Life Among Canada’s Arctic “People”
By “Awake!” correspondent in Canada
THE cold Arctic lands of Canada still are inhabited mainly by the Eskimo. It is generally assumed that sometime in the distant past their ancestors crossed the narrow Bering Strait to settle as the sole native occupants all along the top of North America as far east as Greenland.
Eskimos call themselves “Innuit,” which word simply means “men” or “people.” They now number some 50,000 or more, a large number of whom live in northern Canada. These are a friendly and hospitable people who are known for their good humor. They all speak the same language, although it varies somewhat from area to area.
The Innuit are generally shorter than their white neighbors to the south, and their skin is slightly darker. On the other hand, they are lighter than the American Indians, to whom they are related. Both belong to the Mongoloid stock. Eskimos have straight black hair, slanted eyes, high cheekbones and wide faces. Their appearance is very much Oriental.
Eskimos are physically suited for their cold climate. For example, being of a short stocky build, they hold warmth better than does a person who is tall and thin. Also, they have a thick layer of flesh on their face.
Until about seventy years ago the Eskimos were left much to themselves. True, whaling ships set up summer camps among them during the nineteenth century, and even earlier explorers and fur traders had contacts with them. But not until this century have Eskimos maintained close touch with the outside world. Thus, particularly since the end of World War II, there has been quite a change in their way of life. Many live much differently than did their parents and grandparents of a relatively short time ago.
Homes of Snow
Today a snow home is becoming a rare sight. However, Eskimos still build them, especially the small overnight igloo that is constructed when an Eskimo travels his trapline. Within an hour he can have a shelter that will provide protection against the biting Arctic winds. A more permanent dwelling takes a little longer to build, but it can be completed by nightfall.
The only tool required for construction is a long-bladed knife to cut out blocks of frozen snow. When the home is completed it has the appearance of a globe cut in half. It is usually around eight to ten feet in diameter, depending on the size of the family. The height from the floor to the apex averages between six and seven feet. Some igloos are entered by a tunnel that goes part way around the outside so that actual entrance to the home is completely shielded from the wind.
The family sleeps on a low platform of snow on which a bed of willow twigs is laid and then covered with caribou furs. Sometimes the furs extend halfway up the walls and their edges are secured between two layers of snow blocks. The heating system is simple—a “kudlik,” which is a shallow bowllike object carved out of stone. In this the fat of a seal or whale is burned. It does not generate much heat, but it is certainly missed when the fat supply is depleted. In times past an energetic Innuit might build several igloos during the winter, especially if hunting necessitated frequent moves.
Providing a Livelihood
Hunting and trapping have long been the Eskimo’s means of livelihood. If hunting was poor in one locality, he would move his whole family to an area where animals and fish were more plentiful. Sons would accompany their fathers on the hunt, receiving practical training on how to become providers. Whale, walrus, seal, caribou and the famed polar bear were main items of diet, but these were supplemented by smaller game such as birds and fish. Generally the meat was eaten either dried, frozen or raw.
The responsibility of Eskimo women has always been to care for the domestic chores and to clean and prepare the skins for making articles of clothing. The art of softening the skins so that they can easily be sewn into parkas, mitts and mukluks (sealskin boots) has been handed down from mother to daughter for generations.
During the short open-water season Eskimos make a sealskin kayak for fishing and traveling. It is light enough to be carried in one hand, being made of strong waterproof skins stretched over a light wooden frame pointed at each end. With a double-ended paddle one can propel this small boat over the water at an amazing speed. A larger boat made by Eskimos is the umiak. This can carry more than one person and is also made by stretching skins over a wooden frame.
An Eskimo often depends heavily on his “husky” dogs, a breed that have furry outer hair and another coat of fine hair close to the skin that prevents them from ever getting “soaked to the skin.” These dogs have been used to pull three kinds of sleds. The komatik is the largest, sometimes being twenty-two feet in length. This sled is usually pulled by a team of nine dogs, sometimes fan-hitched or in pairs, with the lead dog out in front by himself. Also, toboggans have been used that have canvas sides and two wooden posts at the rear for steering. These are pulled by from three to five dogs. And yet another type of conveyance is the basket sleigh. This is raised off the ground by means of runners. Side rails are provided for protecting the load and to give the driver handholds.
Modern Changes
Although dog sleds are still in use, they are being replaced by the motorized toboggan. These are very much in demand by Eskimos. In fact, it has become a personal ambition of many to own one. But this is only one of the major changes in modern Eskimos’ way of life.
Instead of the nomadic life of their ancestors, the Innuit are congregating in settlements alongside white workers, and they are engaging in such occupations as mining, oil drilling, bush flying, and so forth. Thus, rather than dwelling in igloo homes of snow, many live in low-cost prefabricated houses provided by the Canadian government. Many of these homes are electrically equipped and have modern plumbing and forced-air furnaces.
Nevertheless, most Eskimos still rely on trapping and hunting as a means of livelihood. But since fur prices are very unstable, these Eskimos are being encouraged by the Canadian government to supplement their income by means of such projects as soapstone carvings, sealskin prints and the making of the Eskimo “Ookpik,” a small humorous-looking doll. Many of the Innuit show real talent for such arts.
Not long ago the education of Eskimo youths was limited principally to what they received from their parents to prepare them for the obligations of adult life. As recently as twenty-five years ago there were very few regular schools in the Canadian arctic. But now there are sufficient to provide every boy and girl of school age a regular secular education.
The diet of Eskimos still consists mainly of meat and fish, but it now includes a wide variety of other foods. Until recently food had to be ordered a year in advance from the south, and the annual supply ship would deliver canned and dehydrated foodstuffs during the brief open-water season. Even though the bulk of supplies is still delivered by ship, there is practically year-round communication with the world to the south by means of air services. These bring in mail and fresh foods, sometimes two or three times a week, and also make it possible for people of the north to enjoy access to other modern conveniences.
The introduction of such foods and better health facilities has served to increase the Innuit population quite rapidly over the past few years. Years ago infant mortality among Eskimos was very high, not only because of disease, but also due to the practice of infanticide.
Infanticide was common because in this land where there were no vegetable foods and no roads, a mother had to nurse her child and carry it everywhere on her back until it was around three years of age. To care for another child during this period would have been beyond her strength. Thus, even though Eskimos are known to be fond of children, they did not hesitate to destroy a newborn babe, especially a girl.
Yet another change in the life of Canada’s arctic people has been in their religion. In times past they worshiped nearly every phenomenon of nature. A sky-god called Sila was given the attributes of a supreme being. And a female deity called Sedna was worshiped as the one controlling the supply of seals. But by the mid-twentieth century nearly all Eskimos had become at least nominal Christians due to the preaching of Protestant and Catholic missionaries.
In the last few years, however, many have come to realize that these religions of Christendom are Christian in name only. Thus many Eskimos, who have come to love and respect the Bible, are responding to the good news concerning God’s kingdom preached by Jehovah’s witnesses. Some of these are now actively engaged in helping their fellow Innuit to learn of Jehovah God’s promises for life in his righteous new order. It is indeed appropriate that Eskimos prefer to be called “Innuit” (“people”), for in God’s new order humans will not be divided into national groups, but will simply be the ‘people’ of God.—Rev. 21:3, 4.