Introduction-E

children. They didn’t really say what was expected. I asked other questions, too, about
hardships and adoption.
I learned from the interviews and it gave me ideas and changed my thoughts on the
theme. It also gave me a better understanding about how we learn from our parents by
watching and listening to them. The elders let me see their point of view.
I asked them how they felt about schools today. They said they liked that children
today are taught a different language, because they don’t understand English very well.
One elder said that she regretted letting teachers take too much control back then. They
said they had a choice, and could have objected if they wanted to. They could have
taught the traditional ways if they had objected to the schools. She said teenagers now
drop out because they feel they are not good at anything; for example, when teachers
tell them they can’t write. They end up dropping out and turning to drugs and alcohol.
She thought it would be a good idea if they had something to fall back on when they
quit school, such as learning how to sew, or boys going out hunting to learn how to hunt
and to survive on the land. I thought there should be a school for Inuit or non-Inuit
where they could learn traditional knowledge and how to survive on the land. She said
that learning English is not an Inuit custom in their tradition. Another elder also said he
liked education today, but he was worried about the men and boys because they are not
being taught how to hunt out on the land. They just sit around now.
When I asked about hardships, at first they couldn’t really answer me, but later
they said there weren’t that many people who went through mental turmoil because
everybody had something to do in those days. If anyone had something hard to deal
with, the elders or the people of the camp would pitch in and try to help. One elderly
woman said that keeping yourself busy keeps worries and bad thoughts away, so they
always kept themselves busy: sewing is a really good example. Also, men kept
themselves busy by going out on the land or making something. I always wanted to
know about this.
I also asked what they were told to do if a polar bear came to a camp. One of the
men said they always killed the polar bear. Today they don’t do that because there are
quotas and such things to protect animals. Today, Inuit try to keep wild animals away
by scaring them and not killing them. Men learned by watching their parents or
relatives. Men learned how to cut bearded sealskin to make ropes. They had to work
together and even the women pitched in if they were not busy. They always helped each
other. Men were also told before they had wives to get up right away in the early
morning so that their wives would not have difficult times during labor. Men also
learned how to sew by watching their parents so they could mend their clothing while
out hunting if anything happened.
When I asked how they used to adopt children they said they would adopt them
only if it was necessary and only when they were toddlers or grown a little, or if they
Essays – Teaching Children 139