Olga Ievleva MA

PhD candidate

Cohort/Start PhD: 2024-2025

Legal Aspects of Indigenous Subsistence Harvesting in the Arctic

University of Groningen, Faculty of Arts, Arctic Centre

Project: TRACES (Tracking Long-term Resilience in Arctic Sociocultural-Ecological Systems)

Supervisors: Dr. Sean P.A. Desjardins, prof. Dr. Kees Bastmeijer

For many decades hunting and fishing have served as the primary means of survival for Inuit living in Inuit Nunangat (“Inuit homeland,” referring to four regions of Canada populated by Inuit). In the 20th century, Canada introduced its legal system to the Inuit lands, seeking to regulate hunting and fishing ostensibly to prevent overhunting and species extinction. For years, local authorities in Nunavut and other Inuit regions have developed hunting quota systems for Inuit hunters, largely based on scientific assessments of wildlife populations. These quotas are aimed to ensure conservation of the key species, such as caribou, seals, and whales, critical for Inuit subsistence.

Often, Inuit hunters believe that the scientifically informed state quota does not correspond to reality. The hunters’ observations and practical knowledge can serve to shape a more sustainable and fair hunting policy that would support Indigenous hunting rights and ensure Inuit food security. Though Inuit perspectives and time-honoured local knowledge (e.g., Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, or “IQ”; ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᔭᑐᖃᖏᑦ) about hunting–and human/nonhuman-animal relationships, more broadly–is frequently presented alongside Western-scientific studies or policy documents, the PhD thesis aims to address the degree to which IQ is meaningfully integrated, centered or considered in the policy-related systems regulating harvesting in Inuit Nunangat today. Through three interrelated sub-projects, the following research question will be addressed: how can current legal and regulatory systems governing subsistence hunting in Inuit Nunangat be made more responsive to the needs and expertise of Inuit rights- and knowledge-holders, while also satisfying Western scientific demands for data-driven understandings of sustainability and environmental health?