An Ethnographic Overview

1. The various ways in which the adapted tot heir physical environment – shelter, clothing, food, tools/weapons, transportation and 2. What their societies were like – their social organization, their leadership and government systems, their religious beliefs, and their kinship

There is a great variety of Native groups living in Canada’s Arctic region The map on page 188 of Crossroads also shows this diversity Arctic groups include the Mackenzie Inuit, the Copper Inuit, the Baffin Land Inuit, and the Polar Inuit In subarctic regions, the groups include the Dogrib, Chipewyan, Ojibwa, Cree, and Beothuk (who are now extinct).

In spite of this great variety over a vast territory, all of the Inuit Native groups are connected by the challenged faced of adapting to a very challenging physical environment.

Shelter consisted of iglus (igloos) in the winter and tents made of animal hide in the summer. Clothing had to insulate, so pants and parkas were made of caribou; two layers of clothing was worn, with the hair facing each other to provide insulation and as much warm as possible Boots made of seal skin and caribou hide were also worn doubly Mittens of caribou hide were also made. What is different about how Inuit people used their animals compared our meat producing animals?

Inuit weapons were primarily hunting tools which served a dual purpose as weapons, whether against other Inuit groups or against the Inuit's traditional enemies, the Chipewyan, Dene, and Cree. Why might they be enemies? The bows carried by the Inuit were distinctive in that some were cable- backed bows, where the tensile strength of the bow was supplemented by wrapped cord. The picture is of a bird Bola, which was thrown at the bird in hopes of entangling their appendages so they could not move

Animals such as the caribou, musk-ox, seal, walrus, and whales were important to the Inuit for food, oil lamps, tools, and methods of transportation. The caribou was particularly important to the Inuit because it could provide food, clothing, tools, and sinew. Inukshuks were built in lines that would direct the caribou herds to places where hunters could capture and kill them. Are there any other examples of this technique you can think of? How would the Inuit compare to us in terms of consumerism?

How do you feel about First Nations peoples taking part in “traditional” hunts for Seals, Walrus, Orcas and other whales? Be prepared to argue your point of view

Social organization among the Inuit was based on the importance of hunting. Groups of people hunted together, and trading partnerships were also important and lasted a lifetime. Bering Sea Inuit were organized through patrilineal lines. However, when a couple first married, they spent at least a year with the wife’s family. All Inuit shared a belief in the spirit force of the universe and the need to live a certain way to ensure cooperation with nature. Illness or misfortune indicated improper behavior or neglect to demonstrate respect.

This fellow named Charlie tries to learn some new words.