For many centuries, outsiders called INUIT “Eskimos.”
INUIT no longer find this term acceptable. They prefer the name by which they have always known themselves – INUIT, which means “the people” in their own language, INUKTITUT.
INUIT inhabit vast areas of Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, the coast of northern Labrador and about 25 percent of Northern Québec. Traditionally, they have lived above the treeline in the area bordered by Alaska in the west, the Labrador coast in the east, the southern tip of Hudson Bay in the south and the High Arctic Islands in the north.
About 55,700 INUIT live in 53 communities across the North. The INUIT population has grown rapidly over the past few decades. According to Statistics Canada, if present trends continue, there will be about 84,600 INUIT in the North by 2016.
INUIT are one of the three Aboriginal peoples in Canada, as defined by the Canadian Constitution. The other two Aboriginal peoples are First Nations and Métis people.
INUIT origins in Canada date back at least 4,000 years. Their culture is deeply rooted in the vast land they inhabit. For thousands of years, INUIT closely observed the climate, landscapes, seascapes and ecological systems of their vast homeland. Through this intimate knowledge of the land and its life forms, INUIT developed skills and technology uniquely adapted to one of the harshest and most demanding environments on earth.
INUIT treat human beings, the land, animals and plants with equal respect. Today, they continue to try to maintain this harmonious relationship. They try to use the resources of land and sea wisely to preserve them for future generations.
Traditional knowledge about INUIT history, and the land, plants and wildlife, has been passed down through the generations. The family is the centre of INUIT culture, and co-operation and sharing are basic principles in INUIT society.
I am proud to say that the INUIT are part of my country, Canada.
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50 comments:
that is a very very cute inuit indeed! thank you for sharing the information about inuits. very interesting.
History has never been as much fun as it is here. Thanks.
Thanks for the information. Nice choise for letter "I".
In BC the Grade 4 students learn all about the Inuit. A fascinating part of our culture and history.
thanks for a very educational sensitive post
Terrific, as usual.
I love your litle Inuit bear:)
Excellent post, Bear. Very Informative.
An excellent choice of I from you.
Long way their way of life continue, but I fear it's threatened by the need to discover more oil reserves.
Congratulations for this
informative and commited post!
and
Inuit lived in
"Igloos" !
Miss Yves
Nice to see you on mine - and appealing bear. I'm a Brit with family in Ontario - so have seen some of the INUIT culture.
Hi Bear Naked! This is extremely interesting information! In April I saw an exhibition about the poeples living in the Arctic areas. How clever they were, using every part of the fish they caught and other animals they hunted. They even used intestines of fish for making waterproof coats. Thanks for telling this!
This bear is so beautifully dressed in its northern garb!! Inuit is a great choice for I.
ann at Gallimaufry Gleanings
A lovely post. Most enjoyable and informative as usual.
Another appropriately dressed bear; very clever. As I read about the Inuit I could see parallels with Australia's indigenous peoples.
A very nice and including post.
Just a bit of nit-picking ;-)
There are also inuit in Alaska (USA) and on Greenland (Denmark, but with internal independent rule)
My wife is going to love this bear, and she will want one that's for sure, what a great blog for "I" Inuit.
Thanks for comments on my blog for this weeks "I"
Well thanks for the update on the term "eskimo"...
A while back I got into trouble by using the word "oriental" and almost got branded as a racist -- until I learned that the word "asian" is more acceptable these days...
I am delighted to read this post.
My Aunt Frances, my father's oldest sister, married an Inuit. She had become a medical missionary in Alaska, where she met this man. I do not even know his name. When they married the family disowned her, and they were rarely spoken of. My mother told me about her, but I don't believe she knew his name either. the pair drowned when their boat struck an ice berg. I never knew them.
Hi Bear ~~ Great interesting post, thank you. Every time I open my blog lately, I have a different header. Thanks for your visit and comment. Take care, Love, Merle.
Doing it again! You must have an accessory warehouse! :)
Good post!
Cheers, Klaus
nice post for the"I"
Very Informative Bear!
I had never really thought about just where Inuit people lived, in my insulated American outlook, had more or less assumed these great people were native to just Alaska. I appreciate reading your clever post , and expanding this old dudes understanding of things just a little more better. (okay so thats bad english---I'm an old dude I'm allowed.) (lol)
Now, that was a great post! I've learned something today. I had no very clear idea where exactly the Inuit lived, but now I do! I have no idea why anyone would want to live in such an inhospitable climate, but I'm glad that they do .. it enriches us all.
Thanks! :)
Great information about something I knew nothing about. Thanks!
Wonderful post, full of information! I knew some of this, but by no means all.
Your wee bear is perfect.
Beautiful bear and lots of interesting information, great post.
What a great tribute to the Inuit! There's always something interesting going on at your blog.
Happy Wednesday.
What a neat post .. and I love the Inuit Bear ...
:-Daryl
That is an excellent choice and a wonderfully written post. Well done.
Thanks for that wonderful lesson on the Inuit people. And, your little Inuit Bear at the top is adorable!
Happy ABC Wednesday.
Lovely post, and what a cute inuit bear! It's beautiful that you show this respect for an imporant side of your country's culture and history!
Kisses from Nydia.
Very interesting. The Souix's name also means the people.
Wow, wonderful information about the Inuit people. I really enjoyed reading it. The bear is very cute too :)
I thought this one might stump the bear, but no; another fun post.
I was going to say how cute it reminds me of me in my eskimo coat last year but mmm! I am not cute!!! However that top picture is and I love your explanations.
Thank You xx
Thanks for visiting my blog. I didn't know that about the Inuit. I'm always glad to learn something new.
This is a great post--I certainly learned some new information today. I wasn't sure if the Inuit was a name for a particular group of people or for a broader group; now I know. The Inuits' culture always reminded me in some ways of the Native Americans'. Hopefully, Canadians have treated the Inuits better than the US treated its natives.
A great post on the Inuit people. It is about time the Edmonton Eskimos changed the name of the team
Once again a great ABC how about your little bear finds a nice warm igloo.
Thanks for stopping in and the coffee is on.
My mom and dad took us (hubby & I) on an Alaskan small cruise (Lindblad). A good part of it was about the native population - Inuit included. What a wonderful experience and education we had!
And what a wonderful post you've done. Proud to be a Canadian?? You should be!
Thanks for the info on Inuit.:D
I've read several books by Farley Mowat about the arctic and its inhabitants. I had an opportunity to fly to the Arctic ocean in the Northwest Territories and also in Nunavut. It is a spectacular land it is amazing how the Inuit and other northern people have survived and thrived in such an environment. Thanks for the additional information. And thanks for visiting my post about homemade ice cream. - Margy
Love this little fluffy Inuit! What a wonderful tribute posting to the special group of people!
...soft and informative ;)
Thank you for the informative letter I. Love your little guy being the example. I never knew most of the things you told and have made the mistake of calling them Eskimos.
Wow! I love your posts, always so interesting! Thanks so much for participating!
Dxx
so proud to read this sandy
Very informative post - and the perfect bear for it too!
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