Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/understanding-culture-through-play/5012558/
"Let's play here," says the eager Christian, taking my hand. As an infrequent visitor to Tungasuvvingat Inuit Head Start, I am glad that a child invites me to join his play. I enjoy relating to a child in such a fascinating medium, and I am comfortable taking the role of player (Jones and Reynolds, 1992). I am also curious to find out if in his dramatic play Christian will generate symbols that express understanding of his expanding knowledge of Inuits' northern lifestyle. Here are my observation notes, recorded soon after playing with him:I quickly discover that my companion is a capable pretend player. In the short time we play together, Christian switches roles easily - he is a daddy, mommy, baby, and fish, and he encourages me to play multiple roles as well. Christian's play reveals knowledge of traditional Inuit lifestyle and, with the encouragement of his teacher, he uses some Inuktitut vocabulary.
The Tungasuvvingat Inuit Head Start
. . . urban areas present special challenges for the survival of aboriginal cultures. These challenges come in part because many of the traditional sources of aboriginal culture - contact with the land, elders, aboriginal languages, and spiritual ceremonies - are difficult to maintain ...