Akiak Nori was raised in Arviat, Nunavut, and then
attended a career school in Thunder Bay, Ontario, majoring
in electronic technology. Approaching graduation, he
sorted through dozens of job offers he had obtained, several
of which did not even require an in-person interview.
Akiak accepted a position with a construction company
in Sudbury, Ontario, because of the job opportunities
and the long brisk winters that would be natural and comfortable
for him. He was assigned to a construction team
for new buildings, and was also assigned maintenance
work for existing electronic systems in office buildings,
factories, and mills.
Akiak's goal from the first day on the job was to perform
well and fit in with his co-workers. He recognized
that fitting in with a non-Eskimo group would require
some patience on his part. Akiak had been counselled by
several teachers that patience was not one of his strong
points.
During employee orientation, two other new employees
asked Akiak if his name meant "kayak" in Eskimo language.
With a smile, Akiak replied, "No, it means brave. I
guess my parents thought I would have to be brave to grow
up in Arviat, where you have to be tough to survive."
Later that morning, Akiak was asked if ice fishing and
seal hunting were his two favourite sports. "Not at all,"
said Akiak, smiling. "We had a first-rate hockey rink in
town, so I got to love hockey. And, I'm a big Sudbury
Wolves [a Junior A Hockey team] fan. That's why I took a
job in Sudbury."
During lunch, Mary, another new employee, asked
Akiak, "Tell me Akiak, are you an Eskimo? Or are you an
Inuit? I don't want to make a mistake."
Akiak responded, "It's no mistake to call me an
Eskimo. It's no mistake to call me an Inuit. Some people
think that the term 'Eskimo' is wrong, and that we should
be called Inuit. It doesn't matter to me or to my friends and
family. We like both terms.
"Yet, Mary, the mistake you are making is not thinking
of me as just another Canadian. Nunavut is one of the
Canadian territories. We vote. And we learn English in
school and eat at McDonald's."
"I'm sorry," said Mary. "I was just trying to be friendly."
Ned, the supervisor of the orientation program, said to
the group. "I think we have asked Akiak enough about his
cultural heritage for now. Yet I have just one favour to ask
Akiak. I wish he would show us how he positions his arm,
head, and body to spear a big fish."
Akiak said with a sarcastic tone, "Time out. I'm taking
a break from this orientation right now. I have to go back
to my igloo and chew on some frozen fish."
Case Questions
1. What does this case tell us about cultural sensitivity?
2. How might have Akiak's co-workers related better to
him during the orientation?
3. How might have Akiak done a better job of relating to
his new co-workers so far?
4. Does Akiak "have an attitude" (a negative attitude
problem)?