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What is an Eskimo? |
People & Places
"Eskimo" is a word that is used to describe different groups of people who live very far north in North America and sometimes parts of Russia. Today's Eskimos are the descendants (distant relatives) of the first people to settle in the areas that are today's Greenland, Canada and Alaska. When we think of Native Americans, we usually think of tribes like the Cherokee that live in the United States. Eskimos are a separate group of Native Americans, and they lived in the very cold North.
Traditionally, their whole lives are adapted to living in the cold. Most fruits and vegetables won't grow there, so they get their food by hunting animals like the walrus, seals, and fish! They used to hunt mostly with spears and move around on sleds pulled by dogs, but today's Eskimos use a lot of snowmobiles and rifles to hunt for their food.
The igloo is a traditional type of winter house for Eskimos to live in. They're often big domes made out of blocks of ice! Igloos don't last very long in warmer months though!
A Way With Wintry Words
People often say that Eskimos have a lot of different words that all mean "snow." It's true they do, but so do we, when you think about it. How many different ways do we talk about frozen water that falls from the sky? There are snowflakes and flurries, snowdrifts and blizzards. Make a list and see how many "snow" words you can think of!
