Childrens Illustrated Encyclopedia

282

A team of 10 to

15 husky dogs

pull the traditional

Inuit sled. With an

expert driver at the

reins, a dog team can

travel 50 miles (80 km) in a day.

The frozen ArcTic was one of the last regions of the

world to be inhabited by humans. The inuit (eskimo)

people, who originally came from Asia, settled in the Arctic

about 4,000 years ago. A native American tribe named

them Eskimo, which means “eaters of raw meat;” but the

newcomers called themselves Inuit, which simply means “real

men.” inuits were nomadic. They moved around in family

groups, hunting animals such as seals and caribou. inuit

families survived the bitter cold of winter by digging shelters

into the ground. They made roofs for the shelters from

driftwood or whalebone, with a covering of turf. for clothes,

they used double layers of caribou or polar bear fur. Today,

most inuits live in small settlements or towns, but they are proud

of their culture. They preserve it

in language, art, and song, and

hunting is still an essential

part of inuit life.

inuiT communiTies

inuits live in siberia in the russian

federation, in Alaska, canada, and

Greenland. There are many different

groups, each named after the area in which

they live. The Polar inuits of Greenland live

the farthest north of all the world’s peoples.

Find out more

Antarctica

Arctic

canada

canada, history of

Polar wildlife

inuiT life

There are about

60,000 inuits in

north America. most

live in wooden houses

equipped like a typical

north American home.

some inuits are still full-time

hunters; most others work in many

different businesses and industries.

inuiT ArT

During the long winter months, there

is little daylight in the Arctic, so the

hours of hunting are limited. in the

past, skilled inuit carvers used the

time to work wood, bone, soapstone

(soft rock), and walrus tusks.

They created beautiful statues

of animals, people, and

especially favored hunting

scenes. Today, museums and

collectors eagerly seek

good inuit carvings.

Inuit artists use

their skills to

decorate everyday

tools, such as this

arrow straightener.

Inuits eat raw and

cooked seal meat.

A hunting trip takes many days, and

supplies are carried by snowmobile.

Caribou Inuits

Inuits

Greenland

Canada

hunTinG

inuits hunt for food to eat

and furs to sell. They do not hunt

animals for sport. They respect foxes,

caribous, seals, walruses, and other Arctic

wildlife, and their hunting does not

threaten the long-term survival of

these animal species. hunting

takes patience and skill, and

some inuits travel 3,000 miles

(5,000 km) a year on hunting

trips. When they are hunting

away from home in the winter, they

build temporary shelters, called

igloos, from blocks of snow.

West Greenland

Inuits

Polar Inuits

To catch a seal, the Inuit cuts

a hole in the sea ice. When the

seal comes up to the hole

to breathe, the Inuit shoots it.

Today, Inuits hunt on

snowmobiles instead of sleds.

north alaskan

Inuits

alaska

Pacific Inuits

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