Raising Young Children in an Alaskan Inupiaq Village

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Raising Young Children in an Alaskan Inupiaq Village The Family, Cultural, and Village Environment of Rearing

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Julie Winkler Sprott

Book Code: H789

ISBN: 0-89789-789-7

ISBN-13: 978-0-89789-789-1

DOI:

344 pages, figures, photos, tables

Bergin & Garvey

Publication: 12/30/2002

List Price: $110.95 (UK Sterling Price: £65.00)

Availability: Out of stock

Media Type: Hardcover

Trim Size: 6 1/8 x 9 1/4

Subjects:

Description: A comprehensive, case study portrait of the childrearing context of a predominantly Eskimo village in the remote Northwest Arctic, designed to look for evidence of "reinvention," "transformation," or "conscious choice" as process features of change in the mix of traditional childrearing beliefs and practices with infusions from the dominant culture. The rearing environment and child well-being were studied during 18 months of anthropological fieldwork in an Alaskan Inupiaq village in the Northwest Arctic. Volunteers for the sample consisted of 44 adults from 16 extended families who were raising a child between the ages of three and six years. Results from guided interviews, card sorts, standardized family and home assessments, and review of the children's medical records revealed a complex portrait of culture continuity and change and included the following trends:

many traditions had been retained, even though villagers perceived few differences in their rearing style compared to that of mainstream culture

despite the presence of other households with extended family members in the village and touting of the value of kinship, 25% of core families reared their children in relative isolation

growth measurements, immunization status, and general health of the children were good, but children evidenced diets high in sugar and many suffered severe dental problems

present-day caregivers were engaged in dialogue about "problem" parenting behaviors that had developed a generation earlier during a time of massive acculturation stress and population growth--namely, the overuse of scolding of children without attached explanations and overt favoring of specific children over others in the family.
The study presents present-day rearing strategies and ideas as summarized from interviews and data from more formal instruments, and frames changes in the system within the broader historical/social context.

Table of Contents:

Preface
Introduction
Customs of Childrearing
Key Aspect of the Social Setting I: Kinship
Key Aspect of the Social Setting II: Caregiving by Kin
Psychology of Caregivers I: Ideas about Temperament, Development, and Goals
Psychology of Caregivers II: Responses to Rearing Challenges
Proximal Aspect of the Physical Setting: The Home Environment
Biological Perspectives on Child Well-Being: Health and Development
Culture Change: Childrearing of the Past Compared to the Present
Caregivers' Hopes for the Future of the Children
Summary and Conclusions
References
Index

LC Card Number: 2001052507

LCC Class: E99

Dewey Class: 649


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