Go! Diversity Event - Inuit Culture

Inuit Culture of North Canada, 7pm on Sep. 21, Great Hall, Memorial Union
"Nunavut: My Land" by Peter Irniq

Last Wednesday, I made my way to the Memorial Union with my friend and fellow Shelby Co Hixson scholar, Jonna Anderson. I was kind of expecting a lot. After all, I didn't know a whole lot about the Inuit culture aside from the fact that I was pretty sure it was the politically correct term for 'eskimos'.

When Peter Irniq - the speaker - was young his tribe lived in small groups in igloos in the winter and in movable tents during the summer. He was actually born in an igloo in 1941. Out of his five siblings, only he and his sister survived the harsh conditions. It was a society based on hunting, travelled by dog teams, hunted caribou, and had a nature-based religion. When he was about six years old he was taken to a boarding school and not allowed to speak his own Inuit language. All of the students were forced to learn and speak English.

Nowadays, his tribe lives in houses, drive cars, is Christianized, and do the things normal Americans (and Canadians, I suppose, too) do. In less than fifty years, his tribe went from igloos to internet. Young people in his tribe now have a much better opportunity to reach out to the rest of the world. Tourism is becoming a very big part of Nunavut's economy. There's also a very big mining industry in the Arctic.

My favorite part of the presentation was about the Inuit artwork. Inuits, in general, are very great artists according to the speaker. There are many talented carvers of stone and bone. Inuit crafts are in high demand. Arts and crafts promote Inuit culture, environment, and animals. Peter Irniq is in the process of installing artwork in Ames parks. He stated that the purpose of the artwork is the survival of Inuit. He has done over twenty similar pieces in cities like Chicago and Santa Fe. These pieces are called An inuksuk (plural inuksuit), and is a stone landmark or cairn built by human In the old days. There wasn't glue to hold together the stones of the inuksuit in the old days, but the ones being built in Ames will have cement to hold them in place. Its said that if you knock them down, you're destined to have bad luck.

The presentation featured a slideshow of pictures from Nunavut and Peter Irniq's Inuit tribe. I found it very educational, especially under the circumstances that it only lasted an hour. It was one of those few presentations that didn't seem to just drag on, and I really liked it :)

Blog Assignment #2

My Goals/My Bucket List

One thing my childhood definitely prepared me for was dreaming of bigger and better things. I’ve had my fair share of hardship and nightmares, and sometimes the only thing that got me through was the thought of an escape. Okay, that might sound a little dramatic. A better way to put it would be that one thing that always cured my boredom were thoughts of things I could do when I was ‘all growed up’.

A major goal for me would be one day working for Disney Animation Studios: designing characters and making movies. I have always loved drawing and telling stories, and as a child Disney helped shape me into the woman I am today. Because of classic movies such as Cinderella, The Lion King, and The Little Mermaid I learned the value of hard work and determination, being a dependable, good friend, and never taking those you love for granted.

Another dream I have is of traveling the world. My number one destination is Australia. I’d love to learn how to surf on the opposite side of the Pacific Ocean, scuba dive through the Great Barrier Reef, camp in the Outback, eat Australian crocodiles right of the barbe’, and see the Sydney Opera House. I’m already looking into doing a semester abroad in Sydney.

After I graduate, I plan on doing a year’s worth of volunteer work through the Peace Corps. I was in a car accident back in February, and it made me realize that I must be alive for a reason. Rethinking my dreams and goals at the time, it made me realize how selfish I was in most of them. “Me, I...” all recurring themes for things I wanted to do. I had been thinking of joining the Peace Corps before my accident, but afterwards I knew it was a for sure thing. Most likely, I’ll probably end up in Africa. I think I’d like to work with women and children. Obviously, I won’t be able to cure diseases or build houses all by myself but I’d like to do what I can.

And then of course there’s my random goals and dreams that I’m working on. Someday I’d like to own a little fuzzball Chihuahua named Chimichanga. I’d like to skydive, own a Jeep Wrangler, and visit my great grandparent’s homeland of Puerto Rico. Someday I’m going to see Muse (and Weezer again... and again) live in concert, fall in love, and hopefully lead a happy life.

Sometimes when the world got bad I’d dream of a better place. I read once that the more you think about the things you want to do with your life, the more likely it is that you’ll do them. Kind of an obvious statement I guess... But I plan to work hard and never give up on the things that will make me and others happy. As Walt Disney once said, "All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them."

Blog Assignment #1

SLAM! Kelsey dropped a big batch of Skit Books on top of my desk during first hour.

“Alright, we’ve got three weeks until competition. Find one you like- it doesn’t have to be amazing- and we’ll make it work. Ready, break!” With those final words of inspiration, my best friend and I set out on a nearly impossible task. It was junior year and both of us had been ridiculously busy with Student Council, National Honor Society, and School News. In the midst of our hectic schedules, we had unintentionally let our Speech duo piece fall by the wayside. We’d found a few pieces earlier in the year, but between only practicing once in three months and never quite falling in love with the scenario anyway, they weren’t exactly getting us to All State anytime soon.

So there we were: two teenage girls stretching themselves to the very limits with extracurricular commitments. It was the first day back at school from Christmas Break, and we had until January 26th to find a script, memorize it, and perform it for people we’d hate to disappoint.

Every night we scheduled last minute practices with the coach, met at each other’s houses, and recited lines back and forth across the table at lunch. When it came time for competition, our performance soared. Our parents gave us standing ovations, as they were the ones who had witnessed our ridiculous preparation.

SLAM! My body thuds as I collapse onto my futon to write this blog. You’re probably wondering why I consider a point in my life where I literally procrastinated until the last possible second a situation I consider myself at my best. Perhaps it’s just because that year I was having a great time with my best friend in the world and that skit made it to State with 1 ratings across the board. More likely, it’s because I was thriving in all my commitments and the one I personally felt I was lacking in was still successful. I feel like I can literally drive myself crazy with everything I am involved with and still do great in all that I do- as long as I’m passionate about what I’m doing. In college, I don’t plan on over-committing to different clubs, organizations, and activities. But just like when it came to speech my junior year, I’ll be tackling whatever comes my way this first semester head-on.