Cultural Dynamics and Social Representations of Dogs in the Inuit Community of Kuujjuaq (Nunavik)
This article presents the highlights of field research carried out in Kuujjuaq (Nunavik) in September 2016. Its main objective is to create a general portrait of the place that dogs occupy in this community, among both Inuit and non-Inuit. Although the dog’s place in traditional Inuit culture is well known and documented, the place he has occupied since Inuit have settled and began using snowmobiles and sharing their living environment with non-Inuit remains poorly understood. By questioning the cultural and social place of the dog in a community where Inuit and non-Inuit live together, this research attempts to highlight the different dynamics related to dogs and gain a better understanding of what dogs are for the locals of Kuujjuaq. This article concludes that resources for dogs and their management are limited and still focused on health and human security, and that dogs in the community occupy a position that oscillates between appreciation and repulsion—a position shaped by cultural and community contexts.