To many, "Eskimo Identification Tags" looked and felt like dog tags. Photo via the author
When the program was introduced in the early 40s, Inuit still lived as nomads; they didn't carry wallets, didn't write, and only spoke Inuktitut. Because of this, the number had to be worn at all times on a small leather or copper disk around the neck. To many, they looked and felt like dog tags. The program was dropped in the 1970s (1980s in Quebec), after an Inuk member of the Northwest Territories legislative assembly decided he no longer wanted to be known as W3-554.At first glance, it sounds like a messed-up version of the social insurance number system we have today. In reality, old records from the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs show that white administrators in the North were mostly just frustrated at their inability to pronounce or understand Inuit names. They tried fingerprinting at first, but eventually settled for the tagging system.
An ugly reminder of Canadian history
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Olivia Ikey Duncan's tattoos. Photo via the author