In This Issue...
Editorial:
Firsts, F.I.D.O.s and Foremosts
*
F.I.D.O.: Daniel
Annanack
*
F.I.D.O.: Mark
Brazeau and Qimmiit Utirtut
*
Wolf Problems
in Kuujjuaq
*
Inuit Dogs of
Mawson Station
*
Differences
in Mushing: Greenland and Arctic Canada, Part II
*
Inuit Produced
Information Resources
*
In the News
*
Book Review:
1000
Days with Sirius
*
Product
Review: 3M™ Precise Skin Stapler
*
IMHO: A Time
for Action
Editor's/Publisher's
Statement
Editor-in-Chief:
Sue Hamilton
Webmaster:
Mark
Hamilton
Print
Edition: Imaged and distributed
by the IPL students of the Ulluriaq School,
Kangiqsualujjuaq, Nunavik
The
Fan Hitch,
Journal of the Inuit Sled Dog International,
is published four times a
year. It is available at no cost online at:
https://thefanhitch.org.
Print subscriptions: in Canada $20.00, in USA
$23.00, elsewhere $32.00
per year, postage included. All prices are in
Canadian dollars. Make
checks payable in Canadian dollars only to
"Mark Brazeau", and send to
Mark Brazeau, Box 151 Kangiqsualujjuaq QC J0M
1N0 Canada. (Back issues
are also available. Contact Sue Hamilton.)
The
Fan
Hitch welcomes your
letters, stories, comments and suggestions. The
editorial staff
reserves
the right to edit submissions used for
publication.
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of
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The
Inuit Sled Dog International
The
Inuit
Sled Dog International (ISDI)
is a consortium of enthusiasts whose goal is the
preservation of this
ancient
arctic breed in its purest form as a working dog.
The ISDI's efforts
are
concentrated on restoring the pure Inuit Dog to
its native habitat. The
ISDI's coordinators welcome to your comments and
questions.
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In the News....
Photo: Nunavut Tourism
Update on the Dog Slaughter Inquiry
This past October the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) released
an interim report on the investigation they were directed to undertake,
what has come to be known as the "Dog Slaughters" in Nunavik and Nunavut.
The report was summarized in the Canadian press, and Inuit groups were
described as having disputed the report which concluded that mass slaughters
did not take place. Work is now underway on a "full report", due out in
May 2006, which is expected to run in excess of 500 pages. There will also
be a "final report" of about 50 pages for the ministers of parliament.
The complete interim report (in .pdf format) can be read on-line by
clicking here.
For those without internet access, what follows are its Title, Table of
Contents, Executive Summary and Conclusions so that you can make an assessment
as to whether you require the complete document. If you do, The Fan
Hitch has the RCMP's permission to supply printed copies for the cost
of reproduction and mailing, which is $3.00 USD to the United States and
Canada and $5.00 USD to Europe. Please send check (made out to "ISDI -
Sue Hamilton"), cash or money order to: Sue Hamilton, 55 Town Line Rd.,
Harwinton, CT 06791, U.S.A.
Synopsis of the Interim Report:
RCMP Review of Allegations Concerning Inuit Sled Dogs
Executive Summary
Introduction
Methods & Procedures
Extensive Review of RCMP Records
Extensive Review of External Government Records
Internet Searches
Interviews of RCMP Members & Civilians
Literature Review Focused on the Media
General Findings
Key Findings
Conclusion
Executive Summary
The purpose of this interim report is to outline the research that
has been conducted thus far concerning allegations that the RCMP is responsible
for a mass culling of Inuit sled dogs in Nunavik and Nunavut between 1950
and 1970, which is alleged to have been carried out at the direction of
the government, or on the RCMP's own initiative. An RCMP review team, with
resources from RCMP National Aboriginal Policing Services and various experts
in research methodology at RCMP National Headquarters, has been created
to conduct a full and comprehensive review into these serious allegations.
The main goal of the RCMP review team has been to ensure all possible
sources of information relevant to this matter are located and reviewed
objectively to determine if there is any evidence of an organized and systematic
mass slaughter of Inuit sled dogs in the eastern Arctic between 1950 and
1970. Other goals are to depict the most accurate chronology of events
possible, to ensure that key people from northern communities are located
and interviewed, and to consult with other federal departments that were
active in the eastern Arctic during this period. The review team has faced
significant challenges in terms of unearthing details from 35 to 50 years
ago. Often with the passage of time people's memories are affected and
concrete evidence is minimal or no longer exists.
To date, an estimated 20,000 pages of historical documents from the
RCMP and other government departments relevant to this matter have been
obtained and reviewed by the team. Also, more than 40 persons (RCMP members
and civilians who have lived and worked in the eastern Arctic) have been
interviewed and their statements have been documented. It is anticipated
that over 200 people will be interviewed during the complete review process.
An extensive media review and literature review of academic papers and
books on this subject has been conducted as well. Collaboration with the
Makivik Corporation and the Qikiqtani Inuit Association will be sought
in the near future to review statements and to discuss the specifics of
their complaints. The review team will be reaching out to other key federal
government agencies and media resources to gain more insight into the Inuit
way of life in the eastern Arctic during the time period in question.
The RCMP review team is continuing its efforts to establish an accurate
and complete historical record of this time period in the eastern Arctic,
which will be compiled into a comprehensive final report and will be forthcoming
in May of 2006. More full-time resources will be dedicated to the review
team to ensure the final report is complete, detailed and timely.
Presently, the review team has found evidence that Inuit sled dogs were
destroyed in the past by members of the RCMP. However, the destruction
was undertaken for public health and safety reasons because malnourished,
disease-ridden dogs posed a threat to residents of the northern communities.
The preliminary findings of the review team is that there is no evidence
of an organized mass slaughter of Inuit sled dogs by RCMP members in Nunavik
and Nunavut between 1950 and 1970, which is alleged to have been carried
out at the direction of the government, or on the RCMP's own initiative.
Conclusion
Despite significant challenges, the RCMP review team continues its
effort to establish an accurate and complete historical record of this
period in the eastern Arctic. There is an increasing risk that these recollections
may be irretrievably lost with the deaths of elderly witnesses. To date,
the RCMP review team has found no evidence to support the allegations that
the RCMP conducted an organized slaughter of Inuit sled dogs in the eastern
Arctic between 1950 and 1970.
Much more research, analysis and documentation is necessary to ensure
this matter is addressed completely and objectively in the form of a final
report by May 2006. Next steps include more interviews to be conducted
by the review team in collaboration with RCMP divisional members. The interviews
will be focused on retired RCMP members who have served in the eastern
Arctic, with civilians who worked in the eastern Arctic, with Inuit elders,
and with employees from other federal government agencies who were active
in the eastern Arctic. The geographic and socio-economic factors of the
time, as discussed in some academic books and research papers, will be
reviewed and analyzed in more detail to determine the contributing factors
that led to the malnourishment and diseases that significantly affected
the Inuit sled dogs. An extensive review of all RCMP related documents,
relevant material from federal government departments, and media reports
will also be conducted to ensure a complete final report.
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