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                        In the past there have been settlements in the Yukon, especially

                        at Herschel Island after they crossed the Bering Land Bridge

                        during the Ice Age 35,000 to 22,000 BCE.

                    </p>

                </li>

                <li>

                    <p>

            <h3>Language Terms of the Region</h3>

            <ul>

                <li>

                    <p>

                        In Inuktitut, the language of the Inuit people, "Inuit" means

                        "the people".

                    </p>

                </li>

                <li>

                    <p>

                        The English word "Eskimo" is a Native American word which is widely

                        believed to mean "eater of raw meat."

                    </p>

                </li>

                <li>

                    <p>

                        While some Inuit consider the word Eskimo to be offensive,

                        many still use the word to describe themselves.

                    </p>

                </li>

            <h3>Clothing</h3>

            <ul>

                <li>

                    <p>

                        The hoods of Inuit women's parkas - <em>amautiit</em> (singular <em>amauti</em>,

                        <em>amaut</em> or <em>amautik</em>) were made extra large to carry their children.

                        Mothers had to keep their offspring close to them to ward off

                        the harsh weather.

                    </p>

                </li>

                <li>

                    <p>

                        Boots (<em>kamik</em> or <em>mukluk</em>) could be made of caribou or

                        sealskin, and designs varied for men and women.

                    </p>

                </li>

            </ul>

            <h3>Oral Tradition Facts and Myths</h3>

            <ul>

                <li>

                    <p>

                        The Inuit have a tradition of taking vengeance others if they do

                        someone wrong, raiders in particular. Most of these tales are not

                        accurate accounts, but self serving myths.

                    </p>

                </li>

                <li>

                    <p>

                        Breaking Inuit law resulted in corporale punishment, as the tradition

                        of vengeance goes. The story of  Atanarjuat shows that "within a

                        community, punishments were meted out by community decision, or by

                        the elders, and a breach meant that the victim and his or her relatives

                        could seek out restitution or revenge."

                    </p>

                </li>

                <li>

                    <p>

                        While Martin Frobisher was searching for the Northwest Passage, a

                        sealane passing through North America from the Atlantic to the

                        Pacific. During his search several of his sailors became a part of

                        Inuit myth on Resolution Island. The Inuit helped Frobisher

                        continue his journey while one Inuit stayed on the ship to become

                        the first Inuk ever to visit Europe. The Inuit oral tradition, in

                        contrast, recounts the natives helping Frobisher's crewmen, who

                        believed they had been abandoned.

                    </p>

                </li>

                <li>

                    <p>

                        Moravian missionaries were the first European targets of Inuit

                        raids. After the missionaries realized that they could easily

                        provide the Inuit with the iron and basic materials. Trade and

                        contact became more peaceful.

                    </p>

                </li>

            </ul>

            <h3>Throat Singing</h3>

            <ul>

                <li>

                    <p>

                        Throat singing was a cultural form of artistic expression brought

                        from Asia by the Inuit. Priests originally deemed throat singing

                        illegal. As the ban was lifted 20 to 30 years ago, throat singing

                        has seen an influx in Inuit culture.

                    </p>

                </li>

                <li>

                    <p>

                        Throat singing is not actually singing it is more of a musical game.

                        One participant starts by singing a word which is then mimicked by

                        the other singer, almost like a game of "Simon says" creating a

                        rolling rhythm. The first one to laugh or run out of air is considered

                        the loser. There are many different ways to throat sing, as one

                        technique is not particularly correct.

                    </p>

                </li>

                <li>

                    <p>

                        There are a few followed guidelines on throat singing however, first

                        women are the only participants as historically females were the ones

                        to entertain their children and each other while the men were out hunting.

                        Normal vocal use can be intertwined with the use of the deeper diaphragm

                        sounds. An Inuit throat singer described the musical activity, "You are

                        using a lot of your muscles in your diaphragm for breathing in and

                        breathing out.  I have to find a space between sounds to breathe in."

                    </p>

                </li>

                <li>

                    <p>

                        Sounds and words with meaningless syllables are commonly used in the

                        songs. Inuit singers take create new words from ancestors, current

                        events, animal sounds, or just noises of everyday life.

                    </p>

                </li>

                <li>

                    <p>

                        Inuit throat singing develops a cultural identity among the youth. In

                        an era of globalization, the Inuit have been left to fend for themselves

                        dealing with integration and survival of their culture. Throat singing

                        allows the Inuit to connect with their own cultural past.

                    </p>

                </li>

            </ul>

            <p class="centeredImg">

                <img src="images/general/rjc_inuit.jpg" alt="Inuit Throat Singers" />

                <br />

                Inuit Throat Singers (source:

                <a href="http://www.mustrad.org.uk/graphics/inuit.jpg">

                    http://www.mustrad.org.uk/graphics/inuit.jpg

                </a>

                )

            </p>