Eskimo history
Eskimos derived from an ancient group of tribes from more than 5,000
years ago. Eskimos are believed to have evolved in the area now known as
tribes using archaic small tools. The common belief is that Eskimos
migrated to the continent from eastern Siberia by crossing the frozen
Bering Sea. This probably occurred around 6,000 years ago but some
speculate that Eskimos could have been here as far back as 10,000 years.
Many genealogists and historians believe that Eskimos are distantly
related to the Koreans, Mongols, and people of northern Asia.
 
Like other tribes from that time period, early Eskimos were
hunter-gatherers. They probably migrated to the North American continent
following herds of animals that they hunted as a food source. Eskimos
traditionally live in parts of Alaska, Canada, Greenland and Siberia.
Each of these climates is known for their cold and long winter
months. Eskimos live in all parts of Alaska and Greenland but in Canada,
they generally live in the northern provinces. They may have lived in
igloos or rounded ice houses.
The word igloo actually means just 'house' and doesn't have anything
to do with what it is made out of. At one time Eskimos probably did live
in ice houses in some areas to survive the winter.
But they also used to live in tents and huts made of animal
hide.Today, Eskimos live just like everyone else. They have houses made
of modern construction materials and use a variety of methods to keep
warm, depending on where they live.
Different Eskimo groups
There are two main groups of Eskimos: the Inuits and the Yupiks. The
Inuits live mainly in northern Alaska, Canada, and Greenland. The Yupiks
live in Central and western Alaska as well as eastern Siberia.The term
Eskimo is not used everywhere. It is used to describe the Eskimo people
of Alaska and eastern Siberians. The term is accepted for both Yupiks
and Inupiats. Alaskans also use the term Native Alaskans to describe
themselves. This term covers all Eskimos or native tribes of the region.
However, in Greenland and Canada, the term Eskimo is socially impolite
or offensive and has been replaced with the term Inuit.
The word Eskimo fell out of favour from folklore and its derogatory
use back in the 1970s. The Canadian Government officially replaced the
use of Eskimo with Inuit. However, in Greenland, most Inuits refer to
themselves as Greenlanders.
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