# data[].attributes.body
Wikipedia says that "Inuit are the descendants of what anthropologists call the Thule people,[26] who emerged from western Alaska around 1000 CE." But there are other Inuits around the world not just in Canada and the US.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Inuit ( IN-ew-it; Inuktitut: ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ; Iñupiaq: Iñuit 'the people'; Greenlandic: Inuit) are a group of culturally and historically similar Indigenous peoples traditionally inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of North America, including Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, Yukon (traditionally), Alaska, and Chukotsky District of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia. Inuit languages are part of the Eskimo-Aleut languages, also known as Inuit-Yupik-Unangan, and also as Eskaleut. Inuit Sign Language is a critically endangered language isolate used in Nunavut.

Canadian Inuit live throughout most of Northern Canada in the territory of Nunavut, Nunavik in the northern third of Quebec, the Nunatsiavut in Labrador, and in various parts of the Northwest Territories and Yukon (traditionally), particularly around the Arctic Ocean, in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. These areas are known, primarily by Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, as Inuit Nunangat. In Canada, sections 25 and 35 of the Constitution Act of 1982 classify Inuit as a distinctive group of Aboriginal Canadians who are not included under either the First Nations or the Métis.

Greenlandic Inuit, also known as Kalaallit, are descendants of Thule migrations from Canada by 1100 CE. Although Greenland withdrew from the European Communities in 1985, Inuit of Greenland are Danish citizens and, as such, remain citizens of the European Union. In the United States, the Alaskan Iñupiat are traditionally located in the Northwest Arctic Borough, on the Alaska North Slope, the Bering Strait and on Little Diomede Island. In Russia, few pockets of diaspora communities of Russian Iñupiat from Big Diomede Island, of which inhabitants were removed to Russian Mainland, remain in Bering Strait coast of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, particularly in Uelen, Lavrentiya, and Lorino.

Many individuals who would have historically been referred to as find that term offensive or forced upon them in a colonial way; Inuit is now a common autonym for a large sub-group of these people. The word Inuit (varying forms Iñupiat, Inuvialuit, Inughuit, etc.), however, is an ancient self-referential to a group of peoples which includes at most the Iñupiat of Bering Strait coast of Chukotka and northern Alaska, the four broad groups of Inuit in Canada, and the Greenlandic Inuit. This usage has long been employed to the exclusion of other, closely related groups (e.g. Yupik, Aleut). Therefore, the Aleut (Unangan) and Yupik peoples ( Alutiiq/Sugpiaq, Central Yup'ik, Siberian Yupik), who live in Alaska and Siberia, at least at an individual and local level, generally do not self-identify as Inuit.[better source needed ]

Inuit are the descendants of what anthropologists call the Thule people, who emerged from the Bering Strait and western Alaska around 1000 CE. They had split from the related Aleut group about 4000 years ago and from northeastern Siberian migrants. They spread eastward across the Arctic. They displaced the related Dorset culture, called the Tuniit in Inuktitut, which was the last major Paleo-Eskimo culture.

Inuit legends speak of the Tuniit as "giants", people who were taller and stronger than Inuit. Less frequently, the legends refer to the Dorset as "dwarfs". Researchers believe that Inuit society had advantages by having adapted to using dogs as transport animals, and developing larger weapons and other technologies superior to those of the Dorset culture. By 1100 CE, Inuit migrants had reached west Greenland, where they settled. During the 12th century, they also settled in East Greenland.

Faced with population pressures from the Thule and other surrounding groups, such as the Algonquian and Siouan-speaking peoples to the south, the Tuniit gradually receded. The Tuniit were thought to have become completely extinct as a people by about 1400 or 1500. But, in the mid-1950s, researcher Henry B. Collins determined that based on the ruins found at Native Point, on Southampton Island, the Sadlermiut were likely the last remnants of the Dorset culture, or Tuniit. The Sadlermiut population survived up until winter 1902-1903 when exposure to new infectious diseases brought by contact with Europeans led to their extinction as a people.

In the early 21st century, mitochondrial DNA research has supported the theory of continuity between the Tuniit and the Sadlermiut peoples. It also provided evidence that a population displacement did not occur within the Aleutian Islands between the Dorset and Thule transition. However a subsequent 2012 genetic analysis showed no genetic link between the Sadlermiut and the Dorset or Tuniit people. In contrast to other Tuniit populations, the Aleut and Sadlermiut benefited from both geographical isolation and their ability to adopt certain Thule technologies.[citation needed ]

In Canada and Greenland, Inuit circulated almost exclusively north of the Arctic tree line, with the exception of Inuit in Labrador where there are large swaths of coastal barrens. In Labrador there are two Inuit groups, one accepted by Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, Nunatsiavut and one independent, NunatuKavut. The most southern Inuit community in Nunatsiavut is Rigolet while the most southern community within the traditional Inuit territory of NunatuKavut and in the world is L'anse au Clair, Labrador.

In other areas south of the tree line, non-Inuit Indigenous cultures were well established. As a result, being challenged by the groups below the tree line including Chukchi and Siberian Yupik for Russian Iñupiat, Arctic Athabascan and Gwichʼin for Alaskan Iñupiat and Inuvialuit, Cree for Nunavummiut (Nunavut Inuit) and Nunavimmiut (Northern Quebec Inuit), and Innu for Nunatsiavummiut (Labrador Inuit) and NunatuKavummiut (Southern Inuit or Inuit-metis), Inuit did not make significant progress South, or in the case of Labrador, East.

Inuit had trade relations with more southern cultures; boundary disputes were common and gave rise to aggressive actions. Warfare was not uncommon among those Inuit groups with sufficient population density. Inuit such as the Nunamiut (Uummarmiut), who inhabited the Mackenzie River delta area, often engaged in warfare. The more sparsely settled Inuit in the Central Arctic, however, did so less often.

Their first European contact was with the Vikings who had settled in Greenland centuries prior. The sagas recorded meeting , probably an undifferentiated label for all the Indigenous peoples whom the Norse encountered, whether Tuniit, Inuit, or Beothuk.

After about 1350, the climate grew colder during the period known as the Little Ice Age. During this period, Russian and Alaskan natives were able to continue their whaling activities. But, in the high Arctic, Inuit were forced to abandon their hunting and whaling sites as bowhead whales disappeared from Canada and Greenland. These Inuit had to subsist on a much poorer diet, and lost access to the essential raw materials for their tools and architecture which they had previously derived from whaling.

The lives of Paleo-Eskimos of the far north were largely unaffected by the arrival of visiting Norsemen except for mutual trade. After the disappearance of the Norse colonies in Greenland, Inuit had no contact with Europeans for at least a century. By the mid-16th century, Basque whalers and fishermen were already working the Labrador coast and had established whaling stations on land, such as the one that has been excavated at Red Bay, Labrador. Inuit do not appear to have interfered with their operations, but raided the stations in winter, taking tools and items made of worked iron, which they adapted to their own needs.

An anonymous 1578 illustration believed to show Kalicho (left), and Arnaq and Nutaaq (right)

Martin Frobisher's 1576 search for the Northwest Passage was the first well-documented contact between Europeans and Inuit. Frobisher's expedition landed in Frobisher Bay, Baffin Island, not far from the settlement now called Iqaluit. Frobisher encountered Inuit on Resolution Island where five sailors left the ship, under orders from Frobisher, with instructions to stay clear of Inuit. They became part of Inuit mythology. Inuit oral tradition tells that the men lived among them for a few years of their own free will until they died attempting to leave Baffin Island in a self-made boat and vanished. Frobisher, in an attempt to find the men, captured three Inuit and brought them back to England. They were possibly the first Inuit ever to visit Europe.

The semi-nomadic Inuit were fishermen and hunters harvesting lakes, seas, ice platforms, and tundra. While there are some allegations that Inuit were hostile to early French and English explorers, fishermen, and whalers, more recent research suggests that the early relations with whaling stations along the Labrador coast and later James Bay were based on a mutual interest in trade. In the final years of the 18th century, the Moravian Church began missionary activities in Labrador, supported by the British who were tired of the raids on their whaling stations. The Moravian missionaries could easily provide Inuit with the iron and basic materials they had been stealing from whaling outposts, materials whose real cost to Europeans was almost nothing, but whose value to Inuit was enormous. From then on, contacts between the national groups in Labrador were far more peaceful.

The exchanges that accompanied the arrival and colonization by the Europeans greatly damaged Inuit way of life. Mass death was caused by the new infectious diseases carried by whalers and explorers, to which the Indigenous peoples had no acquired immunity. The high mortality rate contributed to the enormous social disruptions caused by the distorting effect of Europeans' material wealth and the introduction of different materials. Nonetheless, Inuit society in the higher latitudes largely remained in isolation during the 19th century.

The Hudson's Bay Company opened trading posts such as Great Whale River (1820), today the site of the twin villages of Whapmagoostui (Cree-majority) and Kuujjuarapik (Inuit-majority), where whale products of the commercial whale hunt were processed and furs traded. The expedition of 1821-23 to the Northwest Passage led by Commander William Edward Parry twice over-wintered in Foxe Basin. It provided the first informed, sympathetic and well-documented account of the economic, social and religious life of Inuit. Parry stayed in what is now Igloolik over the second winter. Parry's writings, with pen and ink illustrations of Inuit everyday life, and those of George Francis Lyon were widely read after they were both published in 1824. Captain George Comer's Inuk wife Shoofly, known for her sewing skills and elegant attire, was influential in convincing him to acquire more sewing accessories and beads for trade with Inuit.

During the early 20th century a few traders and missionaries circulated among the more accessible bands. After 1904, they were accompanied by a handful of North-West Mounted Police (NWMP). Unlike most Aboriginal peoples in Canada, however, Inuit did not occupy lands that were coveted by European settlers. Used to more temperate climates and conditions, most Europeans considered the homeland of Inuit to be hostile hinterland. Southerners enjoyed lucrative careers as bureaucrats and service providers to the people of the North, but very few ever chose to visit there.

Once its more hospitable lands were largely settled, the government of Canada and entrepreneurs began to take a greater interest in its more peripheral territories, especially the fur and mineral-rich hinterlands. By the late 1920s, there were no longer any Inuit who had not been contacted by traders, missionaries or government agents. In 1939, the Supreme Court of Canada found, in a decision known as , that Inuit should be considered Indians and were thus under the jurisdiction of the federal government.

Native customs were worn down by the actions of the RCMP, who enforced Canadian criminal law on Inuit. People such as Kikkik often did not understand the rules of the alien society with which they had to interact. In addition, the generally Protestant missionaries of the British preached a moral code very different from the one Inuit had as part of their tradition. Many Inuit were systematically converted to Christianity in the 19th and 20th centuries, through rituals such as the .

World War II and the Cold War made Arctic Canada strategically important to the great powers for the first time. Thanks to the development of modern long-distance aircraft, these areas became accessible year-round. The construction of air bases and the Distant Early Warning Line in the 1940s and 1950s brought more intensive contact with European society, particularly in the form of public education for children. The traditionalists complained that Canadian education promoted foreign values that were disdainful of the traditional structure and culture of Inuit society.

In the 1950s, the Government of Canada undertook what was called the High Arctic relocation for several reasons. These were to include protecting Canada's sovereignty in the Arctic, alleviating hunger (as the area currently occupied had been over-hunted), and attempting to solve the "Eskimo problem", by seeking assimilation of the people and the end of their traditional Inuit culture. One of the more notable relocations was undertaken in 1953, when 17 families were moved from Port Harrison (now Inukjuak, Quebec) to Resolute and Grise Fiord. They were dropped off in early September when winter had already arrived. The land they were sent to was very different from that in the Inukjuak area; it was barren, with only a couple of months when the temperature rose above freezing, and several months of polar night. The families were told by the RCMP they would be able to return to their home territory within two years if conditions were not right. However, two years later more Inuit families were relocated to the High Arctic. Thirty years passed before they were able to visit Inukjuak.

By 1953, Canada's prime minister Louis St. Laurent publicly admitted, "Apparently we have administered the vast territories of the north in an almost continuing absence of mind." The government began to establish about forty permanent administrative centers to provide education, health, and economic development services. Inuit from hundreds of smaller camps scattered across the north began to congregate in these hamlets.

Although anthropologists like Diamond Jenness (1964) were quick to predict that Inuit culture was facing extinction, Inuit political activism was already emerging.

In the 1960s, the Canadian government funded the establishment of secular, government-operated high schools in the Northwest Territories (including what is now Nunavut) and Inuit areas in Quebec and Labrador along with the residential school system. Inuit population was not large enough to support a full high school in every community, so this meant only a few schools were built, and students from across the territories were boarded there. These schools, in Aklavik, Iqaluit, Yellowknife, Inuvik and Kuujjuaq, brought together young Inuit from across the Arctic in one place for the first time and exposed them to the rhetoric of civil and human rights that prevailed in Canada in the 1960s. This was a real wake-up call for Inuit, and it stimulated the emergence of a new generation of young Inuit activists in the late 1960s who came forward and pushed for respect for Inuit and their territories.

Inuit began to emerge as a political force in the late 1960s and early 1970s, shortly after the first graduates returned home. They formed new politically active associations in the early 1970s, starting with the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada (Inuit Brotherhood and today known as Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami), an outgrowth of the Indian and Eskimo Association of the '60s, in 1971, and more region-specific organizations shortly afterward, including the Committee for the Original People's Entitlement (representing the Inuvialuit), the Northern Quebec Inuit Association ( Makivik Corporation) and the Labrador Inuit Association (LIA) representing Northern Labrador Inuit. Since the mid-1980s the disputed Southern Labrador Inuit of NunatuKavut began organizing politically after being geographically cut out of the LIA, because the organization called itself the Labrador Métis Nation just a few years before. Various activist movements began to change the direction of Inuit society in 1975 with the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement. This comprehensive land claims settlement for Quebec Inuit, along with a large cash settlement and substantial administrative autonomy in the new region of Nunavik, set the precedent for the settlements to follow. The northern Labrador Inuit submitted their land claim in 1977, although they had to wait until 2005 to have a signed land settlement establishing Nunatsiavut. Southern Labrador Inuit of NunatuKavut is currently in the process of establishing land claims and title rights that would allow them to negotiate with the Newfoundland Government.

Canada's 1982 Constitution Act recognized Inuit as Aboriginal peoples in Canada. In the same year, the Tunngavik Federation of Nunavut (TFN) was incorporated, in order to take over negotiations for land claims on behalf of Inuit living in the eastern Northwest Territories, that would later become Nunavut, from Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, which became a joint association of Inuit of Quebec, Labrador, and the Northwest Territories.

On October 30, 2008, Leona Aglukkaq was appointed as Minister of Health, "[becoming] the first Inuk to hold a senior cabinet position, although she is not the first Inuk to be in cabinet altogether." Jack Anawak and Nancy Karetak-Lindell were both parliamentary secretaries respectively from 1993 to 1996 and in 2003.

In the United States the term was, as of 2016, commonly used to describe Inuit and the Siberian and Alaskan Yupik, and Iñupiat peoples. Eskimo is still used by some groups and organizations to encompass Inuit and Yupik, as well as other Indigenous Alaskan and Siberian peoples.

In 2011, Lawrence Kaplan of the Alaska Native Language Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks wrote that Inuit was not generally accepted as a term for the Yupik, and Eskimo was often used as the term that applied to the Yupik, Iñupiat, and Inuit. Since then Kaplan has updated this to indicate that the term Inuit has gained acceptance in Alaska.

Though there is much debate, the word Eskimo likely derives from a Innu-aimun (Montagnais) exonym meaning 'a person who laces a snowshoe', but is also used in folk etymology as meaning 'eater of raw meat' in the Cree language. Though the Cree etymology has been discredited, "Eskimo" is considered pejorative by some Canadian and English-speaking Greenlandic Inuit.

In Canada and Greenland, Inuit is preferred. Inuit is the Eastern Canadian Inuit (Inuktitut) and West Greenlandic (Kalaallisut) word for 'the people'. Since Inuktitut and Kalaallisut are the prestige dialects in Canada and Greenland, respectively, their version has become dominant, although every Inuit dialect uses cognates from the Proto-Eskimo *ińuɣ - for example, "people" is inughuit in North Greenlandic and iivit in East Greenlandic.

Inuit speak Inupiaq (Inupiatun), Inuinnaqtun, Inuktitut, Inuvialuktun, and Greenlandic languages, which belong to the Inuit-Inupiaq branch of the Inuit-Yupik-Unangan language family.

Inupiaq (Inupiatun) is spoken in Russia (extinct) and Alaska, which is one of the 22 official languages of the State of Alaska. In Russia, due to the replacement from their traditional territory in Big Diomede Island to Mainland Russia, Inupiaq language has been nearly extinct with most of them speaking Central Siberian Yupik or Russian predominantly with some Inupiaq linguistic features.

In Canada, three Inuit languages ( Inuvialuktun, Inuinnaqtun, Inuktitut) are spoken. Inuvialuktun is spoken in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, Northwest Territories, with official language status from the territorial government. Inuinnaqtun is spoken across the Northwest Territories and the Kitikmeot Region of Nunavut with official language status from both territories. Inuktitut, the most widely spoken Inuit language in Canada, however, is an official, and one of two main languages, alongside English, of Nunavut and has its speakers throughout Nunavut, Nunavik (Northern Quebec), Nunatsiavut (Labrador), and the Northwest Territories, where it is also an official language.

Kalaallisut is the official language of Greenland. The Greenlandic languages are divided into: Kalaallisut (Western), Inuktun (Northern), and Tunumiit (Eastern). As Inuktitut was the language of the Eastern Canadian Inuit and Kalaallisut is the language of the Western Greenlandic Inuit, they are related more closely than most other dialects.

Inuit in Alaska and Northern Canada also typically speak English. In Greenland, Inuit also speak Danish and learn English in school. Inuit in Russia mostly speak Russian and Central Siberian Yupik. Canadian Inuit, particularly those from Nunavik, may also speak Québécois French.

Finally, deaf Inuit use Inuit Sign Language, which is a language isolate and is almost extinct as only around 50 people still use it.

Inuit have traditionally been fishermen and hunters. They still hunt whales (esp. bowhead whale), seal, (esp. ringed seal, harp seal, common seal, bearded seal), polar bears, muskoxen, caribou, birds, and fish and at times other less commonly eaten animals such as the Arctic fox. The typical Inuit diet is high in protein and very high in fat - in their traditional diets, Inuit consumed an average of 75 per cent of their daily energy intake from fat. While it is not possible to cultivate plants for food in the Arctic, Inuit have traditionally gathered those that are naturally available. Grasses, tubers, roots, Plant stems, berries, and seaweed ( kuanniq or edible seaweed) were collected and preserved depending on the season and the location. There is a vast array of different hunting technologies that Inuit used to gather their food.

In the 1920s, anthropologist Vilhjalmur Stefansson lived with and studied a group of Inuit. The study focused on Stefansson's observation that Inuit's low-carbohydrate diet apparently had no adverse effects on their health, nor indeed, on his own health. Stefansson (1946) also observed that Inuit were able to get the necessary vitamins they needed from their traditional winter diet, which did not contain any plant matter. In particular, he found that adequate vitamin C could be obtained from items in their traditional diet of raw meat such as ringed seal liver and whale skin ( muktuk). While there was considerable skepticism when he reported these findings, the initial anecdotal reports were reaffirmed both in the 1970s, and more recently.

Modern Inuit have lifespans 12 to 15 years shorter than the average Canadian's, which is thought to be influenced by factors such as their diet and limited access to medical services. The life expectancy gap is not closing and remains stagnant.

The ancient art of face tattooing among Inuit women, which is called or tunniit in Inuktitut, dates back nearly 4,000 years. The facial tattoos detailed aspects of the women's lives, such as where they were from, who their family was, their life achievements, and their position in the community. When Catholic missionaries arrived in the area in the early 20th century they outlawed the practice,[citation needed ] but it is now making a comeback thanks to some modern Inuit women who want to honor the practices of their ancestors and get in touch with their cultural roots. The traditional method of tattooing was done with needles made of sinew or bone soaked in suet and sewn into the skin, but today they use ink. The Inuit Tattoo Revitalization Project is a community that was created to highlight the revitalization of this ancient tradition.

Inupiat man in a kayak, Noatak, Alaska, c. 1929 (photo by Edward S. Curtis)

Inuit hunted sea animals from single-passenger, seal-skin covered boats called (Inuktitut syllabics: ᖃᔭᖅ) which were extraordinarily buoyant, and could be righted by a seated person, even if completely overturned. Because of this property, the design was copied by Europeans and Americans who still produce them under Inuit name kayak.

Inuit also made ("woman's boat"), larger open boats made of wood frames covered with animal skins, for transporting people, goods, and dogs. They were 6-12 m (20-39 ft) long and had a flat bottom so that the boats could come close to shore. In the winter, Inuit would also hunt sea mammals by patiently watching an aglu (breathing hole) in the ice and waiting for the air-breathing seals to use them. This technique is also used by the polar bear, who hunts by seeking holes in the ice and waiting nearby.

In winter, both on land and on sea ice, Inuit used dog sleds ( qamutik) for transportation. The dog breed comes from the Siberian Husky. These dogs were bred from wolves, for transportation. A team of dogs in either a tandem/side-by-side or fan formation would pull a sled made of wood, animal bones, or the baleen from a whale's mouth and even frozen fish, over the snow and ice. Inuit used stars to navigate at sea and landmarks to navigate on land; they possessed a comprehensive native system of toponymy. Where natural landmarks were insufficient, Inuit would erect an . Also, Greenland Inuit created Ammassalik wooden maps, which are tactile devices that represent the coastline.

Dogs played an integral role in the annual routine of Inuit. During the summer they became pack animals, sometimes dragging up to 20 kg (44 lb) of baggage and in the winter they pulled the sled. Yearlong they assisted with hunting by sniffing out seals' holes and pestering polar bears. They also protected Inuit villages by barking at bears and strangers. Inuit generally favoured, and tried to breed, the most striking and handsome of dogs, especially ones with bright eyes and healthy coats. Common husky dog breeds used by Inuit were the Canadian Eskimo Dog, the official animal of Nunavut, ( Qimmiq; Inuktitut for dog), the Greenland Dog, the Siberian Husky and the Alaskan Malamute.

Inuit industry relied almost exclusively on animal hides, driftwood, and bones, although some tools were also made out of worked stones, particularly the readily worked soapstone. Walrus ivory was a particularly essential material, used to make knives. Art played a big part in Inuit society and continues to do so today. Small sculptures of animals and human figures, usually depicting everyday activities such as hunting and whaling, were carved from ivory and bone. In modern times prints and figurative works carved in relatively soft stone such as soapstone, serpentinite, or argillite have also become popular.

Traditional Inuit clothing and footwear is made from animal skins, sewn together using needles made from animal bones and threads made from other animal products, such as sinew. The anorak (parka) is made in a similar fashion by Arctic peoples from Europe through Asia and the Americas, including Inuit. The back part of an (women's parka) was traditionally made extra-large with a separate compartment below the hood to allow the mother to carry a baby against her back and protect it from the harsh wind. Styles vary from region to region, from the shape of the hood to the length of the tails. Boots ( or kamik), could be made of caribou or seal skin, and designed for men and women.

During the winter, certain Inuit lived in a temporary shelter made from snow called an , and during the few months of the year when temperatures were above freezing, they lived in tents, known as , made of animal skins supported by a frame of bones or wood. Some, such as the Siglit, used driftwood, while others built sod houses.

Inuit also used the Cape York Meteorite as a primary resource of Iron, using a technique called cold forging, which consisted in slicing a piece of the meteorite and giving it shape by smashing it with rocks until getting the desired shape, for example, tools for fishing. They used this meteorite for centuries until Robert E. Peary sold it to the American Natural History Museum in 1883.

The division of labor in traditional Inuit society had a strong gender component, but it was not absolute. The men were traditionally hunters and fishermen, and the women took care of the children, cleaned the home, sewed, processed food, and cooked. However, there are numerous examples of women who hunted, out of necessity or as a personal choice. At the same time, men, who could be away from camp for several days at a time, would be expected to know how to sew and cook.

The marital customs among Inuit were not strictly monogamous: many Inuit relationships were implicitly or explicitly sexual. Open marriages, polygamy, divorce, and remarriage were known. Among some Inuit groups, if there were children, divorce required the approval of the community and particularly the agreement of the elders. Marriages were often arranged, sometimes in infancy, and occasionally forced on the couple by the community.

Marriage was common for women at puberty and for men when they became productive hunters. Family structure was flexible: a household might consist of a husband and wife (or wives) and children; it might include his parents or his wife's parents as well as adopted children; it might be a larger formation of several siblings with their parents, wives, and children; or even more than one family sharing dwellings and resources. Every household had its head, either an elder or a particularly respected man.

There was also a larger notion of community as, generally, several families shared a place where they wintered. Goods were shared within a household, and also, to a significant extent, within a whole community.

Inuit were hunter-gatherers, and have been referred to as nomadic. One of the customs following the birth of an infant was for an ( shaman) to place a tiny ivory carving of a whale into the baby's mouth, in hopes this would make the child good at hunting. Loud singing and drumming were also customary at birth.

Virtually all Inuit cultures have oral traditions of raids by other Indigenous peoples, including fellow Inuit, and of taking vengeance on them in return, such as the Bloody Falls massacre. Western observers often regarded these tales as generally not entirely accurate historical accounts, but more as self-serving myths. However, evidence shows that Inuit cultures had quite accurate methods of teaching historical accounts to each new generation. In northern Canada, historically there were ethnic feuds between the Dene and Inuit, as witnessed by Samuel Hearne in 1771. In 1996, Dene and Inuit representatives participated in a healing ceremony to reconcile the centuries-old grievances.

The historic accounts of violence against outsiders make it clear that there was a history of hostile contact within Inuit cultures and with other cultures. It also makes it clear that Inuit nations existed through history, as well as confederations of such nations. The known confederations were usually formed to defend against a more prosperous, and thus stronger, nation. Alternately, people who lived in less productive geographical areas tended to be less warlike, as they had to spend more time producing food.

Justice within Inuit culture was moderated by the form of governance that gave significant power to the elders. As in most cultures around the world, justice could be harsh and often included capital punishment for serious crimes against the community or the individual. During raids against other peoples, Inuit, like their non-Inuit neighbors, tended to be merciless.

A pervasive European myth about Inuit is that they killed elderly ( senicide) and "unproductive people", but this is not generally true. In a culture with an oral history, elders are the keepers of communal knowledge, effectively the community library. Because they are of extreme value as the repository of knowledge, there are cultural taboos against sacrificing elders.

In Antoon A. Leenaars' book Suicide in Canada he states that " Rasmussen found that the death of elders by suicide was a commonplace among the Iglulik Inuit".

According to Franz Boas, suicide was "not of rare occurrence" and was generally accomplished through hanging. Writing of the Labrador Inuit, Hawkes (1916) was considerably more explicit on the subject of suicide and the burden of the elderly:

Aged people who have outlived their usefulness and whose life is a burden both to themselves and their relatives are put to death by stabbing or strangulation. This is customarily done at the request of the individual concerned, but not always so. Aged people who are a hindrance on the trail are abandoned.

When food is not sufficient, the elderly are the least likely to survive. In the extreme case of famine, Inuit fully understood that, if there was to be any hope of obtaining more food, a hunter was necessarily the one to feed on whatever food was left. However, a common response to desperate conditions and the threat of starvation was infanticide. A mother abandoned an infant in hopes that someone less desperate might find and adopt the child before the cold or animals killed it. The belief that Inuit regularly resorted to infanticide may be due in part to studies done by Asen Balikci, Milton Freeman and David Riches among the Netsilik, along with the trial of Kikkik. Other recent research has noted that "While there is little disagreement that there were examples of infanticide in Inuit communities, it is presently not known the depth and breadth of these incidents. The research is neither complete nor conclusive to allow for a determination of whether infanticide was a rare or a widely practiced event." There is no agreement about the actual estimates of the frequency of newborn female infanticide in Inuit population. Carmel Schrire mentions diverse studies ranging from 15-50 per cent to 80 per cent.

Anthropologists believed that Inuit cultures routinely killed children born with physical defects because of the demands of the extreme climate. These views were changed by late 20th century discoveries of burials at an archaeological site. Between 1982 and 1994, a storm with high winds caused ocean waves to erode part of the bluffs near Barrow, Alaska, and a body was discovered to have been washed out of the mud. Unfortunately, the storm claimed the body, which was not recovered. But examination of the eroded bank indicated that an ancient house, perhaps with other remains, was likely to be claimed by the next storm. The site, known as the "Ukkuqsi archaeological site", was excavated. Several frozen bodies (now known as the "frozen family") were recovered, autopsies were performed, and they were re-interred as the first burials in the then-new Imaiqsaun Cemetery south of Barrow. Years later another body was washed out of the bluff. It was a female child, approximately nine years old, who had clearly been born with a congenital birth defect. This child had never been able to walk, but must have been cared for by family throughout her life. She was the best preserved body ever recovered in Alaska, and radiocarbon dating of grave goods and of a strand of her hair all place her back to about 1200 CE.

During the 19th century, the Western Arctic suffered a population decline of close to 90 per cent, resulting from exposure to new diseases, including tuberculosis, measles, influenza, and smallpox. Autopsies near Greenland reveal that, more commonly pneumonia, kidney diseases, trichinosis, malnutrition, and degenerative disorders may have contributed to mass deaths among different Inuit tribes. Inuit believed that the causes of the disease were of a spiritual origin.

Canadian churches and, eventually, the federal government ran the earliest health facilities for Inuit population, whether fully segregated hospitals or "annexes" and wards attached to settler hospitals. These " Indian hospitals" were focused on treating people for tuberculosis, though diagnosis was difficult and treatment involved forced removal of individuals from their communities for in-patient confinement in other parts of the country.

Dr. Kevin Patterson, a physician, wrote an op-ed in The Globe and Mail: "In October (2017) the federal Minister of Indigenous Services, Jane Philpott, announced that in 2015 tuberculosis... Was 270 times... More common among the Canadian Inuit than it is among non-Indigenous southern Canadians." The Canadian Medical Association Journal published in 2013 that "tuberculosis among Canadian Inuit has dramatically increased since 1997. In 2010 the incidence in Nunavut... Was 304 per 100,000-more than 66 times the rate seen in the general population.

Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit or Inuit traditional laws are anthropologically different from Western law concepts. Customary law was thought non-existent in Inuit society before the introduction of the Canadian legal system. In 1954, E. Adamson Hoebel concluded that only "rudimentary law" existed amongst Inuit. No known Western observer before 1970 was aware that any form of governance existed among any Inuit; however, there was a set way of doing things that had to be followed:

maligait refers to what has to be followed

piqujait refers to what has to be done

tirigusuusiit refers to what has to be avoided

If an individual's actions went against the tirigusuusiit, maligait or piqujait, the angakkuq (shaman) might have to intervene, lest the consequences be dire to the individual or the community.

We are told today that Inuit never had laws or "maligait". Why? They say because they are not written on paper. When I think of paper, I think you can tear it up, and the laws are gone. The laws of the Inuit are not on paper.

-  Mariano Aupilaarjuk, Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, Perspectives on Traditional Law

The environment in which Inuit lived inspired a mythology filled with adventure tales of whale and walrus hunts. Long winter months of waiting for caribou herds or sitting near breathing holes hunting seals gave birth to stories of the mysterious and sudden appearance of ghosts and fantastic creatures. Some Inuit looked into the aurora borealis, or northern lights, to find images of their family and friends dancing in the next life. However, some Inuit believed that the lights were more sinister and if you whistled at them, they would come down and cut off your head. This tale is still told to children today. For others they were invisible giants, the souls of animals, a guide to hunting and as a spirit for the angakkuq to help with healing. They relied upon the angakkuq (shaman) for spiritual interpretation. The nearest thing to a central deity was the Old Woman (), who lived beneath the sea. The waters, a central food source, were believed to contain great gods.

Inuit practiced a form of shamanism based on animist principles. They believed that all things had a form of spirit, including humans, and that to some extent these spirits could be influenced by a pantheon of supernatural entities that could be appeased when one required some animal or inanimate thing to act in a certain way. The angakkuq of a community of Inuit was not the leader, but rather a sort of healer and psychotherapist, who tended wounds and offered advice, as well as invoking the spirits to assist people in their lives. Their role was to see, interpret and exhort the subtle and unseen. Angakkuit were not trained; they were held to be born with the ability and recognized by the community as they approached adulthood.

Inuit religion was closely tied to a system of rituals integrated into the daily life of the people. These rituals were simple but held to be necessary. According to a customary Inuit saying, "The great peril of our existence lies in the fact that our diet consists entirely of souls".

By believing that all things, including animals, have souls like those of humans, any hunt that failed to show appropriate respect and customary supplication would only give the liberated spirits cause to avenge themselves.

The harshness and unpredictability of life in the Arctic ensured that Inuit lived with concern for the uncontrollable, where a streak of bad luck could destroy an entire community. To offend a spirit was to risk its interference with an already marginal existence. Inuit understood that they had to work in harmony with supernatural powers to provide the necessities of day-to-day life.

In total there are about 148,000 Inuit living in four countries, Canada, Greenland, Denmark and the United States.

The largest population of Inuit in Canada as of 2016 live in Nunavut with 30,140 Inuit out of a total population of 35,580 residents. Between 2006 and 2016, Inuit population of Nunavut grew by 22.5 per cent. In Nunavut, Inuit population forms a majority in all communities and is the only jurisdiction of Canada where Aboriginal peoples form a majority.

As of 2016, there were 13,945 Inuit living in Quebec. The majority, about 11,795, live in Nunavik. Inuit population of Nunavik grew 23.3 per cent between the 2006 and 2016 censuses. This was the fastest growth among all four regions of Inuit Nunangat.

The 2016 Canada Census found there were 6,450 Inuit living in Newfoundland and Labrador including 2,285 who live in Nunatsiavut. In Nunatsiavut, Inuit population grew by 6.0 per cent between 2006 and 2016.

As of 2016, there were 4,080 Inuit living in the Northwest Territories. The majority, 3,110, live in the six communities of the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. Inuit population growth in the region was largely flat between 2006 and 2016.

Outside of Inuit Nunangat, Inuit population was 17,695 as of 2016. This was a growth of 61.9 per cent between the 2006 and 2016 censuses. The highest populations of Inuit outside of Inuit Nunangat lived in the Atlantic provinces (30.6 per cent) with 23.5 per cent lived in Newfoundland and Labrador. A further 21.8 per cent outside of Inuit Nunangat lived in Ontario, 28.7 per cent lived in the western provinces, 12.1 per cent lived in Quebec, while 6.8 per cent lived in the Northwest Territories (not including the Inuvialuit region) and Yukon.

Included in the population of Newfoundland and Labrador outside of Inuit Nunangat is the unrecognized Inuit territory of NunatuKavut where about 6,000 NunatuKavummiut (formerly known as "Labrador-metis") reside in southern Labrador. The numbers are not projected to rise in any significant way because of the enrollment requirements, which require proof Inuit ancestry and demonstrated connection with NunatuKavut society.

According to the 2018 edition of the , Inuit population of Greenland is 88 per cent (50,787) out of a total of 57,713 people. Like Nunavut, the population lives throughout the habitable areas of the region.

The population size of Greenlandic people in Denmark varies from source to source between 15,000 and 20,000. According to 2023 figures from Statistics Denmark there are 17,067 people residing in Denmark of Greenlandic Inuit ancestry. Most travel to Denmark for educational purposes, and many remain after finishing their education, which results in the population being mostly concentrated in the big four educational cities of Copenhagen, Aarhus, Odense, and Aalborg, which all have vibrant Greenlandic communities and cultural centers (Kalaallit Illuutaat).

According to the 2000 United States Census there were a total of 16,581 Inuit / Inupiat living throughout the country. The majority, about 14,718, live in the state of Alaska. According to 2019-based U.S. Census Bureau data, there are 700 Alaskan Natives in Seattle, many of whom are Inuit and Yupik, and almost 7,000 in Washington state.

The Inuit Circumpolar Council is a United Nations-recognized non-governmental organization (NGO), which defines its constituency as Canada's Inuit and Inuvialuit, Greenland's Kalaallit Inuit, Alaska's Inupiat and Yup'ik, and Russia's Siberian Yupik, despite the last two neither speaking an Inuit dialect or considering themselves "Inuit". Nonetheless, it has come together with other circumpolar cultural and political groups to promote Inuit and other northern people in their fight against ecological problems such as climate change which disproportionately affects Inuit population. The Inuit Circumpolar Council is one of the six group of Arctic Indigenous peoples that have a seat as a so-called "Permanent Participant" on the Arctic Council, an international high level forum in which the eight Arctic Countries (United States, Canada, Russia, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland) discuss Arctic policy. On 12 May 2011, Greenland's Prime Minister Kuupik Kleist hosted the ministerial meeting of the Arctic Council, an event for which the American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton came to Nuuk, as did many other high-ranking officials such as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt and Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. At that event they signed the Nuuk Declaration.

While Inuit Nunangat is within Canada, and the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami oversees only the four official regions, there remains the unrecognized NunatuKavut in southern Labrador.

The TFN worked for ten years and, in September 1992, came to a final agreement with the Government of Canada. This agreement called for the separation of the Northwest Territories into an eastern territory whose Aboriginal population would be predominately Inuit, the future Nunavut, and a rump Northwest Territories in the west. It was the largest land claim agreement in Canadian history. In November 1992, the Nunavut Final Agreement was approved by nearly 85 per cent of Inuit of what would become Nunavut. As the final step in this long process, the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement was signed on May 25, 1993, in Iqaluit by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and by Paul Quassa, the president of Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, which replaced the TFN with the ratification of the Nunavut Final Agreement. The Canadian Parliament passed the supporting legislation in June of the same year, enabling the 1999 establishment of Nunavut as a territorial entity.

In 1953, Denmark put an end to the colonial status of Greenland and granted home rule in 1979 and in 2008 a self-government referendum was passed with 75 per cent approval. Although still a part of the Kingdom of Denmark (along with Denmark proper and the Faroe Islands), Greenland, known as Kalaallit Nunaat in the Greenlandic language, maintains much autonomy today. Of a population of 56,000, 80 per cent of Greenlanders identify as Inuit. Their economy is based on fishing and shrimping.

The Thule people arrived in Greenland in the 13th century. There they encountered the Norsemen, who had established colonies there since the late 10th century, as well as a later wave of the Dorset people. Because most of Greenland is covered in ice, the Greenland Inuit (or Kalaallit) only live in coastal settlements, particularly the northern polar coast, the eastern Amassalik coast and the central coasts of western Greenland.

Inuit of Alaska are the Iñupiat who live in the Northwest Arctic Borough, the North Slope Borough and the Bering Strait region. Utqiagvik, the northernmost city in the United States, is in the Inupiat region. Their language is Iñupiaq.

A genetic study published in in August 2014 examined a large number of remains from the Dorset culture, Birnirk culture and the Thule people. Genetic continuity was observed between Inuit, Thule and Birnirk, who overwhelmingly carried the maternal haplogroup A2a and were genetically very different from the Dorset. The evidence suggested that Inuit descend from the Birnirk of Siberia, who through the Thule culture expanded into northern Canada and Greenland, where they genetically and culturally completely replaced the Indigenous Dorset people some time after 1300 AD.

Inuit people tend to have the dry variant of human earwax.

Inuit art, carving, print making, textiles and Inuit throat singing, are very popular, not only in Canada but globally, and Inuit artists are widely known. Canada has adopted some of Inuit culture as national symbols, using Inuit cultural icons like the inuksuk in unlikely places, such as its use as a symbol at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Respected art galleries display Inuit art, the largest collection of which is at the Winnipeg Art Gallery. Their traditional New Year is called Quviasukvik.

Some Inuit languages, such as Inuktitut, appear to have a more secure future in Quebec and Nunavut. There are a number of Inuit, even those who now live in urban centres such as Ottawa, Montreal and Winnipeg, who have experienced living on the land in the traditional life style. People such as Legislative Assembly of Nunavut member, Levinia Brown and former Commissioner of Nunavut and the NWT, Helen Maksagak were born and lived the early part of their life "on the land". Inuit culture is alive and vibrant today in spite of the negative impacts of recent history.

An important biennial event, the Arctic Winter Games, is held in communities across the northern regions of the world, featuring traditional Inuit and northern sports as part of the events. A cultural event is also held. The games were first held in 1970, and while rotated usually among Alaska, Yukon and the Northwest Territories, they have also been held in Schefferville, Quebec, in 1976, in Slave Lake, Alberta, and a joint Iqaluit, Nunavut- Nuuk, Greenland staging in 2002. In other sporting events, Jordin Tootoo became the first Inuk to play in the National Hockey League in the 2003-2004 season, playing for the Nashville Predators.

Although Inuit life has changed significantly over the past century, many traditions continue. Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, or traditional knowledge, such as storytelling, mythology, music, and dancing remain important parts of the culture. Family and community are very important. The Inuktitut language is still spoken in many areas of the Arctic and is common on radio and in television programming.

Well-known Inuit politicians include Premier of Nunavut, P.J. Akeeagok, Lori Idlout, member of parliament for the riding of Nunavut, Eva Aariak, Commissioner of Nunavut and Múte Bourup Egede, Prime Minister of Greenland. Leona Aglukkaq, former MP, was the first Inuk to be sworn into the Canadian Federal Cabinet as Health Minister in 2008. In May 2011 after being re-elected for her second term, Aglukkaq was given the additional portfolio of Minister of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency. In July 2013 she was sworn in as the minister of the environment.

Visual and performing arts are strong features of Inuit culture. In 2002 the first feature film in Inuktitut, Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner, was released worldwide to great critical and popular acclaim. It was directed by Zacharias Kunuk, and written, filmed, produced, directed, and acted almost entirely by Inuit of Igloolik. In 2009, the film Le Voyage D'Inuk, a Greenlandic-language feature film, was directed by Mike Magidson and co-written by Magidson and French film producer Jean-Michel Huctin. One of the most famous Inuit artists is Pitseolak Ashoona. Susan Aglukark is a popular singer. Mitiarjuk Attasie Nappaaluk worked at preserving Inuktitut and wrote one of the first novels ever published in that language. In 2006, Cape Dorset was hailed as Canada's most artistic city, with 23 per cent of the labor force employed in the arts. Inuit art such as soapstone carvings is one of Nunavut's most important industries. Ada Eyetoaq was an Inuit artist who made miniature sculptures out of soapstone.

Recently, there has been an identity struggle among the younger generations of Inuit, between their traditional heritage and the modern society which their cultures have been forced to assimilate into in order to maintain a livelihood. With current dependence on modern society for necessities, (including governmental jobs, food, aid, medicine, etc.), Inuit have had much interaction with and exposure to the societal norms outside their previous cultural boundaries. The stressors regarding the identity crisis among teenagers have led to disturbingly high numbers of suicide.

A series of authors have focused upon the increasing myopia in the youngest generations of Inuit. Myopia was almost unknown prior to Inuit adoption of Western culture. Principal theories are the change to a Western style diet with more refined foods, and extended education.

1. "Table 1: American Indian and Alaska Native Alone and Alone or in Combination Population by Tribe for the United States: 2000". United States Census Bureau. 2000. Archived from the original (xls) on 1 August 2020.

2. ^ "Maps of Inuit Nunangat (Inuit Regions of Canada)". Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami. 5 September 2008. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021.

3. ^ "Aboriginal rights and freedoms not affected by Charter". Constitution Act, 1982. Department of Justice (Canada). 30 June 2021. [T]his Charter of certain rights and freedoms shall not be construed so as to abrogate or derogate from any aboriginal, treaty or other rights or freedoms that pertain to the aboriginal peoples of Canada.

4. ^ Hersher, Rebecca (24 April 2016). "Why You Probably Shouldn't Say 'Eskimo'". Goats and Soda: Stories of a Life in a Changing World. NPR.

5. ^ Kaplan, Lawrence. "Inuit or Eskimo: Which name to use?". Alaska Native Language Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks.

6. Mailhot, José (1978). "L'etymologie de "esquimau" revue et corrigée". Études/Inuit/Studies. 2 (2): 59-70. JSTOR 42869777.

7. VanStone, James W.; Goddard, Ives. Territorial Groups of West-Central Alaska Before 1898. pp. 556-561. in Sturtevant (1984)

8. ^ Wood, Shannon Raye (1984). Tooth wear and the sexual division of labor in an Inuit population (PDF) (Thesis). University of Saskatchewan. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 May 2011.

9. ^ Diamond, Jared M. (2006). Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail Or Succeed. Penguin (University of California). p. 256. ISBN 978-0-14-303655-5.

10. ^ Sandell, Hanne Tuborg; Sandell, Birger (1991). Archaeology and Environment in the Scoresby Sund Fjord. Meddelelser om Grønland Man & Society. Vol. 15. Museum Tusculanum Press. p. 23. ISBN 9788763512084.

11. ^ Palmer, Jay W. (January 1999). "The Dorset: An Enigma = Le Dorset: une énigme". North American Archaeologist. 19 (3): 201-222. doi:10.2190/HLB1-LAU5-RDC5-WUU0. S2CID 162328800.

12. ^ "Aboriginal 7 - Life in Canada". Library and Archives Canada. Archived from the original on 4 August 2012.

13. ^ "Arctic Studies Center Newsletter" (PDF). National Museum of Natural History. Smithsonian Institution. June 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 December 2015.

14. Jensen, Anne M.; Sheehan, Glenn W.; MacLean, Stephen A. (2009). "Inuit and Marine Mammals". In William F. Perrin; Bernd Würsig; J.G.M. Thewissen (eds.). Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals (second ed.). Academic Press. p. 630. ISBN 978-0-08-091993-5.

15. ^ "Government of Canada Apologizes for Relocation of Inuit Families to the High Arctic" (Press release). Government of Canada. 18 August 2010.

16. ^ Dussault, René; Erasmus, George (1994). The High Arctic Relocation: A Report on the 1953-55 Relocation (PDF) (Report). Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. ISBN 0-660-15544-3.

17. ^ "Part Two: False Assumptions and a Failed Relationship: Chapter 11 - Relocation of Aboriginal Communities: 2.2 To Improve the Lives of Aboriginal People" (PDF). Report on the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (Report). Vol. 1 - Looking Forward Looking Back. Indian and Northern Affairs Canada. October 1996. pp. 434-438. Archived from the original on 13 May 2006.

18. Kaplan, Lawrence (1 July 2011). "Inuit or Eskimo: Which names to use?". Alaska Native Language Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks. Archived from the original on 12 January 2019.

19. ^ Campbell, Lyle (1997). American Indian Languages: The Historical Linguistics of Native America. Oxford University Press. p. 394. ISBN 978-0-19-534983-2.

20. ^ "Words First An Evolving Terminology Relating to Aboriginal Peoples in Canada" (PDF). Communications Branch, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada. October 2002. The term 'Eskimo', applied to Inuit by European explorers, is no longer used in Canada.

21. Inuktitut, Eastern Canadian at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

22. Greenlandic at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

23. ^ "Consolidation of Official Languages Act" (PDF). Government of Nunavut. 11 November 2013.

24. ^ "Official Languages Act (Northwest Territories" (PDF). Government of the Northwest Territories. 1998.

25. ^ "The languages of Nunavut: A delicate balance". Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages. 5 April 2013. Archived from the original on 6 August 2014.

26. ^ Kuhnlein, Harriet V.; Turner, Nancy J. (1991). "Chapter 4. Descriptions and Uses of Plant Foods by Indigenous Peoples". Traditional Plant Foods of Canadian Indigenous Peoples: Nutrition, Botany and Use. Food and Nutrition in History and Anthropology, Volume 8 (1st ed.). Taylor and Francis. pp. 26-29. ISBN 978-2-88124-465-0.

27. ^ Arctic Wildlife (PDF) (Report). Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami. p. 2. Not included are the myriad of other species of plants and animals that Inuit use, such as geese, ducks, rabbits, ptarmigan, swans, halibut, clams, mussels, cod, berries and seaweed.

28. ^ Bennett, John; Rowley, Susan (2004). "Chapter 5. Gathering". Uqalurait: An Oral History of Nunavut. McGill-Queen's University Press. pp. 78-85. ISBN 978-0-7735-2340-1. ...shorelines, Inuit gathered seaweed and shellfish. For some, these foods were a treat;...

29. ^ Lieb, Clarence W. (1926). "The Effects of an Exclusive Long-Continued Meat Diet". . 87 (1): 25-26. doi:10.1001/jama.1926.02680010025006.

30. "Inuk woman shares the meaning behind her traditional tattoos" (Video 4:47). CBC/Radio-Canada. 29 September 2021.

31. ^ Levy, Richard M.; Dawson, Peter C.; Arnold, Charles (2004). "Reconstructing traditional Inuit house forms using three-dimensional interactive computer modelling" (PDF). Visual Studies. 19 (1): 26-36. doi:10.1080/1472586042000204825. S2CID 53394477.

32. ^ Snow, Dean R. (1996). "The first Americans and the differentiation of hunter-gatherer cultures North America.". In Bruce G. Trigger; Wilcomb E. Washburn (eds.). The Cambridge History of the Native Peoples of the Americas. Vol. I: North America. Cambridge University Press. pp. 125-200. doi:10.1017/CHOL9780521573924.004. ISBN 978-1-1390-5555-0.

33. ^ Olmert, Michael (1996). Milton's Teeth and Ovid's Umbrella: Curiouser and Curiouser Adventures in History. Touchstone. p. 158. ISBN 978-0-684-80164-3.

34. ^ Hearne, Samuel (1795). A Journey from Prince of Wales's Fort in Hudson's Bay, to the Northern Ocean. London: A. Strahan and T. Cadell. pp. 114-162.

35. ^ Kjellstrom, Rolf (1974). "Senilicide and Invalidicide among the Eskimos". Folk: Dansk Etnografisk Tidsskrift. 16/17 (1): 117-124. hdl:10822/767368.

36. ^ Leighton, Alexander H.; Hughes, Charles C. (December 1955). "Notes on Eskimo Patterns of Suicide". Southwestern journal of anthropology. 11 (4): 327-338. doi:10.1086/SOUTJANTH.11.4.3628908. ISSN 0038-4801. Wikidata Q64013807.

37. ^ Burch, Ernest S. (1988). The Eskimos. University of Oklahoma Press. p. 21. ISBN 978-0-8061-2126-0. Given the importance that Eskimos attached to the aged, it is surprising that so many Westerners believe that they systematically eliminated elderly people as soon as they became incapable of performing the duties related to hunting or sewing.

38. ^ Freeman, Milton M.R. (October 1971). "A Social and Ecologic Analysis of Systematic Female Infanticide among the Netsilik Eskimo". American Anthropologist. 73 (5): 1011-1018. doi:10.1525/AA.1971.73.5.02A00020. ISSN 0002-7294. JSTOR 672815. Wikidata Q56521444.

39. ^ Hund, Andrew (2010). "Inuit". In Brigitte Bechtold; Donna Cooper Graves (eds.). An Encyclopedia of Infanticide. Lewiston, New York: Edwin Mellen Press. ISBN 978-0-7734-1402-0.

40. ^ Schrire, Carmel; Steiger, William Lee (June 1974). "A Matter of Life and Death: An Investigation Into the Practice of Female Infanticide in the Arctic". Man. 9 (2): 161. doi:10.2307/2800072. ISSN 0025-1496. JSTOR 2800072. Wikidata Q56049886.

41. ^ Roberts, John A.; Sproule, Fredrick C.; Montgomery, Randy (2006). First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples : exploring their past, present, and future. Emond Montgomery Publications. p. 6. ISBN 978-1-55239-167-9. aurora borealis Inuit.

42. "Grønlænderebosiddende i Danmark" (PDF). The North Atlantic Group in the Danish Parliament. 1 January 2006. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2020.

43. "Table 16: American Indian and Alaska Native Alone and Alone or in Combination Population by Tribe for Alaska: 2000" (xls). United States Census Bureau. 2000.

44. "Aboriginal Peoples Highlight Tables, 2016 Census". Statistics Canada. 2 October 2020.

45. ^ Bass, Edward J.; Jackson, John F. (1977). "Cerumen types in Eskimos". American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 47 (2): 209-210. doi:10.1002/ajpa.1330470203. PMID 910884.

46. ^ Laugrand, Frédéric; Oosten, Jarich (2002). "Quviasukvik. The celebration of an Inuit winter feast in the central Arctic". Journal de la Société des Américanistes. 88 (88): 203-225. doi:10.4000/jsa.2772.

47. ^ "Inuk journalist awarded for best image in human rights exhibition". CBC News. 23 June 2017.

Leenaars, Antoon A.; Kral, Michael J.; Dyck, Ronald J. (1998). . University of Toronto Press. ISBN 978-0-8020-7791-2.

Ohokak, Gwen; Kadlun, Margo; Harnum, Betty. Inuinnaqtun to English Dictionary (PDF). Kitikmeot Heritage Society. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 September 2012.

Raghavan, Maanasa; DeGiorgio, Michael; Albrechtsen, Anders; et al. (2014). "The genetic prehistory of the New World Arctic". . 345 (6200) (published 29 August 2014): 1255832. doi:10.1126/SCIENCE.1255832. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 25170159. Wikidata Q29606641.

Sturtevant, William C., ed. (1984). Handbook of North American Indians. Vol. 5 (Arctic). Smithsonian Institution. ISBN 978-0-16-004580-6.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Inuit ( IN-ew-it ; Inuktitut: ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ; Iñupiaq: Iñuit 'the people'; Greenlandic: Inuit) are a group of culturally and historically similar Indigenous peoples traditionally inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of North America, including Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, Yukon (traditionally), Alaska, and Chukotsky District of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia.

# data[].attributes.body
To be Inuit one would be living in or around the Arctic, there is 53 communities throughout. These areas are also known as "Inuit Nunanget" which translates to " the place Inuit live". these communities are comprised of 4 regions. Inuvialuit (Northwest Territories and Yukon), Nunavik (Northern Quebec), Nunarsiavut (Labrador) and Nunavut. in these 4 regions there is approximately 64,235 Inuits living in Canada.
i feel the source is trusted because the information was backed with links supported with details , each topic was labelled and they had left contact information readily available.
https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1100100014187/1534785248701
Steven.B

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Inuit are 1 of 3 recognized Indigenous Peoples in Canada, along with First Nations and Métis.

On this page

Inuit population and language

Inuit are Indigenous people of the Arctic. The word Inuit means "the people" in the Inuit language of Inuktut. The singular of Inuit is Inuk.

According to the 2021 Census, there are 69,7051Footnote 1 Inuit in Canada.

Many Inuit in Canada live in Inuit Nunangat, which means "the place where Inuit live."

Inuit Nunangat is comprised of 4 regions:

Inuvialuit (Northwest Territories and Yukon)

Nunavik (Northern Quebec)

Nunatsiavut (Labrador)

Nunavut

Find out more

Inuktut

Inuktut is spoken throughout Inuit Nunangat, and each region has its own dialects. There are two written styles of Inuktut, syllabics and roman orthography.

Syllabics use symbols to represent sounds rather than letters. Roman orthography uses the English alphabet to sound out the words in Inuktut.

Nanilavut: Let's find them

Tuberculosis in Canada was at epidemic proportions in the early 20th century and peaked between the 1940s and 1960s. A significant number of Inuit were affected and sent away from their communities to undergo treatment.

Many patients were treated and returned home. Others succumbed to the illness and were buried in cemeteries near the treatment facilities.

To right historical wrongs, in 2010 the Government of Canada established a working group at the request of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., which includes:

all Inuit land claim holders

Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami

Pauktuutit

the Government of Nunavut

the Government of the Northwest Territories

the Government of Canada

This group is called Nanilavut, which means "let's find them" in Inuktut.

Through the guidance of the Nanilavut working group, comprehensive research was undertaken on finding Inuit lost loved ones from the past tuberculosis epidemic, and a database was created containing records of those that were sent away for medical treatment during the epidemic. The Government of Canada is working in partnership with Inuit leadership on the Nanilavut initiative in order to properly address this historical wrong.

In February 2017, the Prime Minister signed a declaration to create the Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee (ICPC), which advances the shared priorities of Inuit and the Government of Canada. Canada is working through the ICPC to finalize the federal response to Nanilavut to help bring closure and begin the healing process for families and communities.

Find out more

Building Inuit economic success, including art

According to the 2021 Census, the Inuit population is young, with a median age of 25.2. The Government of Canada has several programs and initiatives to help young Inuit fully participate in the Canadian economy.

The First Nations and Inuit Youth Employment Strategy supports initiatives that provide Inuit and First Nations youth with work experience, information about career options and opportunities to develop skills that help them gain employment and develop careers.

The Federal Framework for Aboriginal Economic Development was launched in 2009 to guide federal actions towards increasing the participation of Inuit, First Nations and Métis in the Canadian economy. This was followed by the Strategic Partnerships Initiative in 2010, which helps to increase Indigenous participation in complex economic opportunities.

As well, Inuit in Nunavut participated in the construction of the Canadian High Arctic Research Station. The station's design was developed through the Inuit Quajimajatuqangit approach, which articulates the pillars of traditional Inuit knowledge.

Inuit art

The arts are a vital element of Inuit culture and traditions. Cape Dorset in Nunavut is known as the "Capital of Inuit Art" and 1 out of 5 workers here are employed in the arts.

For decades, Inuit art has played an integral role in the northern economy and contributed millions of dollars to the regional economy.

In July 2017, the Government of Canada officially transferred the responsibility for the management of the Igloo Tag trademark to the Inuit Art Foundation (IAF). This decision was taken after extensive consultations with members of the Inuit art industry. The objective of this transfer is to increase the Inuit art community's ability to regulate art in a way that benefit Inuit artists and help preserve the values of Inuit cultural heritage for generations to come.

The IAF supports Inuit artists and the development and appreciation of Inuit art and promotes Inuit artists from all four northern regions (Inuvialuit, Nunavut, Nunavik and Nunatsiavut) in Canada and internationally.

CIRNAC has developed a comprehensive analysis of the Inuit arts economy, such as fine arts, music, film, theatre and other forms. The study includes a full economic analysis of the Inuit arts economy in each of the four Inuit regions, as well as southern Canada. It will inform policy development to better support Inuit arts and artists in Canada.

Find out more

Devolution and land claims agreements in Inuit Nunangat

Northern governance and placing more control into the hands of Northerners are major parts of Canada's Arctic and Northern Policy.

Inuit land claims agreements have been signed in all 4 Inuit regions:

Under their respective land claims agreements, Inuit were granted title to certain blocks of land. The four land claims regions cover about 40 per cent of Canada's land mass.

Under the Western Arctic (Inuvialuit) Claims Settlement Act, Inuvialuit of the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, have title to approximately 91,000 square kilometres of land.

Under the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, Inuit in Nunavut have title to 352,191 square kilometres of land.

Inuit of Nunavik have title to 8,152 square kilometres of land and exercise some rights over 992,307.58 square kilometres of land. They also have title to approximately 5,100 square kilometres of land on the islands in the Nunavik marine region.

Under the Land Claims Agreement between the Inuit of Labrador and Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Newfoundland and Labrador and Her Majesty the Queen in Right Canada, Inuit of Nunatsiavut have title to approximately 15,800 square kilometres of land within the Labrador Inuit Settlement Area and rights over 72,520 square kilometres of land in northern Labrador.

Government of Canada's apology for the Inuit High Arctic relocation

In August 2010, the former Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians apologized to Inuit families who were relocated in the 1950s to the High Arctic. During these relocations, Inuit families from Port Harrison (Inukjuak) in Northern Québec and Pond Inlet in Nunavut were moved to the High Arctic communities of Resolute Bay and Grise Fiord (Craig Harbour) in Nunavut.

Inuit who were relocated had to adapt to colder climates and longer periods of total light or darkness. Inuit were separated from home communities and extended family were not provided with adequate shelter or supplies, and were not properly informed of where they would be located or for how long.

The 2010 apology helped Inuit affected by the relocation continue to move towards healing and reconciliation.

Find out more

Government of Canada's apology to Qikiqtani Inuit

In August 2019, the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations apologized to Qikiqtani Inuit for effects of federal policies undertaken in the Qikiqtani region from 1950 to 1975.

During this time, the Government of Canada enacted colonial policies which had deep and lasting effects for Inuit in the Qikiqtani region. Actions during this period included forced relocation and family separation, the killing of qimmiit (sled dogs) essential for travel and food security in the Arctic and other assimulitative actions.

These policies and their effects were outlined by the Qikiqtani Truth Commission. The commission was independent of the Government of Canada and sought to bring a voice to Qikiqtani Inuit.

The official apology represents the cumulative work of the Qikiqtani Inuit Association (QIA) and the Government of Canada. Guided by the commission's findings, this apology seeks to help Inuit affected by these policies continue to move towards healing and reconciliation.

Find out more

The department's role

CIRNAC negotiates and implements Acts, agreements, treaties and land claims on behalf of the Government of Canada. The department is also responsible for fulfilling obligations in historic treaties. Strong partnerships among Indigenous peoples, governments and the private sector continue to emerge as we address outstanding land claims and treaty issues and work toward self-government.

CIRNAC works with Inuit organizations, and territorial and provincial governments to build social well-being, economic prosperity and healthy communities for the Inuit of Nunatsiavut, Nunavik, Nunavut and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. This includes support for the Nunavik Housing Policy and coordinating the Nunatsiavut Housing Needs Assessment. Issues that are outside of negotiated land claims agreements and are not covered through on-reserve housing policies and programs.

CIRNAC promotes circumpolar cooperation and plays a role in the Arctic Council.

Inuit organizations

CIRNAC partners with many Inuit organizations, including:

Footnotes

Footnote 1

This number is based on the 2021 Census of the Population and includes: Inuk (Inuit) single identity, not registered, which refers to those individuals who identified as Inuit only to question 24 and responded "no" to question 26, indicating no registration status under the Indian Act of Canada on the 2021 Census of the population. For more information, please contact INSTAT.
Return to footnote 1 referrer

Thank you for your feedback

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Inuit are the Aboriginal people of Arctic Canada. About 45,000 Inuit live in 53 communities in: Nunatsiavut (Labrador); Nunavik (Quebec); Nunavut; and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region of the Northwest Territories. Each of these four Inuit groups have settled land claims. These Inuit regions cover one-third of Canada's land mass.

# data[].attributes.body
The meaning of the word Inuit is "The People" in the language Inuktut which is the language of the Inuit. Also the singular for Inuit is Inuk.
https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1100100014187/1534785248701

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Inuit are 1 of 3 recognized Indigenous Peoples in Canada, along with First Nations and Métis.

On this page

Inuit population and language

Inuit are Indigenous people of the Arctic. The word Inuit means "the people" in the Inuit language of Inuktut. The singular of Inuit is Inuk.

According to the 2021 Census, there are 69,7051Footnote 1 Inuit in Canada.

Many Inuit in Canada live in Inuit Nunangat, which means "the place where Inuit live."

Inuit Nunangat is comprised of 4 regions:

Inuvialuit (Northwest Territories and Yukon)

Nunavik (Northern Quebec)

Nunatsiavut (Labrador)

Nunavut

Find out more

Inuktut

Inuktut is spoken throughout Inuit Nunangat, and each region has its own dialects. There are two written styles of Inuktut, syllabics and roman orthography.

Syllabics use symbols to represent sounds rather than letters. Roman orthography uses the English alphabet to sound out the words in Inuktut.

Nanilavut: Let's find them

Tuberculosis in Canada was at epidemic proportions in the early 20th century and peaked between the 1940s and 1960s. A significant number of Inuit were affected and sent away from their communities to undergo treatment.

Many patients were treated and returned home. Others succumbed to the illness and were buried in cemeteries near the treatment facilities.

To right historical wrongs, in 2010 the Government of Canada established a working group at the request of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., which includes:

all Inuit land claim holders

Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami

Pauktuutit

the Government of Nunavut

the Government of the Northwest Territories

the Government of Canada

This group is called Nanilavut, which means "let's find them" in Inuktut.

Through the guidance of the Nanilavut working group, comprehensive research was undertaken on finding Inuit lost loved ones from the past tuberculosis epidemic, and a database was created containing records of those that were sent away for medical treatment during the epidemic. The Government of Canada is working in partnership with Inuit leadership on the Nanilavut initiative in order to properly address this historical wrong.

In February 2017, the Prime Minister signed a declaration to create the Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee (ICPC), which advances the shared priorities of Inuit and the Government of Canada. Canada is working through the ICPC to finalize the federal response to Nanilavut to help bring closure and begin the healing process for families and communities.

Find out more

Building Inuit economic success, including art

According to the 2021 Census, the Inuit population is young, with a median age of 25.2. The Government of Canada has several programs and initiatives to help young Inuit fully participate in the Canadian economy.

The First Nations and Inuit Youth Employment Strategy supports initiatives that provide Inuit and First Nations youth with work experience, information about career options and opportunities to develop skills that help them gain employment and develop careers.

The Federal Framework for Aboriginal Economic Development was launched in 2009 to guide federal actions towards increasing the participation of Inuit, First Nations and Métis in the Canadian economy. This was followed by the Strategic Partnerships Initiative in 2010, which helps to increase Indigenous participation in complex economic opportunities.

As well, Inuit in Nunavut participated in the construction of the Canadian High Arctic Research Station. The station's design was developed through the Inuit Quajimajatuqangit approach, which articulates the pillars of traditional Inuit knowledge.

Inuit art

The arts are a vital element of Inuit culture and traditions. Cape Dorset in Nunavut is known as the "Capital of Inuit Art" and 1 out of 5 workers here are employed in the arts.

For decades, Inuit art has played an integral role in the northern economy and contributed millions of dollars to the regional economy.

In July 2017, the Government of Canada officially transferred the responsibility for the management of the Igloo Tag trademark to the Inuit Art Foundation (IAF). This decision was taken after extensive consultations with members of the Inuit art industry. The objective of this transfer is to increase the Inuit art community's ability to regulate art in a way that benefit Inuit artists and help preserve the values of Inuit cultural heritage for generations to come.

The IAF supports Inuit artists and the development and appreciation of Inuit art and promotes Inuit artists from all four northern regions (Inuvialuit, Nunavut, Nunavik and Nunatsiavut) in Canada and internationally.

CIRNAC has developed a comprehensive analysis of the Inuit arts economy, such as fine arts, music, film, theatre and other forms. The study includes a full economic analysis of the Inuit arts economy in each of the four Inuit regions, as well as southern Canada. It will inform policy development to better support Inuit arts and artists in Canada.

Find out more

Devolution and land claims agreements in Inuit Nunangat

Northern governance and placing more control into the hands of Northerners are major parts of Canada's Arctic and Northern Policy.

Inuit land claims agreements have been signed in all 4 Inuit regions:

Under their respective land claims agreements, Inuit were granted title to certain blocks of land. The four land claims regions cover about 40 per cent of Canada's land mass.

Under the Western Arctic (Inuvialuit) Claims Settlement Act, Inuvialuit of the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, have title to approximately 91,000 square kilometres of land.

Under the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, Inuit in Nunavut have title to 352,191 square kilometres of land.

Inuit of Nunavik have title to 8,152 square kilometres of land and exercise some rights over 992,307.58 square kilometres of land. They also have title to approximately 5,100 square kilometres of land on the islands in the Nunavik marine region.

Under the Land Claims Agreement between the Inuit of Labrador and Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Newfoundland and Labrador and Her Majesty the Queen in Right Canada, Inuit of Nunatsiavut have title to approximately 15,800 square kilometres of land within the Labrador Inuit Settlement Area and rights over 72,520 square kilometres of land in northern Labrador.

Government of Canada's apology for the Inuit High Arctic relocation

In August 2010, the former Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians apologized to Inuit families who were relocated in the 1950s to the High Arctic. During these relocations, Inuit families from Port Harrison (Inukjuak) in Northern Québec and Pond Inlet in Nunavut were moved to the High Arctic communities of Resolute Bay and Grise Fiord (Craig Harbour) in Nunavut.

Inuit who were relocated had to adapt to colder climates and longer periods of total light or darkness. Inuit were separated from home communities and extended family were not provided with adequate shelter or supplies, and were not properly informed of where they would be located or for how long.

The 2010 apology helped Inuit affected by the relocation continue to move towards healing and reconciliation.

Find out more

Government of Canada's apology to Qikiqtani Inuit

In August 2019, the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations apologized to Qikiqtani Inuit for effects of federal policies undertaken in the Qikiqtani region from 1950 to 1975.

During this time, the Government of Canada enacted colonial policies which had deep and lasting effects for Inuit in the Qikiqtani region. Actions during this period included forced relocation and family separation, the killing of qimmiit (sled dogs) essential for travel and food security in the Arctic and other assimulitative actions.

These policies and their effects were outlined by the Qikiqtani Truth Commission. The commission was independent of the Government of Canada and sought to bring a voice to Qikiqtani Inuit.

The official apology represents the cumulative work of the Qikiqtani Inuit Association (QIA) and the Government of Canada. Guided by the commission's findings, this apology seeks to help Inuit affected by these policies continue to move towards healing and reconciliation.

Find out more

The department's role

CIRNAC negotiates and implements Acts, agreements, treaties and land claims on behalf of the Government of Canada. The department is also responsible for fulfilling obligations in historic treaties. Strong partnerships among Indigenous peoples, governments and the private sector continue to emerge as we address outstanding land claims and treaty issues and work toward self-government.

CIRNAC works with Inuit organizations, and territorial and provincial governments to build social well-being, economic prosperity and healthy communities for the Inuit of Nunatsiavut, Nunavik, Nunavut and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. This includes support for the Nunavik Housing Policy and coordinating the Nunatsiavut Housing Needs Assessment. Issues that are outside of negotiated land claims agreements and are not covered through on-reserve housing policies and programs.

CIRNAC promotes circumpolar cooperation and plays a role in the Arctic Council.

Inuit organizations

CIRNAC partners with many Inuit organizations, including:

Footnotes

Footnote 1

This number is based on the 2021 Census of the Population and includes: Inuk (Inuit) single identity, not registered, which refers to those individuals who identified as Inuit only to question 24 and responded "no" to question 26, indicating no registration status under the Indian Act of Canada on the 2021 Census of the population. For more information, please contact INSTAT.
Return to footnote 1 referrer

Thank you for your feedback

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Inuit are the Aboriginal people of Arctic Canada. About 45,000 Inuit live in 53 communities in: Nunatsiavut (Labrador); Nunavik (Quebec); Nunavut; and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region of the Northwest Territories. Each of these four Inuit groups have settled land claims. These Inuit regions cover one-third of Canada's land mass.

# data[].attributes.body
12.11.21

Inuit

Inuit traditionally used a quilliq to survive and now use them symbolically. It is a soapstone oil lamp made with arctic cotton, moss and animal fat. The quilliq kept Inuit warm in their homes and provided light during long dark winter months. It was also used for drying clothes and cooking. The quilliq is now a symbol of Inuit pride. Quilliks are used in teaching cultural rituals, ceremonially at gatherings and in the homes of Inuit.

Ontario Human Rights Commission OHRC

# data[].attributes.body
"Many Inuit in Canada live in 53 communities across the northern regions of Canada in Inuit Nunangat, which means "the place where Inuit live."

Inuit Nunangat is comprised of 4 regions:

Inuvialuit (Northwest Territories and Yukon)

Nunavik (Northern Quebec)

Nunatsiavut (Labrador)

Nunavut

In total, approximately 64,235 Inuit live in Canada". I found this information to be from an accurate and creditable source as it is a government site and matches with information on other sites.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Inuit are 1 of 3 recognized Indigenous Peoples in Canada, along with First Nations and Métis.

On this page

Inuit population and language

Inuit are Indigenous people of the Arctic. The word Inuit means "the people" in the Inuit language of Inuktut. The singular of Inuit is Inuk.

According to the 2021 Census, there are 69,7051Footnote 1 Inuit in Canada.

Many Inuit in Canada live in Inuit Nunangat, which means "the place where Inuit live."

Inuit Nunangat is comprised of 4 regions:

Inuvialuit (Northwest Territories and Yukon)

Nunavik (Northern Quebec)

Nunatsiavut (Labrador)

Nunavut

Find out more

Inuktut

Inuktut is spoken throughout Inuit Nunangat, and each region has its own dialects. There are two written styles of Inuktut, syllabics and roman orthography.

Syllabics use symbols to represent sounds rather than letters. Roman orthography uses the English alphabet to sound out the words in Inuktut.

Nanilavut: Let's find them

Tuberculosis in Canada was at epidemic proportions in the early 20th century and peaked between the 1940s and 1960s. A significant number of Inuit were affected and sent away from their communities to undergo treatment.

Many patients were treated and returned home. Others succumbed to the illness and were buried in cemeteries near the treatment facilities.

To right historical wrongs, in 2010 the Government of Canada established a working group at the request of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., which includes:

all Inuit land claim holders

Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami

Pauktuutit

the Government of Nunavut

the Government of the Northwest Territories

the Government of Canada

This group is called Nanilavut, which means "let's find them" in Inuktut.

Through the guidance of the Nanilavut working group, comprehensive research was undertaken on finding Inuit lost loved ones from the past tuberculosis epidemic, and a database was created containing records of those that were sent away for medical treatment during the epidemic. The Government of Canada is working in partnership with Inuit leadership on the Nanilavut initiative in order to properly address this historical wrong.

In February 2017, the Prime Minister signed a declaration to create the Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee (ICPC), which advances the shared priorities of Inuit and the Government of Canada. Canada is working through the ICPC to finalize the federal response to Nanilavut to help bring closure and begin the healing process for families and communities.

Find out more

Building Inuit economic success, including art

According to the 2021 Census, the Inuit population is young, with a median age of 25.2. The Government of Canada has several programs and initiatives to help young Inuit fully participate in the Canadian economy.

The First Nations and Inuit Youth Employment Strategy supports initiatives that provide Inuit and First Nations youth with work experience, information about career options and opportunities to develop skills that help them gain employment and develop careers.

The Federal Framework for Aboriginal Economic Development was launched in 2009 to guide federal actions towards increasing the participation of Inuit, First Nations and Métis in the Canadian economy. This was followed by the Strategic Partnerships Initiative in 2010, which helps to increase Indigenous participation in complex economic opportunities.

As well, Inuit in Nunavut participated in the construction of the Canadian High Arctic Research Station. The station's design was developed through the Inuit Quajimajatuqangit approach, which articulates the pillars of traditional Inuit knowledge.

Inuit art

The arts are a vital element of Inuit culture and traditions. Cape Dorset in Nunavut is known as the "Capital of Inuit Art" and 1 out of 5 workers here are employed in the arts.

For decades, Inuit art has played an integral role in the northern economy and contributed millions of dollars to the regional economy.

In July 2017, the Government of Canada officially transferred the responsibility for the management of the Igloo Tag trademark to the Inuit Art Foundation (IAF). This decision was taken after extensive consultations with members of the Inuit art industry. The objective of this transfer is to increase the Inuit art community's ability to regulate art in a way that benefit Inuit artists and help preserve the values of Inuit cultural heritage for generations to come.

The IAF supports Inuit artists and the development and appreciation of Inuit art and promotes Inuit artists from all four northern regions (Inuvialuit, Nunavut, Nunavik and Nunatsiavut) in Canada and internationally.

CIRNAC has developed a comprehensive analysis of the Inuit arts economy, such as fine arts, music, film, theatre and other forms. The study includes a full economic analysis of the Inuit arts economy in each of the four Inuit regions, as well as southern Canada. It will inform policy development to better support Inuit arts and artists in Canada.

Find out more

Devolution and land claims agreements in Inuit Nunangat

Northern governance and placing more control into the hands of Northerners are major parts of Canada's Arctic and Northern Policy.

Inuit land claims agreements have been signed in all 4 Inuit regions:

Under their respective land claims agreements, Inuit were granted title to certain blocks of land. The four land claims regions cover about 40 per cent of Canada's land mass.

Under the Western Arctic (Inuvialuit) Claims Settlement Act, Inuvialuit of the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, have title to approximately 91,000 square kilometres of land.

Under the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, Inuit in Nunavut have title to 352,191 square kilometres of land.

Inuit of Nunavik have title to 8,152 square kilometres of land and exercise some rights over 992,307.58 square kilometres of land. They also have title to approximately 5,100 square kilometres of land on the islands in the Nunavik marine region.

Under the Land Claims Agreement between the Inuit of Labrador and Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Newfoundland and Labrador and Her Majesty the Queen in Right Canada, Inuit of Nunatsiavut have title to approximately 15,800 square kilometres of land within the Labrador Inuit Settlement Area and rights over 72,520 square kilometres of land in northern Labrador.

Government of Canada's apology for the Inuit High Arctic relocation

In August 2010, the former Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians apologized to Inuit families who were relocated in the 1950s to the High Arctic. During these relocations, Inuit families from Port Harrison (Inukjuak) in Northern Québec and Pond Inlet in Nunavut were moved to the High Arctic communities of Resolute Bay and Grise Fiord (Craig Harbour) in Nunavut.

Inuit who were relocated had to adapt to colder climates and longer periods of total light or darkness. Inuit were separated from home communities and extended family were not provided with adequate shelter or supplies, and were not properly informed of where they would be located or for how long.

The 2010 apology helped Inuit affected by the relocation continue to move towards healing and reconciliation.

Find out more

Government of Canada's apology to Qikiqtani Inuit

In August 2019, the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations apologized to Qikiqtani Inuit for effects of federal policies undertaken in the Qikiqtani region from 1950 to 1975.

During this time, the Government of Canada enacted colonial policies which had deep and lasting effects for Inuit in the Qikiqtani region. Actions during this period included forced relocation and family separation, the killing of qimmiit (sled dogs) essential for travel and food security in the Arctic and other assimulitative actions.

These policies and their effects were outlined by the Qikiqtani Truth Commission. The commission was independent of the Government of Canada and sought to bring a voice to Qikiqtani Inuit.

The official apology represents the cumulative work of the Qikiqtani Inuit Association (QIA) and the Government of Canada. Guided by the commission's findings, this apology seeks to help Inuit affected by these policies continue to move towards healing and reconciliation.

Find out more

The department's role

CIRNAC negotiates and implements Acts, agreements, treaties and land claims on behalf of the Government of Canada. The department is also responsible for fulfilling obligations in historic treaties. Strong partnerships among Indigenous peoples, governments and the private sector continue to emerge as we address outstanding land claims and treaty issues and work toward self-government.

CIRNAC works with Inuit organizations, and territorial and provincial governments to build social well-being, economic prosperity and healthy communities for the Inuit of Nunatsiavut, Nunavik, Nunavut and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. This includes support for the Nunavik Housing Policy and coordinating the Nunatsiavut Housing Needs Assessment. Issues that are outside of negotiated land claims agreements and are not covered through on-reserve housing policies and programs.

CIRNAC promotes circumpolar cooperation and plays a role in the Arctic Council.

Inuit organizations

CIRNAC partners with many Inuit organizations, including:

Footnotes

Footnote 1

This number is based on the 2021 Census of the Population and includes: Inuk (Inuit) single identity, not registered, which refers to those individuals who identified as Inuit only to question 24 and responded "no" to question 26, indicating no registration status under the Indian Act of Canada on the 2021 Census of the population. For more information, please contact INSTAT.
Return to footnote 1 referrer

Thank you for your feedback

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Inuit are the Aboriginal people of Arctic Canada. About 45,000 Inuit live in 53 communities in: Nunatsiavut (Labrador); Nunavik (Quebec); Nunavut; and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region of the Northwest Territories. Each of these four Inuit groups have settled land claims. These Inuit regions cover one-third of Canada's land mass.

# data[].attributes.body
The Inuit homeland is known as Inuit Nunangat, which refers tot he land, water and ice contained in the artic region. The term Inuit Nunangat may also be used to refer to land occupied by the Inuit in Alaska and Greenland. By 2016, according to statistics Canada, the Inuit population grew to 65,025, an increase of 29.1 % since 2006. The Inuit represent 3.9% of the total indigenous population of Canada

This information can be found at "The Canadian ENCYCLOPEDIA" which is an Encyclopedia focused around Canadian culture and History. The information is current and maintained.

https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Korean War began 25 June 1950, when North Korean armed forces invaded South Korea. The war's combat phase lasted until an armistice was signed 27 July 1953. As part of a United Nations (UN) force, 26,791 Canadian military personnel served in the Korean War, during both the combat phase and as peacekeepers afterward. After the two world wars, Korea remains Canada's third-bloodiest overseas conflict, taking the lives of 516 Canadians and wounding more than 1,200.

Explore the Timeline

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
History, politics, arts, science & more: the Canadian Encyclopedia is your reference on Canada. Articles, timelines & resources for teachers, students & public.

# data[].attributes.body
The Inuit are indigenous people living mainly in the Inuit regions of Canada, also known as Inuit Nunangat. This includes Nunatsiavut (Northern coastal Labrador), Nunavik (Northern Quebec), the territory of Nunavut, and the Inuvialuit region (Northwest Territories). There are approximately 65,025 Inuit identifying people in Canada according to the 2016 census and 3,860 in Ontario alone. I believe this to be true because the factual source that it comes from. Also because of the way they collect their data on a regular basis, keeping up with the current changes to the information provided by taking census regularly.

# data[].attributes.headline
What kind of Culture and Life do Inuit people live?

# data[].attributes.subject
What kind of Culture and Life do Inuit people live?

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/inuit
Traditionally, the Inuit were hunters and gatherers who moved seasonally from one camp to another. Large regional groupings were loosely separated into smaller seasonal groups, winter camps (called "bands") of around 100 people and summer hunting groups of fewer than a dozen. Each band was roughly identified with a locale and named accordingly — the Arvirtuurmiut of Boothia Peninsula were called "baleen whale-eating people." (See also Igloo and Inuksuk.)
I believe this to be a credible source of information do to it being a heavily professional website with proper quotations and citations made, not only that but the publisher of the article Minnie Aodla Freeman is Inuit herself.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Terminology

Inuit - Inuktitut for "the people" - are an Indigenous people, the majority of whom inhabit the northern regions of Canada. An Inuit person is known as an Inuk. ( See also Arctic Indigenous Peoples in Canada.)

Territory and Demography

The Inuit homeland is known as Inuit Nunangat, which refers to the land, water and ice contained in the Arctic region. The term Inuit Nunangat may also be used to refer to land occupied by the Inuit in Alaska and Greenland. By 2021, according to Statistics Canada, the Inuit population grew to 70,545, an increase of 8.5 per cent since 2016.

In 2021, approximately 69 per cent of all Inuit in Canada lived in Inuit Nunangat, with 44 per cent living in Nunavut, followed by Nunavik (in northern Québec), the western arctic ( Northwest Territories and Yukon), known as Inuvialuit, and Nunatsiavut (located along the northern coast of Labrador).

Language and Ethnic Groups

There are eight main Inuit ethnic groups: the Labradormiut (Labrador), Nunavimmiut (Ungava), Baffin Island, Iglulingmuit (Iglulik), Kivallirmiut (Caribou), Netsilingmiut (Netsilik), Inuinnait (Copper) and Inuvialuit or Western Arctic Inuit (who replaced the Mackenzie Inuit).

Inuktitut, the Inuit language, has five main dialects in Canada: Inuvialuktun (Inuvialuit region in the Northwest Territories); Inuinnaqtun (western Nunavut); Inuktitut (eastern Nunavut dialect); Inuktitut (Nunavik dialect); and Nunatsiavumiuttut (Nunatsiavut). ( See also Indigenous Languages in Canada.)

In 2016, 41,650 Inuit reported having conversational knowledge of an Inuit language or dialect. In Inuit Nunangat as a whole, 83.9 per cent of Inuit reported conversational ability in an Inuit language. Inuktitut usage was strongest in Nunavik, where the ability to converse in that language was 99.2 per cent. In Nunavut, 89.1 per cent reported the ability to converse in an Inuit language. In contrast, the figures for speaking an Inuit language (mainly Inuvialuktun and Inuinnaqtun) were 21.4 per cent in Nunatsiavut and 22 per cent in the Inuvialuit region.

Declining usage of Inuktitut prompted the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) - the national voice of Inuit in Inuit Nunangat, founded in 1971 - to establish Inuktitut curriculum in schools. Beginning in the 1960s, federal and territorial governments also worked to establish Inuktitut language programs, though for some, justification was partly based on the assumption that establishing such educational traditions would facilitate transition to English or French.

Culture and Life

Traditionally, the Inuit were hunters and gatherers who moved seasonally from one camp to another. Large regional groupings were loosely separated into smaller seasonal groups, winter camps (called "bands") of around 100 people and summer hunting groups of fewer than a dozen. Each band was roughly identified with a locale and named accordingly - the Arvirtuurmiut of Boothia Peninsula were called "baleen whale-eating people." ( See also Igloo and Inuksuk.)

In contemporary northern communities, many types of food such as fruit, vegetables, and milk must be transported long distances, resulting in higher costs, limited availability and food that is not fresh. However, the availability of " country food"through harvesting and sharing partially explains the high percentage of Inuit who consume country food. A report released in 2005 found that a majority (68 per cent) of Inuk adults living in Inuit Nunangat harvested country food, which includes seal, whale, duck, caribou, fish and berries. Country food remains an important food source for many Inuit, with 65 per cent of households getting at least half their meat and fish from country food, and approximately 80 per cent of Inuit Nunangat families sharing country food with people in other households. ( See also Food Insecurity in Canada.)

The Inuit have a rich and diverse culture. Inuit art, from carving to printmaking and more, demonstrates highly-skilled craftsmanship and artistry. Some well-known Inuit artists include Kenojuak Ashevak, Shuvinai Ashoona and Annie Pootoogook. Another popular cultural activity is Inuit vocal games, also known as throat singing. This is usually performed by two women producing a wide range of sounds from deep in the throat and chest. Many Inuit also compete in traditional games and sports such as high-kick (one and two foot varieties) and kneel-jump. Such games are featured in the Arctic Winter Games, held every two years.

History

During roughly 4,000 years of human history in the Arctic, the appearance of new people has brought continual cultural change. The ancestors of the present-day Inuit, who are culturally related to Inupiat (northern Alaska), Katladlit (Greenland) and Yuit (Siberia and western Alaska), arrived about 1050 CE.

As early as the 11th century the Norse exerted an undetermined influence on the Inuit. The subsequent arrival of explorers, whalers, traders, missionaries, scientists and others began irreversible cultural changes. The Inuit themselves participated actively in these developments as guides, traders and models of survival. ( See also Eenoolooapik and Tookoolito.)

The effects of colonization have seriously impacted Inuit culture and life. Though largely ignored by the Canadian federal government until 1939, when a court decision ruled that they were a federal responsibility (though still not subject to the Indian Act) the Inuit were still subjected to policies that enforced assimilation into a "Canadian" way of life. Many Inuit children attended residential schools in Canada. ( See also Inuit Experiences at Residential School.) Formerly nomadic peoples were transformed, sometimes through forced relocation ( see also Inuit High Arctic Relocations in Canada), into sedentary communities, and disc numbers were introduced to supersede an Inuit naming system that did not correspond to administrative needs. Disc numbers - so-called because they were distributed on small leather or pressed-fibre discs initially meant to be worn on one's person - imposed a government sanctioned name on Inuit who may have been known by several names throughout their lives and depending on context. The system used location-based serial numbers. For example, filmmaker Zacharias Kunuk's disc number is E51613. The imposition of disc numbers remains a culturally traumatic event, and has been criticized as fostering structural inequality. ( See also Project Surname.)

Despite adjustments made by the Inuit over the past three centuries and the loss of some traditional features, Inuit culture persists - often with a greater reflective awareness. Inuit maintain a cultural identity through language, family and cultural laws, attitudes and behaviour, and through much acclaimed Inuit art.

Moving Toward Self-Government

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Inuit began organizing politically in response to assimilative policies and government restrictions on traditional lands. In order to lobby effectively for land claims, Indigenous rights and self-government, a group of Inuit people formed Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami or ITK (then known as Inuit Tapirisat of Canada) in 1971. The organization supports and advocates for the interests of all Inuit living in 53 communities across Inuit Nunangat. Such interests represent an array of interconnected issues and challenges, including social, cultural, political, and environmental concerns.

First proposed by ITK in 1976, and supported by plebiscite in 1982, the Nunavut territory was agreed to in principle in a land claim in 1990, and formalized with the Nunavut Act in 1993. A strong base of politically experienced leaders allowed for a relatively smooth transition to official territory status in 1999. Three other land claim agreements in Inuit Nunangat support some level of Inuit self-government. The Makivik Corporation, through the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement, is working toward a self-governing Nunavik, as is the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation for Inuvialuit. Nunatsiavut has been self-governed since 1 December 2005 after the implementation of the Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement and the Labrador Inuit Constitution.

Did You Know?
On 27 January 2020, Inuit elder Qapik Attagutsiak was recognized by Parks Canada as a "Hometown Hero" for her "significant" contributions to Canada's Second World War effort. Qapik was part of a nationwide effort to recycle bones, fats, metals and rubber for wartime production. Living on an island near Igloolik, west of Baffin Island ( Nunavut), Qapik collected walrus and seal bones which were used to make aircraft glue, fertilizer, and cordite (a type of explosive used in bullets). Qapik, 99, was honoured by Nunavut Commissioner Nellie Kusugak and Minister of Environment and Climate Change Jonathan Wilkinson at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Quebec.

Contemporary Challenges

Despite gains made in self-government and other fields like business, teaching, transportation, medicine and broadcasting ( see also Inuit Broadcasting Corporation), many Inuit in northern communities face significant challenges, such as living in some of the most crowded conditions in Canada. Since being moved to permanent settlements in the 1950s and 1960s, Inuit have lacked adequate housing and have suffered related health problems. ( See also Health of Indigenous Peoples in Canada.) In 2016, 51.7 Inuit in Inuit Nunangat reported living in over-crowded conditions, compared to 8.5 per cent of non-Indigenous peoples in Canada. Living conditions and lack of access to healthcare partially contribute to an increase in chronic health conditions, including obesity, diabetes and respiratory infections. ( See also Social Conditions of Indigenous Peoples in Canada.) The suicide rate among Inuit youth is markedly higher than for the rest of Canada, making suicide prevention a key priority for continued cultural growth. ( See also Suicide among Indigenous Peoples in Canada.)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Inuit - Inuktitut for "the people" - are an Indigenous people, the majority of whom inhabit the northern regions of Canada. An Inuit person is known a...

# data[].attributes.body
A member of the Inuit is called and Inuk. They live in the far northern areas like Alaska,  Canada, Siberia and Greenland. Inuit people live based off cold tundra living. Their way of living is to use the land and animals. In the winter time they make igloos and summer they make their homes out of animal skins stretched over driftwood frames or whalebones.

I believe this is a reliable source as I have researched about the Inuit people from other resources and the information is the same. As well as this site has other information on places around the world

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A Innuit family in a their traditional village in Cape Dorset, Nunvavut, Canada. Image credit: Ansgar Walk/Wikimedia.org

There are 64,000 Inuit living throughout Canada.

Kayaks, snowshoes, and snow googles are all Inuit inventions.

Inuit territories, called the Inuit Nunangat, make up nearly 40% of the Canadian landmass.

Despite being one of the harshest and most inhospitable landscapes on the planet, the Arctic has been inhabited for thousands of years. The northern regions of Canada are the traditional home of the Inuit, an Indigenous people who share cultural and historic links to the traditional northern peoples of the circumpolar countries of Norway, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Iceland, and the United States. The Inuit of Canada mostly reside in Inuit Nunangat, a massive swath of territory encompassing the water, ice, and land of the Arctic region north of the 60th parallel and the Arctic Archipelago.

10. Inuit - Not Eskimo

Although the word Eskimo has erroneously been used to refer to all Inuit groups, and is still widely used to denote the Aleuts and Yupik peoples of Alaska, the name Inuit is the preferred term in parts of Greenland and throughout Canada. From the Inuktitut language and meaning 'the people', Inuit refers to the group as a whole, while an individual is an Inuk. The term Eskimo is largely considered derogatory and is believed to be an anglicised misinterpretation of a word used by Algonquian-language First Nations groups, including the Cree and Ojibwa, to denote the northern peoples.

9. Inuit Inventions

If you enjoy summer kayaking or winter snowshoeing, you have the Inuit to thank for these ingenious inventions. Built to traverse the deep snows, snowshoes were crafted from the sinews of caribou, antler and bone. Sealskin provided a waterproof material for agile and light canoes, capable of navigating frozen ice floats in the open ocean. Another invention: sunglasses! Snow goggles carved from bone and antlers have been discovered, along with prehistoric depictions of Inuit hunters wearing snow goggles to protect their eyes from the glare of the sun.

8. Inuit Language

Inuktitut is one of the most spoken languages of the Inuits and it is spoken throughout the northern regions of Canada, with five main dialects. A traditional oral language, modern linguists have worked with the peoples to create two written formats of the language: roman orthography (which uses an alphabet to create words, as done in English and Latin-based languages) and syllabic (which uses symbols rather than letters). Inuktitut is used on all major publications and signage, including traffic signs.

7. Inuit Arts

The harbor community of Cape Dorset in the northern territory of Nunavut is a leading destination for Inuit art, with one in five people in this community of 1500 employed by the arts. Arts include soapstone carving, textiles woven from natural materials, and the unique musical style called throat singing. Perhaps the most recognizable artistic symbol of the Inuit is the inukshuk. Inuksuk are human figures built from piled stones that seem to defy gravity. An inukshuk was used as the logo for the 2010 Winter Olympics held in Vancouver, while the flag of Nunavut depicts a red inuksuk.

6. Dogsledding

Dogsledding was one of several methods used to traverse the frigid landscape. The "qamutik" is a sled designed to carry heavy loads over densely packed snow and rough terrain. Siberian Huskies are the better-known breed, while the Inuit bred a smaller and broader dog known as the qimmiq. Stout and sturdy, the qimmiq were able to track the scent of seals through the ice. These tough, inquisitive, and fiercely loyal dogs are considered purebreds with the Canadian Kennel Club, but are at risk of extinction as a breed due to low numbers of purebreds.

5. Ingenious Hunters

Traditional Inuit hunters were hindered by limited natural resources and sub-freezing temperatures, facing some of the largest and deadliest carnivores on the planet. Despite these challenges, the Inuit were ingenious in methodology and invention. Subsistence hunters continue to rely on arctic animals for both food and clothing. Of all the animals hunted, including seal, walrus, caribou, wolf, and a variety of whales, the polar bear, called Nanook or Nanuq, was most revered and feared. Today many communities offer limited polar bear hunting opportunities as a means of financial support.

4. Traditional Cuisine

A nomadic people who followed the migrating herds of arctic animals, the Inuit were also adept at harvesting the native plants of berries, grasses, and tubers. Given the lack of foliage throughout most of the year the Inuit diet is traditionally low in carbohydrates but high in protein and fats. The Inuit did not suffer from a lack of vitamin C, however. This necessary nutrient can be found in kelp, caribou liver, and seal brain which is traditionally eaten raw. Cooking of these organs depletes the vitamins and minerals.

3. Inuit Ethnic Groups

Recent census information indicates the modern population of Inuit is relatively young, with a median age of just 24-years old. Despite its youthful population, or perhaps because of it, community elders are revered and hold positions of cultural, spiritual, and political importance. The Inuit people of Canada are distinguished by eight distinct ethnic groups and geographic regions. The ethnic groups are: Baffin Island; Iglulingmuit (Iglulik); Inuinnait (Copper); Kivallirmiut (Caribou); Labradormiut (Labrador); Netsilingmiut (Netsilik); Nunavimmiut (Ungava).

2. Urban Inuit

The most recent census indicates a total Inuit population of 64,000 people in Canada. While most live in the Inuit Nunangat regions about just under 10%, about 6,000 Inuit, live throughout the rest of the country. The capital region of Ottawa has the largest community, between 600-900 people, while small pockets of communities live in the major cities of Winnipeg, Edmonton, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver.

1. Inuit Nunangat Regions

Within the northern regions of Canada are four large territories that were granted to the Inuit following land claim negotiations. Together, these four regions amount to nearly 40% of Canada's land mass and cross three territories and two provinces. The regions are: Inuvialuit (NWT and Yukon); Nunavik (Northern Quebec); Nunatsiavut (Labrador); and Nunavut. Fifty-three communities are located within these regions, and collectively the land is known as Inuit Nunangat, or "the place where Inuit live" in their Inuktitut language.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
10 Interesting Facts About The Inuits Of Canada

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
There are 64,000 Inuit living throughout Canada. Kayaks, snowshoes, and snow googles are all Inuit inventions. Inuit territories, called the Inuit Nunangat, make up nearly 40% of the Canadian landmass. Despite being one of the harshest and most inhospitable landscapes on the planet, the Arctic has been inhabited for thousands of years.

# data[].attributes.body
Inuit are the Indigenous people of the Arctic. The word Inuit means "the people" in the Inuit language of Inuktut. The singular of Inuit is Inuk. Inuit comprise only 4% of the total Indigenous population, with 64,325 individuals identifying as Inuit on the 2016 Census. The majority (73%) of Inuit live in Inuit Nunangat, which means "the homeland" and represents a third of Canada's land mass and 50% of its coastline.
This website is a credible source because it is made by Canada Government officially. Especially, meets Current (modified in Nov 2020), Reliable, and Accurate. As it is an official government website, so there is no need to explain its credibility anymore.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This first annual report to Parliament is organized into three parts. Part 1 provides a broad overview of the socioeconomic gaps between First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples, and the non-Indigenous population in Canada.

# data[].attributes.body
Inuit are Indigenous people of the Arctic. The word Inuit means "the people" in the Inuit language of Inuktut. The singular of Inuit is Inuk. I believe this is a reliable source as it is a government website and not trying to persuade by only providing unbias information.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Inuit are 1 of 3 recognized Indigenous Peoples in Canada, along with First Nations and Métis.

On this page

Inuit population and language

Inuit are Indigenous people of the Arctic. The word Inuit means "the people" in the Inuit language of Inuktut. The singular of Inuit is Inuk.

According to the 2021 Census, there are 69,7051Footnote 1 Inuit in Canada.

Many Inuit in Canada live in Inuit Nunangat, which means "the place where Inuit live."

Inuit Nunangat is comprised of 4 regions:

Inuvialuit (Northwest Territories and Yukon)

Nunavik (Northern Quebec)

Nunatsiavut (Labrador)

Nunavut

Find out more

Inuktut

Inuktut is spoken throughout Inuit Nunangat, and each region has its own dialects. There are two written styles of Inuktut, syllabics and roman orthography.

Syllabics use symbols to represent sounds rather than letters. Roman orthography uses the English alphabet to sound out the words in Inuktut.

Nanilavut: Let's find them

Tuberculosis in Canada was at epidemic proportions in the early 20th century and peaked between the 1940s and 1960s. A significant number of Inuit were affected and sent away from their communities to undergo treatment.

Many patients were treated and returned home. Others succumbed to the illness and were buried in cemeteries near the treatment facilities.

To right historical wrongs, in 2010 the Government of Canada established a working group at the request of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., which includes:

all Inuit land claim holders

Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami

Pauktuutit

the Government of Nunavut

the Government of the Northwest Territories

the Government of Canada

This group is called Nanilavut, which means "let's find them" in Inuktut.

Through the guidance of the Nanilavut working group, comprehensive research was undertaken on finding Inuit lost loved ones from the past tuberculosis epidemic, and a database was created containing records of those that were sent away for medical treatment during the epidemic. The Government of Canada is working in partnership with Inuit leadership on the Nanilavut initiative in order to properly address this historical wrong.

In February 2017, the Prime Minister signed a declaration to create the Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee (ICPC), which advances the shared priorities of Inuit and the Government of Canada. Canada is working through the ICPC to finalize the federal response to Nanilavut to help bring closure and begin the healing process for families and communities.

Find out more

Building Inuit economic success, including art

According to the 2021 Census, the Inuit population is young, with a median age of 25.2. The Government of Canada has several programs and initiatives to help young Inuit fully participate in the Canadian economy.

The First Nations and Inuit Youth Employment Strategy supports initiatives that provide Inuit and First Nations youth with work experience, information about career options and opportunities to develop skills that help them gain employment and develop careers.

The Federal Framework for Aboriginal Economic Development was launched in 2009 to guide federal actions towards increasing the participation of Inuit, First Nations and Métis in the Canadian economy. This was followed by the Strategic Partnerships Initiative in 2010, which helps to increase Indigenous participation in complex economic opportunities.

As well, Inuit in Nunavut participated in the construction of the Canadian High Arctic Research Station. The station's design was developed through the Inuit Quajimajatuqangit approach, which articulates the pillars of traditional Inuit knowledge.

Inuit art

The arts are a vital element of Inuit culture and traditions. Cape Dorset in Nunavut is known as the "Capital of Inuit Art" and 1 out of 5 workers here are employed in the arts.

For decades, Inuit art has played an integral role in the northern economy and contributed millions of dollars to the regional economy.

In July 2017, the Government of Canada officially transferred the responsibility for the management of the Igloo Tag trademark to the Inuit Art Foundation (IAF). This decision was taken after extensive consultations with members of the Inuit art industry. The objective of this transfer is to increase the Inuit art community's ability to regulate art in a way that benefit Inuit artists and help preserve the values of Inuit cultural heritage for generations to come.

The IAF supports Inuit artists and the development and appreciation of Inuit art and promotes Inuit artists from all four northern regions (Inuvialuit, Nunavut, Nunavik and Nunatsiavut) in Canada and internationally.

CIRNAC has developed a comprehensive analysis of the Inuit arts economy, such as fine arts, music, film, theatre and other forms. The study includes a full economic analysis of the Inuit arts economy in each of the four Inuit regions, as well as southern Canada. It will inform policy development to better support Inuit arts and artists in Canada.

Find out more

Devolution and land claims agreements in Inuit Nunangat

Northern governance and placing more control into the hands of Northerners are major parts of Canada's Arctic and Northern Policy.

Inuit land claims agreements have been signed in all 4 Inuit regions:

Under their respective land claims agreements, Inuit were granted title to certain blocks of land. The four land claims regions cover about 40 per cent of Canada's land mass.

Under the Western Arctic (Inuvialuit) Claims Settlement Act, Inuvialuit of the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, have title to approximately 91,000 square kilometres of land.

Under the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, Inuit in Nunavut have title to 352,191 square kilometres of land.

Inuit of Nunavik have title to 8,152 square kilometres of land and exercise some rights over 992,307.58 square kilometres of land. They also have title to approximately 5,100 square kilometres of land on the islands in the Nunavik marine region.

Under the Land Claims Agreement between the Inuit of Labrador and Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Newfoundland and Labrador and Her Majesty the Queen in Right Canada, Inuit of Nunatsiavut have title to approximately 15,800 square kilometres of land within the Labrador Inuit Settlement Area and rights over 72,520 square kilometres of land in northern Labrador.

Government of Canada's apology for the Inuit High Arctic relocation

In August 2010, the former Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians apologized to Inuit families who were relocated in the 1950s to the High Arctic. During these relocations, Inuit families from Port Harrison (Inukjuak) in Northern Québec and Pond Inlet in Nunavut were moved to the High Arctic communities of Resolute Bay and Grise Fiord (Craig Harbour) in Nunavut.

Inuit who were relocated had to adapt to colder climates and longer periods of total light or darkness. Inuit were separated from home communities and extended family were not provided with adequate shelter or supplies, and were not properly informed of where they would be located or for how long.

The 2010 apology helped Inuit affected by the relocation continue to move towards healing and reconciliation.

Find out more

Government of Canada's apology to Qikiqtani Inuit

In August 2019, the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations apologized to Qikiqtani Inuit for effects of federal policies undertaken in the Qikiqtani region from 1950 to 1975.

During this time, the Government of Canada enacted colonial policies which had deep and lasting effects for Inuit in the Qikiqtani region. Actions during this period included forced relocation and family separation, the killing of qimmiit (sled dogs) essential for travel and food security in the Arctic and other assimulitative actions.

These policies and their effects were outlined by the Qikiqtani Truth Commission. The commission was independent of the Government of Canada and sought to bring a voice to Qikiqtani Inuit.

The official apology represents the cumulative work of the Qikiqtani Inuit Association (QIA) and the Government of Canada. Guided by the commission's findings, this apology seeks to help Inuit affected by these policies continue to move towards healing and reconciliation.

Find out more

The department's role

CIRNAC negotiates and implements Acts, agreements, treaties and land claims on behalf of the Government of Canada. The department is also responsible for fulfilling obligations in historic treaties. Strong partnerships among Indigenous peoples, governments and the private sector continue to emerge as we address outstanding land claims and treaty issues and work toward self-government.

CIRNAC works with Inuit organizations, and territorial and provincial governments to build social well-being, economic prosperity and healthy communities for the Inuit of Nunatsiavut, Nunavik, Nunavut and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. This includes support for the Nunavik Housing Policy and coordinating the Nunatsiavut Housing Needs Assessment. Issues that are outside of negotiated land claims agreements and are not covered through on-reserve housing policies and programs.

CIRNAC promotes circumpolar cooperation and plays a role in the Arctic Council.

Inuit organizations

CIRNAC partners with many Inuit organizations, including:

Footnotes

Footnote 1

This number is based on the 2021 Census of the Population and includes: Inuk (Inuit) single identity, not registered, which refers to those individuals who identified as Inuit only to question 24 and responded "no" to question 26, indicating no registration status under the Indian Act of Canada on the 2021 Census of the population. For more information, please contact INSTAT.
Return to footnote 1 referrer

Thank you for your feedback

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Inuit are the Aboriginal people of Arctic Canada. About 45,000 Inuit live in 53 communities in: Nunatsiavut (Labrador); Nunavik (Quebec); Nunavut; and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region of the Northwest Territories. Each of these four Inuit groups have settled land claims. These Inuit regions cover one-third of Canada's land mass.

# data[].attributes.body
Inuktitut is an Indigenous language in North America spoken in the Canadian Arctic. The 2016 census reported 39,770 speakers, of which 65 per cent lived in Nunavut and 30.8 per cent in Quebec.

this site is credible because it was written by Richard Compton is an assistant professor in the Linguistics Department at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) specializing in the syntax and morphology of Inuktitut.

and it was written in November of 2019 which was pretty recent.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Inuktitut is an Indigenous language in North America spoken in the Canadian Arctic. The 2016 census reported 39,770 speakers, of which 65 per cent lived in Nuna...

# data[].attributes.body
Inuit — Inuktitut for “the people” — are an Indigenous people, the majority of whom inhabit the northern regions of Canada. An Inuit person is known as an Inuk. The Inuit homeland is known as Inuit Nunangat, which refers to the land, water and ice contained in the Arctic region.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Terminology

Inuit - Inuktitut for "the people" - are an Indigenous people, the majority of whom inhabit the northern regions of Canada. An Inuit person is known as an Inuk. ( See also Arctic Indigenous Peoples in Canada.)

Territory and Demography

The Inuit homeland is known as Inuit Nunangat, which refers to the land, water and ice contained in the Arctic region. The term Inuit Nunangat may also be used to refer to land occupied by the Inuit in Alaska and Greenland. By 2021, according to Statistics Canada, the Inuit population grew to 70,545, an increase of 8.5 per cent since 2016.

In 2021, approximately 69 per cent of all Inuit in Canada lived in Inuit Nunangat, with 44 per cent living in Nunavut, followed by Nunavik (in northern Québec), the western arctic ( Northwest Territories and Yukon), known as Inuvialuit, and Nunatsiavut (located along the northern coast of Labrador).

Language and Ethnic Groups

There are eight main Inuit ethnic groups: the Labradormiut (Labrador), Nunavimmiut (Ungava), Baffin Island, Iglulingmuit (Iglulik), Kivallirmiut (Caribou), Netsilingmiut (Netsilik), Inuinnait (Copper) and Inuvialuit or Western Arctic Inuit (who replaced the Mackenzie Inuit).

Inuktitut, the Inuit language, has five main dialects in Canada: Inuvialuktun (Inuvialuit region in the Northwest Territories); Inuinnaqtun (western Nunavut); Inuktitut (eastern Nunavut dialect); Inuktitut (Nunavik dialect); and Nunatsiavumiuttut (Nunatsiavut). ( See also Indigenous Languages in Canada.)

In 2016, 41,650 Inuit reported having conversational knowledge of an Inuit language or dialect. In Inuit Nunangat as a whole, 83.9 per cent of Inuit reported conversational ability in an Inuit language. Inuktitut usage was strongest in Nunavik, where the ability to converse in that language was 99.2 per cent. In Nunavut, 89.1 per cent reported the ability to converse in an Inuit language. In contrast, the figures for speaking an Inuit language (mainly Inuvialuktun and Inuinnaqtun) were 21.4 per cent in Nunatsiavut and 22 per cent in the Inuvialuit region.

Declining usage of Inuktitut prompted the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) - the national voice of Inuit in Inuit Nunangat, founded in 1971 - to establish Inuktitut curriculum in schools. Beginning in the 1960s, federal and territorial governments also worked to establish Inuktitut language programs, though for some, justification was partly based on the assumption that establishing such educational traditions would facilitate transition to English or French.

Culture and Life

Traditionally, the Inuit were hunters and gatherers who moved seasonally from one camp to another. Large regional groupings were loosely separated into smaller seasonal groups, winter camps (called "bands") of around 100 people and summer hunting groups of fewer than a dozen. Each band was roughly identified with a locale and named accordingly - the Arvirtuurmiut of Boothia Peninsula were called "baleen whale-eating people." ( See also Igloo and Inuksuk.)

In contemporary northern communities, many types of food such as fruit, vegetables, and milk must be transported long distances, resulting in higher costs, limited availability and food that is not fresh. However, the availability of " country food"through harvesting and sharing partially explains the high percentage of Inuit who consume country food. A report released in 2005 found that a majority (68 per cent) of Inuk adults living in Inuit Nunangat harvested country food, which includes seal, whale, duck, caribou, fish and berries. Country food remains an important food source for many Inuit, with 65 per cent of households getting at least half their meat and fish from country food, and approximately 80 per cent of Inuit Nunangat families sharing country food with people in other households. ( See also Food Insecurity in Canada.)

The Inuit have a rich and diverse culture. Inuit art, from carving to printmaking and more, demonstrates highly-skilled craftsmanship and artistry. Some well-known Inuit artists include Kenojuak Ashevak, Shuvinai Ashoona and Annie Pootoogook. Another popular cultural activity is Inuit vocal games, also known as throat singing. This is usually performed by two women producing a wide range of sounds from deep in the throat and chest. Many Inuit also compete in traditional games and sports such as high-kick (one and two foot varieties) and kneel-jump. Such games are featured in the Arctic Winter Games, held every two years.

History

During roughly 4,000 years of human history in the Arctic, the appearance of new people has brought continual cultural change. The ancestors of the present-day Inuit, who are culturally related to Inupiat (northern Alaska), Katladlit (Greenland) and Yuit (Siberia and western Alaska), arrived about 1050 CE.

As early as the 11th century the Norse exerted an undetermined influence on the Inuit. The subsequent arrival of explorers, whalers, traders, missionaries, scientists and others began irreversible cultural changes. The Inuit themselves participated actively in these developments as guides, traders and models of survival. ( See also Eenoolooapik and Tookoolito.)

The effects of colonization have seriously impacted Inuit culture and life. Though largely ignored by the Canadian federal government until 1939, when a court decision ruled that they were a federal responsibility (though still not subject to the Indian Act) the Inuit were still subjected to policies that enforced assimilation into a "Canadian" way of life. Many Inuit children attended residential schools in Canada. ( See also Inuit Experiences at Residential School.) Formerly nomadic peoples were transformed, sometimes through forced relocation ( see also Inuit High Arctic Relocations in Canada), into sedentary communities, and disc numbers were introduced to supersede an Inuit naming system that did not correspond to administrative needs. Disc numbers - so-called because they were distributed on small leather or pressed-fibre discs initially meant to be worn on one's person - imposed a government sanctioned name on Inuit who may have been known by several names throughout their lives and depending on context. The system used location-based serial numbers. For example, filmmaker Zacharias Kunuk's disc number is E51613. The imposition of disc numbers remains a culturally traumatic event, and has been criticized as fostering structural inequality. ( See also Project Surname.)

Despite adjustments made by the Inuit over the past three centuries and the loss of some traditional features, Inuit culture persists - often with a greater reflective awareness. Inuit maintain a cultural identity through language, family and cultural laws, attitudes and behaviour, and through much acclaimed Inuit art.

Moving Toward Self-Government

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Inuit began organizing politically in response to assimilative policies and government restrictions on traditional lands. In order to lobby effectively for land claims, Indigenous rights and self-government, a group of Inuit people formed Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami or ITK (then known as Inuit Tapirisat of Canada) in 1971. The organization supports and advocates for the interests of all Inuit living in 53 communities across Inuit Nunangat. Such interests represent an array of interconnected issues and challenges, including social, cultural, political, and environmental concerns.

First proposed by ITK in 1976, and supported by plebiscite in 1982, the Nunavut territory was agreed to in principle in a land claim in 1990, and formalized with the Nunavut Act in 1993. A strong base of politically experienced leaders allowed for a relatively smooth transition to official territory status in 1999. Three other land claim agreements in Inuit Nunangat support some level of Inuit self-government. The Makivik Corporation, through the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement, is working toward a self-governing Nunavik, as is the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation for Inuvialuit. Nunatsiavut has been self-governed since 1 December 2005 after the implementation of the Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement and the Labrador Inuit Constitution.

Did You Know?
On 27 January 2020, Inuit elder Qapik Attagutsiak was recognized by Parks Canada as a "Hometown Hero" for her "significant" contributions to Canada's Second World War effort. Qapik was part of a nationwide effort to recycle bones, fats, metals and rubber for wartime production. Living on an island near Igloolik, west of Baffin Island ( Nunavut), Qapik collected walrus and seal bones which were used to make aircraft glue, fertilizer, and cordite (a type of explosive used in bullets). Qapik, 99, was honoured by Nunavut Commissioner Nellie Kusugak and Minister of Environment and Climate Change Jonathan Wilkinson at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Quebec.

Contemporary Challenges

Despite gains made in self-government and other fields like business, teaching, transportation, medicine and broadcasting ( see also Inuit Broadcasting Corporation), many Inuit in northern communities face significant challenges, such as living in some of the most crowded conditions in Canada. Since being moved to permanent settlements in the 1950s and 1960s, Inuit have lacked adequate housing and have suffered related health problems. ( See also Health of Indigenous Peoples in Canada.) In 2016, 51.7 Inuit in Inuit Nunangat reported living in over-crowded conditions, compared to 8.5 per cent of non-Indigenous peoples in Canada. Living conditions and lack of access to healthcare partially contribute to an increase in chronic health conditions, including obesity, diabetes and respiratory infections. ( See also Social Conditions of Indigenous Peoples in Canada.) The suicide rate among Inuit youth is markedly higher than for the rest of Canada, making suicide prevention a key priority for continued cultural growth. ( See also Suicide among Indigenous Peoples in Canada.)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Inuit - Inuktitut for "the people" - are an Indigenous people, the majority of whom inhabit the northern regions of Canada. An Inuit person is known a...

# data[].attributes.body
In 2016, approximately 73 per cent of all Inuit in Canada lived in Inuit Nunangat, with more than half (63.7 per cent) living in Nunavut, followed by Nunavik (in northern  Québec), the western arctic (Northwest Territories and Yukon), known as Inuvialuit, and Nunatsiavut (located along the northern coast of Labrador).
I believe that this is a reliable source because all the information is facts, and it is very historically correct.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Terminology

Inuit - Inuktitut for "the people" - are an Indigenous people, the majority of whom inhabit the northern regions of Canada. An Inuit person is known as an Inuk. ( See also Arctic Indigenous Peoples in Canada.)

Territory and Demography

The Inuit homeland is known as Inuit Nunangat, which refers to the land, water and ice contained in the Arctic region. The term Inuit Nunangat may also be used to refer to land occupied by the Inuit in Alaska and Greenland. By 2016, according to Statistics Canada, the Inuit population grew to 65,025, an increase of 29.1 per cent since 2006. The Inuit represent 3.9 per cent of the total Indigenous population of Canada.

In 2016, approximately 73 per cent of all Inuit in Canada lived in Inuit Nunangat, with more than half (63.7 per cent) living in Nunavut, followed by Nunavik (in northern Québec), the western arctic ( Northwest Territories and Yukon), known as Inuvialuit, and Nunatsiavut (located along the northern coast of Labrador).

Language and Ethnic Groups

There are eight main Inuit ethnic groups: the Labradormiut (Labrador), Nunavimmiut (Ungava), Baffin Island, Iglulingmuit (Iglulik), Kivallirmiut (Caribou), Netsilingmiut (Netsilik), Inuinnait (Copper) and Inuvialuit or Western Arctic Inuit (who replaced the Mackenzie Inuit).

Inuktitut, the Inuit language, has five main dialects in Canada: Inuvialuktun (Inuvialuit region in the Northwest Territories); Inuinnaqtun (western Nunavut); Inuktitut (eastern Nunavut dialect); Inuktitut (Nunavik dialect); and Nunatsiavumiuttut (Nunatsiavut). ( See also Indigenous Languages in Canada.)

In 2016, 41,650 Inuit reported having conversational knowledge of an Inuit language or dialect. In Inuit Nunangat as a whole, 83.9 per cent of Inuit reported conversational ability in an Inuit language. Inuktitut usage was strongest in Nunavik, where the ability to converse in that language was 99.2 per cent. In Nunavut, 89.1 per cent reported the ability to converse in an Inuit language. In contrast, the figures for speaking an Inuit language (mainly Inuvialuktun and Inuinnaqtun) were 21.4 per cent in Nunatsiavut and 22 per cent in the Inuvialuit region.

Declining usage of Inuktitut prompted the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami(ITK) - the national voice of Inuit in Inuit Nunangat, founded in 1971 - to establish Inuktitut curriculum in schools. Beginning in the 1960s, federal and territorial governments also worked to establish Inuktitut language programs, though for some, justification was partly based on the assumption that establishing such educational traditions would facilitate transition to English or French.

Culture and Life

Traditionally, the Inuit were hunters and gatherers who moved seasonally from one camp to another. Large regional groupings were loosely separated into smaller seasonal groups, winter camps (called "bands") of around 100 people and summer hunting groups of fewer than a dozen. Each band was roughly identified with a locale and named accordingly - the Arvirtuurmiut of Boothia Peninsula were called "baleen whale-eating people." ( See also Igloo and Inuksuk.)

In contemporary northern communities, many types of food such as fruit, vegetables, and milk must be transported long distances, resulting in higher costs, limited availability and food that is not fresh. However, the availability of " country food" through harvesting and sharing partially explains the high percentage of Inuit who consume country food. A report released in 2005 found that a majority (68 per cent) of Inuk adults living in Inuit Nunangat harvested country food, which includes seal, whale, duck, caribou, fish and berries. Country food remains an important food source for many Inuit, with 65 per cent of households getting at least half their meat and fish from country food, and approximately 80 per cent of Inuit Nunangat families sharing country food with people in other households. ( See also Food Insecurity in Canada.)

The Inuit have a rich and diverse culture. Inuit art, from carving to printmaking and more, demonstrates highly-skilled craftsmanship and artistry. Some well-known Inuit artists include Kenojuak Ashevak, Shuvinai Ashoona and Annie Pootoogook. Another popular cultural activity is Inuit vocal games, also known as throat singing. This is usually performed by two women producing a wide range of sounds from deep in the throat and chest. Many Inuit also compete in traditional games and sports such as high-kick (one and two foot varieties) and kneel-jump. Such games are featured in the Arctic Winter Games, held every two years.

History

During roughly 4,000 years of human history in the Arctic, the appearance of new people has brought continual cultural change. The ancestors of the present-day Inuit, who are culturally related to Inupiat (northern Alaska), Katladlit (Greenland) and Yuit (Siberia and western Alaska), arrived about 1050 CE.

As early as the 11th century the Norse exerted an undetermined influence on the Inuit. The subsequent arrival of explorers, whalers, traders, missionaries, scientists and others began irreversible cultural changes. The Inuit themselves participated actively in these developments as guides, traders and models of survival. ( See also Eenoolooapik and Tookoolito.)

The effects of colonization have seriously impacted Inuit culture and life. Though largely ignored by the Canadian federal government until 1939, when a court decision ruled that they were a federal responsibility (though still not subject to the Indian Act) the Inuit were still subjected to policies that enforced assimilation into a "Canadian" way of life. Many Inuit children attended residential schools in Canada. ( See also Inuit Experiences at Residential School.) Formerly nomadic peoples were transformed, sometimes through forced relocation ( see also Inuit High Arctic Relocations in Canada), into sedentary communities, and disc numbers were introduced to supersede an Inuit naming system that did not correspond to administrative needs. Disc numbers - so-called because they were distributed on small leather or pressed-fibre discs initially meant to be worn on one's person - imposed a government sanctioned name on Inuit who may have been known by several names throughout their lives and depending on context. The system used location-based serial numbers. For example, filmmaker Zacharias Kunuk's disc number is E51613. The imposition of disc numbers remains a culturally traumatic event, and has been criticized as fostering structural inequality. ( See also Project Surname.)

Despite adjustments made by the Inuit over the past three centuries and the loss of some traditional features, Inuit culture persists - often with a greater reflective awareness. Inuit maintain a cultural identity through language, family and cultural laws, attitudes and behaviour, and through much acclaimed Inuit art.

Moving Toward Self-Government

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Inuit began organizing politically in response to assimilative policies and government restrictions on traditional lands. In order to lobby effectively for land claims, Indigenous rights and self-government, a group of Inuit people formed Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami or ITK (then known as Inuit Tapirisat of Canada) in 1971. The organization supports and advocates for the interests of all Inuit living in 53 communities across Inuit Nunangat. Such interests represent an array of interconnected issues and challenges, including social, cultural, political, and environmental concerns.

First proposed by ITK in 1976, and supported by plebiscite in 1982, the Nunavut territory was agreed to in principle in a land claim in 1990, and formalized with the Nunavut Act in 1993.A strong base of politically experienced leaders allowed for a relatively smooth transition to official territory status in 1999. Three other land claim agreements in Inuit Nunangat support some level of Inuit self-government. The Makivik Corporation, through the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement, is working toward a self-governing Nunavik, as is the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation for Inuvialuit. Nunatsiavut has been self-governed since 1 December 2005 after the implementation of the Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement and the Labrador Inuit Constitution.

Did You Know?
On 27 January 2020, Inuit elder Qapik Attagutsiak was recognized by Parks Canada as a "Hometown Hero" for her "significant" contributions to Canada'sSecond World War effort. Qapik was part of a nationwide effort to recycle bones, fats, metals and rubber for wartime production. Living on an island nearIgloolik, west of Baffin Island (Nunavut), Qapik collected walrus and seal bones which were used to make aircraft glue, fertilizer, and cordite (a type of explosive used in bullets). Qapik, 99, was honoured by Nunavut Commissioner Nellie Kusugak and Minister of Environment and Climate Change Jonathan Wilkinson at theCanadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Quebec.

Contemporary Challenges

Despite gains made in self-government and other fields like business, teaching, transportation, medicine and broadcasting ( see also Inuit Broadcasting Corporation), many Inuit in northern communities face significant challenges, such as living in some of the most crowded conditions in Canada. Since being moved to permanent settlements in the 1950s and 1960s, Inuit have lacked adequate housing and have suffered related health problems. ( See also Health of Indigenous Peoples in Canada.) In 2016, 51.7 Inuit in Inuit Nunangat reported living in over-crowded conditions, compared to 8.5 per cent of non-Indigenous peoples in Canada. Living conditions and lack of access to healthcare partially contribute to an increase in chronic health conditions, including obesity, diabetes and respiratory infections. ( See also Social Conditions of Indigenous Peoples in Canada.) The suicide rate among Inuit youth is markedly higher than for the rest of Canada, making suicide prevention a key priority for continued cultural growth. ( See also Suicide among Indigenous Peoples in Canada.)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Inuit - Inuktitut for "the people" - are an Indigenous people, the majority of whom inhabit the northern regions of Canada. An Inuit person is known as an Inuk. ( See also Arctic Indigenous Peoples in Canada.) The Inuit homeland is known as Inuit Nunangat, which refers to the land, water and ice contained in the Arctic region.

# data[].attributes.body
To be Inuit is to be a member of Indigenous Peoples of northern Canada. I know that this source is reliable because it is a known source with a credible author. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Inuit

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
: a group of Indigenous peoples of northern Alaska, arctic Canada, and Greenland - used especially for those of the Canadian Arctic and Greenland

Note: In Canada, the name Inuit refers to one of three major, legally recognized groups of aboriginal peoples, the other two being the First Nations and the Métis.

Usage of Eskimo and Inuit

Eskimo is a word that presents challenges for anyone who is concerned about avoiding the use of offensive language. Its offensiveness stems partly from a now-discredited belief that it was originally a pejorative term meaning "eater of raw flesh," but perhaps more significantly from its being a word imposed on aboriginal peoples by outsiders. It has long been considered a word to be avoided in Canada, where native people refer to themselves as Inuit, a word that means "people" in their language. But not all the native people who are referred to as Eskimos are Inuit. Eskimo has no exact synonym; it has a general meaning that encompasses a number of indigenous peoples, and it continues for now in widespread use in many parts of the English-speaking world.

Word History

Inuit inuit, plural of inuk person

1745, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

The first known use of Inuit was in 1745

Dictionary Entries Near Inuit

Cite this Entry

"Inuit." Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Inuit. Accessed 22 Nov. 2022.

More from Merriam-Webster on Inuit

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search-ad free!

Merriam-Webster unabridged

Namesake of the leotard, Jules Léotard had what profession?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
a group of Indigenous peoples of northern Alaska, arctic Canada, and Greenland - used especially for those of the Canadian Arctic and Greenland Note: In Canada, the name Inuit refers to one of three major, legally recognized groups of aboriginal peoples, the other two being the First Nations and the Métis.

# data[].attributes.body
The term Inuit refers broadly to the Arctic indigenous population of Alaska, Canada, and Greenland. Inuit means “people,” and the language they speak is called Inuktitut, though there are regional dialects that are known by slightly different names. Today, the Inuit communities of Canada live in the Inuit Nunangat—loosely defined as “Inuit homeland”—which is divided into four regions.https://www.facinghistory.org/stolen-lives-indigenous-peoples-canada-and-indian-residential-schools/historical-background/inuit. I believe this information is credible due to the website it originates from.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Previous Section Next Section
The term Inuit refers broadly to the Arctic indigenous population of Alaska, Canada, and Greenland. Inuit means "people," and the language they speak is called Inuktitut, though there are regional dialects that are known by slightly different names. Today, the Inuit communities of Canada live in the Inuit Nunangat-loosely defined as "Inuit homeland"-which is divided into four regions.

For centuries these communities have relied on their natural resources, strong leaders, and innovative tools and skills to adapt to the cold, harsh environments of the Arctic north. The Inuit people survived primarily on fish and sea mammals such as seals, whales, caribou, and walruses. Out of respect for the land and ocean that provided for them, they, like other Indigenous Peoples, used all parts of the animal efficiently for food, clothes, and tools, creating innovative spears and harpoons, parka coats, blankets, and boats. Therefore, to this day, the Inuit place high value on inclusiveness, resourcefulness, collaboration, and "decision making through discussion and consensus." While individuals are expected to be self-reliant and fulfill their role in society, each member is also expected to support and help the others.

The Inuit have used naming, or renaming, to resist the colonial legacy and practice by choosing names in their own language. When the Canadian government formally recognized the Inuit claims to the land, the inhabitants changed the name of the region to Nunavut, which means "our land" in Inuktitut. Beyond the literal definition, Nunavut connotes home and a deep relationship and interconnectedness with the land.

Nunavut is the largest and most northern territory in Canada. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, European traders, fishermen, and whalers began to make routine trips to set up summer posts in the vast region. From the beginning of the eighteenth century and as late as the 1930s, a lively fur trade thrived between the Europeans and the Inuit. The territory is far from Ottawa, however, and has historically received little investment or attention. With the end of the fur trade and the depletion of important ocean resources such as whales, many Inuit communities were left without the means to thrive. By the 1940s, the government began to settle the Inuit in permanent communities, and the pressure to adapt to Western ways increased. The traditional ways were discarded and the Inuit became dependent on the government for education, health care, and other services. The majority of Canada's 60,000 Inuit live in small communities of no more than 1,000 people. These are often poor communities, located thousands of kilometres away from each other, which creates vast transportation and communication problems. Some communities, at least for part of the year, are accessible only by airplane. The Inuit formed the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK), formerly Inuit Tapirisat of Canada, in 1971. The ITK represents four distinct regional homelands: Inuvialuit (Northwest Territories), Nunavik (Northern Quebec), Nunatsiavut (Northern Labrador), and Nunavut, which became its own territory in 1999. After years of hard-fought negotiations, each region has successfully settled its own constitutionally protected aboriginal rights agreements. In these regions, the Inuit received titles to the land and, under several self-government agreements, expanded administrative powers to govern according to their worldview.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The term Inuit refers broadly to the Arctic indigenous population of Alaska, Canada, and Greenland. Inuit means "people," and the language they speak is called Inuktitut, though there are regional dialects that are known by slightly different names. Today, the Inuit communities of Canada live in the Inuit Nunangat-loosely defined as "Inuit homeland"-which is divided into four regions.

# data[].attributes.body
Inuit are Indigenous people of the Arctic. The word Inuit means "the people" in the Inuit language of Inuktut. The singular of Inuit is Inuk.
https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1100100014187/1534785248701
its the government of Canada so I take It as being a pretty reliable source.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Inuit are 1 of 3 recognized Indigenous Peoples in Canada, along with First Nations and Métis.

On this page

Inuit population and language

Inuit are Indigenous people of the Arctic. The word Inuit means "the people" in the Inuit language of Inuktut. The singular of Inuit is Inuk.

According to the 2021 Census, there are 69,7051Footnote 1 Inuit in Canada.

Many Inuit in Canada live in Inuit Nunangat, which means "the place where Inuit live."

Inuit Nunangat is comprised of 4 regions:

Inuvialuit (Northwest Territories and Yukon)

Nunavik (Northern Quebec)

Nunatsiavut (Labrador)

Nunavut

Find out more

Inuktut

Inuktut is spoken throughout Inuit Nunangat, and each region has its own dialects. There are two written styles of Inuktut, syllabics and roman orthography.

Syllabics use symbols to represent sounds rather than letters. Roman orthography uses the English alphabet to sound out the words in Inuktut.

Nanilavut: Let's find them

Tuberculosis in Canada was at epidemic proportions in the early 20th century and peaked between the 1940s and 1960s. A significant number of Inuit were affected and sent away from their communities to undergo treatment.

Many patients were treated and returned home. Others succumbed to the illness and were buried in cemeteries near the treatment facilities.

To right historical wrongs, in 2010 the Government of Canada established a working group at the request of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., which includes:

all Inuit land claim holders

Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami

Pauktuutit

the Government of Nunavut

the Government of the Northwest Territories

the Government of Canada

This group is called Nanilavut, which means "let's find them" in Inuktut.

Through the guidance of the Nanilavut working group, comprehensive research was undertaken on finding Inuit lost loved ones from the past tuberculosis epidemic, and a database was created containing records of those that were sent away for medical treatment during the epidemic. The Government of Canada is working in partnership with Inuit leadership on the Nanilavut initiative in order to properly address this historical wrong.

In February 2017, the Prime Minister signed a declaration to create the Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee (ICPC), which advances the shared priorities of Inuit and the Government of Canada. Canada is working through the ICPC to finalize the federal response to Nanilavut to help bring closure and begin the healing process for families and communities.

Find out more

Building Inuit economic success, including art

According to the 2021 Census, the Inuit population is young, with a median age of 25.2. The Government of Canada has several programs and initiatives to help young Inuit fully participate in the Canadian economy.

The First Nations and Inuit Youth Employment Strategy supports initiatives that provide Inuit and First Nations youth with work experience, information about career options and opportunities to develop skills that help them gain employment and develop careers.

The Federal Framework for Aboriginal Economic Development was launched in 2009 to guide federal actions towards increasing the participation of Inuit, First Nations and Métis in the Canadian economy. This was followed by the Strategic Partnerships Initiative in 2010, which helps to increase Indigenous participation in complex economic opportunities.

As well, Inuit in Nunavut participated in the construction of the Canadian High Arctic Research Station. The station's design was developed through the Inuit Quajimajatuqangit approach, which articulates the pillars of traditional Inuit knowledge.

Inuit art

The arts are a vital element of Inuit culture and traditions. Cape Dorset in Nunavut is known as the "Capital of Inuit Art" and 1 out of 5 workers here are employed in the arts.

For decades, Inuit art has played an integral role in the northern economy and contributed millions of dollars to the regional economy.

In July 2017, the Government of Canada officially transferred the responsibility for the management of the Igloo Tag trademark to the Inuit Art Foundation (IAF). This decision was taken after extensive consultations with members of the Inuit art industry. The objective of this transfer is to increase the Inuit art community's ability to regulate art in a way that benefit Inuit artists and help preserve the values of Inuit cultural heritage for generations to come.

The IAF supports Inuit artists and the development and appreciation of Inuit art and promotes Inuit artists from all four northern regions (Inuvialuit, Nunavut, Nunavik and Nunatsiavut) in Canada and internationally.

CIRNAC has developed a comprehensive analysis of the Inuit arts economy, such as fine arts, music, film, theatre and other forms. The study includes a full economic analysis of the Inuit arts economy in each of the four Inuit regions, as well as southern Canada. It will inform policy development to better support Inuit arts and artists in Canada.

Find out more

Devolution and land claims agreements in Inuit Nunangat

Northern governance and placing more control into the hands of Northerners are major parts of Canada's Arctic and Northern Policy.

Inuit land claims agreements have been signed in all 4 Inuit regions:

Under their respective land claims agreements, Inuit were granted title to certain blocks of land. The four land claims regions cover about 40 per cent of Canada's land mass.

Under the Western Arctic (Inuvialuit) Claims Settlement Act, Inuvialuit of the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, have title to approximately 91,000 square kilometres of land.

Under the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, Inuit in Nunavut have title to 352,191 square kilometres of land.

Inuit of Nunavik have title to 8,152 square kilometres of land and exercise some rights over 992,307.58 square kilometres of land. They also have title to approximately 5,100 square kilometres of land on the islands in the Nunavik marine region.

Under the Land Claims Agreement between the Inuit of Labrador and Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Newfoundland and Labrador and Her Majesty the Queen in Right Canada, Inuit of Nunatsiavut have title to approximately 15,800 square kilometres of land within the Labrador Inuit Settlement Area and rights over 72,520 square kilometres of land in northern Labrador.

Government of Canada's apology for the Inuit High Arctic relocation

In August 2010, the former Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians apologized to Inuit families who were relocated in the 1950s to the High Arctic. During these relocations, Inuit families from Port Harrison (Inukjuak) in Northern Québec and Pond Inlet in Nunavut were moved to the High Arctic communities of Resolute Bay and Grise Fiord (Craig Harbour) in Nunavut.

Inuit who were relocated had to adapt to colder climates and longer periods of total light or darkness. Inuit were separated from home communities and extended family were not provided with adequate shelter or supplies, and were not properly informed of where they would be located or for how long.

The 2010 apology helped Inuit affected by the relocation continue to move towards healing and reconciliation.

Find out more

Government of Canada's apology to Qikiqtani Inuit

In August 2019, the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations apologized to Qikiqtani Inuit for effects of federal policies undertaken in the Qikiqtani region from 1950 to 1975.

During this time, the Government of Canada enacted colonial policies which had deep and lasting effects for Inuit in the Qikiqtani region. Actions during this period included forced relocation and family separation, the killing of qimmiit (sled dogs) essential for travel and food security in the Arctic and other assimulitative actions.

These policies and their effects were outlined by the Qikiqtani Truth Commission. The commission was independent of the Government of Canada and sought to bring a voice to Qikiqtani Inuit.

The official apology represents the cumulative work of the Qikiqtani Inuit Association (QIA) and the Government of Canada. Guided by the commission's findings, this apology seeks to help Inuit affected by these policies continue to move towards healing and reconciliation.

Find out more

The department's role

CIRNAC negotiates and implements Acts, agreements, treaties and land claims on behalf of the Government of Canada. The department is also responsible for fulfilling obligations in historic treaties. Strong partnerships among Indigenous peoples, governments and the private sector continue to emerge as we address outstanding land claims and treaty issues and work toward self-government.

CIRNAC works with Inuit organizations, and territorial and provincial governments to build social well-being, economic prosperity and healthy communities for the Inuit of Nunatsiavut, Nunavik, Nunavut and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. This includes support for the Nunavik Housing Policy and coordinating the Nunatsiavut Housing Needs Assessment. Issues that are outside of negotiated land claims agreements and are not covered through on-reserve housing policies and programs.

CIRNAC promotes circumpolar cooperation and plays a role in the Arctic Council.

Inuit organizations

CIRNAC partners with many Inuit organizations, including:

Footnotes

Footnote 1

This number is based on the 2021 Census of the Population and includes: Inuk (Inuit) single identity, not registered, which refers to those individuals who identified as Inuit only to question 24 and responded "no" to question 26, indicating no registration status under the Indian Act of Canada on the 2021 Census of the population. For more information, please contact INSTAT.
Return to footnote 1 referrer

Thank you for your feedback

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Inuit are the Aboriginal people of Arctic Canada. About 45,000 Inuit live in 53 communities in: Nunatsiavut (Labrador); Nunavik (Quebec); Nunavut; and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region of the Northwest Territories. Each of these four Inuit groups have settled land claims. These Inuit regions cover one-third of Canada's land mass.

# data[].attributes.body
During roughly 4,000 years of human history in the Arctic, the appearance of new people has brought continual cultural change. The ancestors of the present-day Inuit, who are culturally related to Inupiat (northern Alaska), Katladlit (Greenland) and Yuit (Siberia and western Alaska), arrived about 1050 CE.
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/inuit

i choose this https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/inuit it is a reliable source as well as it has information that i did not know

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Terminology

Inuit - Inuktitut for "the people" - are an Indigenous people, the majority of whom inhabit the northern regions of Canada. An Inuit person is known as an Inuk. ( See also Arctic Indigenous Peoples in Canada.)

Territory and Demography

The Inuit homeland is known as Inuit Nunangat, which refers to the land, water and ice contained in the Arctic region. The term Inuit Nunangat may also be used to refer to land occupied by the Inuit in Alaska and Greenland. By 2021, according to Statistics Canada, the Inuit population grew to 70,545, an increase of 8.5 per cent since 2016.

In 2021, approximately 69 per cent of all Inuit in Canada lived in Inuit Nunangat, with 44 per cent living in Nunavut, followed by Nunavik (in northern Québec), the western arctic ( Northwest Territories and Yukon), known as Inuvialuit, and Nunatsiavut (located along the northern coast of Labrador).

Language and Ethnic Groups

There are eight main Inuit ethnic groups: the Labradormiut (Labrador), Nunavimmiut (Ungava), Baffin Island, Iglulingmuit (Iglulik), Kivallirmiut (Caribou), Netsilingmiut (Netsilik), Inuinnait (Copper) and Inuvialuit or Western Arctic Inuit (who replaced the Mackenzie Inuit).

Inuktitut, the Inuit language, has five main dialects in Canada: Inuvialuktun (Inuvialuit region in the Northwest Territories); Inuinnaqtun (western Nunavut); Inuktitut (eastern Nunavut dialect); Inuktitut (Nunavik dialect); and Nunatsiavumiuttut (Nunatsiavut). ( See also Indigenous Languages in Canada.)

In 2016, 41,650 Inuit reported having conversational knowledge of an Inuit language or dialect. In Inuit Nunangat as a whole, 83.9 per cent of Inuit reported conversational ability in an Inuit language. Inuktitut usage was strongest in Nunavik, where the ability to converse in that language was 99.2 per cent. In Nunavut, 89.1 per cent reported the ability to converse in an Inuit language. In contrast, the figures for speaking an Inuit language (mainly Inuvialuktun and Inuinnaqtun) were 21.4 per cent in Nunatsiavut and 22 per cent in the Inuvialuit region.

Declining usage of Inuktitut prompted the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) - the national voice of Inuit in Inuit Nunangat, founded in 1971 - to establish Inuktitut curriculum in schools. Beginning in the 1960s, federal and territorial governments also worked to establish Inuktitut language programs, though for some, justification was partly based on the assumption that establishing such educational traditions would facilitate transition to English or French.

Culture and Life

Traditionally, the Inuit were hunters and gatherers who moved seasonally from one camp to another. Large regional groupings were loosely separated into smaller seasonal groups, winter camps (called "bands") of around 100 people and summer hunting groups of fewer than a dozen. Each band was roughly identified with a locale and named accordingly - the Arvirtuurmiut of Boothia Peninsula were called "baleen whale-eating people." ( See also Igloo and Inuksuk.)

In contemporary northern communities, many types of food such as fruit, vegetables, and milk must be transported long distances, resulting in higher costs, limited availability and food that is not fresh. However, the availability of " country food"through harvesting and sharing partially explains the high percentage of Inuit who consume country food. A report released in 2005 found that a majority (68 per cent) of Inuk adults living in Inuit Nunangat harvested country food, which includes seal, whale, duck, caribou, fish and berries. Country food remains an important food source for many Inuit, with 65 per cent of households getting at least half their meat and fish from country food, and approximately 80 per cent of Inuit Nunangat families sharing country food with people in other households. ( See also Food Insecurity in Canada.)

The Inuit have a rich and diverse culture. Inuit art, from carving to printmaking and more, demonstrates highly-skilled craftsmanship and artistry. Some well-known Inuit artists include Kenojuak Ashevak, Shuvinai Ashoona and Annie Pootoogook. Another popular cultural activity is Inuit vocal games, also known as throat singing. This is usually performed by two women producing a wide range of sounds from deep in the throat and chest. Many Inuit also compete in traditional games and sports such as high-kick (one and two foot varieties) and kneel-jump. Such games are featured in the Arctic Winter Games, held every two years.

History

During roughly 4,000 years of human history in the Arctic, the appearance of new people has brought continual cultural change. The ancestors of the present-day Inuit, who are culturally related to Inupiat (northern Alaska), Katladlit (Greenland) and Yuit (Siberia and western Alaska), arrived about 1050 CE.

As early as the 11th century the Norse exerted an undetermined influence on the Inuit. The subsequent arrival of explorers, whalers, traders, missionaries, scientists and others began irreversible cultural changes. The Inuit themselves participated actively in these developments as guides, traders and models of survival. ( See also Eenoolooapik and Tookoolito.)

The effects of colonization have seriously impacted Inuit culture and life. Though largely ignored by the Canadian federal government until 1939, when a court decision ruled that they were a federal responsibility (though still not subject to the Indian Act) the Inuit were still subjected to policies that enforced assimilation into a "Canadian" way of life. Many Inuit children attended residential schools in Canada. ( See also Inuit Experiences at Residential School.) Formerly nomadic peoples were transformed, sometimes through forced relocation ( see also Inuit High Arctic Relocations in Canada), into sedentary communities, and disc numbers were introduced to supersede an Inuit naming system that did not correspond to administrative needs. Disc numbers - so-called because they were distributed on small leather or pressed-fibre discs initially meant to be worn on one's person - imposed a government sanctioned name on Inuit who may have been known by several names throughout their lives and depending on context. The system used location-based serial numbers. For example, filmmaker Zacharias Kunuk's disc number is E51613. The imposition of disc numbers remains a culturally traumatic event, and has been criticized as fostering structural inequality. ( See also Project Surname.)

Despite adjustments made by the Inuit over the past three centuries and the loss of some traditional features, Inuit culture persists - often with a greater reflective awareness. Inuit maintain a cultural identity through language, family and cultural laws, attitudes and behaviour, and through much acclaimed Inuit art.

Moving Toward Self-Government

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Inuit began organizing politically in response to assimilative policies and government restrictions on traditional lands. In order to lobby effectively for land claims, Indigenous rights and self-government, a group of Inuit people formed Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami or ITK (then known as Inuit Tapirisat of Canada) in 1971. The organization supports and advocates for the interests of all Inuit living in 53 communities across Inuit Nunangat. Such interests represent an array of interconnected issues and challenges, including social, cultural, political, and environmental concerns.

First proposed by ITK in 1976, and supported by plebiscite in 1982, the Nunavut territory was agreed to in principle in a land claim in 1990, and formalized with the Nunavut Act in 1993. A strong base of politically experienced leaders allowed for a relatively smooth transition to official territory status in 1999. Three other land claim agreements in Inuit Nunangat support some level of Inuit self-government. The Makivik Corporation, through the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement, is working toward a self-governing Nunavik, as is the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation for Inuvialuit. Nunatsiavut has been self-governed since 1 December 2005 after the implementation of the Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement and the Labrador Inuit Constitution.

Did You Know?
On 27 January 2020, Inuit elder Qapik Attagutsiak was recognized by Parks Canada as a "Hometown Hero" for her "significant" contributions to Canada's Second World War effort. Qapik was part of a nationwide effort to recycle bones, fats, metals and rubber for wartime production. Living on an island near Igloolik, west of Baffin Island ( Nunavut), Qapik collected walrus and seal bones which were used to make aircraft glue, fertilizer, and cordite (a type of explosive used in bullets). Qapik, 99, was honoured by Nunavut Commissioner Nellie Kusugak and Minister of Environment and Climate Change Jonathan Wilkinson at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Quebec.

Contemporary Challenges

Despite gains made in self-government and other fields like business, teaching, transportation, medicine and broadcasting ( see also Inuit Broadcasting Corporation), many Inuit in northern communities face significant challenges, such as living in some of the most crowded conditions in Canada. Since being moved to permanent settlements in the 1950s and 1960s, Inuit have lacked adequate housing and have suffered related health problems. ( See also Health of Indigenous Peoples in Canada.) In 2016, 51.7 Inuit in Inuit Nunangat reported living in over-crowded conditions, compared to 8.5 per cent of non-Indigenous peoples in Canada. Living conditions and lack of access to healthcare partially contribute to an increase in chronic health conditions, including obesity, diabetes and respiratory infections. ( See also Social Conditions of Indigenous Peoples in Canada.) The suicide rate among Inuit youth is markedly higher than for the rest of Canada, making suicide prevention a key priority for continued cultural growth. ( See also Suicide among Indigenous Peoples in Canada.)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Inuit - Inuktitut for "the people" - are an Indigenous people, the majority of whom inhabit the northern regions of Canada. An Inuit person is known a...

# data[].attributes.body
Inuit — Inuktitut for “the people” — are an Indigenous people, the majority of whom inhabit the northern regions of Canada. An Inuit person is known as an Inuk. The Inuit homeland is known as Inuit Nunangat, which refers to the land, water and ice contained in the Arctic region.
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/inuit

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Terminology

Inuit - Inuktitut for "the people" - are an Indigenous people, the majority of whom inhabit the northern regions of Canada. An Inuit person is known as an Inuk. ( See also Arctic Indigenous Peoples in Canada.)

Territory and Demography

The Inuit homeland is known as Inuit Nunangat, which refers to the land, water and ice contained in the Arctic region. The term Inuit Nunangat may also be used to refer to land occupied by the Inuit in Alaska and Greenland. By 2021, according to Statistics Canada, the Inuit population grew to 70,545, an increase of 8.5 per cent since 2016.

In 2021, approximately 69 per cent of all Inuit in Canada lived in Inuit Nunangat, with 44 per cent living in Nunavut, followed by Nunavik (in northern Québec), the western arctic ( Northwest Territories and Yukon), known as Inuvialuit, and Nunatsiavut (located along the northern coast of Labrador).

Language and Ethnic Groups

There are eight main Inuit ethnic groups: the Labradormiut (Labrador), Nunavimmiut (Ungava), Baffin Island, Iglulingmuit (Iglulik), Kivallirmiut (Caribou), Netsilingmiut (Netsilik), Inuinnait (Copper) and Inuvialuit or Western Arctic Inuit (who replaced the Mackenzie Inuit).

Inuktitut, the Inuit language, has five main dialects in Canada: Inuvialuktun (Inuvialuit region in the Northwest Territories); Inuinnaqtun (western Nunavut); Inuktitut (eastern Nunavut dialect); Inuktitut (Nunavik dialect); and Nunatsiavumiuttut (Nunatsiavut). ( See also Indigenous Languages in Canada.)

In 2016, 41,650 Inuit reported having conversational knowledge of an Inuit language or dialect. In Inuit Nunangat as a whole, 83.9 per cent of Inuit reported conversational ability in an Inuit language. Inuktitut usage was strongest in Nunavik, where the ability to converse in that language was 99.2 per cent. In Nunavut, 89.1 per cent reported the ability to converse in an Inuit language. In contrast, the figures for speaking an Inuit language (mainly Inuvialuktun and Inuinnaqtun) were 21.4 per cent in Nunatsiavut and 22 per cent in the Inuvialuit region.

Declining usage of Inuktitut prompted the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) - the national voice of Inuit in Inuit Nunangat, founded in 1971 - to establish Inuktitut curriculum in schools. Beginning in the 1960s, federal and territorial governments also worked to establish Inuktitut language programs, though for some, justification was partly based on the assumption that establishing such educational traditions would facilitate transition to English or French.

Culture and Life

Traditionally, the Inuit were hunters and gatherers who moved seasonally from one camp to another. Large regional groupings were loosely separated into smaller seasonal groups, winter camps (called "bands") of around 100 people and summer hunting groups of fewer than a dozen. Each band was roughly identified with a locale and named accordingly - the Arvirtuurmiut of Boothia Peninsula were called "baleen whale-eating people." ( See also Igloo and Inuksuk.)

In contemporary northern communities, many types of food such as fruit, vegetables, and milk must be transported long distances, resulting in higher costs, limited availability and food that is not fresh. However, the availability of " country food"through harvesting and sharing partially explains the high percentage of Inuit who consume country food. A report released in 2005 found that a majority (68 per cent) of Inuk adults living in Inuit Nunangat harvested country food, which includes seal, whale, duck, caribou, fish and berries. Country food remains an important food source for many Inuit, with 65 per cent of households getting at least half their meat and fish from country food, and approximately 80 per cent of Inuit Nunangat families sharing country food with people in other households. ( See also Food Insecurity in Canada.)

The Inuit have a rich and diverse culture. Inuit art, from carving to printmaking and more, demonstrates highly-skilled craftsmanship and artistry. Some well-known Inuit artists include Kenojuak Ashevak, Shuvinai Ashoona and Annie Pootoogook. Another popular cultural activity is Inuit vocal games, also known as throat singing. This is usually performed by two women producing a wide range of sounds from deep in the throat and chest. Many Inuit also compete in traditional games and sports such as high-kick (one and two foot varieties) and kneel-jump. Such games are featured in the Arctic Winter Games, held every two years.

History

During roughly 4,000 years of human history in the Arctic, the appearance of new people has brought continual cultural change. The ancestors of the present-day Inuit, who are culturally related to Inupiat (northern Alaska), Katladlit (Greenland) and Yuit (Siberia and western Alaska), arrived about 1050 CE.

As early as the 11th century the Norse exerted an undetermined influence on the Inuit. The subsequent arrival of explorers, whalers, traders, missionaries, scientists and others began irreversible cultural changes. The Inuit themselves participated actively in these developments as guides, traders and models of survival. ( See also Eenoolooapik and Tookoolito.)

The effects of colonization have seriously impacted Inuit culture and life. Though largely ignored by the Canadian federal government until 1939, when a court decision ruled that they were a federal responsibility (though still not subject to the Indian Act) the Inuit were still subjected to policies that enforced assimilation into a "Canadian" way of life. Many Inuit children attended residential schools in Canada. ( See also Inuit Experiences at Residential School.) Formerly nomadic peoples were transformed, sometimes through forced relocation ( see also Inuit High Arctic Relocations in Canada), into sedentary communities, and disc numbers were introduced to supersede an Inuit naming system that did not correspond to administrative needs. Disc numbers - so-called because they were distributed on small leather or pressed-fibre discs initially meant to be worn on one's person - imposed a government sanctioned name on Inuit who may have been known by several names throughout their lives and depending on context. The system used location-based serial numbers. For example, filmmaker Zacharias Kunuk's disc number is E51613. The imposition of disc numbers remains a culturally traumatic event, and has been criticized as fostering structural inequality. ( See also Project Surname.)

Despite adjustments made by the Inuit over the past three centuries and the loss of some traditional features, Inuit culture persists - often with a greater reflective awareness. Inuit maintain a cultural identity through language, family and cultural laws, attitudes and behaviour, and through much acclaimed Inuit art.

Moving Toward Self-Government

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Inuit began organizing politically in response to assimilative policies and government restrictions on traditional lands. In order to lobby effectively for land claims, Indigenous rights and self-government, a group of Inuit people formed Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami or ITK (then known as Inuit Tapirisat of Canada) in 1971. The organization supports and advocates for the interests of all Inuit living in 53 communities across Inuit Nunangat. Such interests represent an array of interconnected issues and challenges, including social, cultural, political, and environmental concerns.

First proposed by ITK in 1976, and supported by plebiscite in 1982, the Nunavut territory was agreed to in principle in a land claim in 1990, and formalized with the Nunavut Act in 1993. A strong base of politically experienced leaders allowed for a relatively smooth transition to official territory status in 1999. Three other land claim agreements in Inuit Nunangat support some level of Inuit self-government. The Makivik Corporation, through the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement, is working toward a self-governing Nunavik, as is the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation for Inuvialuit. Nunatsiavut has been self-governed since 1 December 2005 after the implementation of the Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement and the Labrador Inuit Constitution.

Did You Know?
On 27 January 2020, Inuit elder Qapik Attagutsiak was recognized by Parks Canada as a "Hometown Hero" for her "significant" contributions to Canada's Second World War effort. Qapik was part of a nationwide effort to recycle bones, fats, metals and rubber for wartime production. Living on an island near Igloolik, west of Baffin Island ( Nunavut), Qapik collected walrus and seal bones which were used to make aircraft glue, fertilizer, and cordite (a type of explosive used in bullets). Qapik, 99, was honoured by Nunavut Commissioner Nellie Kusugak and Minister of Environment and Climate Change Jonathan Wilkinson at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Quebec.

Contemporary Challenges

Despite gains made in self-government and other fields like business, teaching, transportation, medicine and broadcasting ( see also Inuit Broadcasting Corporation), many Inuit in northern communities face significant challenges, such as living in some of the most crowded conditions in Canada. Since being moved to permanent settlements in the 1950s and 1960s, Inuit have lacked adequate housing and have suffered related health problems. ( See also Health of Indigenous Peoples in Canada.) In 2016, 51.7 Inuit in Inuit Nunangat reported living in over-crowded conditions, compared to 8.5 per cent of non-Indigenous peoples in Canada. Living conditions and lack of access to healthcare partially contribute to an increase in chronic health conditions, including obesity, diabetes and respiratory infections. ( See also Social Conditions of Indigenous Peoples in Canada.) The suicide rate among Inuit youth is markedly higher than for the rest of Canada, making suicide prevention a key priority for continued cultural growth. ( See also Suicide among Indigenous Peoples in Canada.)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Inuit - Inuktitut for "the people" - are an Indigenous people, the majority of whom inhabit the northern regions of Canada. An Inuit person is known a...