Eskimo

Eskimo
Total population
194,447[when?]
Regions with significant populations
Russia
- Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
- Sakha (Yakutia)

United States
- Alaska

Canada
- Newfoundland and Labrador
- Northwest Territories
- Nunavut
- Quebec
- Yukon (formerly)

Greenland
Languages
Eskaleut languages:
Aleut, Inuit (Greenlandic), and Yupik
Non-native European languages:
English, Danish, French, and Russian
Religion
Alaska Native religion, Inuit religion, Shamanism, Animism
Christianity (Russian Orthodox Church, Orthodox Church in America, Roman Catholicism, Anglican Church of Canada, Church of Denmark)
Related ethnic groups
Aleut

Eskimo (/ˈɛskɪm/) is an exonym that refers to two closely related Indigenous peoples: Inuit (including the Alaska Native Iñupiat, the Canadian Inuit, and the Greenlandic Inuit) and the Yupik (or Yuit) of eastern Siberia and Alaska. A related third group, the Aleut, who inhabit the Aleutian Islands, are generally excluded from the definition of Eskimo. The three groups share a relatively recent common ancestor, and speak related languages belonging to the family of Eskaleut languages.

These circumpolar peoples have traditionally inhabited the Arctic and subarctic regions from eastern Siberia (Russia) to Alaska (United States), Northern Canada, Nunavik, Nunatsiavut, and Greenland.

Some Inuit, Yupik, Aleut, and other individuals consider the term Eskimo, which is of a disputed etymology,[1] to be pejorative or even offensive.[2][3] Eskimo continues to be used within a historical, linguistic, archaeological, and cultural context. The governments in Canada[4][5][6] and the United States[7][8] have made moves to cease using the term Eskimo in official documents, but it has not been eliminated, as the word is in some places written into tribal, and therefore national, legal terminology.[9] Canada officially uses the term Inuit to describe the indigenous Canadian people who are living in the country's northern sectors and are not First Nations or Métis.[4][5][10][11] The United States government legally uses Alaska Native[8] for enrolled tribal members of the Yupik, Inuit, and Aleut, and also for non-Eskimos including the Tlingit, the Haida, the Eyak, and the Tsimshian, in addition to at least nine northern Athabaskan/Dene peoples.[12] Other non-enrolled individuals also claim Eskimo/Aleut descent, making it the world's "most widespread aboriginal group".[13][14][15]

There are between 171,000 and 187,000 Inuit and Yupik, the majority of whom live in or near their traditional circumpolar homeland. Of these, 53,785 (2010) live in the United States, 70,545 (2021) in Canada, 51,730 (2021) in Greenland and 1,657 (2021) in Russia. In addition, 16,730 people living in Denmark were born in Greenland.[16][17][18][19][20] The Inuit Circumpolar Council, a non-governmental organization (NGO), claims to represent 180,000 people.[21]

In the Eskaleut language family, the Eskimo branch has an Inuit language sub-branch, and a sub-branch of four Yupik languages. Two Yupik languages are used in the Russian Far East as well as on St. Lawrence Island, and two in western Alaska, southwestern Alaska, and western Southcentral Alaska. The extinct Sirenik language is sometimes claimed to be related.

  1. ^ Houghton Mifflin Company (2005). Houghton Mifflin Company (ed.). The American Heritage Guide to Contemporary Usage and Style. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. pp. 170–. ISBN 978-0-618-60499-9. OCLC 496983776 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ Patrick, D. (2013). Language, Politics, and Social Interaction in an Inuit Community. Language, Power and Social Process. De Gruyter. p. 2. ISBN 978-3-11-089770-8. Retrieved November 5, 2021 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Dorais2010 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b "Words First An Evolving Terminology Relating to Aboriginal Peoples in Canada Communications Branch Indian and Northern Affairs Canada October 2002" (PDF). June 8, 2020. The term "Eskimo", applied to Inuit by European explorers, is no longer used in Canada.
  5. ^ a b "Inuit". Library and Archives Canada. 15 October 2013.
  6. ^ MacDonald-Dupuis, Natasha (December 16, 2015). "The Little-Known History of How the Canadian Government Made Inuit Wear 'Eskimo Tags'".
  7. ^ "Obama signs measure to get rid of the word 'Eskimo' in federal laws". Anchorage Daily News. May 24, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  8. ^ a b Meng, Grace (May 20, 2016). "H.R.4238 – 114th Congress (2015–2016): To amend the Department of Energy Organization Act and the Local Public Works Capital Development and Investment Act of 1976 to modernize terms relating to minorities". congress.gov. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  9. ^ "Indian Entities Recognized by and Eligible To Receive Services From the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs". Federal Register. 85 (20): 5462–5467. 30 January 2020.
  10. ^ "Aboriginal rights and freedoms not affected by Charter". Constitution Act, 1982. Department of Justice (Canada). June 30, 2021. [T]his Charter of certain rights and freedoms shall not be construed so as to abrogate or derogate from any aboriginal, treaty or other rights or freedoms that pertain to the aboriginal peoples of Canada.
  11. ^ "Rights of the Aboriginal Peoples of Canada". Constitution Act, 1982. Department of Justice (Canada). June 30, 2021. In this Act, aboriginal peoples of Canada includes the Indian, Inuit and Métis peoples of Canada.
  12. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs.
  13. ^ "Race Relations In The USA and Diversity News". www.usaonrace.com.
  14. ^ "Ancient DNA Sheds New Light on Arctic's Earliest People". Culture. August 28, 2014. Archived from the original on March 9, 2021.
  15. ^ "Eskimos". FactMonster.
  16. ^ "Indigenous peoples – 2021 Census promotional material". Statistics Canada. Statistics Canada. September 21, 2022. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  17. ^ "Greenland". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  18. ^ "The American Indian and Alaska Native Population: 2010" (PDF).
  19. ^ "Всероссийская перепись населения 2020 года" (in Russian). Archived from the original on January 24, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  20. ^ People born in Greenland and living in Denmark 1. January by time Statistics Denmark
  21. ^ "Inuit Circumpolar Council – United Voice of the Arctic".