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Eskimos are a group of small, friendly men dressed in seal skins who travel in boats called Kayaks to meet their visitors. The Eskimo actually means “ eaters of raw flesh”.

They prefer to be known as Inuit which means people in their own language. Eskimos live in the Arctic, where winters are long, dark and cold. Summers are short, and are plagued by mosquitoes and other insects. The land itself is mostly barren tundra with few plants or trees. There is an abundance of wild animals. They became well adapted to this harsh environment.

Eskimos played a game called finger pull. They built snow houses and another word for them is Igloos. They used the Igloos for shelter against the coldest winters. They tamed and harnessed a dog they called the northern dog. These dogs hauled food, tents, skins and other necessities on wooden sleds called komatiks. The north has become a potential source of great wealth from oil, gas, and minerals. The Igloo is largely a house of the past and dog terms have largely given way to motorized sleds, called Skidoos. In the modern times Eskimos hunted or fished for food. They used a canoe called the Kayak to help them in their pursuit of fish and sea mammals.

Lucy Spurr 10SP.