Innu Indian Culture Essay

The Innu indians have been around for many years dating back to 1000 A.D. and have descended from people who hunted whales. Innu Indians split into two different group names, which came to be the Naskapi and Montagnais, although they are in kinda the same group, the Naskapi and Montagnais indians are somewhat different. The two groups seem to dress different and they also speak different languages. According to Innu culture and history, “ the Naskapi and Montagnais bands were constant allies and have always considered themselves part of the same Innu people. There are tons of Innus still living today and over about 16,000 still live in Canada.

The Naskapi and Montagnais indians grew up mostly around Canada and spread out around Quebec and

Labrador. The Innus live on reserves which is land that belongs to them and they have control over everything. According to Innu culture and history, “ they lived in tents and small bands.” additionally the Montagnais indians actually are made up of many communities that are made into 9 groups, called the Betsiamites, Ekuanitshit, Essipit, La Romaine, Mashteuiatsh, Natashquan, Pakua, Shipi, and lastly Uashat mak Mani-Utenam. Correspondingly they also have territories by the St. Lawrence River as well as the Gulf of St. Lawrence. “In the mid- 20th century, the federal government forced Innu communities into permanent settlements” (Tanner).
Most of the Inuit people lived in cold areas and had to use driftwood, animal skin and bones for natural resources. They made knives from the tusks of walruses, and other tools from soapstone.

Survival is one of the key most important things to living, it teaches us to be strong and responsible. Everyone in the entire world does whatever they have to do to survive. As for the Naskapi and Montagnais indians they survived by hunting and fishing around the territories. According to Tanner, “ Innu hunted game animals like caribou in the eastern and northern areas, moose in the west, as well as beaver, bear, lake fish, and salmon.” Additionally they didn’t just use the animals for food, they also used them for clothes. The Inuit’s used every part of the caribou for their skin and bones to make clothing and tools such as drumsticks. The Naskapi and Montagnais lived in small lodges called “ wigwams” made out of wood frames they were made from caribou and birchbark. But not all of the Indians lived and survived this way eventually things evolved and it wasn’t that hard to survive like ancestors did. Today “ most Innus live in modern houses and apartment buildings, just like you” ( Tanner).

Getting an education is important for anyone and everyone however some people learn very different things than others.

For the Naskapi and Montagnais learning the basics is just as important as them learning their culture and traditions. The Innus study stuff like any normal person would in a school, such as math, history, spelling, and lastly reading. But “Education for the Inuit was still problematic. Each village had its own school, funded by state with extra funds from the federal government” ( Jones). Together with learning they study their culture. Most of the Inuit culture consist of printings and carvings as well as dancing, singing, and storytelling. The Innus are famous for their arts and crafts, According to Innu culture and history , “ Traditional Inuit arts and crafts mostly involve etching decorations on ivory harpoon heads, needle cases, and other tools.” Additionally they also make masks and carvings. Naskapi and Montagnais indians are always hard at work making clothes, food, and art, but they also like to have fun! The Inuit’s like to play games that show their strength in activities such as wrestling, weightlifting, and jumping. Furthermore the Inuits did enjoy their music as much as games and sports. The Naskapi and Montagnais loved making music, they played with the drums, rattles, and this thing called a bullroarer. According to Jones, “ The Inuit created songs for dancing, for hunting, for entertaining children, for weather, for

healing, for sarcasm, and for derision.”

To the tribe's, leadership is important and it takes a good leader to help and guide its people in the right direction.

The Naskapi and Montagnais have had many great chiefs as well as scouts. Furthermore one of the famous chief's known as Jose Amaujaq Kusugak, According to Reference, “ He worked through the 1980’s and 1990’s to promote and serve the Inuit language through broadcast radio.” But later died in 2011. Another great leader named William L. Hensley or “Big Hill” was also a great leader, he left home and got an education and ended up getting a bachelor’s degree from George Washington University and additionally got honored an award for Alaskan of the Year. Lastly, the Inuit community has made such a big influence on modern America today, some of the Inuit people have actually started organizations and programs to keep the Innu traditions and languages alive, “ Literacy projects have been started at Barrow schools to encourage preservation of the language” (Jones). Overall the Inuit community has impacted lots of their culture with the world whether it was the language, lifestyle, and traditions. All things considered, Innu have adapted to modern life in the U.S but all in all till this day. They never lose sight of who they are and where they came from, and that’s the most important learning of

all.