This in-depth three year study examines Inupiat Eskimo childrearing in Northwest Alaska. The investigation fills a 30 year gap in information about childrearing beliefs and practices in village Alaska within the context of rapidly changing social and cultural norms. A particular focus will be on the divergence of attitudes and how they impact children. Following a pilot study of extended families in Kotzebue, intergenerational families in remote villages (Noorvik, Kiana) will be examined. This triangulated approach to data collection includes traditional anthropological fieldwork and participant observation, combined with life-history interviews of family members by trained local villagers. The study is intended to advance the science of cross-cultural family theory and child development, as well as to provide information on contemporary parenting for the Northwest Arctic Borough.
