The Inuit

Inhabitants of the Arctic

The Inuit live in Alaska, Northern Canada and Greenland, and Chukotka in Russia. They are short and strong with black hair and slanting eyes. In the past, they were also known as Eskimos.

The Inuit reached Alaska about 12,000 years ago. They came from north-eastern; Asia via the Bering Strait. Their population today is about 150,000.

The Inuit are isolated from the rest of the world by ice. Over the centuries, they have developed ways to survive in freezing temperatures.

Traditional activities

Plants will not grow in such a cold climate, so traditional Inuit activities were hunting and fishing.

In the past, the Inuit were nomads. They followed the migration of the animals they hunted. In winter, they killed seals, bears, and walruses and went fishing on the ice. In summer, they travelled inland to hunt the caribou.

They used dogs for hunting and pulling sledges, which were their main means of transport on land. On the sea they used kayaks, which are boats made from wood, whale bones and animal skins.

The Inuit made use of every part of the animals they hunted. This included the meat, fat, skin, and bones which they used for food, clothes, building houses and making hunting tools.

The igloo was the traditional house of the Inuit. It was round and made of blocks of ice. It had one room heated by a lamp which used oil or seal fat. The temperature inside the igloo was maintained by the insulation of the ice and the shape of the entrance tunnel.

The Inuit today

Contact with the western world has changed the traditional way of life of the Inuit. Nowadays they spend the winter in small villages in houses made of wood. They have radios, television, schools, and they work in mines, towns, airports and on oil rigs. They live in tents made from animal skins only while hunting in the summer. Igloos are only used in emergencies such as snowstorms.

In the past, they hunted with bows, arrows and bone-tipped spears. Today they use firearms and motorboats.

Respect for nature and for others

Before the arrival of the Europeans, the Inuit lived in family groups. Neighbouring families cooperated with each other in order to survive.

The Inuit have their own language, with four very similar dialects and a rich oral literary tradition, based on stories, epic poems and songs.

The Inuit believe in the existence of gods which do not have to be worshipped or prayed to. Sedna is the goddess of the sea and Sila the spirit of the air. Luna, who lives with her brother Sol, is the goddess of fertility. The Inuit also believe that spirits are present in all objects and all forms of nature.