Thanks to children’s books and inaccurate stories, most American’s are lead to believe Eskimos are tiny people who dress in fur hoods and live in igloos made of ice. Fortunately for most modern day Eskimos, this stereotype doesn’t hold true. The true definition of an Eskimo is an indigenous person who traditionally lived around the polar areas of Siberia, Alaska, Canada, and Greenland. The two main groups of Eskimos today—Yupik and Inuit—both currently reside in Alaska. The Inuit mostly live in northern Alaska, Canada, and Greenland, and the Yupik live in western Alaska, South Central Alaska, and the Russian Far East. The term ‘Eskimo’ is typically associated with negative connotations by the natives, who prefer the term Inuit. This is understandable—‘Eskimo’ roughly translates to ‘eaters of raw flesh’ whereas ‘Inuit’ means ‘the people’. Though the Inuit are widely dispersed, they only number around 60,000 in population with 25,000-35,000 of them residing in Alaska. Inuit in Alaska speak a local version of the Inuit language called Inupiaq.

Instead of igloos, most modern Inuit live in single-story wooden house with combined kitchen and living room area and one or two bedrooms. Most houses have the luxury of heating systems and oil burning stoves. However, the myth of the igloo isn’t completely off base. Many years ago, select Canadian Inuit villages built their houses in dome shaped ‘igloo’ reminiscent styles. To keep warm before the days of electric heating, traditional Inuit clothing consisted of various animal skins and hides. They wore two layers during winter—one layer of fur facing out, the other facing in. The outer layer was the traditional hooded parka we still associate win Eskimos today. In fact, modern Inuit buy their clothes from western-style stores. Young people favor jeans, tennis shoes, and bright comfortable sportswear. It is only for extended outdoor activity in winter that the traditional garb is used. To read the full history of the Inuit people, visit everyculture.com.