The term Inuit denotes the indigenous population of the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Canada, the United States, and Siberia in eastern Russia. Historically known collectively by Europeans as Eskimo, the self-designation of these peoples varies according to their languages, including group names such as Inuit, Inupiat, Yupik, and Alutiiq — each name a dialect variation meaning “the people.” Today, the term Inuit is preferred as a collective name to Eskimo, even though indigenous peoples of Alaska also include the Yupik and Aleuts, who are ethnically and linguistically distinct from the Inuit. Currently numbering about 200,000 individuals, the Inuit are likely the descendants of one of the later waves of migration from northeast Asia over the Bering Strait during the last Ice Age.
Inuit languages form a direct continuum of closely related dialects across the Inuit world. A particular group will understand its neighbors, and perhaps even its neighbors’ neighbors, but within a few steps of separation, mutual intelligibility ceases. Inuit languages are part of the broader Eskimo-Aleut language group native to Alaska, the Canadian Arctic, Greenland, and the Chukotka Peninsula in Siberia, including also the Yupik languages spoken in parts of Alaska and Siberia, and the Aleut language spoken in and around the Alaskan Peninsula.
Inuit history
The Arctic and subarctic regions of North America, Asia, and Greenland were home to several early indigenous (Paleo-Eskimo) groups. The first of the modern Eskimo groups to develop distinct languages and cultures approximately 4,000 years ago were the Yupik and the Aleut in Alaska. Later, around the turn of the Common Era, Inuit language became distinct in northwestern Alaska. Over the following centuries, waves of migrations saw the Inuit expand eastward across northern Alaska, Arctic Canada, and Greenland. The Inuit were “central-based wanderers,” spending part of the year on the move, and the other part camped in a more permanent location. The Inuit year was divided into three parts corresponding to three hunting seasons, each revolving around one animal: seal, caribou, or whale.
For thousands of years, the lives and events of Inuit peoples were outside the scope of recorded history. Written accounts of the Inuit first appeared in the 10th century, when the Vikings came across the Greenland Inuit in 984 C.E. Nearly six centuries later, a British explorer encountered the Inuit of northern Canada. In the mid-18th century, a Russian explorer first contacted the Inuit of Alaska. Early contact between Inuit and Europeans was tremendously consequential for the Inuit, Aleut, and Native Americans living below the Arctic tree line, but it was not until the second round of European incursions into the area that the northern Inuit were significantly affected.
Starting in the 19th century, European whaling fleets increasingly frequented the Arctic region, following the migration patterns of the bowhead whale. In 1867, the United States purchased Alaska from Russia, further increasing the scope of whaling in the region. The results were calamitous for the Inuit: the presence of ships made the intricate trading network built up over centuries obsolete, stripping the Inuit of a significant part of their livelihood. Furthermore, whalers introduced diseases and alcohol to the region. Finally, the decimation of the local whale population undermined the traditional Inuit economy and prompted dependence on wage labor. Epidemics and a decrease in caribou herds affected inland Inuit as well, who weren’t as directly affected by whaling as coastal Inuits.
The whaling trade withered in the early 20th century. Throughout the century, the United States government took measures to protect and reinvigorate the depleted Inuit community, including the importation of reindeer from Siberia as game. The discovery of oil in the region significantly affected the lives of the indigenous population. Alongside petroleum, other wage-economies developed in the region, and the Cold War brought even more jobs to the far north, further promoting a sedentary lifestyle. In 1959, Alaska officially became the 49th state, and Alaskan Inuit were extended full U.S. citizenships. In the 21st century, Inuit communities face several issues and challenges, including the adoption and use of new technologies, emigration of Inuit youth to cities, and an increasing tension between acculturation and the preservation of their traditional lifestyles.
Inuit culture
Inuit and other Eskimo peoples have developed ingenious methods for successfully inhabiting some of the coldest and harshest environments on Earth, adapting every aspect of their lifestyle — from shelters to food to transportation — in order to survive in the cold north. During the summer, the Inuit built tents out of driftwood or poles covered with animal skins, mostly caribou or sealskin. During winter, an easily-constructed, temporary shelter was used, namely a dome-shaped snow-house, commonly known as an “igloo.” Today, many Inuit live in permanent residences.
Since very little vegetation could survive the extreme cold of the Arctic climate, historically the Inuit were mainly hunters, and relied on seasonal animals as their main source of food. Winters were spent ice fishing and seal hunting: Hunters would wait for hours on end near a seal’s breathing hole in the open ice, and hunt them with a harpoon when they came up for air. In the summer, the Inuit hunted caribou inland, and seal and walrus along the coasts. The Inuit used every part of the animals they hunted: besides meat, marine mammals’ skins and blubber were also used to make clothing, materials for boats, tents, harpoon lines, and fuel for light and heat.
Traditionally, the Inuit employed different methods of travel depending on the season. In the frozen winter, they travelled either by foot or by dog sled, while during summer they traversed the open seas by boat. Dogs were tremendously important in Inuit culture as transportation, companions for the hunt, and deterrents against other threatening animals. Kayaks were small, one-person wood frame boats covered with sealskin, made for easy and rapid transport. The larger umiak boats could carry between 10 to 15 people, and were used for large-scale transportation and whale hunting. Today, snowmobiles and other modern transportation technologies have become prevalent.
Art is central to Inuit culture, and artifacts were made using all resources available, including bones, stones, and driftwood. Most Inuit figurines depicted Arctic animals, people, or spirits. While Christianity has become widespread, many Inuit today still practice Animism –— the belief that spirits reside in all animate beings and inanimate objects. Shamans or Angakoks — religious priests — use charms and dances as a means to communicate with the spirit world.
Inuit languages
The Inuit languages belong to the Eskimo-Aleut language family, which is one of the largest language families in the world. There are several dialects of Inuit, each with its own unique characteristics, and some of these dialects are considered separate languages. The most widely spoken Inuit language is Inuktitut, which is spoken in Canada and parts of Greenland. Inuktitut is also the official language of Nunavut, a Canadian territory that is home to many Inuit.
Another Inuit language is Inupiaq, which is spoken in Alaska and parts of Canada. Inupiaq is also known as Inupiatun or Inupiatun Eskimo, and it is closely related to Inuktitut. Inupiaq has several dialects, including North Slope Inupiaq and Northwest Alaska Inupiaq.
In addition to Inuktitut and Inupiaq, there are other Inuit languages that are spoken in specific regions. For example, Kalaallisut is spoken in Greenland, and it is the official language of the country. In Canada, Inuvialuktun is spoken in the western Arctic, while Nunavik is spoken in northern Quebec.
See also
Explore more about ethnicity estimates
- MyHeritage DNA at MyHeritage
- Ethnicities around the world at MyHeritage
- Tribal Quest: a pro bono MyHeritage project to help indigenous communities in remote locations, including the Amazon. preserve their family histories
- What Is My Ethnicity? How MyHeritage Estimates Ethnicities at MyHeritage Knowledge Base
- Where's My Ethnicity?!: Why An Ethnicity Might Not Show Up In Your DNA (and How To Find Evidence Of It Anyway) at MyHeritage Knowledge Base