Inuit in Pictures: 18 Free Photos of Sled Dogs, Hunters and Arctic Ice
Inuit life in the Arctic in 18 free photos: teams of sled dogs crossing the frozen sea, hunters on the ice, a settlement of coloured wooden houses under the snow, icebergs, and the low sun of the polar spring. Each set of photos has a short note.
The Arctic at a glance
- Who: the Inuit live across the Arctic, from Alaska and northern Canada to Greenland, with related peoples in Chukotka; Inuktitut, Kalaallisut and other Inuit languages are spoken.
- Visiting: Greenland has flights from Copenhagen and Reykjavik; in Canada, Iqaluit in Nunavut is reached from Ottawa and Montreal. Book dog sled trips with local operators.
- When: March to May for sledging on the sea ice and long days of light; June to August for boats among the icebergs.
How to download: click a photo to see it large, then use Download. The originals are about 1200 × 800 pixels: right for blog posts, slides, social media, school projects and video call backgrounds.
Sled dogs and sledges
Dog sleds have carried Inuit hunters across the sea ice for centuries; in many places snowmobiles have taken over, but in northern Greenland and parts of Canada dog teams are still used. The dogs are working animals, strong, hardy and often half wild; never approach a team without the owner.
Hunters on the ice
Hunting seals, and in some places walrus and whales, still feeds many Arctic families and supplies skins for clothing; it is regulated by quotas and is part of Inuit culture and rights.
Settlements
Arctic settlements are small towns of brightly painted wooden houses, with a church, a shop and a harbour, linked to the rest of the world only by plane, boat or, in winter, sledge.
Ice and icebergs
Glaciers calve icebergs into the fjords, the sea freezes for months, and the low sun turns the ice blue, pink and gold.
More about the Inuit
Inuit or eskimos was a general term for the population of the Arctic circle from Alaska to Greenland and Asia. Eskimos in Canada and Greenland now use the name Inuit (inuk = human being), and “Eskimo” (eaters of raw meat) is considered offensive. Sea mammals, fish and caribou are important for food and the economy. Since there was very little plant-based food at such a high latitude, Inuits relied on the animals of the Arctic for their food, and hunted them with simple low-tech weapons like lances, harpoons and bows and arrows.
Sea mammals such as seals, walruses and even whales were usually hunted in the winter in open water for their meat, skin and ivory tusks. Land animals like caribou, polar bear, musk oxen and arctic hares made up the summer diet, and some present day Inuit communities still follow this traditional hunting pattern. Igloos are used as a winter residence, in the summer tents of caribou skins provide shelter. The dogsleds are still used for the nomadic hunting life. Traditional weapons were crafted from ivory and bones.
The Inuit population in the United States is about 60,000 with another 33,000 in Canada. In these states Inuits live in settled communities. Instead of the dogsled they use the snowmobile and instead of traditional weapons, firearms.
The ancient history of Inuit in the Americas is largely unknown, but it is generally accepted that many groups migrated to the Americas from NE Asia over the past 5000 years. Inuits usually live in small communities with a person who is able to provide leadership and look after the wellbeing of the group.
In a traditional Inuit community duties were clearly divided between the genders: the men built homes and hunted for food, while women cared for the home and children. Inuit art has been popular since the middle of the 20th century, and prints and carved soapstone figures sell to tourists and galleries. The largest collection of Inuit art in the world is housed in the Winnipeg Art Gallery in Canada.
In trying to live their traditional life in the modern world, the Inuit peoples have encountered many problems. Global warming and the melting of the permafrost is forcing communities to move inland and abandon traditional hunting. Earlier in history the arrival of Europeans damaged their way of life and brought infectious diseases and social problems like alcoholism, gambling and drug abuse. Traders, missionaries and the government all tried to alter the Inuit way of life. People became dependent first on Western food, clothes and consumer goods, then on Government welfare. The suicide rate among Inuits in Canada is four times as high as among the rest of the population, and infant mortality is similarly higher. Life expectancy of Inuit people is about 13 years less than for the population of Canada as a whole.
The Inuit people of Canada do have some independent power through the parliament of the Nunavut Territory. This government tries to preserve Inuit culture and traditions, and to mediate when traditional concepts run into the legal system of the nation of Canada. The Nunavut parliament’s main challenges are unemployment, social welfare, law and health education. Its objective is to maintain Inuit tradition and culture in the modern world.
You can find some eskimos pictures here:
More free photos
- Canada pictures
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- Free ice and frost pictures
Questions about these Inuit photos
Can I use these Inuit pictures for free?
Yes, for personal and commercial projects. All we ask is a link back to BigFoto.com; the box at the top of the page has a credit link you can copy.
Should I say Inuit or Eskimo?
Inuit, meaning “the people”, is the name used in Canada and Greenland, and the one most groups prefer; many find “Eskimo” offensive. In Alaska, Iñupiat and Yupik are used for the different peoples.
