Arctic Geography
Natural Features

Arctic Climate
Environment

Canadian Inuit
Northern Population

References

Canada’s northern indigenous population is called Inuit (Inuk – singular) and has inhabited an enormous portion of the Canadian landmass stretching from Labrador to the Yukon for more than 5,000 years.  Ancestors of the Inuit and collectively of Canada’s Aboriginal population migrated to North America during the last ice age (more than 12,000 years ago) from Asia when a land bridge (approximately where the Bering Strait is presently located) formed due to reduced sea-levels associated with an abundance of frozen ice and snow.

 
Land bridge connecting Asia and North America
Image Credit: Library and Archives Canada

Known as “Inuit Nunaat”, an expression from the Inuit language Inuktitut (signifying the Inuit Homeland), today this expanse of land is geographically divided into four regions:

• Territory of Nunavut
• Nunavik (northern Quebec)
• Inuvialuit (north-west portion of the Northwest Territories and north slope of the Yukon)
• Nunatsiavut (northern Labrador)

The four regions of Inuit Nunaat account for 78% (40,000 people) of Canada’s total Inuit population, of the total Inuit population, 49% (24,635 people) reside in the Territory of Nunavut.  Canada’s Inuit are dispersed across some 52 communities and make-up the majority of the population in these regions.


Map of the four regions of Inuit Nunaat
Image Credit: Statistics Canada

Language and Culture

Traditionally, the Inuit language as a whole is called Inuktitut, although at a regional level there are various distinct dialects, including: Inuvialuktun (Inuvialuit region), Inuinnaqtun (western Nunavut), Inuttitut (eastern Nunavut and Nunavik), Inuttut (Nunatsiavut).  The broader Inuktitut language has the highest probability for survival as western influences into the Inuit culture have dissipated the mother tongue languages over the years.

A self-sufficient lifestyle prior to the inclusion of western influences dominated the Inuit culture.  Hunting for readily available sources of food as example included: caribou, seal, whale, fish, etc.  Bones, skin and fur obtained from hunted wildlife provided a key resource for the Inuit to make clothing, tools and even snow-goggles to prevent snow blindness.  Today, the self-sufficient Inuit lifestyle is less prevalent as supplies (food, clothing, construction material) from southern Canada are more accessible.