ON BEING INUPIAQ IN THE 21ST CENTURY

I am very new to the whole blogging scene so I’ve been looking at various blogs for ideas and inspiration. One friend recommended “Being Ohlone in the 21^st Century.” After viewing that blog I asked myself a question: What does it mean to be Inupiaq in the 21^st century?
 

This is a particularly difficult question to answer because it means confronting reality.

My reality as an Inupiaq woman in the 21^st century is similar to other Indigenous people’s reality. It means that I speak English as my first language. I have a Western education and much of our traditional ways have been replaced by Western ways. Our food consists of mostly a Western diet: readily available foods that include processed foods, fast food, and junk food (and I know a lot of junk food junkies). In short, I am a product of colonization.

COLONIZATION

What does colonization mean anyway? I like one particular definition found in “For Indigenous Eyes Only: A Decolonization Handbook” so I’m going to quote it here. Colonization is the “formal and informal methods (behaviors, ideologies, institutions, policies, and economies) that maintain the subjugation or exploitation of Indigenous peoples, lands and resources.” I often see other people discussing colonization and decolonization without really defining what they mean. I am all for definitions because a) I like words and their definitions b) as my undergrad History advisor told us numerous times, do not assume knowledge on part of the reader c) they provide a common language for everyone, which makes it easier to have a dialogue.

Confronting reality doesn’t necessarily mean accepting it and forever being victimized. It means acknowledging it and actively trying to change it.