To be able to discuss the way the Inuit view the world, I think it’s important to define ‘world view’. According to Collins dictionary, ‘a person’s world view is the way they see and understand the world, especially regarding issues such as politics philosophy, and religion’. An individual’s worldview also affect how the individual interacts with the world. Often individuals belonging to the same group or society will have the same world view. World views have the ability to evolve as society does.
How do the Inuit place themselves in nature?
The Inuit could be considered to have a ‘deep ecology’, seeing themselves as a component of the natural world. In this philosophy, humans are regarded as a component of nature that is equal to the rest. The land and its resources are not here for humans to develop and extract as they wish. The Inuit believe the environment and all its components are sacred, given by a creator (Mead, 2002). Equally, human beings are not regarded the most important, and should act in accordance with this belief. This is interestingly compared to the western belief that human are the ‘supreme being’ and that we are entitled to take what we wish from our environment.
Indigenous Inuit communities function with the relatedness of themselves and their environment in mind. There is a strong belief among the Inuit that individuals, the land, and natural objects or beings are connected (Mead, 2002). Thus, if we have any respect for ourselves or our community, we must also have respect for the land where it lies and the other non-human beings that live among the landscape.