People in the Arctic
Ways of Life
Traditionally the inuit, Saami and Siberian people have
been experts at creating warm clothing from animal skins
– they had an outer layer with the fur turned outwards
and inner layer with the fur turned inwards. The outer
layer protects against the weather, and the inner layer
keeps them warm. However, today most people wear
modern clothes made of synthetic material – many young
people wear western sports clothes.
Inuit Roots
There are many types of Inuit people who have
migrated to the Arctic. About 8,000 years ago
Asian people from Mongolia migrated eastwards
into North America. Some of these people
settled in the Arctic to become the ancestors of
the modern Inuit people we know today. 7,000
years later a group called the Thule started to
build permanent houses using turf, stones and
the bones from whales.
DID YOU
KNOW?
The word
s
‘Inuit’ mean
’
‘the people
Inuit Homes
In the Tundra, where Inuit communities
are found, there aren’t many building
materials. Due to the lack of trees,
there is no wood available, unless it is
transported from elsewhere. However,
there is a lot of snow available, and so in
the Winter, the inuits build round houses
from snow called ‘igloos’. When the snow
melts in Summer, they lived in tent-like
huts with animal skins stretched over
a frame. However, in modern times,
most Inuit people now live in settled
communities all year round, with homes
made from imported materials, in the
past they would have had to migrate
between a summer and winter camp,
shared by several families.
18 | FUSE
Many thousands of years ago, the Yakut and
the Chukchi people lived in Arctic Russia. These
people were ancestors of the Samoyed people
living in Russia today. These peoples spent most
of their time herding reindeer and hunting.
The Sami (or Lapp people) travelled across the
Tundra and the forests following the reindeer
and leading a nomadic lifestyle.
These are just a few examples of the various
peoples that live in the Arctic all with their own
societies, languages and ways of life.
Sport is popular among Arctic people, with snow sports
such as skiing being particularly important. Many villages
have ice rinks for skating and hockey. Husky teams
are also raced as well as reindeer races being popular
amongst the Saami people.
Inuit Diet
Although education has brought many benefits to the
Arctic, unfortunately it also means that governments
far away dictate what the Arctic children must learn,
and so often they are learning about farming and life
in more suburban areas than in which they live. These
lessons, until recently, were also not taught in local Arctic
languages.
Most of the Arctic people, up until the
turn of the last century, fed almost
entirely on meat. However in the
Summer season, berries, fish, birds and
eggs were also eaten.The fatty tissue,
also known as Blubber, on animals such
as seals was consumed as it contained
all the vitamins and minerals needed
for good health.
In modern times a wider range of
fruit and vegetables is now available.
However, the introduction of varied
foods has not meant a healthier diet
and some packaged sugary, salty and
fatty foods h ]