NORTH AMERICA

CULTURE: ESKIMO/INUIT

GREENLAND FLAG

White symbolizes ice and snow and red symbolizes the sun.

INUIT FLAG (Canada)

• Eskimos/Inuits live in Greenland.

• A person from Greendland is called Greenlander.

• The capital of Greenland is Nuuk.

•Language. They speak greenlandic (Inuit language).

• Food. They like raw meat (fish, reindeer, seal,…). The national dish is called Suaasat, that is a soup made of seal, whale, reindeer, seabirds and some vegetables and rice.

• Animals. Polar bear, caribou, musk ox, arctic fox, arctic wolf, arctic hare, different types of whales (humpback, beluga, bowhead, narwhal,…) and seals; ermine, lemming.

•Plants. The national flower is called Niviarsaq, which means “young woman”. Other plants: dwarf juniper, angelica, betula pubescens (birch), wild blueberry, orchids,…

•House. Igloo. It’s made of ice. They are nomads, moving to different places depending on the season and the animals (hunt).In Summer, they build houses made of sticks and animal skin.

• Family. They used to be polygamous (marry several men or women). They’ve got several children.

• Clothes. They wear anoraks and parkas (they invented them), that is, coats made of animals skin like seals, foxes, caribouses and polar bears. They also wear skin boots and eyeshields (sunglasses) to protect themselves from the sun and the ice.

Greetings. The inuits rub their nose to say hello.

• Sports. National sports are football and handball.

• Weather. It’s freezing in winter and cold in summer.

• Currency. It’s the Danish Krone.

• Jobs. Inuit men are animal hunters and fishers. (Primary sector). Inuit women are housewives who cook and take care of children, and dressmakers, that is, they sew skins to make clothes.

•Monuments: Hans Egede’s statue. Hans Egede was a lutheran missionary who founded the city of Nuuk in 1.728.

Geography. The Watkins range is Greenland's highest mountain range, with massive ice-covered peaks and exposed cliffs. The highest mountain is Gunnbjørn Fjeld (3.694m); Others: Dome (Qaqqaq Kershaw) (3.682m); Cone (3.669m). There are lots of glaciers like the Elephant Foot.We can also find the Birthday Canyon and the Blue River.

• Famous people:

Knud RasmussenExplorer Anders Hove

Film actor• Religion. They believe in spiritual forces and several gods like Sedna (goddess that controls the sea mammals and human reproduction) or Sila (goddess who is the spirit of the wind and controls the time of hunting). Greenlanders are mainly Evangelical Lutheran.

Erik the RedExplorer

He was exiled from Iceland and, after crossing

the Atlantic Ocean, he found a land that he called

Greenland.

Means of Transport. They usually go by sleigh (on snow) and kayak (on water) or on foot (snowshoes) .

• Greenlander Music. The Greenland National Anthem is called “Nunarput utoqqarsuanngoravit” (Our old country). The music style of Greenland is Rock-Country.

• Curiosities.• Greenland is the biggest island in the world.• Inuits came from Asia. They look like mongolian and they are

short.• They put caribou skin on the floor inside the igloo

to be warmer.• It’s hot in the igloo since they burn seal and whale

oil in lamps to heat up and light up the house and cook.• Kayak means “clothes to walk on the water” or

“boatman”.• They are very generous and helpful.• They made maps carving wood figures showing

the coasts of Greenland.• They build tunnels to go out of the igloo since they

close the door to keep the house warm. They leave their clothes in the tunnels.