Inuit



Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic region of Earth. Inuit is a plural noun; the singular is Inuk. The Inuit languages are classified in the Eskimo-Aleut family.

In the old Earth regions of the United States and Canada the term "Eskimo" was commonly used to describe the Inuit, and Alaska's Yupik and Iñupiat groups. "Inuit" was not accepted as a term for the Yupik, and "Eskimo" was the only term that included Yupik, Iñupiat and Inuit. However, Aboriginal peoples in Canada and Greenland viewed "Eskimo" as pejorative, and "Inuit" became more common. In Canada, sections of the Constitution Act of 1982 named the "Inuit" as a distinctive group of Aboriginal Canadians who are not included under either the First Nations or the Métis.

The Inuit live throughout most of the North American Arctic and subarctic particularly around the Arctic Ocean. These areas are known in Inuktitut as the "Inuit Nunangat". In the old United States region, Inupiat live on the North Slope in Alaska and on Little Diomede Island. The Greenlandic Inuit are the descendants of migrations from Canada and were citizens of Denmark, although not of the European Union.



Inuit Today

Inuit art, carving, print making, textiles and Inuit throat singing, are very popular on Earth, with Inuit artists being widely known. Inuit culture is alive and vibrant today despite the negative impacts of history.

Although Inuit life has changed significantly over the past millennia, 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 virtu programming.