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Inuit people are the most widely dispersed group in the world still leading a partly aboriginal way of life. They live in a region that spans more than 3,500 miles. This region includes Greenland, the northern fringe of North America, as well as a sector of eastern Siberia. Inuit are racially distinct from the North American Indians. In fact, the Inuit are closely related to the Mongolian peoples of eastern Asia. The Inuit - Aleut languages are unrelated to any American Indian language groups. At no time did the Inuit possess a national or well - defined tribal sense. The Inuit emphasis was always on the local and familial group rather than on associations based on land and territory. The terms Inuit Indians, the Inuit Indians, Inuit tribe and Eskimo are not the correct names for these kind and gentle people. Inuit simply means 'The People' in Inuktitut, the language of the Inuit and Inuit is the name they wish to be known by. Inuit - their rightful name, replaces 'Eskimo' a term based on a Algonkian word meaning 'eaters of raw flesh.' |