Culture and Traditional Knowledge

There are so many aspects to Inuit culture that it would be impossible to provide information related to all here. The following are a few sites to get you started exploring this fascinating topic.

Rachel Qitsualik's Homepage

This is one of the best sources of information available. The page is written by an Inuit woman, originally from Spence Bay in the Northwest Territories, who now writes from her home in Ottawa. The information provided reflects an Inuit perspective . There are links to other pages recommended by the author and the opportunity to ask questions or join her forum. The author writes regular articles on Inuit culture for the local paper in Iqaluit, NWT and these articles are archived on her site. They are well worth reading as they provide non Inuit with some understanding of the impact of an imported culture on the Inuit.

Inuit Harpoons

Harpoons were essential for the survival of the Inuit. This page, produced by the Prince of Wales Museum in Yellowknife, NWT, describes various designs and uses.

The Arctic Environment

This page provides a good summary of the Arctic Envirionment. The life style of the Inuit, past and present, should be viewed in the the context of the natural envirinment.

Inuit Language

Inuktittut, the language used by the Inuit in the eastern Arctic, had no written form until one was developped by a missionary in the 1800's. The language is written in syllabic symbols corresponding to groups of sounds. A chart of the symbols and associated sounds can be viewed or printed from this site.

Inuit Games

Traditional Inuit games were individual tests of strength, skill or agility. Most were designed to be used in small spaces , such as an igloo or tent, and required little or no equipment. This page describes and illustrates several traditional games which could be tried out by students.

Hamlet of Hall Beach

The author (a former resident) provides a fairly detailed description of Hall Beach, a typical modern Inuit community.


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Updated September 18, 1999 by Jane Tagak. jtagak@nunanet.com