 Minik Wallace, an Inughuaq boy, in New York, 1897 | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 800 (2010)[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Greenland | |
| Languages | |
| Inuktitut (Inuktun),Greenlandic,Danish | |
| Religion | |
| Inuit religion,Evangelical Lutheran |
TheInughuit (singular:Inughuaq) orInuhuit are an ethnic subgroup of theGreenlandic Inuit. They are the northernmost group ofInuit and the northernmost people in North America, living inGreenland. Historically calledArctic Highlanders,Cape York Eskimos,Polar Eskimos, orSmith Sound Inuit,[2] they make up about 1% of the population of Greenland.[3]
The Inughuit speakInuktun, also known as North Greenlandic, Thule Inuit, or Polar Eskimo. It is a dialect ofInuktitut, anEskimo–Aleut language related to theGreenlandic language spoken elsewhere in Greenland.[4]InKalaallisut, the official dialect of Greenlandic, Inuktun is calledAvanersuarmiutut.
Before 1880, their population was estimated to be between 100 and 200 people. From 1880 to 1930, they were estimated to number 250. In 1980, their estimated population was 700,[3] and it rose to 800 in 2010.[1]
The Inughuit are believed to be descended from theThule people who spread across the North American Arctic around the eleventh century. They used and traded iron frommeteorites such as theCape York meteorite.[5] The earliest discovered Thule settlement is found in modern-day Uummannaq (Dundas). From the 11th to 16th century, the peoples of the region had extensive trading contacts with other Inuit from western and southern Greenland along withEllesmere Island.[6] Around the 17th century, climate change cooled the northwest areas of Greenland, which cut off the Inughuit from other Inuit and regions.[7]
It was during this time that the Inughuit developed their unique language, culture, and fashion—all of which differ significantly from other Inuit. Around this period, the Inughuit also lost the knowledge to build kayaks orumiaks, which further restricted travel and contact with other communities.[7]
The Inughuit were first contacted by Europeans in 1818,[3] whenJohn Ross led an expedition into their territory. Ross dubbed them "Arctic Highlanders". They are believed to have previously lived in total isolation, to the point of being unaware of other humans, and are cited as one of the rare non-agricultural societies to live without armed feuds or warfare, a state that continued after contact.[8]Erik Holtved, a Dane, was the first university-trainedethnologist to study the Inughuit.[9]
During the mid-19th century, Inuit fromBaffin visited and lived with the Inughuit. The Baffin Inuit reintroduced some technologies lost to the Inughuit such as boats,leisters, and bows and arrows. The Inughuit in turn taught the Baffin Inuit a more advanced form of sled technology. American and European explorers in the 19th and early-20th centuries had extensive contacts with the Inughuit. ExplorersRobert Peary andFrederick Cook both had Inughuit in their teams acting as guides. However, more sustained contact with outsiders changed many aspects of Inughuit life by creating a dependence on trade goods and introducing new diseases.[7]
Greenlandic anthropologist and explorerKnud Rasmussen established a trading post inUummannaq (Dundas) in 1910. He also worked to modernize Inughuit society by establishing a governing hunter's council for the Inughuit in 1927. It was during this period that Christian missionaries arrived in the region to evangelize. As a consequence of the relative isolation of the Inughuit, the Inughuit remained absent from growing Greenlandic Inuit nationalism and the nation-building process sweeping the Inuit of western and southern Greenland. The subsequentCold War era had substantial effects on the Inughuit. In the 1950s, the United States establishedThule Air Base close to Uummannaq (Dundas). This forced many Inughuit to move over 116 kilometres (72 mi) north towardsQaanaaq, which proved disastrous to the cultural and social life of the Inughuit.[7]
Inughuit people live north of theArctic Circle on the west coast of Greenland, between 75–80° N and 58–74° W. The northernmost settlement was at the village ofEtah (at 78° 19' N), but it was abandoned due to the extremely harsh conditions there. The northernmost constant settlement is nowHiurapaluk.
Uummannaq, also known as "Dundas" or "Thule" to Europeans, was the chief settlement of the Inughuit until 1953 when it was displaced by theUnited States'Thule Air Base, with its residents relocated toQaanaaq. Established in 1953, Qaanaaq is the largest Inughuit settlement.[1]
