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The Inuit are one of the many self-designations of the Eskimo people. They are considered to be of Asian decent, which is noticeable from their small hands and feet. Another distinguishing feature is the appreciable percentage of the B blood type, which seems to be totally absent from the American Indian, whom they are usually mistaken to be descendants of (Mastny 25). These Inuit are scattered in small communities across Northern Alaska, northern Canada, Greenland, and the Chukotka region of Eastern Siberia.
The Inuit in these regions total around 150, 000 that makes up barely 4 percent of the Arctics total population of 3. 8 million (Mastny 25). The origins of the Inuit living in this region is very unclear, it is believed that they have been there for more than 4, 000 years surviving the cold harsh winters and cool to cold summers. Temperatures in the regions range from 31 degrees F in the winter to 50 degrees F in the summer months (Mastny 24). With this temperature range and the smaller amount of sunlight the Inuit have not been able to become true agriculturalists. Lichen, mosses, small shrubs, and a variety of small flowering plants are the only types of vegetation this climate can support. So, for the Inuit their lives have depended on the animals that inhabit the region.
Caribou, seal, walrus, fish and whale meat were their major sources of food. The Inuit population just as in many other societies drastically decreased due to the arrival of the Europeans in the 19 th century by introducing new diseases. These colonialists also dismissed local land claims, relocated or integrated groups, and even removed their traditional ways. Now that they have been in contact with other societies their lives have changed greatly. Snowmobiles have replaced the traditional dogsled for land transport and rifles have replaced the harpoon during the hunt.
Outboard motors, Store-bought clothing, and other numerous manufactured items have entered the culture, also money, unknown in the traditional Inuit economy, has become a necessity (Friesen 21). For years the Inuit communities of Canada and Greenland have been experiencing difficulties with the governments of the world. Their biggest problem has been the collapse of their markets for whale meat, whale blubber, and sealskin, which started in the 1970 s. The market for these types of products crashed because of the Marine Mammal Protection Act passed by the U. S. government and the crusades of people in the mid 80 s, which eventually caused the European market to crash.
The MMPA is designed to prohibit the importing of any marine animal. This act includes all marine animals not just the species that are close to extinction. The increasing exclusion of their products comes as a blow to many Inuit communities, who are struggling to find ways to jumpstart their economies after centuries of social and cultural devastation. Not only did the Inuit survive from the sale of their products, they were also hired by commercial whalers to serve as guides on their expeditions or as crewmembers on the whaling vessels. Now that they are not allowed to do these things they have had to find other ways to support themselves. As Inuit groups face the realization that they may never be able to pursue what they most want to do - - expand trade in their traditional products - - they are increasingly looking towards other economic possibilities (Mastny 27).
The most profitable alternative that they have could also be the most destructive: development of the Arctics extensive mineral, oil, and gas resources. If this process isnt carefully regulated it can threaten the wildlife and any future tourism in the area. These problems are only touch the surface of what all Inuit communities are facing now and what they will face in the future. As with other indigenous communities in the midst of cultural upheaval, the Inuit have extremely high rates of smoking, alcoholism, and suicide.
These problems are much higher than in the general populations of their countries. It is so horrible that we needed to create such cultural devastation to the Inuit groups just so we could hopefully find more minerals and precious metals. Since we have already devastated their lives by coming into direct contact with them, now we are continuing to hurt them from a distance. In the 1950 s, pilots flying cold war missions over the Arctic noticed a thick haze blanketing the region (Mastny 31). This turned out to be air pollution from industries far to the southend of the earliest indications that Arctic peoples face outside environmental threats threats they have played little part in creating and therefore have little hope in controlling (Friesen 22). The chemicals in the pollution can have serious effects on the reproductive system and central nervous system, which may have helped in the declining population over the years.
Pollution is not the only global environmental threat that the Inuit are facing. With global temperatures rising every year the Arctic regions have been feeling the effects before any other regions on the planet. It is predicted that the temperature will rise 4 degrees to 6 degrees Celsius over the next 80 to 100 years, compared with the 1 to 3. 5 degrees of warming forecast for the globe as a whole (Mastny 32). This warming is also affecting the regions by reducing the albedo effect, which is the reflection of sunlight by the ice caps. If the sunlight is unable to be reflected back into space the increased temperature will melt the ice and expose more land creating even more warmth. This would greatly alter the habits of the plants and animals that are essential to Inuit life.
In order for the Inuit to help themselves obtain a self-sufficient level they have created the Inuit Circumpolar Conference. By using this they have been able to maintain cultural and political ties to the many communities that are stretched out across the land. The Inuit have used to ICC to help them with their problems with other groups in the world. This unified committee has been helping with the spread of chemical contaminants, the anti-hunting lobby, and the international trade restriction that have been imposed on them.
One of the most significant areas in Inuit life is the creation of their new territory within Canada. Nunavut takes up 20 percent of Canadas area, and 85 percent of the residents are Inuit. Nunavut is located just northwest of the Northwest Territories and is one of the most sparsely populated habitable regions on earth, see map A. This is Canadas first de facto experiment with native self-government and only the second of its kind in the world, Greenland's Inuit established their own territory in 1979 (Thompson 76). The leaders of Nunavut are hoping to create a government that will be familiar to Canadians and have close cultural ties with the people. Many of the elected officials have little to no experience.
This will prove to be a great challenge for them to get new laws and ideas through to the people living in the region. Hopefully they will be able to work together and find ways to combat the poor education, high unemployment, and social and physical diseases that are throughout the region. When I first started researching the Inuit, I felt that we should have left them alone. As in many other societies we have corrupted their traditional values and ways.
While we were doing this we also killed many of them unintentionally. If we were to make contact with them today this tragedy could have been prevented by using our new knowledge of medicine. But now it is to late for that to happen so we need to find other ways to help them survive in the 21 st century. I believe what they have started with Nunavut in Canada would be the way for them to help rebuild their society. If they were to try to do things on their own they may become extinct over the next 100 years. Now that they have very serious problems such as global warming, alcoholism, and a high rate of suicide they should look for help from the industrialized nations that took so much from them over the years.
Bibliography: Bibliography 1. Friesen, Max. Resource Structure, Scalar Stress, and the development of Inuit Social Organization. World Archeology: June 1999 pg 21 - 22. 2. Mastny, Lisa. Coming to Terms with the Arctic.
World Watch. Jan 200 v 13 pg 24 - 36. 3. Thompson, Jack. Homeland for the Inuit: A huge self-governing Arctic Inuit Territory came into being this month to a grand hoopla. Time International.
May 3, 1999 v 153 i 17 p 6 76 - 77.
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Research essay sample on The Inuit People Of Arctic
