The Inuit
Have you ever wondered about the Inuits’ way of life? Their traditions? Their culture? Well, the Inuit tribe was a very fascinating tribe. This can be discovered through where they lived, what they needed to survive, and their culture.
The only place in America that the Inuit lived in was Alaska. The majority of the Inuit lived at the northern, polar part of Alaska. Which was very isolated. The land where they lived was covered in snow. As far as the eye could see, the place was flat, barren, and often windswept. Alaska is surrounded with water so the Inuit had a lot of water for fishing. There were many water sources that the Inuit had to live off. Those water sources were the Pacific Ocean, that surrounds Alaska, the Arctic Ocean, and rivers leading out to those oceans.
In addition, the harsh environment forced the Inuit to meet their basic needs in very unique way. The Inuit built two different types of homes. One house was for the summer which contained sod walls and whale bone beams. The other house was for the winter which was called an igloo. That house was made of ice and snow blocks. The Inuit word for for any kind of house is “iglu” or “ena”. The Inuit mostly ate sea food such as seal, walrus, caribou, and whale meat. This diet gave them energy to survive the harsh cold. The Inuit clothing kept them very warm in the cold. This clothing was made out of animal skins and furs. They wore coats called “parkas”. They also wore fur leggings, boots, and mittens. Some Inuit decorated fur with colorful trim.
The Inuit had many customs and beliefs. One of the Inuits’ beliefs was when a hunter kills an animal, they believe they should ask the animal’s spirit to return to the world. The spirit will become angry if a hunter does not speak to the animal’s spirit. Another belief was that each year they had two ceremonies where they offered thanks to the elements that helped them survive. One of the Inuit’s customs was that they enjoyed playing games. They played many games, including one where the Inuit boys and girls compete to see who could hop on one foot the longest. Another custom was that the Inuit expressed themselves through the arts ranging anywhere from making sculptures to singing. Art was viewed as a means of inner joy.
The Inuit tribe is fascinating and fun to research. They lived in an extremely harsh environment that dictated how they met their basic needs. Their beliefs and cultures are fascinating, and their games sound fun to play. There are about 125,000 Inuit still living in America today.
Bibliografy
.
Bial, Raymond N. The Inuit. Bristol, New York, United States: Benchmark Books, 2002. Print.
Lassieur, Allison N. The Inuit. Mankato, Minnesota, United States: Bridge stone Books, 2000. Print.