Inuit Culture (0)

Inuit Culture, Traditions , and History
Traditional Inuit way of life was influenced by the harsh climate and stark landscapes of the Arctic tundra – from beliefs inspired by stories of the aurora to practicalities like homes made of snow . Inuit invented tools , gear, and methods to help them survive in this environment. Read on to learn more about traditional Inuit ways of life, and how Inuit culture has been changed over the past century .
Geography
Inuit communities are found in the Arctic, in the Northwest Territories, Labrador and Quebec in Canada , above tree line in Alaska (where people are called the Inupiat and Yupik), and in Russia (where people are called the Yupik people). In some areas , Inuit people are called “Eskimos” however many Inuit find this term offensive. The word “Inuit” means “the people” in the Inuktitut language .
Inuit Homes
In the tundra, where Inuit communities are found, there are not many building materials. No trees grow in the tundra so houses can not be made from wood unless it is transported from elsewhere. However, during a large part of the year , the cold part, there is a lot of snow in the tundra. And it turns out that snow can be a very good construction material. In the winter , Inuit lived in round houses made from blocks of snow called "igloos". In the summer , when the snow melted, Inuit lived in tent -like huts made of animal skins stretched over a frame . Although most Inuit people today live in the same community year-round, and live in homes built of other construction materials that have to be imported, in the past Inuit would migrate between a summer and winter camp which was shared by several families . Pilt 1 This picture shows several Inuit constructing an igloo with blocks of snow. Traditionally, Inuit lived in igloos during the coldest months and tent like huts during the warmer months.
Getting Around
To travel from one place to another , Inuit used sleds made of animal bones and skins pulled over the snow and ice by dogs . Strong dogs with thick fur like huskies, bred by Inuit, were used. On the waters of the Arctic Ocean , small boats called “kayaks” were used for hunting while larger boats called “umiaq” transported people, dogs, and supplies.
Finding Food
Because Inuit live in places where most plants cannot grow, the traditional diet consisted of almost entirely meat . Inuit fished and hunted to get their food. Whales , walruses, seals, fish were staples of their diet.
Clothing for Staying Warm
Traditional Inuit clothing was made from animal skins and fur. Boots were also made from animal skins. Large, thick coats with big hoods called “parkas” were worn as an outer layer . Today the parka style of coat is worn in other places in the world and it is made of many other materials.
Traditions
Although Inuit life has changed significantly over the past century, many traditions continue . Traditional storytelling , mythology, and dancing remain important parts of the culture. Family and community are very important. The Inuktitut language is still spoken in many areas of the Arctic and is common on radio and in television programming.
Changes to Inuit Life during the 20th Century
Inuit a century ago lived very differently than Inuit today. Before the 1940s, Inuit had minimal contact with Europeans. Europeans passed through on their way to hunt whales or trade furs but very few of them had any interest in settling down on the frozen land of the Arctic. So the Inuit had the place to themselves. They moved between summer and winter camps to always be living where there were animals to hunt. In winter camps they lived in snow shelters called igloos. In summer camps they lived in tents made of animal skins and bones.
But that changed. As World War II ended and the Cold War began, the Arctic became a place where countries that didn’t get along were close to each other. The Arctic had always been seen as inaccessible, but the invention of airplanes made it easier for non-Arctic dwellers to get there. Permanent settlements were created in the Arctic around new airbases and radar stations built to watch out for rival nations. Schools and health care centers were built in these permanent settlements. In many places, Inuit children were required to attend schools that emphasized non- native traditions. With better health care, the Inuit population grew larger, too large to sustain itself solely by hunting. Many Inuit from smaller camps moved into permanent settlements because there was access to jobs and food. In many areas Inuit were required to live in towns by the 1960s .
Mythology
Malina
Malina is the Sun goddess of the Inuit people who live in Greenland . The word "Inuit" means "people."
Malina and her brother , the Moon god Anningan, lived together. They got into a terrible fight and Malina spread dirty , black grease all over her brother's face. In fear , she ran as far as she could into the sky and became the Sun. Anningan chased after her and became the Moon.
Anningan
Anningan often forgets to eat, so he gets thinner as the days go by. Every month , the Moon disappears for three days while Anningan eats. He then returns to chase his sister once again .
This eternal chase makes the Sun alternate in the sky with the Moon.
Anningan is the name of the Moon god of some of the Inuit people that live in Greenland. The word "Inuit" means "people."
Anningan continually chases his sister, Malina, the Sun goddess, across the sky. During this chase, he forgets to eat, and he gets much thinner. This is symbolic of the phases of the moon, particularly the crescent.
To satisfy his hunger , he disappears for three days each month (new moon) and then returns full (gibbous) to chase his sister all over again. Malina wants to stay far away from her bad brother. That is why they rise and set at different times .
Pilt 2 The mask above is a shaman mask. Shamans would wear masks such as this one during healing ceremonies.
Sedna
Sedna was the sea spirit according to the peoples of northern Canada and Greenland, known as Inuit. Sedna was a young girl who stubbornly refused to marry anyone. Her father forced her to marry a dog. Sedna's father felt sorry for her and drowned the dog. After her husband died, Sedna was unable to support her children and herself .
She had to send her children away and returned to live with her parents . One day, a bird disguised as a man sought Sedna in marriage . She accepted and went to live with him. But soon Sedna discovered that her new husband was not a man but only a fulmar. When Sedna's father visited her, he convinced Sedna to leave with him in his boat .
Unfortunately, the fulmar caught them, and created with his wings an enormous storm which threatened to overturn the boat. Terrified, Sedna's father tried to throw the girl overboard to her husband, but she grasped the boat's side. In fear, the father cut off Sedna's fingers until she fell into the sea.. It is said that Sedna resides at the bottom of the sea with the seals and other sea animals that were created from her fingers. Pilt 3 Drawing by Rita Lee based on an Inuit mask depicting the sea goddess Sedna.
A large planetoid discovered in November 2003 has been named after Sedna. The planetoid orbits on the cold, outer fringe of our Solar System.
Arctic Cultures Pilt 4 This photo was taken in November 2006 near a town called Nes in the Nenets Autonomous District in Northwest Russia. The Nenets people are indigenous people in Russia that live in the Arctic region . Think of what it would be like to open your door to spy a reindeer in the morning !
There are people of different cultures and backgrounds who live in the Arctic region. Read on to learn more about two of these cultures.
Inuit
The Inuit are the native cultures that continue to live on coastal areas of Arctic tundra in Canada, Alaska (USA), Siberia (Russia), and Greenland. Over this broad area there are many different groups of people. Some share common ancestors, others probably do not, but most have similar ways of living in the Arctic. Inuit traditionally hunted for seals, whales, polar bears, caribou, birds and other animals from the ocean and the tundra. Inuit people invented the kayak and used these small boats to hunt for Arctic marine animals. Because of a great respect for these animals, Inuit have traditional customs that must be followed during a hunt. Inuit myths were inspired by the environment that they lived within including the magical appearance of the aurora in the night sky, the long dark winters, and the icy Arctic Ocean. Explore more about Inuit culture by visiting the links below.
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/earth/polar/inuit_culture.html
Inuit simply means "people." Inuit were earlier known by Europeans as "Eskimos" - a pejorative roughly meaning "eaters of raw meat". They are one of the original groups to inhabit the northern regions of Canada populating small, scattered communities and villages throughout the Arctic from Alaska to eastern Greenland. In 2006 Statistics Canada estimated that 50 485 people, about 4% of the aboriginal population, identified themselves as Inuit . Almost half of the Inuit population in Canada lived in Nunavut (49%), 19% in Quebec, 6% in the Northwest Territories, and 4% in Labrador. Statistics Canada reported that between 1996 and 2006, the First Nations population increased 29% which is 3.5 times the growth rate of 8% for the non-Aboriginal population of Canada.
Tribal Groups
There are 8 main tribal groups: the LABRADOR, UNGAVA, BAFFIN ISLAND , IGLULIK, CARIBOU, NETSILIK, COPPER and Western Arctic Inuit (who replaced the MACKENZIE INUIT). There are five main Inuit language dialects in Canada, Inuvialuktun, Inuinnaqtun, Inuttitut, Inuttitut, and Inuttut that are collectively known as Inuktitut or Inuttituut. (see NATIVE PEOPLE, LANGUAGES ) In the last census 32 580 people or reported Inuktitut as their mother tongue (first language learned). Traditionally, the Inuit were hunters and gatherers who moved seasonally from one camp to another. Large regional groupings were loosely separated into smaller seasonal groups: winter camps (called "bands") of around 100 people and summer hunting groups of fewer than a dozen. Each band was roughly identified with a locale and named accordingly - eg, the Arvirtuurmiut of Boothia Peninsula were called "baleen whale - eating people."
During roughly 4000 years of human history in the Arctic, the appearance of new people has brought continual cultural change. The ancestors of the present -day Inuit, who are culturally related to Inuppiat (northern Alaska), Katladlit (Greenland) and Yuit (Siberia and western Alaska), arrived about 1050 AD. As early as the 11th century the NORSE exerted an undetermined influence on the Inuit. The subsequent arrival of explorers, whalers, traders, missionaries, scientists and others began irreversible cultural changes. The Inuit themselves participated actively in these developments as guides, traders and models of survival. Despite adjustments made by the Inuit over the past 3 centuries and the loss of some traditional features, Inuit culture persists - often with a greater reflective awareness. Inuit maintain a cultural identity through language, family and cultural laws , attitudes and behaviour, and through their acclaimed INUIT ART.

Inuk Hunter
Some Inuit still follow a nomadic way of life, while others are involved in the administration and development of northern Canada ( Corel Professional Photos). Pilt 5 Inuk Hunter

Inuit Man
Photograph by Robert Flaherty , 1911, who found in him "a humanity so golden that he carried it with him ever afterward as a touchstone of judgement" (courtesy British Library).

Inuit Whale Hunt
Group preparing for the hunt (courtesy Lewis Parker).

Inuk and Pack Dog
The First Nations brought dogs with them to the Americas (courtesy Library and Archives Canada). Pilt 6 Inuit man
Pilt 7 Inuit Whale Hunt
Ignored Group
The Inuit have never been subject to the INDIAN ACT and were largely ignored by government until 1939, when a court decision ruled that they were a federal responsibility.The Inuit have negotiated the new NUNAVUT territory ("Our Land ") with the federal government to define Inuit and DENE lands in the NWT. Some Inuit still follow a nomadic way of life, but others are involved in the administration and development of northern Canada - in business, local and territorial politics, teaching, transportation, medicine , broadcasting and the civil service . See also NATIVE PEOPLE, ARCTIC. Pilt 8 Inuk and Pack Dog
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0004040