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Whalebone, Harpoon and Mask: Life and Art of the Inuit |
| Section: THE ARTS / ART |
| Author: Fred Stern |
| Publication:
The World & I Online |
| Issue Date: 1/1/2007 |
| Size: 2,264 Words, 13,785 Characters |
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No one seems to know when they crossed the land bridge over the Bering Strait, to settle in the coldest, most desolate regions of North America.
It was probably between 13,000 and 40,000 years ago, that native people from Asia--most likely from Mongolia--immigrated across the Bering Strait on a bridge of land that experts believe had at one time been as wide as 1,000 miles. Where once the bridge allowed people to travel by foot between the two continents, or where at other times, the Bering Sea was only a narrow flow of water easily traversed by boat, today the straits of the Bering Sea stretch from Siberia to Alaska’s Seward Peninsula for a length of 55 miles.
Traditionally these immigrants, were called, “the Eskimo” (meaning, people who eat raw meat). This designation is still used primarily in Alaska and of course, commonly throughout the United States. Many, however, prefer to be addressed as “the Inuit” (meaning, the people), their long time designation in both Canada and Greenland. In this paper, we will use their preference: Inuit.
Often in the popular mind the Inuit are lumped together with the American Indians as originating from a common background. But ethnologists and archaeologists have long established that the origin of the American Indian differs from the Inuit’s Mongolian background. This can be observed in their facial charac...
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...hing related. Their creations now include wall hangings, pillows, throws and rugs. These are often made from newer fabrics such as felt and embroidery floss, in addition to the traditional furs and leathers.
The ingenuity and creative impulses of the Inuit are by no means exhausted. Fortunately, we can anticipate many more years of enjoyment from the skill and imagination of Inuit artists.
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Publication Details
(The World & I Online) |
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The World & I Online is a
comprehensive academic resource that encompasses a broad range of
articles by scholars and experts in the areas of Global Studies,
Liberal Arts, Fine & Applied Arts, General Science, and Spanish.
Originally published monthly in print as The World & I, our site
includes the complete contents since 1986 and continues to publish
a new issue online each month. |
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