Morgan+-+CD+-+SP13

Name: Aga Tunerk

__Culture of Inuit People__ The Inuit culture centers on the natural world around them. It is made up of hard working people who have strong community ties. While the men typically hunt and the women typically take care of the home, both men and female members of this culture are expected to be able to sew, cook, and hunt. They live in nuclear families, but when a hunt is successful, they make sure everyone in the community gets something to eat.

__Language__ There are several Inuit languages, but most Inuit people can understand each other. The Inuits have a great respect and love for their languages, as shown by the persistent fight to get schools to teach their children the Inuit language and culture. The language of the Inuits in parts of Greenland is thought to be the most “pure” of the Inuit languages. This unrecorded language is years away from disappearing because of the climate change. When the ice melts, the Inuit people will need to move south and will bend to the ways of the southern culture, losing their distinct language, therefore losing a part of their heritage and culture.

__Beliefs__ Their religious beliefs center around the natural world. They believe that the world is full of spirits that cause the bad things in the world. They also believe that humans have a soul. Many believe that everything from animals to rocks and plants have souls. They center their belife about souls to three main goddesses of Earth, sea and caribou. To explain the cycles of the moon, they believe in a moon god named Anninigan and a sun goddess named Malina that are siblings chasing after each other. The main leaders of their beliefs are their shamans. Shamans are thought to be able to contact the spirit world and drive away sickness and evil. Shamans are seen as very important members of their communities and are sometimes in charge of settling disputes. The shaman is thought to be able to perform miracles and will often perform ceremonies in order to call the spirits to help the community.

__Behaviors__ The Inuit people of Greenland continued to follow the old hunting traditions. They continue to use Inuit sled dogs to hunt for caribou, walrus, reindeer, and seals. The Inuit people of Alaska and Canada have traded up for snowmobiles or other all terrain vehicles that, while more expensive to buy and maintain, are much more efficient for hunting in the ice and snow. Inuit people who still use sled dogs defend themselves with the argument that dogs don’t break down. This culture is one of the 5 groups permitted to hunt the bowhead whales. This traditional hunt is the most important hunt these people ever complete. They use whale for everything, sharing the meat between villages and is one of the most traditional ways of life for these people. Now-a-days Inuit people live in small houses and log cabins, rather than the traditional tents, sod homes, and ice homes. Another Westernized update seen in this culture is the clothing. While some Inuit people wear animal skin and fur, most Inuits dress modernly. Through analysing others’ encounters with the Inuits, it is evident that they are fiercely protective of each other, but become quite generous and kind when they know who they are speaking too. One of the most interesting thing the Inuit women do is throat singing. This is a form of singing where two women face each other, almost as if it was a game, and make noises from their throats to imitate the sounds of the world. It is a very traditional type of singing that was lost by a lot of Inuit communities until it recently became more popular.

__Values__ These people believe in hard work, no matter who you are. These Inuit values are unique since this culture has thrived in the Arctic regions where they had to rely heavily on each other’s hard work. Inuit people believe that criminals should not be imprisoned because their work is still valued. In order to survive this harsh climate, they need to have everyone working together, so imprisoning or driving a criminal out would be counter productive. When reindeer season comes, everyone pitches in, including convicts. These people value their culture. In an interview, an Inuit woman said she would refuse to teach someone to throat sing unless they were an Inuit person as well. This shows how they respect their culture as their culture. They appreciate others enjoyment of their performances, but would not like the practice of throat singing to become a thing used by other cultures. These people value their uniqueness in the world.

__Culture Related Challenges__ Since they’ve lived in such an isolated environment, this culture is a lot less modernized than cultures to the south of them. With the world around the Inuit people already changed so much, many feel as though they no longer have a place in this developing world. Many Inuits bring poor health upon themselves by smoking, drinking, and doing drugs. These factors can cause depression and suicide in Inuit people. Another culture related challenge is global warming. This culture relies on the patterns of the ice. They need to be able to get to where the animals they hunt will be. Without the ice, there is no way for them to get enough to eat. Global warming could practically end this culture by driving them from their traditional hunting methods.

__Other Information__ The Inuit population is approximately 155,000 today. The population of Greenland is 80% Inuit.

__Primary Source__

Gilder, William H. Schwatka's Search. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Infomotions. Project Gutenberg, Sept. 2004. Web. 29 Jan. 2013. .

Interview. The Guardian. Guardian News and Media Limited or Its Affiliated Companies, 30 Aug. 2010. Web. 29 Jan. 2013. .

Inuit Throat Singing: Kathy Keknek and Janet Aglukkaq (long). Dir. Kathy Ullulaq. Perf. Kathy Keknek and Janet Aglukkaq. YouTube. The Film Club, 13 Dec. 2007. Web. 29 Jan. 2013. .

__Print Source__

Dwyer, Helen, and Michael Burgan. Inuit History and Culture. New York: Gareth Stevens, 2012. Google. Web. 29 Jan. 2013. .

__Secondary Source__

Allen, Daniel. "In Greenland, Inuit Culture Survives." BBC Travel 14 Jan. 2013: n. pag. BBC. Web. 29 Jan. 2013. .

Black, Richard. "Cultural Claim to Whale Hunting." BBC News 29 May 2007: n. pag. BBC. Web. 29 Jan. 2013. .

Brown, Mark. "Linguist on Mission to save Inuit 'fossil Language' Disappearing with the Ice." The Guardian 12 Aug. 2010: n. pag. The Guardian. Web. 29 Jan. 2013. .

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">Jones, Lucy. "Land Where Killers Are Free to Go Hunting." The Guardian 12 Sept. 1999: n. pag. The Guardian. Web. 29 Jan. 2013. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/1999/sep/13/4>.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">Romero, Frances. "The Inuit Moon and Sun Gods." Time 7 Feb. 2011: n. pag. Time Lists. Web. 29 Jan. 2013. <http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2046823_2046865_2046803,00.html>.