This is a debate we’re having at work. How does the Eskimo culture regard their elders once they’ve ceased to become citizens that can work, hunt, care for children or the sick, cook, etc. My co-worker insists that they simply find a comfortable place for them and “leave them to die”. But I can’t imagine that would actually happen. Any insight?
I read a recent exchange of letters on this topic in the Journal of the American Medical Association. One of the writers claimed that the idea that Eskimos don’t value their elders was nonsense. The other, who had initiated the discussion by writing an essay on his Alaskan experience that included an oldster heading off, alone, onto the ice, admitted that his story had not been, strictly speaking based on fact. So I guess it’s like the 100 words for snow. But I can’t find the JAMA letters on the net.
I remember reading about that JAMA essay as well. I think a story about it was in my local paper.
I’ve lived in Alaska nearly my whole life, and the notion that Eskimo elders are treated as such could not be further from the truth.
In fact, the elders probably now command more respect than they ever have since they are often the only embodiment of their cultures that remain.
This site says that it could happen when food was scarce.
There was an article about this a few months ago in the National Post.
They’ve set it up so you can’t link directly to the article, but if you go to their “60 day search” function for the paper at the side of the page (not the “Search the web” function at the top of the page) and type in:
Student dupes prestigious journal
it will take you to the story.