Eskimo - Inuit
"Eskimo" is an American Indian word which translates to "eaters of raw meat." Ironically, scientists put the Indians in a separate anthropological category while the Eskimos are considered more closely related to the natives of northern Asia. They do not use the word "Eskimo" when speaking of themselves. Instead they use a term that means (to them) simply "people." In Canada that word is "Inuit," while in Alaska Eskimos refer to themselves as "Inupiat" and "Yupik." The word "Yuit" is used in Siberia. Eskimos lived in some of the world's coldest areas near the Arctic Circle. Surviving was a struggle, a constant battle with the elements. The cold waters of the Arctic provided the Eskimos with a great deal of their food. They lived on seals (the single most important part of their diet), salmon, cod, whales, and other sea life. On land were caribou and geese in the summer. (You had to go inland to find caribou.) During the winter they hunted polar bears, foxes, and hares. Their favorite foods were seal and caribou meat, walrus liver, and the skin of whales. In order to find those animals, it was necessary for the Eskimos to live a wandering life, following their migrations. Generally, they would have a summer home and a winter home. Tents made of skin (seal or caribou) provided shelter during the summer months. In winter, most of them built sod houses. A dome-shaped snow house was built by some groups as temporary shelter when traveling or hunting. This would consist of blocks cut from the snow and built upward in a spiral shape. Outsiders would call this an "igloo," although to the Eskimo any place for living can be called by that name. Snow Home: Igloo building begins in the fall, when snow was compacted into blocks. Warmed only by an oil lamp, the inhabitants depend on animal skins for warmth, and further snow for insulation.
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