Re: [Paddlewise] Teaching Greenland Inuit to Paddle

From: Karen Hancock <magpi_at_transport.com>
Date: Tue, 19 Oct 1999 09:35:44 -0700
>  Are Inuit located in Alaska?
>  I was under the impression that most were located in the Eastern Canada
area
> (Maritime Provinces?) and of course Greenland.

The Inuit inhabit an area spanning almost 5,150 k. They have a wider
geographical range than any other aboriginal people, and are the most
sparsely distributed people on earth. There are 8 main separate groups of
Inuit:

Greenland Inuit, on the eastern and western coasts of southern Greenland
Labrador Inuit, occupying the coast from a point opposite Newfoundland to
Hudson Bay, with a few settlements on southern Baffin Island
Central Inuit, in far northern Greenland, Baffin Island and western Hudson
Bay
Banks Island Inuit, on Banks Island, Victoria Island and other large islands
off the central Arctic coast
Western Arctic Inuit or Innuvialuit, along the western Arctic coast of
Canada
Alaskan Inuit and Alaskan Yuit, occupying parts of Arctic Alaska
Siberian Yuit.

>  It is my understanding that the traditional hunting methods of the Inuit
> (kayak) have taken a back seat to more contemporary methods (powerboat).

I don't recall seeing kayaks in Kotzebue 25 years ago, nor Chevak six years
ago. Of course, I wasn't really tuned into kayaks at that time and may have
missed them. But I believe all native peoples in Alaska, being quite
practical, have adopted modern hunting methods (rifles, ATV, motorboat for
instance) which provide more reliable means of getting food.

Karen

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Received on Tue Oct 19 1999 - 09:37:05 PDT

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