Believe it or not, in the arctic region, where the average temperature of the year is about -12 celsius degree, there are more than 9,000,000 people, including 150,000 indigenous people living constantly. Even though many of them now have houses, automobile and electronics like rest of the world, the way they survive in such a rough environment is still an interesting topic to discover.
A typical arctic indigenous ethnicity is Eskimo people, who is believed originated from eastern Asia and then migrated to arctic area. They called themselves as Inuit, rather than Eskimo. The word Eskimo is called by American Indians, meaning "eaters of raw meat”. This word, although considered derogatory due to some conflicts between Eskimo and American Indians, somehow accurately reflects their lifestyle. Due to the extreme low temperature in arctic region, plants and trees can hardly survive. The species available there are mostly in tundra and boreal forests, which have low biodiversity and rare food resources compared to normal forests. Also, agriculture can hardly be developed because of the lack of heat and nutritious soil. If there is few plants can provide food for local people, then they must seek food from animals.Generally, Eskimo relied on sea mammals such as seals, for food, illumination, cooking oil and weapons throughout the year. Besides, they hunt reindeers, birds, fish and whales when it is not winter. Typically, those animals have a lot of fat and other nutrients that are crucial to local people. To receive the most of the nutrients from those animals, they decided to eat their raw meat, which has more nutrients and vitamins reserved compared to cooked meat. That is perhaps why they are called “eaters of raw meat” by American ...
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Besides reindeers, Eskimos also eat mammals including seals, polar bears, whales and a large number of fish. It is believed that their traditional diet is high in protein plus obtaining 75% energy from fat. Due to the cold weather, the only plants they can eat are grasses, tubers, roots, stems, berries, and seaweed, which were collected and preserved depending on the season and the location. Researches have found that they can get most of the vitamins from raw meat, therefore they can still survive well.
The people and animals have faced severe climate and living environment for thousands of years. It is really a miracle that they are still living well after fighting with poor living conditions for years. But, it has to be mentioned that arctic residences have roughly 10 years shorter life span compared to people living in normal areas of the world.
Inuit Odyssey, by CBC’s: The Nature of Things covers the long and eventful journey of the Inuit people. Canadian anthropologist, Dr. Niobe Thompson searched for the answers to questions about who the modern day Inuit are, where did they come from, how did they survive and who did they conquer along the way? Thompson explored the direct lineage between modern day Inuit and the Thule people, and their interactions with the Dorset and Norse Vikings in their search for iron. Thompson is ultimately concerned with how the current warming climate will affect the Inuit people therefore, he decides to retrace the creation of the Inuit culture, starting his journey in the original homeland of the Thule people.
Hunting, which was the primal source of food, goes far beyond satisfying the physical body. Therefore societies, such as the Eskimo, handle every aspect of their food in a `special' and symbolic way. This is what Gill was explaining and the ceremonies, as well as, the way of life in regards to the food are evidence of this.
The Arctic region is home to a variety of valuable animals and plants, including polar bear, seal, and so on. The ecosystem of the Arctic region is fragile because these animals are evolved to live in extreme conditions. With the climate change, many animals are endangered. Ice is the habitat of polar animals because they have to rely on sea ices for resting, food, and reproduction. With the climate change and the decrease of sea ice, the number of polar animals is decreasing and their health is threatened. For example, the average weight of female polar bears in 1980 was about 650 pounds, but the number reduced to about 500 pounds in 2004 (Djoghlaf 15). The earlier breakup and later condensation of sea ice shortens the hunting season of polar bears. Polar bears mainly feed on seals that indwell icy land. The melting ice reduces the number of seals and food intake of polar bears. In addition, polar bears are used to living in ice caves. The rising temperature causes the collapse of ice caves, which can kill baby bears. The climate change is negatively affecting the biodiversity in the region and will definitely harm the ecosystem
The Inuits food plans are fish and hunted arctic animals. The main reason the Inuit are still in northern Canada, is because they are used to their lifestyle and the northern
While watching a video entitled “Eskimo: Fight for Life” about the daily life of an Eskimo and what they do to survive; I was very surprised to see what the living conditions were. For starters, the weather that they live in on average is about thirty- fifty degrees below zero. Although many people living in New York today may think these are extreme weather conditions, and it may be impossible for us to phantom the idea of living there; the Inuit found a method to live life blissfully when they were together while enduring the Artic environment through the outrageous temperatures. A couple of things the Eskimos did to help them survive was, build igloos to stay and sleep together under animal fur to stay warm, the men and women had their individual roles to provide for the family, and lastly they entertain themselves
The North of Canada may invoke thoughts of polar bears, penguins, and Eskimos, however this region has a history of exploitation. Since the 1940's, the Inuit people (Eskimo is considered a derogatory term by locals) have been forced to assimilate to Canadian laws and language. Prior to the arrival of the Canadian officials and their economic and law systems and infrastructures, the Inuit lived in small groups off the tundra. Their economic system was one of trade and they spoke Inuktitut, which was only an oral language until about fifty years ago.
The habitat of the Arctic wolf is a very harsh place. The temperature must be below zero degrees. There are tundra, rolling hills, glacier valleys, ice fields, shallow lakes, and green flatlands (Arctic/Antarctic: The Arctic Wolf). These snowy white creators don’t have that many places to live. Arctic wolves used to be everywhere in North America, but sadly now they are reduced to Canada, Alaska, Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Wisconsin, and Wyoming (Arctic/Antarctic: The Arctic Wolf). Arctic wolves are one of the most dangerous types of wolves; people need to find a way to save them and their habitat before they disappear forever.
The climate of the tundra is characterized by harsh winters. The average temperature in the tundra area is about –27 degrees. But what is even worse are the long night. At nights the lowest temperture recorded was –67.36 degrees. There are even times in the year when the sun doesn’t come up for days. In the tundra we have little snow and even less rainfall. The rainfall is about a quarter inch in a yearly rainfall. Even though the tundra’s winters are long a harsh there summers are the shortest season of all. Do to the terrible weather and climate in the tundra their animals and plant life is very limited.
The indigenous population of the Canadian Arctic, also known as the Inuit (Inuk for “People”), are a proud nation of historically marginalized communities. This diaspora of scattered and remote communities are predominantly found in regions of Canada, such as Newfoundland and Labrador, Nunatsiavut, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Quebec. Although, the Inuit community also spans as far as Greenland, Denmark, Russia, and the United States of America. This community holds their cultural institutions in very sacred and high regards as observed by their passionate ambitions to pass down their traditions, methods, and spoken history to their prosperity. However, these proud descendants of the earliest Arctic tundra conquerors have had an historically
Canada’s arctic has evidently suffered from substantial climate change, resulting in devastating impacts on all systems in the north. Many climate models indicate that these significant changes will only progress in the future. The monitoring of temperatures in the Arctic have demonstrated that, over roughly the past 50 years, there has been a warming of about 2 to 3°C as of 2009. The average temperature in the arctic has increased almost twice as fast than the rest of the world. In 2020, the projected increase is up to 4°C as well as 8°C by 2050. A numbers of studies have shown that, based on previous climate records, there has been issues of rising sea levels, alterations in sea-ice dynamics, and permafrost degradation. Though there have been multiple strategies posed and adopted, the government of Canada needs to develop an arctic strategy that is more proactive and systemic than previous actions. This strategy needs to be global in its goals for mitigation while still monitoring social, cultural, and economic aspects
As the world becomes continually warmer, the effect of climate change in the arctic regions becomes more intense. Within the past 50 years, arctic regions in Canada have experienced warming of 2 to 3 degrees Celsius (Fergal & Prowse, 2007). One of the most important areas in the Canadian arctic is the Cryosphere (Appendix A), which is the area consisting of season snow cover, permafrost glaciers, and sea ice (Fergal & Prowse, 2007). This area is significant because it has provided a stabilized surface for building pipelines, as well as provides access to northern communities (Fergal & Prowse, 2007).
The Inuit hunted and fished whale, seal, and walrus by way of a kayak or by waiting patiently near holes in the ice. They made great use of animal skins for warm and beautiful clothing as one may observe on display in the Polar World exhibit at the museum. They primarily made a living by hunting, trapping, and buying and selling handicrafts. They also traded whale blubber which was used for fuel. They traded the blubber with missionaries, whalers, and other foreigners.
The Cree use weapons such as bows and arrows to hunt an animal to eat. they hunted moose, duck, elk, buffalo, and rabbit. They also collect food from plants such as berries, wild rice, and turnips.
Petersen, R., 1992. Colonialism as seen from a former colonized area. Arctic Anthropology, 32(2), p. 118-126
Introduction Climate change has been one of the hottest topic since 18th century. Ice and glaciers began to melt faster and more rapidly as a result of warmer climate. This has causes dynamic changes and also reveals velunebility of Inuit people in different areas. In this paper, I will examine the interactions between climate change and Innuit people by looking into the changes in food, health condition and living habbits of Innuit people from last century to present days.