According to article “Nunavut’s battle to preserve Inuit Languages” by the Toronto Star posted on September 2, 2013, the Nunavut governments engages different strategies in a bid to preserve Arctic languages and dialects such as Inuktitut that are threatened by extinction through the popular introduction of smart-phones and pop culture occurring in the globalized world (Nunatsiaq Online 1). Per the article Inuktitut is considered the most vibrant language among sixty of the aboriginal languages in Canada. Worryingly, the young Inuit population is quickly becoming disconnected to the language and have increasingly lessens their interest in Inuit as their mother tongue.
The enactment of the Official Languages Act that grants Inuit language an official language alongside English and French comes in as a great boost in promoting the language in the Executive, Judiciary and the Legislature the three arms of government. Additionally, the Inuit Language Protection Act aims to reinforce the use and application of the Inuit language in most areas of life including the education sector. The use of Inuit to teach in institutions of learning will foster its growth as well as its preservation among different generations (Toronto Star 2). The proposal to develop curriculums with the objective of teaching Inuit which is an oral language with no standardized writing system demands that the concerned parties and other stakeholders facilitate needed resources, standardize the writing system, and establish the proposed Northern University while investing into early childhood programs.
In addition, per Nunatsiaq Online the article titled “Nunavut Inuit org asks MLAs to reconsider proposed education act reforms” the Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. argues against the proposed amendments proposed by the government as a move to further jeopardize the language. To the disapproval of the delegates who attended the Annual General Meeting in Rankin Inlet it is believed that by the year 2016 only two percent of Inuit will be in a capacity to use Inultut as their main language. NTI gives multiple recommendations that are opposed to the government’s proposals into the Education sector.
Isuma TV is dedicated to maintaining and spreading the indigenous languages through various media campaigns and news platforms. It creates advocacy programs through audio-visual materials, online festivals, multi-media sharing platforms and customized channels, and media-player distribution networks that intend to archive the history and preserve indigenous languages. On the other hand, The Inuit Cultural Online Resource acts as a source of information for Canadian school age children as well as their teachers. It offers differentiated ways of learning the Inuit culture. Moreover, the resources acts as a point of reference that shares knowledge and history contained within the Inuit culture. Both sites are highly involving with creative videos that make learning Inuit interesting.
Multiple websites such as Crystallinks.com provides a comprehensive history an development over time of the Inuit tribe as well as language. It covers the various aspects in the life of the Inuit people and proposes ways in which the people have preserved their indigenous ways of life. Moreover, the National Representation Organization Protecting and Advancing the Rights and interests of Inuit in Canada has also mounted a resourceful website that offers a wide range rich history of the Inuit culture (Spense 12). Moreover, as an advocacy group, it lays down strategies for protecting the Inuit culture.
Being of Chinese origin, there are multiple sites that also seek to preserve the Chinese tradition and culture. The protection of Chinese cultural heritage is promoted through the Chinese World Cultural Heritage Foundation that documents the heritage sites that have unique impact on the Chinese culture. Moreover, the foundation promotes and preserves Chinese rich and diverse culture (CPI 1). Additionally, the China Policy Institute discusses the chronology of the Chinese Cultural Revolution over time. With a detailed outline on the various periods in the history of the Chinese people. Chinalinks website also offers informative insight into the Chinese culture.
Findings
The major threats occurring to the Inuit culture in today’s media-space is its possible extinction due to its continued minimal use as a result of introduction of smart-phones and pop culture within a globalized community. The Inuit language which is purposely oral with minimal written syllables is also on the brink of extinction with the younger generation more inclined to international languages like English or French (Castells 1). The Inuit people have taken to the internet to express their opinions on protecting and preserving their culture. Moreover, they have use the internet and other social media platforms to share their histories and useful materials that assists grow their agenda. This opens up the Inuit culture to multiple opportunities such as adopting the language to be used as a national language alongside English and French. Moreover, the new laws implemented are quite useful in protecting the heritage of the Inuit tribe. The Inuit Broadcasting Corporation laid out a foundation of active advocacy programs in preserving the Inuit culture. Its lessons entail important details on how to stage successful media campaigns as well as formulate and implement progressive strategies in attaining the Inuit community.
Within the Chinese culture, many individuals have adopted the use of the digital media and the internet to articulate their different agenda as well as communicate with each other. China holds progressive technologies that put the country in a good position to teach, share, preserve, transmit and develop the existing traditions. However, multiple challenges occur as threats as the globalization aspects play an increasing worrying trend in the preservation of the Chinese culture with younger generation adopting westernized cultures that seem more attractive and daring.
I believe that in order for cultural groups to increase, extend or enhance their presence on the internet developing formidable groups with a well-designed website that hosts objective group agenda would be a great milestone in promoting and preserving the Chinese culture as well as other world cultures and traditions. The Canadian Inuit experience provides an insight into the sharing of online resources to facilitate continued growth of their culture. Moreover, the Inuit experience acts as a reference to the reason why cultures should be weary of extinction of their specific languages, cultures and tradition.
Works Cited
Castells, Manuel. “Networks of Outrage and Hope: Social Movements in the Internet Age.”Polity Press, 2012. Study of Arab Spring, Occupy Wall Street and other recent movements by one of the foremost theorists of digital culture.
China Policy Institute. “Chinese Culture after the Cultural revolution. CPIAnalysis. (July 14, 2016). https://cpianalysis.org/2016/07/14/chinese-culture-after-the-cultural-revolution/
Nunatsiaq Online. “Nunavut Inuit org asks MLAs to reconsider proposed education act reforms” (October 21, 2016): Retrieved on January 17, 2017. Web.
http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_inuit_org_asks_mlas_to_reconsider_proposed_education_act_refor/
Spence, Jonathan. “The Search for Modern China”. Norton Company. 1991. Print.
Toronto Star. “Nunavut’s battle to preserve Inuit languages” (Sept. 2, 2013): Retrieved on January 17, 2017. Web.
https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/09/02/nunavuts_battle_to_preserve_inuit_languages.html
