The Inuit

What are they?

Inuk as their singular, or Inuit for plural, are an old culture living in the northern areas of the world, who have lived there in the freezing cold for thousands of years. Their lives revolved around the animals they hunted, from their use as housing and clothing, to the meat they gave the Inuit.

Where do they live?

Inuit live in the northern regions of Alaska, Canada, Greenland, and Siberia, and they used to live in houses of ice and snow, or animal skin stretched over driftwood or whalebones. They call their homes igloos.

What were their lives like?

Inuit were fishers and hunters, who ate mainly meats. They hunted whales, seal, birds, fish, and many other animals. Inuit wore seal and walrus intestines, because it was warm and waterproof. They also wore caribou jackets, that were so warm it made them sweat. The skin of the animals they hunted was used for various things, and their oil for lamps and cooking. They used bones, ivory, and wood to make tools.

When?

Around 4,000 BCE humans came over to the Americas. Around 1,000 CE, the Inuit starting populating Canada and Greenland. When they first met the Norse, they just traded. In 1576, Europeans landed, and took an Inuk back with them to England. In around the 1950's they started making proper contact with them. They brought their diseases, alcohol, and laws. They suffered bad, and their ways of life changed dramatically. Around this time, the Canadian Government also realized they had to settle the Arctic fast, or else the Americans or Soviets will claim it. They sent up Inuit families 2 thousand kilometers north, now called the High Arctic Exiles, to live there, to ensure the Arctic would be settled by Canadians. These Inuit had to change their ways of life, to fit the harsh environment, the homes they could live in, and the animals they could use. They were later paid compensation in 1996.

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