Inuit Culture
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