Eskimos are the people who have long inhabited the territory of Chukotka in the Russian Federation, Alaska in the United States of America, Nunavuts in Canada and Greenland. The total number of Eskimos is about 170 thousand people. The largest number of them live in the Russian Federation - about 65 thousand people. In Greenland there are about 45 thousand people, in the United States of America - 35 thousand people. and in Canada - 26 thousand people.
Origin of the people
Literally, “Eskimo” means a person who eats meat. But in different countries they are called differently. In Russia, these are yuguts, that is, real people, in Canada - Inuit, and in Greenland - tladites.
When wondering where the Eskimo lives, you first need to understand who these interesting people are. The origin of the Eskimos today is considered a controversial issue. It is believed that they belong to the oldest population in the Bering region. Perhaps their ancestral home was the north-east of Asia, and from there settlers already settled in the north-west of America through the
Bering Strait.Asian Eskimos these days
In Russia, this population, along with the Chukchi, occupies the territory of the Chukotka Autonomous Region. Nowadays it is difficult to find a settlement only with these unusual residents. Today, in any settlement where the Eskimo lives, Russian, Chukchi, Tatar, Ukrainian, and Even live nearby. Large Eskimo communities are located in the villages of Sireniki, Novoe Chaplino, Lavrentiya, Uelkal, Uelen and Lorino, as well as in the village of Provideniya.
Modern Eskimo settlements in Canada, the United States of America and Greenland
The home of the Eskimos, even in Alaska, even in Chukotka, is always located in difficult natural conditions. Eskimo settlements in Canada appeared five thousand years ago on the territory between the Telon and Dubaunt rivers. Since 1999, it has been considered the semi-autonomous land of Nunavut with an area of 2.1 million km2. Having gained control of their territory, the Eskimos still sacredly protect the culture of their ancestors. They also build winter igloos and hunt in local forests. Summer gatherings and craft classes take place in Baker Village. And hunting for reindeer and seals, fishing for trout gathers people on the island of Victoria.
The Eskimos of North America live in a harsh Arctic zone. They occupy mainly the coastal part of the north of the mainland. And in Alaska, the Eskimo settlements occupy not only the coastal strip, but also some islands. The population living on the Copper River is almost completely assimilated with the local Indians. As in Russia, in the United States there are very few settlements in which only the Eskimos live. Their predominant numbers are located on the territory of Cape Barrow, on the banks of the Kobuk, Nsataka and Colville rivers, as well as along the
Bering Sea.
The life and culture of the Greenland Eskimos and their relatives from Canada and the United States of America are similar. However, today their dugouts and tableware with seal grease have already largely disappeared . Since the mid-twentieth century, in Greenland, the construction of houses, including high-rise buildings, began to develop intensively. Therefore, the home of the Eskimos has changed significantly. More than fifty percent of the population began to use electricity and gas burners. Almost all Greenland Eskimos now prefer European clothing.
Lifestyle
The life of this people is divided into summer and winter ways of existence. Since ancient times, the main occupation of the Eskimos was hunting. In winter, the main prey of hunters is seals, walruses, various cetaceans, and sometimes bears. This fact explains why the territory where the Eskimo lives is almost always located on the coast. The skins of seals and the fat of dead animals always faithfully served these people and helped to survive in harsh Arctic conditions. In the summer and autumn, men prey on birds, small game and even fish.
It should be noted that the Eskimos are not nomadic tribes. Despite the fact that in the warm season they are constantly in motion, they winter for several years in one place.
Unusual housing
To imagine what the Eskimos live in, you need to understand their lifestyle and rhythm. Due to the peculiar seasonality, the Eskimo houses are also of two types - tents for summer living and winter houses. These dwellings are unique in their own way.
When creating summer tents, their volume for accommodating at least ten people is taken into account. Of the fourteen poles, a structure is created and covered in two-layer skins.
In the cold season, the Eskimos came up with something else. Igloo - snow huts, which are a winter option for their housing. They reach about four meters in diameter and two meters high. People are provided with lighting and heating thanks to the seal fat, which is located in the dishes. Thus, the temperature in the room rises to twenty degrees above zero. With the help of these home-made lamps, they prepare food and melt the snow to obtain water.
As a rule, two families get along in one hut. Each of them occupies its own half. Naturally, housing is becoming very polluted very quickly. Therefore, it is destroyed and in another place a new one is being built.
Preservation of the Eskimo ethnic group
A person who has visited the lands where the Eskimo lives, will not forget the hospitality and goodwill of this people. There is a special cordiality and kindness.
Despite the beliefs of some skeptics about the disappearance of the Eskimos from the face of the earth in the nineteenth or twentieth century, this people stubbornly proves the opposite. They managed to survive in the difficult conditions of the Arctic climate, create their own distinctive culture and prove enormous vitality.
The unity of the people and its leaders plays a large role in this. Such examples are the Greenland and Canadian Eskimos. Photos, video reports, relationships with other types of people prove that they were able to not only survive in the harsh environment, but also achieve great political rights, as well as gain respect in the global movement among Aboriginal people.
Unfortunately, on the territory of the Russian Federation, the socio-economic situation of the indigenous population looks a little worse and requires government support.