Polar Husky A to Z
Being
Today Inuit around the circumpolar north live in communities of houses. Inuit do build igloos at times. Like if they are traveling on the land, if they are out hunting or if they are having a celebration or gathering. With the right snow a skilled Inuk can easily build an igloo for two in less than an hour!
'Inuit' which means "the people," is a general term for the Native peoples living along the coast of the Arctic Ocean. One person is called an 'Inuk.'
In 1977 the Inuit Circumpolar Conference, held in Barrow, Alaska, officially adopted Inuit as the replacement for the term Eskimo.
Eskimo was a name given to the Inuit by the Algonquin American Indian people who lived south of the Canadian Inuit in Canada. The first official contact with 'Kabloona' (white man) was in the middle of the 18th century (Inuit began using the term Kabloona - qallunaaq or qablunaaq - to describe white Europeans because of their qalluit, the bushy eyebrows that the Inuit saw as the distinctive feature of Europeans). Much regular contact did not take place until the beginning of the 20th century when the 'Arctic nations' (Canada, Denmark, Russia and the United States) started forcing Inuit to change their way of life. Most Inuit still lived on the land as traditional nomads just 40 years ago when they were forced to settle in communities across the north in the 1960's. Many of the today's Inuit Elders were born and grew up in igloos and summer tents on the land.
Living off the ocean and the land, Inuit hunt Arctic animals such as whale, walrus, caribou, and seal, polar bear, musk oxen and birds. The Arctic is tundra or a polar desert and has little vegetation. So the Inuit traditionally supplement their diet with edible lichen, berries and even seaweed. This diet of fats, proteins and very low sugar content is what has made it possible for the Inuit to survive in the harsh Arctic conditions for thousands of years. Traditionally fuel resources were limited (primarily seal oil) and thus traditionally foods are often eaten raw, either frozen or aged.
The Native language of Inuit vary based on geography and cultural tradition, but includes Inuktituk and Yup'ik.
Ivalu is the Yu'pik word for sinew, which is the thread that Native Arctic people use to sew their traditional skin clothing. Ivalu is made from the fibrous tendons found along the spinal column and back legs of the caribou. It can also be made from the esophagus of seal or waterfowl, intestines and rectal canal of sea mammals and bear, even the covering of a whale's tongue.
Native traditional clothing is absolutely superior as protection in Arctic conditions. The design, techniques, and skills by both hunter and seamstress have been passed on from generation to generation. The historic expeditions that successfully explored the ends of the earth all depended on this shared knowledge; and today still much of Arctic design is prevalent in extreme weather gear.
The kayak is one of the most famous designs that have spread around the globe. Traditionally covered in sealskin these slim boats are very fast and buoyant. Even if one flips over a kayak in the ice-cold Arctic Ocean, it can easily be turned back over while sitting in it. This is called an 'eskimo-roll' The kayak is a boat for hunting. For travel in larger groups the Inuit built "umiaq." The name means 'woman's boat' because it is women that traditionally handle it. It is a very large, open boat made out of skins and bones for transporting people, goods and dogs.
Animism (all things have a spirit) is an important part of the Inuit way of life, and so is closely observing animals and nature. In the winter the Inuit find or make breathing holes in the sea ice to hunt sea mammals, like seals. The Inuk stand by the hole - sometimes for hours - and wait for a seal to come up to the hole for air. It is said that the Inuit learned this hunting technique by observing the polar bear!
The close ties with the land and its spiritual world are expressed in Inuit art - sculptures, carvings, print making - and in their dancing and music such as throat singing. Making art is an important part of being Inuit, it helps many Inuit make a living and Inuit artists are world-renowned. Inuit today work in all sectors of the economy, including mining, oil and gas, construction, government and administrative services. Guiding tourists on dogsled and hunting expeditions, tourism is also a growing industry. Most still supplement their income through subsistence living - hunting and living off the land. This connection with the land and traditional knowledge is very important to being Inuit.
Being Inuit in the 21st century should not be underestimated. Forced by governments to change their way of life in a very fast motion over less than 50 years, Inuit have to balance two very different worlds - the western culture and the traditional Inuit culture.
Today remote Inuit communities face serious challenges such as severe unemployment, difficult housing and not least climate change.
However, in the history of man few peoples have survived such hardships as the Inuit, and the Inuit have only been able survive in the Arctic because of their incredible ability to adjust and change - living, dancing and always laughing...with Nature.
"Throughout history Inuit...traveled in step with the seasons, inland across barren tundra and back to the coastline. They hunted the wildlife that would nourish their families: caribou, seal, fish, walrus and whale. Our traditional lifestyle is here to stay, even if we spend as much time surfing the Internet as checking fishing nets...Some people thought that just because we no longer live in igloos or travel only by dog teams that we were no longer 'real Inui.' We live in wooden houses, drive Jeep Cherokees and fly jumbo jets all over the world. But we are still Inuit. It is our spirit, our inner being, which makes us Inuit" - John Amagoalik, from The Nunavut Handbook
Links to Learn More
- See pictures of Inuit clothing and learn more about traditional, children's, dance, and contemporary clothing. Learn more >>
- What does Inuit throat singing music sound like? Watch a short video. Learn more >>
- Understand animism, the spirit of all things. Learn more >>
- Find out why kayak means "hunter's boat." Learn more >>here
