Inuit Communites: Inuit Communities

Inuit Communities

Communities in Northern Canada are failing to get food and are trying to live proudly among their families. They try to help among each other to hunt and care for each other. One of these communities are the "The Inuit Communities." The Inuit Community are one of the communities living in the Arctic Circle in Northern Canada for thousands of years. They were formerly known as Eskimos. The Inuit tribe lives in the Tundra, one of the harshest, driest climates in the world where not much vegetation grow! The tundra supports light populations (animals) of reindeer, musk, oxen, foxes, wolves and hares. As in the sea or on the sea ice and even along the arctic shores are whales, seals, walruses, fish and polar bears. These Communities are found usually in the Northern Hemisphere.

The Inuit Communities back in the late 1900s; in Northern Canada (Arctic Circle).

Traditional Inuit Communities:

Since the very difficult physical environment is one of the harsh weather conditions in Northern Canada, the Inuit Communities have always lived in small communities that is scattered over a huge amount of regions. These communities were ordered in from either single family to several hundred people. As often in winter, many Inuit Communities join together for warmth or share the food and other necessities provided by hunting down big preys like whales, polar bears and elephant seals. Whereas in spring, these larger communities split into much smaller groups since they don't need much warmth as in winter, and it is easier to hunt in Spring. As animals come out of hibernating. The Inuits usually hunt or fish, seals, caribou, birds and other small preys. Winter can be described as painful, long-lasting days for The Inuits and Spring can be a adventurous fun time...

The Climate, Landforms, rainfall in this Tundra condition for the Inuits.

Living in a place where the climate is usually 5 degrees or less can be pretty tough and can be hard to live. Well in Northern Canada, The Inuit Communities live in this harsh climate all year round; they try to make the best of the cold by wearing the clothing that is made mainly from the skin of seal and caribou. It will usually consist of a hooded jacket called a parka, trousers, mittens, socks and boots. They also often wore goggles made of wood or either bones. From preventing snow being blown into their faces.

In the tundra, conditions are cold, with an annual average temperature less than 5 degrees, and precipitation (mostly in the form of snow) less than 100 mm per year (see graph at the bottom right). The summer is brief, with temperatures above freezing lasting for only a few weeks at most. However, this warm summer lasts with periods of almost 24 hour daylight, so plant growth can be explosive.

As for the landforms, in Northern Canada the landforms is very dried and can be dangerous. The Inuits take much care when they are walking. They use a stick to hit in front of them to see if its safe to tread onto. There are mountains that are formed among the tundra conditions. The mountains are completely covered by snow flakes.

Kumar Community

Uttam Kumar (Leader of the Kumar Tribe).

There are a lot of Inuit Communities in the Northern Canada, but one of the communities that are failing to get food and resources to live is the "Kumar Tribe." The reason it is called Kumar Tribe is since their family name is Kumar. The tribe usually consists of 4 people in the family. Uttam the father who is the leader of the tribe tries very hard to help his beloved family. There is also Allatla, the mother of two girls. She runs and cooks the food when her husband (Uttam Kumar) comes home from hunting. Then there is two girls Aniuk and Bora who just helps their mothers cook; and sometimes they even catch small preys like birds or baby seals or even their dad hunting! This tribe lives near right on the border of Nunavut, where there a schools of fish. But it is dangerous to hunt their; if you fall in the sea there no land for you to pass by. Since when you fall down, the water drags you in the opposite direction of land... So be careful. Uttam knows all the dangerous things so he always avoids it, as much as possible. Uttam's favourite times of the year is when it is winter; many other tribes come together to hunt and comfort each other, so it is easier for Uttam's family with the help of other small Inuit Tribes.

Changes to Inuit Life

The way the Inuit lived was very different back then in the late 1900s; but until 1950, the only change the Inuits had was what they hunted with and what they wore. They hunted with guns and did not kill other creatures much to get their skin. The government of Canada has asked for donations of clothing for The Inuits. Which had helped a lot, and the government can stay calm about animals being wiped out in Northern Canada. As well, fur trade was declined from The Inuit people. This made a great change to the livelihood of The Inuits. As now most Inuits have founds jobs in the cities. Some found work in the construction industry. Whereas many moved to communities that had developed trading posts, government offices and projects and those who did not find work in the cities depended on the Canadian Government for housing and other assistance. One of the thing The Inuit people cherished very much that is now gone is there traditional way of living. As it is, they wear modern day clothing, live in wooden houses and get (buy) their food from the supermarkets. This way of living for the modern day living can never be changed back to the traditional way of living; some have found permanent jobs and like their lifestyle! Sometimes they go back and visit their old home...

Tourism and Summer in Tundra Climates
During the short summer, the tundra appears to be much like a temperate grassland. One of the best ways to access the tundra is via the highway that accompanies the Alaska pipeline from Barrow down to Valdez. The section of pipeline seen here is raised off the ground by special stands. These stands are sunk into the permafrost and created not to conduct heat the warmth from the heated oil (the oil has to be heated to thin it enough to pump economically) to the permafrost and cause the pipeline to collapse. Raising the pipeline also allow caribou to pass under it freely. Because it is not so much dangerous in summer for the tundras, many tourists come to Northern Canada but there are only a few Inuit Tribes that still follow the traditional way.

During the summer the snow melts; much is carried away by the streams winding through the tundra (right), other water collects in small lakes and wetlands (below left).

This lady: Beck, is a tourist from the UK and is exploring Northern Canada in Summer with all the beautiful, lovely wildflowers.