There are about 1,500 Inuit residents living in the southwest region of Ontario, says Jennifer Antler, the indigenous health promotions coordinator with the Guelph Community Health Centre. It is believed that the majority of those are children living in care, she said.
About 50 Inuit living in the Guelph-Wellington area, along with their family members will take part in a unique gathering this Saturday at Dublin Street United Church. The Inuit Feast is closed to the public. It is thought to be the first of its kind in this area.
“This is just the Inuit who are in the region gathering to celebrate the mid-winter season,” she said. “It is so they can get to know each other, because they are so spread out, and they’ve never really gathered together.”
A public gathering of a similar kind is in the planning stages for May, said Antler, who joined Guelph CHC in December.
The Inuit gathering will include the sharing of traditional foods, known in the culture as country food.
“For the health and wellbeing of the community it is really good when we have gatherings as a culture – for any culture,” said Antler, who is Anishinabe.
“We gather in the mid-season, which is our story-telling season. The Inuit do something similar, where they gather all the clans or family members together and celebrate just being who they are – speaking the language, listening to the music, eating country food, and just communing together.”
Country food for the Inuit includes quail, seal and local fish, among other staples. The food is coming south from Igloolik on the Baffin Island.
All Inuit people and their families are welcome to attend the feast, which runs all day Saturday starting at 11 a.m. at Dublin Street United, 68 Suffolk St. W.
The indigenous health promotions initiative began late last year. The first stage of the initiative, Antler said, is to assess the many health and wellness needs of the indigenous community – First Nations, Metis and Inuit that are living in the Guelph-Wellington region.
“We are trying to build capacity within the community,” she said. “If there are personal and professional development needs, we offer opportunities for that.”
