With the widespread use of digital media as a tool for documentation, creation, preservation, and sharing of audio-visual content, new strategies are required to deal with this type of “data” for research and analysis purposes. This article describes and advances the methodological process of using documentary film as a strategy for qualitative inquiry. Insights are drawn from a multimedia study that explored Inuit-caribou relationships in Labrador, Canada, through the co-production of community-based, research-oriented, participatory documentary film work. Specifically, we outline: 1) the influence of documentary film on supporting the project conceptualization and collaboration with diverse groups of people; 2) the strength of conducting filmed interviews for in-depth data collection, while recognizing how place and activities are intimately connected to participant perspectives; and 3) a new and innovative analytical approach that uses video software to examine qualitative data, keep participants connected to their knowledge, and simultaneously work toward creating high impact storytelling outputs. The flexibility and capacity of documentary film to mobilize knowledge and intentionally create research outputs for specific target audiences is also discussed. Continued and future integration of documentary film into qualitative research is recommended for creatively enhancing our abilities to not only produce strong, rich, and dynamic research outputs, but also simultaneously to explore and communicate diverse knowledges, experiences, and stories.

Across Inuit Nunangat, Inuit rely on wildlife for food security, cultural continuity, intergenerational learning, and livelihoods. Caribou has been an essential species for Inuit for millennia, providing food, clothing, significant cultural practices, and knowledge-sharing. Current declines in many caribou populations—often coupled with hunting moratoriums—have significant impacts on Inuit food, culture, livelihoods, and well-being. Following an Inuit-led approach, this study characterized Inuit-caribou relationships; explored Inuit perspectives on how caribou have been managed; and identified opportunities for sustaining the Mealy Mountain Caribou. Qualitative data were collected in Rigolet, Nunatsiavut, Labrador, Canada through 21 in-depth interviews and two community open houses. Data were analyzed using constant comparative methods and thematic analysis. Rigolet Inuit described: how conservation management decisions had disrupted important connections among caribou and Inuit, particularly related to food, culture, and well-being; the socio-cultural and emotional impacts of the criminalization of an important cultural practice, as well as perceived inequities in wildlife conservation enforcement; and the frustration, anger, and hurt with not being heard or included in caribou management decisions. These results provide insights into experiences of historic and ongoing colonial wildlife management decisions, and highlight future directions for management initiatives for the health and well-being of Inuit and caribou.

Many Rangifer tarandus (caribou or reindeer) populations across North America have been declining, posing a variety of challenges for Indigenous communities that depend on the species for physical and cultural sustenance. This article used a scoping review methodology to systematically examine and characterize the nature, extent, and range of articles published in academic journals on the connection between Rangifer and Indigenous well-being in the Arctic and Subarctic regions of North America. Two reviewers independently used eligibility criteria to identify and screen abstracts and titles and then screen full texts of each potentially relevant article. To be included in this review, articles had to discuss linkages between Rangifer and Indigenous well-being in the North American Arctic and Subarctic and be published prior to 2018. A total of 4279 articles were identified and screened for relevance; 58 articles met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed using descriptive quantitative and thematic qualitative methods. Results characterized the depth and diversity of what we know about Rangifer for Indigenous culture, food security, livelihoods, psychological well-being, and social connections across North America in the academic literature. Several gaps were identified. Little is known about the psychological ties between Rangifer and Indigenous Peoples and the influence of Rangifer-related change on Indigenous well-being and adaptive capacity. We urgently need to know more about the emotional connections that arise from Indigenous-Rangifer linkages, the effectiveness of adaptive strategies, and the intergenerational implications of Rangifer-related change. Further, enhanced inclusion of Indigenous Peoples in the production of knowledge on this topic is fundamental to the future of understanding Indigenous-Rangifer relationships.

Many caribou populations are declining across the Circumpolar North, presenting challenges for many Indigenous Peoples who have deep and enduring relationships with this animal. In Labrador, Canada, caribou herds have recently experienced population declines, including the George River herd, which has dropped by 99% from its peak, leading to the enactment of a total hunting ban in 2013 issued by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. The decline and subsequent hunting ban have affected various aspects of Inuit well-being. Using Inuit-led multi-media methods, this project heard voices of Inuit across the Nunatsiavut and NunatuKavut regions in Labrador, Canada, which (1) described the importance of caribou for Inuit social connections, (2) explored the ways in which the changes in caribou populations and management strategies are influencing these social connections, and (3) discussed the meaning and value of these social connections for Inuit well-being and the sustainability of Inuit-caribou relationships into the future. Data from video interviews (Nunatsiavut region: n = 54; NunatuKavut region: n = 30) were collected and analyzed using video and photography-based methods. Results characterized how caribou are important social connectors: human-caribou relationships are core to Inuit socialization, inter-connection, and shared experience and memory regarding families, communities, and food and knowledge sharing across Labrador’s landscape. Thus, declines in caribou populations and associated social interaction have had serious implications for Inuit identity, livelihoods, emotional well-being, cultural continuity, and knowledge transfer. In order to support the broader social-ecological system and the well-being of those who are connected to caribou, increased understanding and integration of these social connections into caribou-related decision making and research is recommended.