Indigenous People & Native American Indians Arctic & Subarctic Indians in Focus This Enrichment4You E-guide focuses on Arctic & Subarctic Indians. In this e-guide you will: *Read About Arctic & Subarctic Indians *Write About an Arctic & Subarctic Indian *Make Faux Ivory Scrimshawed Snow Goggles Iggaak ENRICHMENT4YOU Published by Henrich Incorporated Copyright 2007 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without first obtaining the written permission of the copyright owner.
TABLE OF CONTENT This enrichment guide is designed to give you a short, but interesting overview of Arctic & Subarctic Indians. 1. Overview of Arctic & Subarctic Indians - Pages 1-6. 2. Selection of Character Development Statements - Pages 7-10. 3. Selection of Vocabulary - Additional Details for Characters - Pages 11-14. 4. Write a Description of an Arctic & Subarctic Indians- Page 15. 5. ACTIVITY Make Faux Ivory Scrimshawed Snow Goggles Iggaak -Pages 16-20.
DID YOU KNOW??? The Eskimos, also called themselves the First Nation or as Alutiiq (Aleuts), Yup ik and Inupiaq. Those subarctic & arctic tribes located in Canada & Greenland use the term Inuit to describe their people. Even in the remove and harsh environment of the subarctic and arctic, indigenous people were able to create a successful culture. The term Inuit represents the Indians that inhabited the Arctic coasts ranging from Greenland, Labrador, into Canada to Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, to Alaska and across to Siberia. The common thread among these groups was their reliance upon the caribou or reindeer. The reindeer provided a source for food and clothing. The Inuit people s skill to obtain the sea mammals, fish and land mammals that inhabited this region required cunning. The word Inuit means the people. Although many use the word Eskimo to mean all indigenous people of the northern regions, they are only one group of several cultures. The word Eskimo comes from the Algonquian language and has frequently been interpreted to mean eater of raw meat. In general though, Inuit refers to those people of native origins who reside at the extremities of Asia, Greenland and North America or the circumpolar region. 1
The native people of the subarctic and arctic learned how to maximize the resources of the region. It was here they hunted caribou, musk-ox, lemmings, hares, bears, elk, moose, numerous nesting birds and fished the waters for seals, walrus, fish (salmon whitefish, pike, trout) and whales. The land was as varied as the people. It can be ice covered, mountainous, coniferous forests, prairies, river and lake areas and have swampy lowlands. The area lacks much vegetation and in certain regions remains covered with a permanent ice sheet. Other areas are covered in treeless tundra or with boreal forests. What vegetation there is, is limited. Common vegetation included pine trees, spruce, aspen, birch and cottonwood. During the summer, wild berries such as blueberries, cranberries, raspberries, gooseberries and service berries provided a brief respite from a diet normally lacking in vegetables and fruits.during the other seasons. Winters in all areas tend to be long and very cold. Summers were short, with very small amounts of rain fall during the warm long days. 2 COMMON LANGUAGE - COMMON BOND Despite the distance between the various subarctic and arctic Indians, their language, culture and physical appearance was rather similar. They all spoke a dialect of the same basic Eskimo-Aleut language family.
DID YOU KNOW??? The subarctic & arctic Indians were skilled artists. They worked extensively in soapstone, wood, and ivory. They made vessels, figures, masks, and tools that were not only functional, but works of art. The subarctic and arctic indigenous people relied upon temporary shelters. The most recognizable one is perhaps the Igloo. This shelter was primarily built in the Arctic regions. The other main type of temporary shelter was a sod house. The subarctic sod house was domed shape. Its frame was either wood or whale bone and was then covered with thick layers of sod. They were comfortable abodes and provided warmth, a place for sleeping and eating. They were also constructed just a bit below ground level to provide additional support to the structure. Other subarctic homes which were less common, included skin covered whale bone tents and pit houses. Regardless of location, villages were small. Each family in a village had a elder or leader who was given great respect. Within the village there was also a leader who not only was expected to provide for the well being of his immediate family but for all the village people. 3
DID YOU KNOW??? To help them navigate the frozen North, the Inuit would erect inukshuk. These stone figures were formed from blocks of stone and used as directional markers. They look like stone men. Due to the extreme temperatures, the ability of the subarctic and arctic people to adapt to their environment was an absolute necessity. Parkas, gloves and boots made of seal or caribou skin provided warmth. An outer garment made from the entrails of an animal provided a layer of waterproof protection. Clothing was made using needles of bone and sinew or gut thread. Other clothing included parkas with large hoods and boots or mukluks. Sea and land animals were hunted from watertight sealskin covered canoes or boats called qajait or as we know them today the kayak Another larger boat called the umiaq was also made out of waterproof animal skins and a framework of bones. Ice fishing was done through an aglu (a breathing hole) in the ice. From these aglu, seal animals such as walruses and seals would rise to get air and at that time were harpooned 4