STILL THERE IS NO UNIFIED OPINION AMONG SCIENTISTS REGARDING their origin and settlement. There is an assumption that the current Eskimos are descendants of a people that arose in the third millennium BC. and that they are immigrants from the Pacific coast of East Asia, from where the ancestors of the Eskimos reached the Bering Sea through Kamchatka. Then, in the first millennium AD, they settled in Chukotka and along the Arctic coast of America to Greenland. Their main self-name is Inuit (in Canada) and Yupigyt (in Siberia). The Chukchi call them "ankalyn", which means "Pomors".

The Eskimo language belongs to the Eskimo branch of the Eskimo-Aleut family. Eskimos are divided into 15 ethnocultural groups: Eskimos of Alaska, Siberian Eskimos, Eskimos of Canada, Greenland, etc. By the middle of the twentieth century. Four independent communities were formed: the Eskimos of Greenland, Canada (Inuit), Alaska, and Asian (Siberian).

There are two in Greenland state languages- Eskimo and Danish. The Greenlandic Eskimos have had a written language since the 18th century. This is due to the activities of Danish and German missionaries and the colonial administration. During the twentieth century. Greenlandic Eskimo writers created a very significant volume works of art different genres. Most of the population of modern Greenland are of mixed Mongoloid-Caucasian type (from white men and Eskimo women). Therefore, the indigenous inhabitants of the island consider themselves Greenlanders (qalatdlit), and not Eskimos, which emphasizes their difference from the Eskimos of Canada and Alaska, and also indicates the fact of the emergence of a new people in Greenland. Canadian Eskimos have their own written language based on the Canadian syllabary. However, English and French are also common languages.

The Eskimos of Canada have their own autonomous territories within the northwestern regions of the country and individual parts Labrador Peninsula. The Eskimos of Alaska are distinguished by the greatest degree of preservation of their language along with knowledge of English. In Russia in 1848, the Russian missionary N. Tyzhnov published a primer of the Eskimo language. Modern writing based on Latin graphics was created in 1932 (the first Yuite alphabet book). In 1937, the writing of the Russian Eskimos was transferred to a Russian graphic basis. IN modern language Russian Eskimos are influenced by the vocabulary, elements of morphology and syntax of the Chukchi and Koryak living next to them. They also speak Russian and Chukchi languages. There is modern Eskimo prose and poetry.

TODAY THE TOTAL NUMBER OF ESKIMOS IN THE WORLD IS 170 thousands of people. Of these, about 56,000 people live in the United States (48,000 in Alaska, the rest in the states of California and Washington), just over 50,000 in Canada, about 50,000 in Greenland and about 19,000 more on the Jutland Peninsula. In Russia, mainly in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug of the Magadan Region, mixed or in close proximity to the Chukchi - just over 1,700 people.

Eskimos are unusually adapted to life in the Arctic. They invented a rotatable harpoon for hunting sea animals, a kayak, an igloo snow house, special clothing made of fur and skins, and adopted from the Chukchi the art of building a house from skins - yaranga.

Eskimos believe in spirits living in various natural phenomena; they see the connection between man and the surrounding world of objects and living beings. In their opinion, there is a single creator, Silya, and the mistress of sea animals, Sedna, bestows all the riches of the sea on the Eskimos. The owner of the bears is Nanuk, and the owner of the deer is Tekkeitsertok. Eskimos greatly revere the killer whale, the patroness of sea hunting. In the view of the Eskimos, evil spirits are incredible and terrible creatures. Every Eskimo village has a shaman, and the tambourine is considered a sacred object.

The Eskimos have their own funeral ritual. When an Eskimo died, he was buried immediately, first wrapped in the skins on which he slept, and additional clothes were added so that the soul of the deceased did not freeze. The body was then tied with a rope and dragged head first from the deceased's home to a place where many stones could be found to cover the body. The corpse was surrounded with enough stones to protect it from dogs, arctic foxes and crows. At this point the burial ended, because in the conditions permafrost It is almost impossible to dig a hole of sufficient depth. Near the grave (stone embankment) they usually left the things of the deceased that he might need in the afterlife - a sleigh and a kayak along with weapons, if the deceased was a hunter; a lamp, a needle, a thimble and other sewing supplies, some fat and matches if a woman was dying.

There is every reason to recognize the Eskimos as the most peaceful people. According to custom, disputes between them are resolved, so to speak, by a “singing competition” - whoever sings better is right.

Among the Eskimos there was a custom of working for a wife, the custom of wooing children, marrying a boy to an adult girl, the custom of “marriage partnership”, when two men exchanged wives as a sign of friendship. Polygamy occurred in wealthy families.

THE MAIN OCCUPATION OF THE Eskimos TODAY REMAINS HUNTING SEA ANIMAL – WARLUS AND SEAL. Before mid-19th V. They also hunted whales, hunted reindeer and mountain sheep, and from the middle of the 19th century. They began to make a living by hunting arctic fox and fox. They also engage in fishing and gathering (collecting tubers, roots, stems, algae, and berries). Eskimos breed sled dogs. Carvings on walrus bone and whalebone are well developed. Nowadays, many Eskimos work in construction, in mines, oil fields, in Arctic trading posts, etc. The Greenlanders and Eskimos of Alaska have a wealthy stratum and a national intelligentsia.

Eskimos are surprisingly tactful. In the relationship between a man and a woman, there is a special respect for the hunter who obtains food for the family at constant risk to life. Perhaps it was precisely this perception of a man, combined with the peculiar beauty and sophistication of national clothing, that often attracted European travelers who willingly married Eskimos.

The Eskimos have their own traditional diet, which is dominated by the meat of walruses, seals, and whales. An essential element of the diet is seal blood. Venison is especially valued - the meat is tasty, but rather dry, lacking fat, as well as the meat of polar bears and musk oxen. Seasoning for meat is seaweed and shellfish. They believe that meat warms and gives strength. Rotten seal oil with cloudberries is considered a delicacy. Eskimos also eat birds, bird eggs. Traditionally, meat was eaten raw, dried, frozen, dried, boiled, or stored for the winter: fermented in pits and eaten with fat, sometimes semi-cooked. Raw whale oil with a layer of cartilaginous skin was revered. The fish was dried and dried, and eaten fresh frozen in winter.

Previously, the Eskimos lived in large settlements in half-dugouts. In the XVII - XVIII centuries. They adopted from the Chukchi the method of constructing frame yarangas covered with reindeer skins, and they became the main type of dwellings for them. Before beginning of the nineteenth V. The Eskimos maintained communal houses - large half-dugouts in which several families lived, meetings and holidays took place.

The Eskimos built their igloo houses from snow blocks. The inside of the igloo was covered, and sometimes the walls were covered with the skins of sea animals. The home was heated by fat stoves. The inner surfaces of the walls melted as a result of heating, but the walls did not melt, because... the snow easily absorbed excess moisture.

Nowadays, the life of the Eskimos has changed in many ways. They gained access to the benefits of civilization. However, life in the Arctic requires courage and constant composure from them. You can’t relax, the North doesn’t forgive this. The courage of the Eskimos deserves special respect. This is a life of constant struggle, overcoming difficulties and seeking harmony with harsh nature.

Eskimos. There are many names for this brave people of the North, living in the harshest conditions, known to man. What do we really know about them? Apart from the fact that they hunt seals and walruses with harpoons and wear fur coats with hoods, most people know very little about these hunter-gatherers and reindeer herders.

10. Clothing and armor

The Inuit people, by necessity, are quite skilled at making warm, durable clothing. In terms of heat protection, Eskimo clothing has no equal, because in traditional Eskimo clothing you can easily stay in the cold of -50 degrees for many hours.

However, when they went out hunting to survive, they also knew how to make very strong armor for clothing. After all, they went out to hunt massive animals and also needed protection. Inuit armor had a lamellar structure, consisting of bony plates (often made from walrus teeth, known as walrus tusks). The plates were connected together with straps made of raw leather. It is curious that the design of such armor is reminiscent of ancient armor Japanese warriors. The fact that the Inuit were able to come up with such extremely functional armor speaks volumes about their talent and ingenuity.

Often used in neutral contexts, the term “Eskimo” is generally considered a bit racist, in the same way that the term “Indian” is offensive to Native Americans. However, this is technically considered acceptable, and scientific term usually has a fairly solid etymology. Although the word “popsicle” is believed to be Danish and French (from “eskimeaux”), the name is probably based on the older term “askimo.” Researchers can't seem to agree on whether this means "meat eaters" or "raw food eaters."

However, many Eskimos find this term offensive, so out of respect for this proud people, we will avoid using this term. The generally accepted, politically correct name (many of them also use this term for themselves) would be the word Inuit.

8.Eskimo kiss

The Eskimo kiss, as a sign of love, is when two people rub their noses. The Inuit have developed this gesture over thousands of years, because with an ordinary kiss in the cold, due to drool, you can freeze to each other in an awkward position.

The Eskimo kiss is called “kunik”. This is a type of intimate greeting often practiced between spouses or children and their parents. Dating may look like they're rubbing noses together, but they're actually smelling each other's hair and cheeks. Thus, two people who have not seen each other can quickly remind the other person of themselves with their individual scent.

Although the kunik does not really fit into the concept of a kiss, it is considered an intimate gesture.

Vegetarianism is not very common among traditional Inuit tribes. 'Cause they live in a barren, cold environment, their diet mainly relies on different kinds meat and only occasionally, for some types of berries and seaweed. Even in modern times, fruits and vegetables are scarce and expensive to import into the cold northern regions, so they still rely on their traditional diet.

The Inuit have always been excellent hunters. They consume narwhals, walruses, seals and different birds and fish. Even polar bears sometimes appear on their menu. There are many traditional ways cooking: drying, boiling or freezing. Some foods are not cooked at all. Some people think that frozen meat is a real delicacy, like ice cream.

Although one might think that a diet that relies heavily on meat would lead to serious problems health-wise, Inuit who follow this diet are actually some of the most healthy people in the world. This “Inuit Paradox” has long been the subject of serious scientific interest.

The igloo is the quintessential Inuit home: an ingenious domed structure built from blocks of ice and snow.

Although most people have seen pictures of igloos as small snow domes, they do exist. various forms and sizes, as well as materials. For the Inuit, “igloo” is simply a word for a building in which people live.

5. Kallupilluk

Every culture has its mythical monsters. The Inuit spent their days avoiding dangerous ice fields, hunting huge and strong walruses and aggressive bears. It would seem where you can come up with a fantastic monster. However, the Inuit also had one creature that was used to scare naughty children. This is Kallupilluk, literally meaning “Monster”. According to legend, he lived under the ice and waited for people who had fallen into the water. Then the monster pounced on them and dragged unwary people into the icy depths of the sea. This was a natural and healthy fear in the Arctic, where falling into the water often meant death.

4. Blonde Eskimos

In 1912, an explorer named Stefansson found a strange tribe of Inuit, which consisted entirely of blond, tall, Scandinavian-like people. This sparked a heated debate about the nature of this tribe. Most people eventually agreed that these blond Inuit in the Canadian Arctic were descendants of the Vikings who sailed here at the dawn of time. However, DNA research in 2003 debunked this hypothesis. The fact is that in marriages and inbreeding, blondes are often born.

3. Words to describe snow.

Most languages ​​in the world have one or more words for snow. However, in the Inuit language there is great amount words to describe snow. Inuit can describe snow 50-400 in different words, eloquently crafted to describe the very specific appearance of this frozen sediment.

For example, the word Aquilokok means: “snow is falling quietly,” and piegnartok means “Snowy weather, good for hunting,” and so on.

2. Weapons.

Although contact with European culture gave them access to firearms and other modern species weapons, traditional Inuit weapons were made from stone or bones of killed animals. They did not have the ability to forge metal, so bone was one of the main features of their weapons. Bows were made from leather, bones and sinew.

Since most Inuit weapons were used for hunting and butchering, they were specifically made to cause maximum damage. The edges were sharp and often jagged, designed for tearing and tearing rather than neat cutting and piercing.

1. Poverty

Progress modern life and the development of production does not imply the widespread development of the North and its inhabitants, so the Inuit suffered the same fate as other semi-nomadic tribes, such as the Australian Aborigines. There are high rates of poverty and unemployment among Eskimos. This has led to the emergence of many social problems, such as the rise in alcoholism. One can only wonder how these proud and unpretentious peoples continue to live traditional way of life life.

The roots of Eskimo culture go back to the 8th-9th centuries, when the ancestors of modern Eskimos from the Thule culture settled in Nunavik, a region occupying the northern half of Quebec in Canada, and to XIII century settled in Greenland. However family ties between the Thule and the Paleo-Eskimo peoples who previously lived in this territory - representatives of the Dorset, Independence and Saqqaq cultures have not yet been established.

It is worth noting that the term “Paleo-Eskimos” was proposed by anthropologist Hans Stinsbai at the beginning of the twentieth century. Paleo-Eskimos is a collective name for the ancient population of the Arctic, including representatives different cultures, who ate the meat of seabirds, reindeer, whales, fish and shellfish. Their westernmost site was discovered by Soviet archaeologists in 1975 on Wrangel Island. It was there, in the Devil's Ravine (the name of the site), that the oldest harpoon discovered in Chukotka was discovered, its age is approximately 3360 years. Also, Paleo-Eskimo cultures developed in parallel with each other in different territories and succeeded each other very unevenly.

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The Saqqaq culture is the oldest known culture of southern Greenland. In 2010, the journal Science published a study by scientists from the University of Copenhagen who found that the Eskimos of the Saqqaq culture migrated to Greenland and Alaska from Siberia approximately 5.5 thousand years ago and that their closest relatives were the Chukchi and Koryaks, and not modern inhabitants of the region . Scientists cannot answer questions about what happened to the Saqqaq culture and why it disappeared.

The Saqqaq culture and other cultures that coexisted with it were replaced by the Dorset culture (beginning of the 1st millennium BC - beginning of the 2nd millennium AD), which spread in the northeast of modern Canada, the Canadian Arctic archipelago, and western and northeastern Greenland. Its representatives replaced the bow and arrows with a spear, spear and harpoon, and used stone lamps with fat to illuminate their homes. The tribes of the Dorset culture made figurines from bone, tusk of sea animals and wood, and decorated them with linear patterns.

Each people of the world has its own characteristics, which are absolutely normal and ordinary for them, but if a person of another nationality falls into their midst, he may be very surprised by the habits and traditions of the inhabitants of this country, because they will not coincide with his own ideas about life. We invite you to learn 8 national habits and characteristics of the Eskimos, some of which will greatly surprise you.

They can borrow someone else's wife

If the permanent wife is sick or has Small child, it is convenient to change it to a young one and strong woman, which is easier to navigate. After all, on the way, a woman must not only fulfill her marital duty, but prepare food, help the head of the family in every possible way and share the hardships of the road. For exchanging wives for a few days there is special term- “areodyarekput”.

They call internet travel

IN beginning of XXI century, Eskimos became acquainted with the Internet, and this term needed to be translated into their language. The experts chose the word ikiaqqivik - “journey through layers.” Previously, this was the name for the ritual of a shaman who, in search of an answer to a question, “traveled” through time and space.

They sniff each other when they meet

The traditional Eskimo greeting, used mainly by relatives or lovers, is called "kunik". It looks like this: one of the people greeting presses his nose to the forehead or cheeks of the other and draws in air - as if sniffing, inhaling a familiar smell. They said that the custom arose because in severe frost the lips freeze and you cannot kiss, and they even called it the Eskimo kiss. In fact, this greeting is purely friendly and is due to the fact that those meeting in the cold may have the lower part of their face covered.

They compete in pulling the thread with their ears.

To the World Eskimo program olympic games includes a special competition - pulling the thread with the ears. Loops are made at both ends of the thread. The opponents sit face to face, and a loop is put on each ear. And just as others pull a rope with their hands, they use their ears (or rather, their heads and even bending their torsos) to try to pull the thread until someone refuses further competition due to pain. It must be said that not every ear can withstand such a struggle.

They risk their lives for a handful of mussels

The monotonous food sometimes becomes so boring that the Eskimos decide to undertake an extremely dangerous undertaking - collecting mussels under the ice. On the surface of the Arctic seas almost all year round- a thick layer of ice. Gotta catch it a short time Low tide, when a hollow space forms under a huge sheet of ice, cut a hole in it, go down and harvest mussels from it.

This is a really risky business. The collectors have no more than half an hour to leave the ice cave before the wave arrives - if they don’t have time, death is inevitable. In addition, ice hanging almost in the air at low tide can collapse on desperate pickers. And all for the sake of a handful of mussels, which are eaten in one sitting.

Their women use moss and seaweed instead of pads

Eskimo women use the skins of fur-bearing animals, reindeer moss and thin wood shavings made from alder as means of protection on critical days. Those who live near the sea prefer algae.

Their children are afraid of Kalupiluk

Every culture has its own specific monsters and monstrosities that they use to scare children if they don’t go to bed now. Eskimos are afraid of Qalupalik or Kallupilluk - a ghost who is just waiting to drag unwary people under the ice, to the bottom of the sea.

They put iPods on graves

The custom of leaving the deceased his favorite things exists among many northern peoples. By sending the deceased to the “upper people,” the living “sent” with him everything that, in their opinion, could be useful in another life. Previously, these were knives, crafts made from walrus tusk, now - modern household appliances. Most often - video cassettes and players.

Where do the Chukchi and Eskimos live is a question often asked by young children who have heard jokes or watched cartoons about polar bears. And it’s not so rare that adults are not ready to answer it with anything other than a general phrase - “in the North.” And many even sincerely believe that these are different names for the same people.

Meanwhile, the Eskimos, like the Chukchi, are a very ancient people, with a unique and interesting culture, a rich epic, a philosophy that is strange for most inhabitants of megacities and a rather peculiar way of life.

Who are the Eskimos?

These people have nothing to do with the word “popsicle,” which denotes a popular type of ice cream.

Eskimos are the indigenous people of the North, belonging to the Aleut group. Anthropologists call them the “Arctic race”, Eskimoids or Northern Mongoloids. The language of the Eskimos is unique, it differs from the speech of such peoples as:

• Koryaks;
• kereks;
• Itelmens;
• Alyutorians;
• Chukchi.

However, Eskimo speech has similarities with the Aleut language. It is approximately the same as that of the Russian language with Ukrainian.

The writing and culture of the Eskimos is also original. Unfortunately, in Russia the number of indigenous northern peoples is extremely small. As a rule, everything that is known in the world about the traditions, religion, worldview, writing and language of this ancient people, gleaned from studying the life of the Eskimos in the USA and Canada.

Where do Eskimos live?

If we omit this version of the address of this people as the North, then their habitat will turn out to be quite large.

The places where Eskimos live in Russia are:

• Chukotka autonomous region- 1529 people, according to the 2010 census;
• Magadan Region- 33, according to records from eight years ago.

Unfortunately, the number of this once large people in Russia is steadily declining. And along with this, culture, language, writing and religion disappear, and the epic is forgotten. These are irreparable losses, since the development of the people, features colloquial speech and many other nuances among Russian Eskimos are fundamentally different from American ones.

Places where Eskimos live in North America, - This:

• Alaska - 47,783 people;
• California - 1272;
• Washington State - 1204;
• Nunavut - 24,640;
• Quebec - 10,190;
• Newfoundland and Labrador - 4715;
• Northwest Territories of Canada - 4165.

In addition, Eskimos live in:

• Greenland - about 50,000 people;
• Denmark - 18,563.

These are census figures for 2000 and 2006.

How did the name come about?

If where the Eskimo lives becomes clear when opening the encyclopedia, then the origin of the name of this people is not so simple.

They call themselves Inuit. The word “Eskimo” belongs to the language of the northern Indian tribes of America. It means "one who eats raw." This name supposedly came to Russia at a time when Alaska was part of the empire and the northern ones calmly roamed both continents.

How did they settle?

Children often ask not only where the Eskimo lives, but also where he came from in the North. Not only the parents of curious kids, but also scientists do not have an exact answer to this question.

What is known for certain is that the ancestors of this people came to the territory of Greenland in the 11th-12th centuries AD. And they got there from the north of Canada, where the Thule culture, or the ancient Eskimo culture, existed already in the 10th century AD. This has been confirmed by archaeological research.

How the ancestors of this people ended up on the Russian shores of the Arctic Ocean, that is, where the Eskimo lives in cartoons and children's books, is not known for certain.

What do they live in in winter?

The room where the Eskimos live, a traditional dwelling for this people, is called an “igloo.” These are snow houses made of blocks. The average dimensions of the block are 50X46X13 centimeters. They are laid in a circle. The diameter of the circle can be any. It depends on the specific needs for which the buildings are being built. Not only residential buildings are being built, other buildings are also being erected in the same way, for example, warehouses or something reminiscent of our kindergartens.

The diameter of the room where the Eskimos live, a house for a family, depends on the number of people. On average it is 3.5 meters. The blocks are laid at a slight angle, wrapped in a spiral. The result is a beautiful white structure, most similar to a dome.

The top of the roof always remains open. That is, only one, the last block, does not fit. This is necessary for the free release of smoke. The hearth, of course, is located in the center of the igloo.

In the snowy architecture of the Eskimos there are not only isolated isolated dome houses. Quite often, entire cities are built for wintering, worthy of becoming a filming location for any fantasy film. The peculiarity of such buildings is that all or only a few igloos of different diameters and heights are connected to each other by tunnels, also made of snow blocks. The purpose of such architectural delights is simple - Eskimos can move within the settlement without going outside. And this is important if the air temperature drops below 50 degrees.

What do they live in in the summer?

The building where the Eskimo lives in summer time, often called a tent. But this is a wrong definition. Live in summer period representatives of this northern people in yarangas similar to those in Chukchi. According to some scientists, the Eskimos borrowed the method of building housing from the Koryaks and Chukchi.

Yaranga is a wooden frame made of strong and long poles, covered with walrus and deer skins. The dimensions of the rooms vary depending on what the yaranga is being built for. For example, shamans have the most large buildings, since they need a place to perform rituals. However, they do not live in them, but in small half-dugouts or yarangas built nearby. Not only poles are used for the frame, but also animal bones.

It is considered to be the original summer home The Eskimos did not have frame buildings, but half-dugouts, the slopes of which were covered with skins. In fact, such a dugout resembles something between fairy house hobbit and fox hole. However, whether the Eskimos borrowed the construction of yarangs from other peoples or whether everything happened the other way around remains an unreliably established fact, a mystery, the answer to which may lie in national folklore and epic.

Eskimos not only fish and raise reindeer, they also hunt. Part of the hunting suit is real combat armor, comparable in strength and comfort to the armor of Japanese warriors. This armor is made from walrus ivory. The bone plates are connected by leather cords. The hunter is not at all constrained in his movements, and the weight of the bone armor is practically not felt.

Eskimos don't kiss. Instead, the lovers rub noses. This behavior pattern arose solely due to climatic conditions that were too harsh for kissing.

Despite the complete absence of vegetables and grains in their diet, Eskimos have excellent health and excellent physique.

Albinos and blonds are often born into Eskimo families. This occurs due to close family marriages and is a sign of degeneration, although such people look amazingly beautiful and original.