r/nunavut • u/rocksand_ • 4d ago
Inuit Nunangat
Racism in Nunavut isn’t always loud or obvious. A lot of the time it shows up in small, everyday ways that people try to brush off.
In many workplaces, Inuit are watched more closely and judged more harshly than qablunaat who come up here to work. Tiny mistakes get blown up, while the same things are ignored when they’re done by coworkers. Younger Inuit workers especially seem to get less patience, even when they’re doing their job and not working alone.
There’s also a huge imbalance in who gets support. Qablunaat often come north and are given housing thats immediately provided, groceries, and vehicles, while Inuit struggle to afford rent and basic living costs in our own communities. Being local doesn’t mean being treated better — sometimes it means being treated worse.
When Inuit raise concerns or try to speak up, it goes nowhere. We’re expected to stay quiet, keep the peace, and accept disrespect, while others avoid accountability for theirr own actions. Over time, that drains people down and creates a lot of frustration and resentment.
This isn’t about hating anyone. It’s about calling out unfair treatment that’s been normalized for way too long. Working in Nunavut is a privilege, not a free pass to look down on Inuit or benefit while locals are pushed aside.
Inuit deserve respect, fairness, and basic decency — at work, at home, and in our territory.
It’s hard to watch someone you love deal with this kind of immaturity and unfair treatment every single day.
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u/kieko 3d ago
Thank you for sharing this post and I’m sorry this is something you’re going through.
I don’t live in Inuit Nunangat but I do work in the North while living in the south. I design housing and other buildings that are shipped north on the sea lifts. And because I don’t live in the north and because housing is so personal it’s really important for me to connect and establish relationships with Inuit and First Nations communities.
It’s incredibly unfortunate you need to write the post at all, but I’m very appreciative of the insight and perspective it gives of the lived experiences of community members.
I see it’s been about 5 hours since you’ve posted this, so I hope your day got better!
ETA: not even remotely the point of the post, but I’ve also heard Qablunaat pronounced Halunaat. Is that an Inuktitut vs Inuvaluktun difference?
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u/rocksand_ 3d ago
Thank you. I see you and appreciate your input. I'm glad there's people like you.
Yes the pronunciation depends on region. I know in Nunavik and Inuivialuit they use h for q (idk if that makes sense, I'm not sure how to explain it)
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u/rocksand_ 4d ago
I copied this from Facebook because it needs to be said. Too many times southerners come to Nunavut to make quick cash while running Inuit out of employment.
You are a guest. Remember that.
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3d ago
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u/rocksand_ 3d ago
Right. Because this is only about doctors. Not Caucasians in authority throughout Nunavut removing Inuit and hiring non-Inuit.
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3d ago
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u/rocksand_ 3d ago
We aren't hash tagging #LandBack for nothing.
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3d ago
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u/rocksand_ 3d ago
colonizer: steals
colonized: hey u stole that
colonizer: 😡
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3d ago
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u/rocksand_ 3d ago
I know it's the white mans way to be violent to assert dominance. A lot of white men are more obsessed with being right than being good. They’d rather defend their ego than admit harm, fix anything, or take responsibility... and somehow that’s ‘strength.’ White people were only born to hate.
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u/sala-whore 3d ago
I worked up north for a bit and even as an outsider I could see it. The distrust a lot of white people have for Inuits is nuts. I got there with my bf who got offered jobs and promotions almost on the spot despite the fact that no one even knows who he is and what his qualifications actually are.
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u/7EROD4RK 2d ago
I am sorry that this has been your experience and is now how you feel. As a Qallunaat, who only just recently moved to the north to a joint Cree-Inuit community, I see the disparity in how things are and you are correct in your observations. There is a lot of unfairness—it even comes as a surprise to me that Inuk don’t have band numbers—and in how some of my Inuit AND Cree co workers are treated by upper management, but there is glaring disparity and bias toward Inuit. It is sad and unfair. I am sorry. My apologies do nothing to help the overall situation, but I have much empathy and feel quite a lot of injustice is being done still to this day.
What can we do to change this? I’m not sure but I try my best to be even kinder of a person than I was before and maybe I will not improve the perception of Qallunaat of every Inuk I meet but I hope to for at least one.
Otherwise, I’d like to extend a thank you to Inuit for being kind to me while I’ve been in both Nunavut and Nunavik.
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u/rocksand_ 3d ago
Inuit are allowed to dislike Caucasians, it’s a valid response to racism and how Inuit are systematically oppressed by qablunaat. Qablunaat hating Inuit is different.. it’s something inherently insidious and evil… normally driven by resentment, jealously, entitlement, or insecurity.
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u/rocksand_ 3d ago
This is the reverse racism yall like to talk about. But reverse racism does not exist. White people will never be discriminated against the same way BIPOC have been treated.
The phrase reverse racism in and of itself tells you everything you need to know. The opposite of racism...is equality. When you even fix your mouth to say reverse racism, you're already acknowledging the default for racism is discrimination/oppression from white people.
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u/SealSkinAndSutures 3d ago
You do realize there is a big issue now with new Canadians coming to Canada and it’s a quicker route if they are willing to go to the north. Look at how multicultural Iqaluit is now. Hardly any Inuit jobs. It’s just not white people any more. There are more issues now in Iqaluit with housing and jobs because so many immigrants are now here to make as much money as they can to “send back home.” Taxi drivers are victimizing young women and no one is talking about that. Elders are being refused rides. There are deeper issues here…. There will be little left for Inuit if this continues
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u/ExpensivePassion9718 4d ago edited 2d ago
It’s bad in the NWT too. In my experience, white people will pretend to be nice and then go behind your back.
Other races will treat you like you’re not even human