The Inuit Eskimo is the word referring to the people living in the Arctic region and it means 'eater of raw flesh'.

The term Eskimo is insultive and we should avoid using it. We should use the term Inuit instead. The Inuit is politically correct word and it means the people. The word Inuit is already in Plural (a singular is Inuk).

The Inuit are the indigenous people of the Arctic. They live in Greenland, Canada, the United States (Alaska) and Russia. The Inuit are one of the most widely dispersed people in the world.

The Inuit live in cold environment and in the harshest conditions. The Inuit have been hunters - they have hunted massive walrus, seal, fish, caribou (reindeer) and polar bears. Polar bears have been hunted in spring. Caribou has provided them with food and warm fur. In winter fishing has been practised through the ice holes. They hunted with bows and arrows, harpoons, fishing spears and traps.

The Inuit diet has mostly been based on meat and fish, and therefore very high in protein. A high percentage of their food has been fatty, which has given them energy in the cold weather. The Inuit collected grasses, roots, berries and seaweed. There have been many traditional ways to prepare food: drying, cooking in seal oil, or burying it until it ferments naturally. Some foods aren’t cooked at all.

The most common thing associated with Inuit is an igloo. A word igloo actually means a house. However, most Inuit do not actually live in a dwelling built from ice and snow. Nowadays, Inuit live in wood, stone, and even cement buildings. They have heating devices to keep themselves warm in the colder months.

All clothing was made from various animal skins and furs. Traditionally, Inuit women tanned seal and caribou skins to make clothing. Boots were also made from animal skins. Today clothes are mainly bought from a store. But some still make traditional clothes but usually use modern materials.

The Inuit used sleds pulled by dogs. But in modern times many dogsleds have been replaced by snowmobiles. They also travel by speed boats, trucks, ATV’s, and motorized canoes.

Kayak, a hunter boat, was an Inuit invention and it is still widely used today. However, Kayaks were mostly used for hunting while larger boats called umiaqs transported people, dogs and supplies.

Inuit and their ancestors have been expert carvers for thousands of years. As well as tools and weapons, they carved art objects from bone, ivory and wood. Ancestors of todays Inuit carved birds, bears and other land and sea mammals, human figures and masks.

The Inuit may greet by rubbing their noses, however not in public. Inuit tend not to display strong emotions publicly as this is considered immature.

Poetry and dance have been important to the Inuit; storytelling has remained an important part of their culture. Many Inuit myths and legends tell how humans and other living beings are all connected in a powerful universe.

The languages of the Inuit can be divided into eastern branch (Inuktitut languages) and western languages (Yupik languages). Each community has their own distinctive dialect; there are similarities between close communities.

In the past Inuit children would learn through observation and imitation, whereas in modern times the Inuit children attend schools in their own communities.

The Eskimo religion is animist. The Inuit believe that all the beings and objects possess a spirit, a soul, which is an appendix of the body and has the same shape, even if smaller. An average person cannot see a soul, but shamans can. Shamans are believed to talk to the spirits.

The Inuit consider Inukshuks sacred objects. An Inukshuk is a stone monument made out of piles of stones. Inukshuks have served as markers pointing out the direction and therefore vital for surviving.

The Inuit have always had great respect for the land and animals.

Every culture has its mythical monsters - Qallupilluk, literally meaning “The Monster”, was the Inuit people’s one.

Question:Answers

TRUE OR FALSE?

1.The Inuit are the indigenous people of the Arctic.

2.The Inuit is politically correct word; it is the plural of the word Inuk

3.The word Eskimo is insulting.

4.The Inuit live in the arctic regions of Greenland, Canada, the United States (Alaska) and Russia

5.The Inuit have little respect for nature.

6.Nowadays the Inuit children don’t go to school.

7.Kayak is a type of boat.

8.Nowadays the majority of Inuit still live in igloos.

9.The Inuit have been good at carving.

10.The lives of Inuit have remained unchanged.

11.Shamans are believed to communicate to spirits.

12.Inukshuk are sacred objects.

13.The Inuit believe that all the beings and objects possess a spirit.

Questions:

1.Do some Inuit still hunt and fish?

2.Name some animals that were hunted by the Inuit?

3.What were their traditional clothes made of?

4.How do the Inuit travel in modern times?

5.What are some of the social problems regarding the Inuit?

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