0.39, 1.86±0.13, for TAB men: 5.1±0.2, 5.3±0.1, 6.23±0.15, 1.60±0.10. No differences were found in systolic or diastolic blood pressure between the groups. There was a more adverse distribution of small dense LDL-C particles and higher total cholesterol and HDL-C concentration in the western diet group.Conclusions: Diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance was not found in the Inuit consuming either the western or the traditional diet, and this could, at least partly, be due to the high amount of regular daily physical activity. However, when considering the total cardio vascular risk profile the Inuit consuming a western diet had a less healthy profile than the Inuit consuming a traditional diet.

The Mackenzie Inuit Whale Bone Industry: Raw Material, Tool Manufacture, Scheduling, and Trade

The bones of bowhead whales ( Balaena mysticetus ) were used by Mackenzie Inuit groups in producing a number of items essential to transportation and procurement. However, the whale bone industry, and its relationship to Mackenzie Inuit economic and social systems, is poorly understood. A recently excavated archaeological assemblage from McKinley Bay, Northwest Territories, provides a record of intensive Nuvugarmiut whale bone tool manufacture, which can be used to reconstruct a reduction sequence. Bowhead bone reduction at McKinley Bay focused on ribs, which were transversely worked into large sections. Cortical blanks were isolated from central rib sections, but proximal and distal rib sections were treated directly as blanks and preforms for the production of large durable tools, such as harpoon heads, adze sockets, mattock blades, and picks. The intensive whale bone reduction at McKinley Bay was part of a broader gearing-up strategy focused on the manufacture and repair of sleds and harpoons needed for the late winter migration and spring seal hunt. More generally, because the whale bone industry was intimately related to the bowhead hunt and its proceeds, it may provide fundamental insights about key aspects of coastal whaling societies, such as social organization, redistribution, and inter-territorial trade.

Dietary and physiological controls on the hydrogen and oxygen isotope ratios of hair from mid‐20th century indigenous populations

A semimechanistic model has recently been proposed to explain observed correlations between the H and O isotopic composition of hair from modern residents of the USA and the isotopic composition of drinking water, but the applicability of this model to hair from non-USA and preglobalization populations is unknown. Here we test the model against data from hair samples collected during the 1930s-1950s from populations of five continents. Although C and N isotopes confirm that the samples represent a much larger range of dietary "space" than the modern USA residents, the model is able to reproduce the observed delta(2)H and delta(18)O values given reasonable adjustments to 2 model parameters: the fraction of dietary intake derived from locally produced foods and the fraction of keratin H fixed during the in vivo synthesis of amino acids. The model is most sensitive to the local dietary intake, which appears to constitute between 60% and 80% of diet among the groups sampled. The isotopic data are consistent with a trophic-level effect on protein H isotopes, which we suggest primarily reflects mixing of (2)H-enriched water and (2)H-depleted food H in the body rather than fractionation during biosynthesis. Samples from Inuit groups suggest that humans with marine-dominated diets can be identified on the basis of coupled delta(2)H and delta(18)O values of hair. These results indicate a dual role for H and O isotopic measurements of keratin, including both biological (diet, physiology) and environmental (geographic movement, paleoclimate) reconstruction.

Inuit identity and regionalization in the Canadian Central and Eastern Arctic: a survey of writings about Nunavut

The author presents a survey of writings on Nunavut since 1976.The paper focuses on a critical literature review of scholarly works centred on geopolitical boundaries and on Inuit collective identity in the Canadian Central and Eastern Arctic.The author proposes a theoretical model that outlines the interconnection between borders, symbols and collective identity.The model shows that Inuit collective identity is being redefined in Nunavut.It is argued that the land claims / self-government processes in Canada, aimed at creating large-scale political units such as Nunavut, are contributing to the re-construction of collective identity among Inuit groups.

Morphometrics of the Anatomical Lacrimal‐Ethmoid Relationship: Examination of Racial Variation for Maxillectomy Surgical Procedures

The medial maxillectomy operation is an aggressive surgical procedure directed at total en bloc extirpation of tumors that involve the ethmoid labyrinth and medial orbital wall. It is the procedure of choice for sinonasal tumors that extend to the cribriform plate, fovea ethmoidalis, and orbit. Determining the location of the ethmoidal blood vessels in or adjacent to the frontal ethmoid suture line is critical in preventing intracranial entry and orbital hemorrhage during surgery. Typically, a generic estimate of the distance from the lacrimal fossa to the frontal‐ethmoid suture is used to identify the anterior ethmoid artery (AEA) regardless of race. This morphometric study examines variation of the distance between dacryon to ethmoidal foramina in four continentally‐distinct human population groups (Inuit, German, West African, and Singaporean) (n=20). An urban population was also included to determine the variance of the measures (n=27). Results showed statistically significant differences between the African and Inuit groups (p < 0.05) while the Singaporeans and Africans clustered together as a whole. Given the high variance found in the measured distances between lacrimal and ethmoid craniofacial landmarks, consideration of polyethnic affinities may be essential to the correct calculation of surgical resection parameters.

Identification, Classification, and Distribution of the Suprameatal Crest in Multi‐Regional Modern and Extinct Human Populations: A CT Imaging Study with Clinical Correlates

The temporal bone houses one of the most primitive sensory apparatus in its arsenal – balance, and is considered an evolutionarily conserved skeletal element of the skull. While the cranial base portion of the temporal bone exhibits a high plastic threshold to change, variation in other cranial portions subject to alteration may signal adaptive evolutionary modifications. The suprameatal crest (SC) is a clinically important osteological landmark in surgical approaches to the mastoid air cells, but few studies have examined its frequency and distribution in multi‐regional human populations (MRHP). This study identifies, categorizes and tracks the distribution of the SC in three distinct regional populations (European, African, and Inuit) and examines the degree of expression in three extinct fossil human specimens. CT imaging coupled with inspectional analysis of dry skulls showed a highly variable appearance of the SC morphology. In both the African and Inuit groups 90% presented with a SC morphology compared with only 70% in the European sample. The African and Inuit showed an even distribution in their degree of expression of a SC scoring 56% pronounced and 44% traced and 44% pronounced and 56% traced respectively. The European sample showed a 71% traced and a 29% pronounced SC morphology while all three fossils presented with a pronounced SC morphology. Further studies should investigate MRHP to document variation and the reliability of the SC as a viable surgical landmark.

Sociality, temporality and locality in a contemporary Inuit community

Mauss (1906) suggested that, as a principle of Inuit society, the seasonal societal dichotomy takes shape in movements of population concentration and dispersal into small family groups following the annual migration of game. He argued that these movements and the various social modes thus created inseparably connect temporal, spatial, social, moral, legal, and spiritual dimensions in the construction of Inuit nomadic society. In the mid 20thcentury, the mass and density of Inuit settlement population changed drastically. Inuit groups moved to permanent settlements that were developed and structurally based on Western models of sedentary community life. Under these changed social and physical conditions, does movement and seasonal variations in group composition, and in ways of life, continue to be a central component of Inuit society? Ethnographic evidence from Qikiqtarjuaq (Nunavut) suggests that Inuit integrate modern ways of life into a nomadic lifestyle thus creating, in analogy to Mauss’s model, a continuation of variation in lifestyles and values depending on contexts. This article aims to substantiate and elaborate on this claim of continuity. It makes use of Mauss’s model as a heuristic lens for studying social change in respect to the association of practices and perceptions of seasonal movement in present day Inuit society; thus asking the question: are seasonally varying social modes and associated values part of today’s Inuit community constitution?

Inupiaq writing and international Inuit relations

Language shift in Alaska threatens to replace Inupiaq, and other indigenous languages, with English unless the conditions that create the shift are reversed. The vitality of West Greenlandic and Inuktitut in the Eastern Arctic can exert a positive influence on the west if Inuit groups share published materials and increase international communication in their own language. Congruent writing systems are crucial to the process of reading what other Inuit write. A comparison of the orthographies used for Alaskan Inupiaq and West Greenlandic shows how differing systems can complicate international written exchange.