UTSUK: A Story of Fat

The UTSUK program was a research initiative funded through the International Polar Year, ArcticNet and Northern Contaminants research programs in Canada to look at the relationships between environmental change, marine fats and Inuit health and well-being in the Arctic. The project involved researchers in the environmental, health and social sciences working in collaboration with Inuit organizations, knowledge holders, hunters, Elders and communities.

The changes taking place and interactions between aspects of the Arctic environment and Inuit health and society were the impetus for the development of research aimed at understanding the nature, role and importance of marine fats in Inuit diet, and ultimately Inuit health, and how that may be changing in relation to a variety of different forces.

This video documentary introduces aspects of the research project and explores the larger topic of environmental, social and cultural change and health transition among Inuit and other Indigenous Peoples. It emphasizes the value of the relationship that exists for Inuit, and other Indigenous Peoples, between their health and that of their environment through their connection with country foods harvested from the land and sea. Further, it discusses the challenges to and importance of maintaining aspects of a healthy diet in the context of a changing world.