Inughuit

Inughuit

Minik Wallace, Inuk,
ca. 1890–1918, in New York
Total population
(800 (2010)[1])
Regions with significant populations
 Greenland
Languages
Inuktun, Danish

The Inughuit (also spelled Inuhuit), historically Arctic Highlanders, are a Greenlandic Inuit people. Also known as Polar Eskimos, they are the northernmost group of Inuit, and the world's northernmost people, living in Greenland. Inughuit make up about 1% of the population of Greenland.[2]

Language

The Inughuit speak the Inuktun language, also known as North Greenlandic, Thule Inuit, or Polar Eskimo. It is a dialect of the Greenlandic Inuktitut language, an Eskimo-Aleut language, which is the national language of Greenland.[3] In the official Greenlandic language, Inuktun is called Avanersuarmiutut.

Population

Before 1880, their population was estimated to be between 100 and 200 people. From 1880 to 1930, they were estimated to number 250. In 1980, their estimated population was 700,[2] and it rose to 800 in 2010.[1]

European contact

The Inughuit were first contacted by Europeans in 1818,[2] when John Ross led an expedition into their territory. Ross dubbed them "Arctic Highlanders".

In 1908 and 1909, the Inughuit were instrumental in assisting both Frederick Cook and Robert Peary on their claimed conquests of the North Pole.

Dane Erik Holtved was the first university-trained ethnologist to study the Inughuit.[4]

Settlements

Inughuit people live north of the Arctic circle on the west coast of Greenland, between 75°—80° N and 58°–74° W. The northernmost settlement was at the village of Etah (at 78° 19' N), but it was abandoned due to the extremely harsh conditions there. The northernmost constant settlement is now Hiurapaluk.

Pituffik, also known as Dundas or Thule to Europeans, was the chief settlement of the Inughuit until 1953 when it was displaced by the United States' Thule Air Base, with its residents relocated to Qaanaaq. Established in 1953, Qaanaaq is the largest Inughuit settlement.[1]

The Inughuit have brought a claim in Danish and international courts against the United States, which they won, but as the United States does not recognize these courts, there is little chance of compensation.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Leonard, Stephen Pax. "The disappearing world of the last of the Arctic hunters." The Guardian. 2 Oct 2010. Retrieved 25 Feb 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 "Inughuit: Orientation." Countries and Their Cultures. Retrieved 25 Feb 2012.
  3. ↑ "Inuktitut, Greenlandic." Ethnologue. Retrieved 25 Feb 2012.
  4. ↑ Malaurie, Jean (2003). Ultima Thulé: Explorers and Natives of the Polar North. W. W. Norton & Company. pp. 323–325. ISBN 0-393-05150-1. External link in |title= (help)

External links


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