Staff working with Inuit peoples will benefit from using four new culturally-relevant resources.
The delivery of health services and prevention programs is particularly challenging in Nunavut. Individual communities are not connected by road, and community health centres are seen as the point of entry for a majority of health services. While a strong government effort is being made to train more Inuit as nurses, mental health workers, midwives and other health professionals, the majority of service professionals in Inuit communities are still non-Inuit and largely transient—that is, they are only in the north for short periods of time. As a result, these professionals are not always aware of service needs in the context of Inuit culture, history, and individual community dynamics.
Meeka Arnakaq, an Inuit Elder and Healer from Pangnirtung, NU, has written a four-part set of culturally relevant wellness resources to help health care professionals better serve Inuit communities. Taking a holistic approach to wellness, these resources address healing, healthy living, childrearing and teamwork through exercises and illustrations that reflect traditional, strength-based Inuit knowledge.
The Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse is pleased to partner with Meeka as well as Mamisarvik Healing Centre and Tungasuvvingat Inuit to translate and publish these wonderful resources. The resources are now in the process of being translated into Inuktitut.
The resources can be downloaded as pdf files or ordered as printed manuals. Learn more about the
Meeka Project, as it is generally known, and view brief videos further explaining the importance of culturally relevant resources for Inuit wellness and healing.
Download Resources [PDF] Electronic copies of the Meeka wellness resources can be downloaded by clicking on the thumbnails below.