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8TuesdayJuly292014ByMEAGANWOHLBERGThepopularadageofdi-amondsasawomansbestfriendisthesubjectofcri-tiqueinanongoingcom-munityresearchprojectthatisseekingwomensexperi-encesofdiamondminingintheNorthwestTerritories.YorkUniversityPhDcandidateRebeccaHallisconductinginterviewscommunitydiscussionsandfocusgroupsinYel-lowknifeandBehchokooverthesummerforherpoliticalsciencedisserta-tionwithassistancefromtheNativeWomensAsso-ciationoftheNWT.Aformervictimservicescoordinatorfortheassocia-tionHallbecameacquaintedwiththediamondminingindustrywhilelivinginYellowknifeveyearsagowhereitpermeatesevery-daylife.Thoughminingisoftenamainstreamtopicofdiscus-sionshesaidanalysisrarelycrossesoverintotheareaofsocialexperienceparticu-larlyinvolvinggenderandhopesherndingswillbeofsomeusetotheNortherncommunity.Thefocusondiamondminingwhenitcomestolarge-scalemediaorgov-ernmentreportingissooftenontheeconomicsideofthingssoIthoughtfo-cusingondoingamoresocio-economicapproachandfocusingonwomenbringsupsomeoftheten-sionsthatIthinkareoftensortofunderthesurfaceofhowweseediamondminesshesaid.Thosetensionsshesaidcanbefoundbetweenworkingintheminesandcare-workathomeorbe-tweenminecultureandlifeinYellowknifeandthesur-roundingcommunities.MostofthewomenwhoHallhasinterviewedsofararethosewhosepartnerorformerpartnerworksorworkedforthediamondminesandthosewhoworktherethemselves.Othersarenotdirectlyinvolvedintheindustrybuthavereectionstomakeontheimpactoftheminesontheirfamiliesorcommunity.ThestorieshavelandedonawidespectrumHallsaid.Onewomansaiddi-amondminesarejustawonderfulthingfortheirfamilythemoneyisgreatandtheykindofenjoytheindependencefromeachother.IhearthingslikethatHallsaid.ButthenIvealsoheardsomereallynegativestorieswomenwhofeelthatthediamondmineshavebeenahugeburdenontheirfamilyandaburdenonthembecauseessentiallyalotofwomenfeelthattheyendupbeingsingleparentshalfthetime.Andnotonlydotheyfeelthattheyresingleparentsinthetwoweekswhenhesawaybutwhenhecomesbacktheresinevitablygoingtobesomedifficultyshiftingbackintoaroutinethatyourenotusedto.Socertainlywomenhaveex-pressedfrustrationex-haustion-thingslikethat.Apartfromone-on-oneinterviewsHallhashostedonecommunitydiscussionthroughtheNativeWomensAssociationandhasalsoconductedtwofocusgroupsincludingpeoplelikesocialworkerswhoareabletocom-mentmorebroadlyonsomeoftheissuesbeingraisedinrelationtomineworksuchasincreasedsubstanceabuseanddomesticviolence.OneofthebigthingsthatpeopletalkaboutisjusthowmuchmoneychangesatownandthatsbothapositiveandnegativebutitsaveryrealthingHallsaid.WhatIhearwhenIaskaboutbroadercommu-nitytrendsisthattheressomuchpotentialforin-vestmentinthecommu-nityandsometimesitshappeninganditsgreatbutsometimesitsnotandthemoneycanjustleadtoexacerbatingexistingso-cialissues.Aswellastalkingabouttheimpactsoftheworkandincomeontheirliveswomenarealsosharingcon-cernsabouttheindustrialimpactonthelandscape.Despiteacknowledgingpositiveshiftsintheen-vironmentalpracticesofcompaniesoverthelastde-cadeHallsaidwomenarestillworried.Definitelyalotofpeoplehavespokenabouttheen-vironmentalimpacts.Iveheardalotofconcernsmainlywheninterview-ingAboriginalpeopleaboutthecaribouherdsshesaid.Butprobablythebiggestthing...isjustkindofafearoftheunknownwhatdoesitmeantodigthesemassiveholesinthisfragilelandscapeThefactthatwedontknowthean-swertothatfromwhatIveheardfromsomefolksisnotokay.HallandtheNativeWom-ensAssociationwillbehostinganothercommu-nitydiscussionontheim-pactsofdiamondminingonNorthernwomenonTues-dayAug.5at100p.m.attheassociationsofcelo-catedat490250thAve.inYellowknife.DiamondsarentalwaysagirlsbestfriendresearcherPoliticsResourceExtractionByMEAGANWOHLBERGAnanthropologistwhomadeHayRiverthesiteofmostofheruniversityre-searchhasreturnedtotheNWTcommunitytocollectstoriesoflifeinthetownsmostvisible-andinfamous-buildingthedowntownhighrise.LindsayBellwholivedinthehighriseforayearwhileresearchinglabourandminingsaidthebuild-ingandthelivesithouseswerecentraltoherstudiesbutacademicconstraintskeptherfromincludingtoomanyofitsstoriesinherthesis.Nowsheisrevisitingtheiconicbuildinganditsten-antsforabookthatwillshow-casethehistoryhumanityandcomplexityoflifeinthehighrise.Theresthisfamousso-ciologistwhosaysCanadaisnotamosaiclikeamo-saiconatablebutaverticalmosaicwithcertainpeople-whiteanglophones-onthetopandthendifferentmi-noritiesonthewaydownBellsaid.Thehighriseisorganizedlikethat.Therespublicservantsonthetopormiddleclassprofessionalsandyouworkyourwaydownanditgetstobedifferentethnicities-sometimestemporaryforeignworkersandalsoAboriginalpeopleeventhosefromacrosstheriver.Soitreallyisakindofsnapshot.Bellsaidtheapartmentcomplexformstheper-fectlittlethreadsthatweavetogethertheCana-dianexperiencelikethestoryofamanfromNewBrunswickwholefthisun-employedlifeinacartocometoHayRiverwherehisapartmentwaspaidforbyhisemployertoalocalwomanfleeingdomesticabuseintothetransitionzonethehighriseoftenprovides.Bellsinterestalsoliesinthestoriesthataretoldaboutthehighriseandthepeopleinit.Whilestoriesofcrimeanddanger-evenmurder-aboundBellsaidhertimetherewasalmostdisappoint-inglyuneventful.Aswellthosewhospokeaboutthebuildinginnegativetermsoftenhadnorsthandfa-miliaritywiththeplaceoritsresidents.Itseasytopassjudge-mentonpeopleyoudontspendtimewithshesaid.Itsinfamywithoutintimacy.Thisbookistobringintimacytothehighrise.WhiletheresidentsofthebuildingactasamicrocosmforviewingNorthernandCanadiansocietyBellsaidthebuildingitselfalsopro-videsalotofinsightsintomodernhistoryandthewaypeopleconceptualizetheirfutures.FormeIlikeditbe-causeitsaniconofmod-ernizationBellsaidofthebuildingbuiltinthe1970s.ItsatthisreallycrucialpointinthehistoryofCanadaandtheTerrito-rieswheretheresthisideaaboutmakingtheNorthmodern.ForBellthedecayingstructureisnotnecessarilyasymboloffailurebutareminderthattheshinyim-ageswehaveofthefuturearentnecessarilyrealistic.Whatwereoncebigurbandreamsofanundergroundmallandparkinglotareob-viousno-showsintheresi-dence-oftenreferredtoasaneyesorebythepublic-thatisindireneedofex-pensiveupdatesandrepairs.Similarlythestoriesofthebuildingsresidentswhileoccasionallyextraor-dinaryprovideanintimateviewintothemundaneday-to-daysufferingandsuc-cessessharedbyhumansofallbackgrounds-oneofeverydaypeopletryingtogetbyBellsaid.Thoughwhatconstitutesaproblemdiffersfromper-sontopersondependingonwhotheyareandwheretheycomefromconstraintsarefeltbythecharactersacrosstheboardshesaid.Thatsthecommonde-nominatorpeoplearetryingtolivethebestlivesthattheyunderstandbutpeopledonthavethesameideaofwhatthatisandwhatspossibleforpeopleisntthesameei-therBellsaid.Thehighriseservesassortofavantagepointontotheissues.AnthropologistprolesHayRiverhighriseinnewbookArtsCultureBooksPhotoJesseColinJacksonAnthropolgistLindsayBellbelievesHayRiversinfamoushigh-riseisavantagepointforexploringavarietyofsocialissues.PhotocourtesyofRebeccaHallPoliticalsciencestudentRebeccaHallisinterviewingwomeninYellowknifeandBehchokoabouttheirexperi-encessurroundingdiamondmining.