Who Are the Inuit?
The Inuit are special people. The old name for Inuit was "Eskimo." Eskimo means "eater for meat." In 1977, The Eskimos changed their name to "Inuit." Inuit means "the people" in their language. They live in very cold places: Siberia, Alaska, Canada, and Greenland. These are the coldest parts of the world.
There are about 120,000 Inuit in the world today. Canada has 20,000 Inuit. Some live very close to the North Pole. The Inuit were the first people of Canada.
In the past, the Inuit hunted for all their food. The men traveled in the snow on sleds. About ten dogs pulled a sled. The men killed fish and other animals. Then they went home and shared their food with other families. The Inuit used every part of the animal for food and clothes. They usually ate the fish raw. The women made clothes from animal skins. They made shoes from the skins, too. The Inuit had an old custom. The women chewed their husbands' shoes at night. Then the shoes were soft in the morning.
The Inuit's life was hard. They lived in houses made of snow. They moved from time to time to hunt animals. Sometimes, The Inuit needed money. Other Canadians needed animal skins. The Inuit sold animal skins to these Canadians. The Inuit and the Canadians helped each other. [224 words]
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Today in Canada, the Inuit lives are very different. Most Inuit live in villages. The villages have from 300 to 1,500 people. The housed are made of wood. The Inuit don't travel in sleds. They ride snowmobiles. They buy food and clothes from stores.
The Inuit keep in touch with the rest of the world. They use the telephone, television, and the Internet. They go on airplanes to cities in the south of Canada. Inuit boys and girls go to school and have teachers. They learn about the world. At the same time, the Inuit want to remember their language and traditions to their children.
In the 1970s, the Inuit in Canda wanted to control their land. In 1999, the Canadians government agreed. The government gave the Inuit a piece of land in the north of Canada. The name of the Inuit's new land is Nunavut. It means "our land" in their language.
Vocabulary
MEANING
Write the correct words in the blanks.
shared/ control/ chewed/ raw/ wood/ pulled/ custom/ hard/ skins
1. One Inuit family did not eat all the food. They _______ the food with other families.
2. The men tied a rope from the dogs to the sled. Then the dogs _______ the sled in the snow.
3. The women put the animal skin in their mouth. Then they moved their teeth up and down. They _______ the skin.
4. They did not cook the fish. They ate it _______.
5. Some things are difficult for the Inuit. Their lives are _______.
6. The women used the outside part of the dead animal. They made clothes from the _______.
7. The Inuit wanted to _______ their land. They did not want the Canadians to tell them what to do.
8. All Inuit women have a special way to fix the shoes. It is a _______.
9. The Inuit men cut trees. They used the _______ to make houses.
WORDS THAT GO TOGETHER
Write the correct words in the blanks.
at the same time/ each other/ keep in touch with/ from time to time
1. The Inuit helped the Canadians, and the Canadians helped the Inuit. They helped _______.
2. Sometimes the Inuit went to a new place. They went _______.
3. The teacher taught two things together. She taught different things _______.
4. The Inuit want to _______ other people. They send e-mails and make telephone calls.