The role of local renewable resources in the health and well-being of women and men living in Cape Dorset, Nunavut, Canada

The concept of therapeutic landscapes flows from the idea that environmental, social and individual factors that are specific to place can intersect to provide an important resource for the promotion of health and well-being. However, much of this research has focused on extraordinary places such as baths, shrines and spas in Western settings. Far less attention has been given to the role of place in the health and well-being of people living in non-Western settings. Aside from the work of Kathi Wilson (2003; 2005) on the role of place in the health and well-being of First Nations peoples, the understanding of the role of place in the health of Aboriginal peoples in Canada is limited. This dissertation seeks to address this gap in knowledge by exploring the role of the land and its renewable resources in the health and well-being of Inuit living in Cape Dorset, Nunavut, Canada. Inuit contend that their relationship with the land and its renewable resources plays an important role in their health and well-being. To understand the role of the land in Inuit health, 101 in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with female and male participants. The results of this dissertation suggest that the complete interconnection of the participants with the land and its renewable resources plays a crucial role in their identity as well as their cultural, social, economic, emotional and nutritional health and well-being. Further, the results suggest that the concept of therapeutic landscapes should be re-evaluated by considering unhealthy aspects of place. The participants' in-depth accounts of how climate change and environmental contaminants are affecting their relationship with the land and its renewable resources indicate that relations with place are not simple, and even when health-enhancing in some respects may not be entirely health enhancing. In addition, the participants' knowledge of human-environment relations can help to improve the long-term health of those living outside of Inuit regions by guiding them during a period of environmental destruction