INUIT FAMILIES

The definition of "family" is an expansive one. The family is more than just the parents and their offspring. This is reflected in the Inuktitut language. The word qatangutigiit describes immediate or close family relations. Qatangutigiit can include parents, children, grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles and cousins-blood relatives. There is also ilagiit, the "outer family" which, in terms of membership, can sometimes overlap with qatanguitgiit. The ilagiit, the "outer family includes uncles, aunts, cousins, brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces, grandparents, great uncles, great aunts and grandchildren. Children are also bonded to adults through their Inuit name or name sake-tuqlluraniq.

It is not uncommon for a child to live with grandparents, aunts or uncles, cousins or other kin for periods of time. In these situations, the child is not adopted, yet the adults of the household take on responsibility for the care of that child. Today, a child may be sent by the parent to live with a family member, if a parent is unable to care for the child for a period of time.

The Inuktuitut word describing adoption means, " the one we took" or "my adopted," Inuit do not use words such as "give up" or "give away" to describe adoption. Rather, the word describes the practice from the perspective of the adoptive parent-choosing and wanting the child. In Inuit society, there is no stigma attached to being adopted. It is a practice that is open and flexible, in which a child knows his or her birth parents and family members. If an adopted child lives in the same community as her of his biological parents and family, the child will know them and visit with them.