NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Inuvialuit Settlement Region, Gwich'in Settlement Area, Dehcho Region, North Slave Region, South Slave Region

Tags: social sciences, PPE, indigenous clothing

Objective(s): To investigate how Indigenous clothing components could be a part of harsh weather personal protective equipment (PPE), leading to increased personal safety and security in Arctic environments.

Project Description: This licence has been issued for the scientific research application No.5212. The overall objective of this project is to investigate how Indigenous clothing components could be a part of harsh weather personal protective equipment (PPE), leading to increased personal safety and security in Arctic environments. There are four main tasks for the research project: 1) Four northern crafting partners will determine the types of garments to be evaluated, identify the crafters chosen from across Inuit Nunangat and northern First Nations communities, and evaluate the best methodology to be used to share, with permission, Indigenous Knowledge in this subject area; 2) Working with Aurora Research Institute (ARI), a northern researcher will compile knowledge on relevant clothing types, preferences, garment care and use, by speaking with Hunter and Trapper Organization members, Coast Guard Auxiliary, and the Canadian Rangers. The research team will also document northern clothing use by Fisheries and Oceans, Canadian Coast Guard Parks Canada and Department of National Defense staff; 3) The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) will evaluate the thermal protection provided by the chosen garments. This testing will be performed using the Thermal Measurement Lab and NRC's thermal manikin (NEMO). NEMO is a thermal manikin that can be used to measure the amount of insulation provided by individual clothing garments, or an entire ensemble. The thermal resistance measurements can then be converted into a clo value (a unit of measurement commonly used in the textile industry to quantify insulation). These clo values can be used to allow comparisons to be made to conventional, commercially available clothing. It will be possible to calculate the temperature ratings of the Indigenous clothing which will allow for the performance to be quantified in a more practical framework (e.g. This coat will allow an individual to remain warm in -20°C air); and 4) The final step of this project will be to evaluate, at a high level, considerations such as how garment construction, care, costs and contracting may influence the ability of federal departments to purchase these examples of Indigenous clothing for incorporation into personal protective equipment or uniforms for their staff. At an early stage, the project will work closely with its craft partners to determine the most appropriate communications for their regions. Working with ARI and the northern research assistant, the research team will establish the best means to reach those to be interviewed, whether that is through posters, direct calls to overarching organizations, personal connections, etc. Upon completion of the test program, a report will be prepared for the project partners that presents the analyses and any recommendations in detail. A teleconference will be held with the project partners to disseminate the results, and if desired, examine next steps. With permission from, and co-written by, the craft councils, a journal article will be prepared for submission to a relevant publication, based upon the final report. It is anticipated that the northern researcher’s work could similarly be published, at their discretion and with support as required. Plain-language research posters will be created and translated into relevant Indigenous languages for distribution through the craft council partners. In consultation with the craft council partners, if there are dissemination methods (Facebook, radio, for example) that would be more suitable for dissemination, those methods will be given a priority, within the available scope and budget of the project. Results of the thermal properties study will be publicly available. The Indigenous Knowledge collected to inform the research will be published separately, and only with permission. That data from that aspect of the research will be held in accordance with Indigenous guidance on data ownership and control. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from April 20, 2022 to December 31, 2022