Treasuring our Lives

To address the issue of alcoholism, Saturviit produced a DVD presenting testimonies by Nunavik women on alcoholism. In this video, they tell how alcohol entered their lives, how it impacted their personal and family lives, and how they tried saying no to alcohol and succeeded. Seven women from Puvirnituq, Ivujivik, and Kangirsuk gathered in February 2017 to share what they have lived through. Our ultimate goal was to provide Nunavik women with a means to talk with other Nunavik women, instead of using means that are made outside the region in a different cultural context.

This DVD is meant to be a tool for prevention of alcohol abuse in Inuit communities and for intervention with those who need help.

Any person or organization interested in organizing a prevention or healing activity on alcoholism may contact Saturviit and ask for a copy of the video. The video comes with an information booklet explaining what is alcoholism and what resources are available.

Bring Hope and Restore Peace

A Nunavik-wide research project was initiated by Saturviit in 2013 to better understand the needs and concerns of Inuit women of Nunavik. Through a partnership developed with the Interuniversity Centre for Indigenous Studies and Research (CIERA) at Laval University, and funded through a Community-Research University Alliance (CURA) grant called Leadership and Governance in Nunavut and Nunavik, Saturviit directed the research process and a report was produced that help identify the main concerns and to provide recommendations to improve the lives of Inuit women.

During the spring of 2013, Pascale Laneuville, a graduate student in anthropology at Laval University, travelled in Nunavik to gather information about the general condition of Nunavik women. The goal was to understand and write about the needs, concerns, interests and thoughts of Inuit women. Through individual interviews, women were asked to share their experiences – as women in the contemporary world, in all spheres of life – and to talk about their feelings, their vision of the future, and their ideas about what could be done to improve their life.

Interviews with more than 100 women of different ages took place in eight communities: Kangirsualujjuaq, Kuujjuaq, Tasiujaq, Kangiqsujuaq, Ivujivik, Puvirnituq, Kuujjuarapik and Montreal. Interviews dealt with family relationships, parenting, education, employment, culture and elders, health, housing, food costs, government services, the legal system, house shortage and other topics. The report Bring Hope and Restore Peace provides examples of the testimonies of Inuit women, and summarizes many important issues that affect their lives on a daily basis, including housing and homelessness, education, employment, violence and abuse, social services, justice, and social bonds. This report is used by Saturviit to help set its priorities for future action.

The full report is available in English, and a summary report is available in English, Inuktitut, and French.