The Inuit Tribe - Essay Example

The Inuit Tribe al Affiliation The Inuit Tribe The Inuit people are believed to be one of the affiliates of the Eskimo people. It is estimated that they originated from Asia. That argument is based on the fact that they have smaller hands and feet. On top of that, a good number of the Inuit people have blood group B. However, this component that makes blood group B is totally absent from the American Indians. Commonly, most people often mistake the Inuit as the remnants of the Native American Indians. The Inuit live in the Northern parts of Alaska and Canada. They live in scattered communities. In addition, the Inuit inhabits some parts of Greenland and Chukotka region in Siberia(Irwin, 1990). However, the population of Inuit in Greenland and Chukotka make up for 150,000 people. The number is quite the opposite of what is in Alaska and Canada where there are about four million Inuit. The origins of the Inuit living in those areas is quite unclear, however, proponents argues that they are the Native Americans who have survived the cold winter and cold summer for the past four thousand years. Where these community resides, experiences temperatures of up to 31 degrees in winter and 50 degree in summer(Irwin, 1990). With such temperatures that are followed by limited sunlight, the Inuit have automatically been alienated from practicing agriculture. The only crops that can survive on that locality are Lichens, Mosses and a small group of flowering plants. The recently mentioned plants make up the vegetation cover of the land inhabited by Inuit. Because of the absence of agricultural products, the Inuit have sought alternative solutions to their problems. They have embarked on consuming animals that inhabit their areas. The animals which act as a source of food for them include whale meat, Walrus and Caribou(Irwin, 1990). The Inuit population, being just like many other societies in America, significantly decreased. The explanation for their decrease was due to the arrival of the Europeans who occupied their territories in the 19th century. The Europeans were criticized for introducing new diseases(Marsh, 1976). In addition, these colonialists also terminated local land claims. At the long run, they either relocated or integrated groups, and even removed them from their native homes. Since the Inuit gained access to other societies their lives have transformedimpressively. To label out some of the transformation, they include the introduction of Snowmobiles which have replaced the traditional dogsled that were used for transportation. On the other hand, homemade rifles have replaced the harpoon which is used for hunting. It is believed that, Inuit inhabited the earth more than two thousands years ago, during the time of the last ice age, and the mile-thick glaciers which covered a vast portion of North America, and the Asian continent. At that time however, the Arctic areas of Alaska, Beringia, and Siberia were at liberty of ice(Marsh, 1976). It was during this period also that herds of caribou, muskoxen, and bison voyaged to these plains. Following the caribou and the muskoxen were the nomadic Asian ancestors of present day Inuit and Indians. Nonetheless, the doorway that led to Asia closed about three to four thousand years later. This was after all the glaciers receded and melted. These people: the Inuit which means the people then adjusted to their harsh tundra environment. After their adaptation, they developed a culture that has remained unblemished for a long time. For time immemorial, the Inuit people have relied solely on hunting for their survival. Because summers in their land barely lasted for two months, agriculture was non-existent. For this reason, animals such as caribou and seal were vibrant. Large groups of Inuit hunters would stalk and kill as many caribou as possible with fragile bows that were made of driftwood, and their bounty was split evenly amongst the different tribes.The bone spears were fashioned to hunt the seals(Grahl-Madsen, 1982). The seals were important in the sense that they provided food, oil, clothes, and tents. Their skins used to build kayaks as well as other boats that the Inuit used to travel and on a mission to hunt whales. One of the advantages of the sterile cold waters of the arctic was the fact that it kept the Inuit free of disease. However, that was changed when the white man approached their land. The Inuit tribes comprised of two to ten families that were loosely joined. However, there was no single dominant leader in the group. For that matter, all the decisions were made by the community as a whole. Conversely, there were no any definite set of laws.TheInuit wereknown as a community that was frequently cheery and optimistic. Nevertheless, they were also predisposed to uncontrolled surges of rage. Murder became the order of the day. Most of that offence went unpunished unless it became too often. The suspect was deemed insane by the community. It was the role of the community to appoint a man to terminate the culprit. In the Inuit society, the duties of men and women were different. Primarily, the role of males in the society was to hunt and fish. In addition, they constructed tools that were used by the family. On the other hand, the women cleaned the animal skins, cooked and sewed clothes. A woman who had sewing ability was equally attractive to a good number of men. She was also considered beautiful. Male children were preferred for the fact that they would take care of their parents in their old age. On the contrary, female children were strangled immediately after birth. In the present day, the Store-bought clothing, as well as other numerous manufactured items has already found their way in the culture. Also, money as a form of currency, that was unknown in the traditional Inuit budget, has become a common necessity. For years now, the Inuit communities of Canada as well as Greenland have already been experiencing a lot of difficulties with the governments of the world. Consequently, their biggest problem is the fact that they source of livelihood was based on Whale meat and the collapse these markets, which started in the 1970’s have been a setback. The reason for the collapse of these markets was as a result of the introduction of the Marine Mammal Protection Act that was agreed by the United States government which led to the collapse of the Whale meat and skin markets. The MMPA was designed to make sure that the import of any form of marine animal was prohibited. The act safeguarded all marine life and not only the species that was most likely to face extinction. On the other hand, the ever increasing exclusion of Inuit products came as a major setback to their communities. They began to struggle for ways that would help them jumpstart their economies after long centuries of social as well as cultural devastation. Despite all this, the Inuit have been able to survive the trends. In general, the most profitable substitute at their disposal could be the most destructive, development of the Arctic’s extensive mineral, oil, as well as gas resources sector. However, there have been numerous public outcries. The latter is as a result of the danger the project has posed to the future of wildlife in that area. Due to continuous exposure of depression and frustrations in their lives, the Inuit are prone to smoking and taking alcohol(Grahl-Madsen, 1982). On top of that, studies have revealed that, the Inuit are committing suicide at alarming rates. To sum up, one of the most substantial areas in the life of the Inuit is the creation of their new territory that is located within Canada. Nunavut is the name of the territory and it has taken up 20 percent of Canada’s area. Approximately, eighty five percent of the residents are said to be Inuit. Nunavut is said to be located just within the northwest of the Northwest Territories. The land is clearly one of the most sporadically populated regions on earth. Nunavut has become Canada’s first ever de factor native self-rule. It is speculated that the leaders of Nunavut are on the verge of creating an administration that would maintain closer ties with the Canadians. However, most of the elected leaders have no experience in the field of leadership. Lastly, hopefully, the new regime will work hand in hand to eradicate poverty and address the rising rates of unemployment. References Irwin, C. (1990). The Inuit and the evolution of limited group conflict. InSociobiology and Conflict (pp. 189-226). Springer Netherlands. Marsh, W. P. (1976). People of the willow: the Padlimiut tribe of the Caribou Eskimo. Oxford University Press. Grahl-Madsen, A. (1982). Small Nations of the North in Nordic Co-Operation, The. Nordisk Tidsskrift Intl Ret, 51, 5. Read More