The Inuit: From Igloos and Tents and Nomadic Subsistence Hunting and Fishing to Permanent Settlements and Heated Homes

There are over 150,000 Inuit inhabiting the harsh Arctic and sub-Arctic regions. Traditionally, the Inuit were nomadic subsistence hunters and fishers, hunting, whales, walruses, caribou, seals, narwhals, polar bears, muskoxen, birds, and occasionally foxes, and fishing for Arctic char, salmon, polar cod, and bullhead. Dogsleds and kayaks provided transportation and harpoons, spears and bow and arrows were used to hunt animals. Inuit lived in igloos in winter and in tents made of caribou hides in summer. All food and clothing were supplied by hunting and fishing. However, in the 1950s, the Canadian government decided to modernize the Inuit and forced them to abandon their nomadic ways, reside in permanent settlements, and place the children in residential schools to learn English. Clothing and other manufactured items were purchased in stores, and money, unknown in the traditional Inuit economy, became a necessity. Today, the Inuit still hunt and fish, but they travel by snowmobiles and motorboats and use rifles for hunting animals and nets for catching fish. Many Inuit work in mines and oil fields or sell homemade carvings and handicrafts, others have formed cooperatives for fisheries and tourism, while some Inuit have migrated to urban centers in the south. There is a great awareness among the Inuit to preserve their culture, traditions, and language.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the Inuit, especially Sam Pitsiulak, Lucy, and Tookay and the hunters and fishers, who provided us with information on the history, lifestyles, and livelihoods of the Inuit.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

1. Desert Animal Adaptations and Husbandry, Wyler Department of Dryland Agriculture, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel A. Allan Degen
2. ICD Business School Paris, Paris, France Léo-Paul Dana
3. LUT School of Business and Management, Lappeenranta, Finland Léo-Paul Dana
4. Eucalyptus 13, Omer, Israel Lily M. Degen

1. A. Allan Degen