Pre-European Period

Before European contact, the Inuit lived in extended families of five to six people and in hunting groups of six to ten families. They were nomadic, moving with the seasons and the animals they hunted. The lifestyle and the annual pattern, however, varied somewhat from region to region depending on the animal resources available and their seasonal distribution.

Generally, in the winter, the Inuit lived in coastal campsites hunting seals by patiently waiting at their breathing holes in the ice. They often traveled vast distances on the sea ice using dogteams and sleds. The domed snowhouse, or igloo was used for shelter in the winter, but the Inuit also built homes of sod, stone and whalebone. The people wore layers of caribou skin clothing and sealskin footwear to protect themselves from the Arctic climate.

In the spring, families dispersed from the coastal campsites to hunt seals at the ice edge. During the ice-free months, they often moved inland in smaller groups to fish at lakes and to hunt caribou. In summer, they lived in skin tents and traveled by foot and by boat. During the spring and fall char runs, the Inuit built stone weirs to trap the fish.

The Inuit were masters of improvisation and many of their inventions, such as the igloo, the toggling harpoon head and the kayak, are considered technological masterpieces. Sleds and skin-covered boats were universally employed although regional variations in both design and use were common. The umiak, a large, open skin boat, was used to move camp by water and also for whale hunting. The one-man kayak was used to hunt seal, walrus and swimming caribou. Dogs were used to pull sleds, as pack animals in the summer, and also to locate seals under the ice and to hold bears or musk oxen at bay. Spears, bows and clubs were used for hunting and stone traps for catching small game and bears.

Inter-group warfare among the Inuit appears to have been infrequent. Self-restraint was highly valued, and institutionalized relationships and various methods of conflict resolution, helped them achieve a harmonious social life. Ningiqtuq, or sharing. was and still is an important feature of Inuit culture and ensured that food was available to everyone, including elders who were no longer able to hunt for themselves.