International Polar Year 2007-2008
To facilitate the submission of arctic social science and humanities proposals to the International Council for Science (ICSU) for prospective endorsement as IPY projects, IASSA has launched an initiative to create a vigorous exchange of ideas, discussion, and active communication. The following was submitted to IASSA on its form at IASSA IPY Facilitation Initiative:

Martin Nweeia: Inuit and Western Descriptions of the Narwhal, Connecting Parallel Perceptions: Studies of the Narwhal Tooth Expeditions and Research Investigation
Email: martin_nweeia@hsdm.harvard.edu and/or visit www.narwhal.org

We welcome collaboration

Abstract
Scientists with myriad backgrounds, and Inuit elders with traditional knowledge will combine results and insights to discover the purpose and function of the erupted tusk of the narwhal. This extraordinary tooth defies most of the principles and properties of teeth and remains a scientific enigma. Findings about its form and function will add to the evolutionary knowledge for this odd adaptation and will, because of unique findings of anatomy and histology recently discovered by this team, further define sensory capabilities of mammalian teeth. Scientific results have already begun to direct interest in future models of dental material design as the hard tissue of the narwhal tusk possesses a combination of unusual flexibility and strength characteristics that is highly desirable in restorative materials. These same tusk traits were observed by the Inuit before the laboratory testing was completed, and the results were reported. Likewise, traditional knowledge elucidates many aspects of narwhal anatomy, function, and behavior.

Description
Both the knowledge of Inuit elders and the findings of scientists are needed for a more complete understanding of the narwhal, Qilalugaq qernertaq. Often these worlds run parallel to each other. Scientists collect and analyze data without consulting Inuit elders. Similarly, elders do not choose among scientific results when deciding which information will be preserved within their oral traditions. Field work will continue in the recording of Inuit traditional knowledge about the narwhal and is important for two reasons. First, some Inuit are astute observers of nature and their environment. Elders have the added advantage of observing the narwhal in various situations and conditions over a broader span of time. Second, they are able to comment on and help clarify scientific findings that are conflicting and mired in confusion. At the onset of the study, it became apparent that another value of these recordings was to preserve this knowledge. As younger Inuit become displaced from their hunting traditions and lifestyle, they are showing less interest in learning about them. The communities of Pond Inlet, Arctic Bay, Clyde River and Brouton Island have been identified as locations within Nunavut, Canada having strong associations with narwhal. Those in Greenland have also been identified as Qaanaaq, Disco Bay, Hunde Ejland, and Uummannaaq. A questionnaire of approximately 60 questions has been compiled and translated into one Inuktitut dialect and used for 8 interviews of elders in Pond Inlet and Arctic Bay. Interviews have been and will continue to be conducted with interpreters present and recorded using a 3 CCD video and digital or tape audio format. We are still seeking translators and interpreters for the remaining communities and contacts to facilitate the collection of information.

Scientific studies in anatomy, histology and cellular biology are currently being conducted by the principle investigator and collaborators to elucidate tusk function. Anatomical variations of narwhal will be described from previous field and laboratory dissection, computerized scans (CT, MRI and micro CT), analysis of museum specimens, and interviews with Inuit elders. Though we have visited and begun photometric analysis of narwhal skeletal collections at the Museum of Nature in Canada, Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen, the Smithsonian Institution and the American Museum of Natural History, we are still seeking others that may have additional collections, particularly those with rare specimens. Anatomic plates of narwhal anatomy will be completed based on these findings. Recent scientific results have directed attention to ice formation and salinity gradients in the Arctic, so we are seeking collaborative efforts with investigators collecting and mapping this information in Arctic waters.

Joint presentations with the principle investigator and Inuit elders will be encouraged and planned to express the value of scientific collaboration with Inuit elders. Our main objective in this social science component study is to move these parallel perceptions of Western scientific thinking and Inuit Elder traditional knowledge into a single line of understanding and appreciation for the narwhal and potentially other Arctic species.

Collaborating Institutions
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Paffenbarger Research Center; Smithsonian Institution, Marine Mammal Program and the Arctic Studies Center; Hauschka Bone Laboratory, Children's Hospital, Boston and Harvard School of Medicine; John Hopkins, School of Medicine, Imaging Department; Harvard School of Dental Medicine; Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology; Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Arctic Research Division; Steinbichler Optotechnik, Optimal CAE, Inc., Engineering Metrology Group; Astromed, Inc.; Polar Institute of Japan; University of Tokyo International Coastal Research Center, Ocean Research Institute; Nunavut Wildlife Management Board; Nunavut Research Institute; Hunters and Trappers Organizations within Nunavut; Research Institute, Neuroscience Laboratory, Olin Neuropsychiatry Research Ctr, Institute of Living, Hartford, CT; Webb Research Corporation.


Sincere thanks to the U.S. National Science Foundation for support for the IASSA IPY facilitation initiative.

Questions? Contact Anne Sudkamp at <fyiassa@uaf.edu>.

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 This page was last modified November 22, 2005 by Anne Sudkamp