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INUIT‘The People”

BY MARINA, JASLENE, PRABJOT AND NAVI

+ MAP

The Inuit people lived in the Arctic region which includes Canada, most of Alaska, and Greenland. The Arctic was a very harsh environment to live in, most of the year it was covered in snow. It is a very problematic home, even for those that have learned to adapt to it.

+ FOOD Used many strategies to get enough food, such as, hunting,

trading between tribes, and in the summer, farming and gathering wild plants

Utilized weapons such as harpoons, bows & arrows, spears, animal bones and other wooden objects to hunt

Canoes, Kayaks and dog sleds were used for transportation Mostly ate animals from the scarcity of vegetation Depended on frozen meat in winter as it was hard to hunt Ate raw meat considering they only had soapstone lamps to cook

(was a long and difficult process) When an animal was killed, the hunter would give thanks to its

spirit for giving up its life Used every part of a hunted animal

+Living off the land

+ SOCIAL ORGANIZATION Lived in small communities of a few houses Males were heads of households Important decisions were made by elders A shaman was someone who is believed to be

connected with the gods Shamans created medicines to heal the sick Women were usually expected to take care of children,

cook and sew Men were hunters and women would help them if

necessary

+ DANCE One of the main dances in Inuit's was drum dancing.

Drum dancers performed at song festivals that took place in a large igloo, or qaggi.

The composer did not sing, although he cried out from time to time.

They would hit the wooden rim around the skin with the beater, striking alternately on the base and the top of the drum or on either side of the drum handle. Bent slightly over the drum, the dancer moved back and forth, shifting his weight from side to side in a rhythm roughly harmonized with the beat of the drum.

When the first dancer finished, he returned the drum to the ground and another man took his place.

There are no records of women dancing with the drum in the Iglulik area, although women and children occasionally composed drum dance songs.

+FORMS OF HOUSING

In the winter, certain Inuit’s lived in a temporary shelter made from snow called and igloo.

During the few months of the year when temperature was above freezing they lived in tents known as “tupiq” made out of animal skin, supported by a frame of bones of wood and such as the siglit used driftwood, while others built sod houses.

+ CLOTHING

The clothing worn was mostly made out of animal skins and furs

Many layers was used as protection against the cold Caribou skin was mostly used because it provided good

insulation and was also relatively light Clothing was tailored to fit each individual In the winter they wore layers of boots, trousers, parkas

with hoods and mittens Snow goggles, made from caribou antlers provided

protection from the cold and snow blindness

+Men and women wore clothing similar to

one another.

+ RELIGION Believed in Animism The only people who had enough power to control the spirits were

the powerful religious leaders called the Shamans Shamans wore carved masks while preforming rituals. To make the spirits happy, they offered gifts and fined people who

broke the rules and angered the spirits. Bad weather, illnesses and a bad hunt were blamed on angry spirits Humans also had souls that could be lost or stolen Believed that humans were made of three parts: a body, name and

soul Most important spirit was Sedna who lived at the bottom of the ocean

and controlled the sea animals

+ CEREMONIES There weren’t many ceremonies in the Inuit culture Ceremonies were often held after a large hunt Religion ceremonies of the Inuits include the Whale

Dance They typically wore amulets designed to ward off

evil spirits Certain elements of hunting were considered to be

religious When a person died, their body and belongings

were taken away from the village

+ NORTHERN LIGHTS

+ MYTHS AND LEGENDS Told by Inuit elders and passed down through

generations

SEDNA: Goddess of the sea Her father sacrificed her by throwing her

overboard to drown The first sea animals came from her fingertips

Anningan: Moon God Chases his sister, Malina, the sun goddess

across the sky (day and night) When he doesn’t eat food he gets thinner

(crescent/half moons)

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THE END