Inuit Culture And Beliefs
The Inuit were an Artic tribe that were professional hunters and could kill a seal in minutes.
The Inuit also known as “Eskimos” and lived in northern regions of Alaska and North America. The Inuit lived in Alaska, Asia, and Canada where the amount of sunlight varied throughout the seasons. During the winter the sun sets about mid-November and doesn’t reappear until mid-January. A big part of the Inuit culture was to tell stories to help them last through the light filled days and the seemingly never ending nights. One of these stories is “The Creation” told by Apagkaq a Mackenzie River Inuit.
Raw hides, skins, and wooden stakes usually provided the Inuit with a simple home to live in. The houses were usually bunked with stones to keep …show more content…
out North’s harsh weather. Some of the villages the Inuit lived in could hold over one hundred people. Ordinarily, the Inuit tribes are either related through blood or marriage. The Inuit were always busy hunting for food and making shelter to live in from the harsh weather. They never had time to set up any advanced local or political parties. The basic social unit for the Inuit was the family, usually consisting of the husband, wife and the children.
The Inuit speak closely related languages in the Eskimoan language family. They speak Sirenikski-Yupik and Inuit-Inupiapare spoken which is spoken mainly Siberia. Yupik is also spoken in Southern Alaska. People in northern Alaska speak Inupiaq. In Canada the language is called Inuit and in Greenland, Greenlandic. In most parts of Canada and Greenland the meaning of people is “Inuit”.
For generations the Families have built their homes on stretches of flat barren and windswept land. Sometimes the Inuit would let a newborn baby die if the conditions were too harsh. They would name the newborn would die because they believed anyone without a name isn’t a human being.
In the eastern Inuit regions, the religious tradition was to believe that every animal had its own inua (man, owner, spirit). In western Inuit regions inua is the exact meaning of soul. The thought of inua was applied to creatures and implements and also to concepts and conditions (such as sleep). Landforms such as lakes, mountains, and stars all had their inua, but only inua of the moon, air, and sea were integral to the religious life of the Inuit.
The Inuit religion was called animism everything living and non-living things had a spirit.
The only people that could control these spirits were the religious leaders called shamans or Angakoks. A lot of the times they used charms and dances to communicate with the “spirit world”. They also wore carved masks, mainly to represent animals. The Shamans believed the masks were able to let them communicate with the spirit world.
The Inuit were mainly hunters and relied heavily on the animals of the Artic as their main source of food. The weather was so harsh very little vegetation could survive there. The Inuit were able to hunt animals year around but the species of animal differed on the season. The sea mammals were usually hunted during the winter while they were out on the ice. Some sea mammals like seals, walruses, beluga whales, and narwhales were hunted for these reasons. Seal: meat and skin Walrus: Ivory (tusk) and meat Beluga Whale: skin and blubber.
The Inuit used snow dogs for transportation. A breed of dog used was called the huskie. They has thick fur and was bred by the Inuit. When the Inuit were in the waters, they used a small boat called a kayak, while they had a bigger boat called an umiaq. The umiaq would transport people, dogs, and
supplies.
Though many ways of life have changed for the Inuit over the past century, they still pass down important tradition like the telling of stories, and tribal dances. In conclusion, the Inuit were well prepared for the winter cold, and the everlasting nights. The Inuit were ready to hunt for survival and ready for the harsh winters. The Inuit believed in a spiritual religion called animism. They also believed that you cannot be a human being unless you have a name.
The Inuit also known as “Eskimos” and lived in northern regions of Alaska and North America. The Inuit lived in Alaska, Asia, and Canada where the amount of sunlight varied throughout the seasons. During the winter the sun sets about mid-November and doesn’t reappear until mid-January. A big part of the Inuit culture was to tell stories to help them last through the light filled days and the seemingly never ending nights. One of these stories is “The Creation” told by Apagkaq a Mackenzie River Inuit.
Raw hides, skins, and wooden stakes usually provided the Inuit with a simple home to live in. The houses were usually bunked with stones to keep …show more content…
out North’s harsh weather. Some of the villages the Inuit lived in could hold over one hundred people. Ordinarily, the Inuit tribes are either related through blood or marriage. The Inuit were always busy hunting for food and making shelter to live in from the harsh weather. They never had time to set up any advanced local or political parties. The basic social unit for the Inuit was the family, usually consisting of the husband, wife and the children.
The Inuit speak closely related languages in the Eskimoan language family. They speak Sirenikski-Yupik and Inuit-Inupiapare spoken which is spoken mainly Siberia. Yupik is also spoken in Southern Alaska. People in northern Alaska speak Inupiaq. In Canada the language is called Inuit and in Greenland, Greenlandic. In most parts of Canada and Greenland the meaning of people is “Inuit”.
For generations the Families have built their homes on stretches of flat barren and windswept land. Sometimes the Inuit would let a newborn baby die if the conditions were too harsh. They would name the newborn would die because they believed anyone without a name isn’t a human being.
In the eastern Inuit regions, the religious tradition was to believe that every animal had its own inua (man, owner, spirit). In western Inuit regions inua is the exact meaning of soul. The thought of inua was applied to creatures and implements and also to concepts and conditions (such as sleep). Landforms such as lakes, mountains, and stars all had their inua, but only inua of the moon, air, and sea were integral to the religious life of the Inuit.
The Inuit religion was called animism everything living and non-living things had a spirit.
The only people that could control these spirits were the religious leaders called shamans or Angakoks. A lot of the times they used charms and dances to communicate with the “spirit world”. They also wore carved masks, mainly to represent animals. The Shamans believed the masks were able to let them communicate with the spirit world.
The Inuit were mainly hunters and relied heavily on the animals of the Artic as their main source of food. The weather was so harsh very little vegetation could survive there. The Inuit were able to hunt animals year around but the species of animal differed on the season. The sea mammals were usually hunted during the winter while they were out on the ice. Some sea mammals like seals, walruses, beluga whales, and narwhales were hunted for these reasons. Seal: meat and skin Walrus: Ivory (tusk) and meat Beluga Whale: skin and blubber.
The Inuit used snow dogs for transportation. A breed of dog used was called the huskie. They has thick fur and was bred by the Inuit. When the Inuit were in the waters, they used a small boat called a kayak, while they had a bigger boat called an umiaq. The umiaq would transport people, dogs, and
supplies.
Though many ways of life have changed for the Inuit over the past century, they still pass down important tradition like the telling of stories, and tribal dances. In conclusion, the Inuit were well prepared for the winter cold, and the everlasting nights. The Inuit were ready to hunt for survival and ready for the harsh winters. The Inuit believed in a spiritual religion called animism. They also believed that you cannot be a human being unless you have a name.