Iñupiat
This article possibly contains original research. (July 2022) |
Inupiaq[1] | |
Religion | |
---|---|
Christianity, Animism | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Inuit, Yupik |
Iñu- / nuna "person" / "land" | |
---|---|
Person | Iñupiaq Dual: Iñupiak |
People | Iñupiat |
Language | Iñupiatun Urraaraq |
Country | Iñupiat Nunaat |
The Iñupiat (or Iñupiaq
Name
Iñupiat (IPA:
Groups
Ethnic groups
The Iñupiat are made up of the following communities
- Bering Strait Inupiat (Sivunmiut)
- South Seward Peninsula Inupiat (Qawiaraq Inupiat)
- Nunamiut[11]
- Northwest Arctic Iñupiat (Malimiut)
- North Alaska Coast Inupiat (Taġiuġmiut, people of the sea, or Siḷaliñiġmiut)
Regional corporations
This section may be unbalanced towards certain viewpoints. (June 2019) |
In 1971, the
Tribal Governments
Prior to colonization, the Iñupiat exercised sovereignty based on complex social structures and order. Despite the transfer of land from Russia to the U.S. and eventual annexation of Alaska, Iñupiat sovereignty continues to be articulated in various ways. A limited form of this sovereignty has been recognized by Federal Indian Law, which outlines the relationship between the federal government and American Indians. The Federal Indian Law recognized Tribal governments as having limited self-determination. In 1993, the federal government extended federal recognition to Alaskan Natives tribes.[13] Tribal governments created avenues for tribes to contract with the federal government to manage programs that directly benefit Native peoples.[13] Throughout Iñupiat lands, there are various regional and village tribal governments. The tribal governments vary in structure and services provided, but often are related to the social wellbeing of the communities. Services included but are not limited to education, housing, tribal services, and supporting healthy families and cultural connection to place and community.
The following Alaska Native tribal entities for the Iñupiat are recognized by the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs:
Community | Native tribal entities | Native Village Corporation | Native Regional Corporation |
---|---|---|---|
Alatna (Alaasuq) | Alatna Village | None | Doyon, Limited |
Ambler (Ivisaappaat) | Native Village of Ambler | None | NANA Corporation |
Anaktuvuk Pass (Anaqtuuvak/Naqsraq) | Village of Anaktuvuk Pass | Nunamiut Corporation | Arctic Slope Regional Corporation |
Atqasuk (Atqasuk) | Atqasuk Village | Atqasuk Corporation | Arctic Slope Regional Corporation |
Utqiaġvik |
Native Village of Barrow Inupiat Traditional Government | Ukpeagvik Corporation | Arctic Slope Regional Corporation |
Buckland (Nunatchiaq/Kaŋiq) | Native Village of Buckland | None | NANA Corporation |
Brevig Mission (Sitaisaq/Sinauraq) | Native Village of Brevig Mission | None | Bering Straits Native Corporation |
Council (Akauchak/Kaułiq) | Native Village of Council | None | Bering Straits Native Corporation |
Deering (Ipnatchiaq) | Native Village of Deering | None | NANA Corporation |
Diomede (Iŋaliq) | Native Village of Diomede | None | Bering Straits Native Corporation |
Kaktovik (Qaaktuġvik) | Kaktovik Village | Kaktovik Inupiat Corporation | Arctic Slope Regional Corporation |
Kiana (Katyaaq) | Native Village of Kiana | None | NANA Corporation |
King Island ( Ugiuvak) |
King Island Native Community | King Island Native Corporation | Bering Straits Regional Corporation |
Kivalina (Kivalliñiq) | Native Village of Kivalina | None | NANA Corporation |
Kotzebue (Qikiqtaġruk) | Native Village of Kotzebue | Kikiktagruk Corporation | NANA Corporation |
Kobuk (Laugviik) | Native Village of Kobuk | None | NANA Corporation |
Koyuk (Kuuyuk) | Native Village of Koyuk | None | Bering Straits Native Corporation |
Mary's Igloo (Qawiaraq/Iglu) | Native Village of Mary's Igloo | None | Bering Straits Native Corporation |
Nuiqsut (Nuiqsat) | Native Village of Nuiqsut | Kuukpik | Arctic Slope Native Corporation |
Noatak (Nuataaq) | Native Village of Noatak | None | NANA Corporation |
Noorvik (Nuurvik) | Noorvik Native Community | None | NANA Corporation |
Point Hope (Tikiġaq) | Native Village of Point Hope | Tikiġaq Corporation | Arctic Slope Regional Corporation |
Point Lay (Kali) | Native Village of Point Lay | Cully Corporation | Arctic Slope Regional Corporation |
Selawik (Akuliġaq/Siiḷivik) | Native Village of Selawik | None | NANA Corporation |
Shaktoolik (Saqtuliq) | Native Village of Shaktoolik | None | Bering Straits Native Corporation |
Shishmaref (Qigiqtaq) | Native Village of Shishmaref | Shismaref Native Corporation | Bering Straits Native Corporation |
Shungnak (Isiŋnaq) | Native Village of Shungnak | None | NANA Corporation |
Solomon (Aaŋuutaq) | Village of Solomon | None | Bering Straits Native Corporation |
Teller (Tala/Iġaluŋniaġvik) | Native Village of Teller | Teller Native Corporation | Bering Straits Native Corporation |
Unalakleet (Uŋalaqłiq) | Native Village of Unalakleet | Unalakleet Native Corporation | Bering Straits Regional Corporation |
Wainwright (Ulġuniq) | Village of Wainwright | Olgoonik Corporation | Arctic Slope Regional Corporation |
Wales (Kiŋigin) | Native Village of Wales | None | Bering Straits Regional Corporation |
White Mountain (Nachizrvik) | Native Village of White Mountain | None | Bering Straits Native Corporation |
Golovin (Siŋik/Chiŋik) | Chinik Eskimo Community | None | Bering Straits Native Corporation |
Nome (Sitnasuaq) | Nome Eskimo Community | Sitnasuak Corporation | Bering Straits Native Corporation |
Elim (Nivviaqhchauġluq) | Native Village of Elim | None | Bering Straits Native Corporation |
Languages
Revitalization efforts have focused on Alaskan Native languages and ways of life. Located in
Since 2017, a grassroots group of Iñupiaq language learners have organized Iḷisaqativut, a two-week Iñupiaq language intensive that is held throughout communities in the Iñupiat region.
Kawerak, a nonprofit organization from the Bering Strait region, has created a language glossary that features terms from Iñupiaq, as well as terms from English, Yup'ik, and St. Lawrence Island Yupik.[21]
Several Iñupiat developed pictographic writing systems in the early twentieth century. It is known as Alaskan Picture Writing.[7]
History
Along with other
Iñupiaq groups, in common with
By 1950, most Nunamiut groups, such as the Killikmiut, had coalesced in Anaktuvuk Pass, a village in north-central Alaska. Some of the Nunamiut remained nomadic until the 1950s.
The
Subsistence
Iñupiat are
The inland Iñupiat also hunt
The capture of a whale benefits each member of an Iñupiat community, as the animal is butchered and its meat and blubber are allocated according to a traditional formula. Even city-dwelling relatives, thousands of miles away, are entitled to a share of each whale killed by the hunters of their ancestral village. Maktak, which is the skin and blubber of bowhead and other whales, is rich in vitamins A and C.[24][25] The vitamin C content of meats is destroyed by cooking, so consumption of raw meats and these vitamin-rich foods contributes to good health in a population with limited access to fruits and vegetables.
A major value within subsistence hunting is the utilization of the whole catch or animal. This is demonstrated in the utilization of the hides to turn into clothing, as seen with seal skin, moose and caribou hides, polar bear hides. Fur from rabbits, beaver, marten, otter, and squirrels are also utilized to adorn clothing for warmth. These hides and furs are used to make parkas, mukluks, hats, gloves, and slippers. Qiviut is also gathered as Muskox shed their underlayer of fur and it is spun into wool to make scarves, hats, and gloves. The use of the animal's hides and fur have kept Iñupiat warm throughout the harsh conditions of their homelands, as many of the materials provide natural waterproof or windproof qualities. Other animal parts that have been utilized are the walrus intestines that are made into dance drums and qayaq or umiaq, traditional skin boats.
The walrus tusks of
Since the 1970s,
The Iñupiat eat a variety of berries and when mixed with tallow, make a traditional dessert. They also mix the berries with
Culture
Traditionally, some Iñupiat lived in sedentary communities, while others were nomadic. Some villages in the area have been occupied by indigenous groups for more than 10,000 years.
The Nalukataq is a spring whaling festival among Iñupiat. The festival celebrates traditional whale hunting and honors the whale's spirit as it gave its physical body to feed entire villages. The whale's spirit is honored by dance groups from across the North performing songs and dances.
The Iñupiat Ilitqusiat is a list of values that define Iñupiat people. It was created by elders in Kotzebue, Alaska,[29] yet the values resonate with and have been articulated similarly by other Iñupiat communities.[30][31] These values include: respect for elders, hard work, hunter's success, family roles, humor, respect for nature, knowledge of family tree, respect for others, sharing, love for children, cooperation, avoid conflict, responsibility to tribe, humility, and spirituality.[29]
These values serve as guideposts of how Iñupiat are to live their lives. They inform and can be derived from Iñupiaq subsistence practices.
There is one Iñupiaq culture-oriented institute of higher education, Iḷisaġvik College, located in Utqiaġvik.
Current issues
Iñupiat have grown more concerned in recent years that climate change is threatening their traditional lifestyle. The warming trend in the Arctic affects their lifestyle in numerous ways, for example: thinning sea ice[32] makes it more difficult to harvest bowhead whales, seals, walrus, and other traditional foods as it changes the migration patterns of marine mammals that rely on iceflows and the thinning sea ice can result in people falling through the ice; warmer winters make travel more dangerous and less predictable as more storms form; later-forming sea ice contributes to increased flooding and erosion along the coast as there is an increase in fall storms, directly imperiling many coastal villages.[33] The Inuit Circumpolar Council, a group representing indigenous peoples of the Arctic, has made the case that climate change represents a threat to their human rights.[34]
As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the Iñupiat population in the United States numbered more than 19,000.[citation needed] Most of them live in Alaska.
Iñupiat Nunaat (Iñupiat territories)
The
The
The
Notable Iñupiat
- Eddie Ahyakak (born 1977), Iñupiaq marathon runner and expert mountaineer on Season Two on Ultimate Survival Alaska[35][36]
- John Baker (musher), dog musher, pilot and motivational speaker
- Irene Bedard (born 1967), actress
- Ada Blackjack (née Delutuk; 1898–1983), lived for two years as a castaway on uninhabited Wrangel Island north of Siberia
- Ticasuk Brown (1904–1982), educator, poet and writer
- Callan Chythlook-Sifsof (born 1989), Olympic snowboarder
- Alice Qannik Glenn (born 1989), podcaster and producer[37]
- Agnes Hailstone, profiled in the National Geographic documentary television series Life Below Zero
- William L. Iggiagruk Hensley (born 1941) advocate for Alaska Native rights and U.S. politician; author
- Eben Hopson, politician and founder of the Inuit Circumpolar Council
- Joan Kane, poet
- Sonya Kelliher-Combs (born 1969), mixed media artist of Iñupiaq, Athabascan, German and Irish heritage
- Andrew Okpeaha MacLean, writer, director and filmmaker, known for On the Ice[38][39]
- Edna Ahgeak MacLean (born 1944), Iñupiaq linguist, anthropologist and educator
- Eileen MacLean (1949–1996), Alaska state legislator and educator
- Ray Mala (1906–1952), actor
- Sadie Neakok, first female magistrate in Alaska
- dg nanouk okpik, poet[40]
- Josiah Patkotak, politician, member of the Alaska House of Representatives
- Katherine Paul (born 1989), singer-songwriter of Iñupiaq and Swinomish heritage
- Ryan Redington, dog musher, 2023 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Champion, ambassador of Alaska Native values and traditions
- Shirley Reilly, Team USA athlete, 4-time medalist in the Paralympic Games
- Howard Rock (1911–1976), advocate for Alaska Native land claims, writer, and founder of the Tundra Times[41]
- Ronald Senungetuk (1933–2020), sculptor, silversmith, educator
- Tara Sweeney, 13th Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs
- Kenneth Utuayuk Toovak (1923–2009) ice scientist, Iñupiat spiritualist and scientist
- Ariel Tweto (born 1987), TV personality, producer and actress, known for her roles on Flying Wild Alaska and Native Shorts, a talk show supported by the Sundance Institute and FNX | First Nations Experience[42][43]
See also
- Baleen basketry
- Eskimo yo-yo
- Kivgiq, Messenger Feast
- Maniilaq
- Never Alone – a video game featuring Iñupiaq folklore
- Qargi, men's community house
References
- ^ "Inuit-Inupiaq." Ethnologue. Retrieved 4 Dec 2013.
- ^ "Inupiaq [Inupiat] – Alaska Native Cultural Profile". nnlm.gov. Archived from the original on 2017-08-29. Retrieved 2015-09-14.
- ^ "Alaska Native Tribes – tribal territories map and Info links". www.kstrom.net.
- ^ "IC_Lateral2". Lateral. 2018.
- ^ "Alaska Natives Peoples Native Indians Eskimos". alaskatrekker.com.
- ^ "Inupiaq – Festival of Native Arts". fna.community.uaf.edu.
- ^ a b c "Inupiaq (Inupiat)—Alaska Native Cultural Profile." www.nnlm.nlm.nih.gov Archived 2014-08-21 at the Wayback Machine National Network of Libraries of Medicine. Retrieved 4 Dec 2013.
- ^ William A. Oquilluk. "PEOPLE OF KAUWERAK – Legends of the Northern Eskimo".
- ^ Frederick A. Milan (1959), The acculturation of the contemporary Eskimo of Wainwright Alaska via books.google.com
- ^ Johnson Reprint (1962), Prehistoric cultural relations between the Arctic and Temperate zones of North America via books.google.com
- ^ a b c "Inupiat." Alaska Native Arts. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
- ^ S2CID 144605636.
- ^ )
- ^ )
- ^ "Nikaitchuat Ilisagviat : Programs : Native Village of Kotzebue / Kotzebue IRA". www.kotzebueira.org. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
- ^ Edmison, Nicole (20 May 2021). "Kotzebue elementary school works to better incorporate Iñupiaq culture in classrooms". KTOO Public Media. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
- ^ Phillips, JoJo (22 May 2020). "First Iñupiaq Language Class Coming to Nome Public Schools Starting This Fall". Knom Radio Mission. Knom Radio Mission, Inc. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
- ^ "Alaska Native Studies (AKNS) < University of Alaska Anchorage". catalog.uaa.alaska.edu. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
- ^ "Program". Iḷisaqativut. Archived from the original on 2019-10-22. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
- ^ "Media". Iḷisaqativut. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
- ^ Davis, Kyle (8 October 2021). "Native nonprofit publishes language glossary in English, Inupiaq, Yup'ik". Alaska Public Media. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
- ISBN 0295956259.[page needed]
- ^ The Iditarod National Historic Trail/ Seward to Nome Route: A Comprehensive Management Plan, March 1986. Prepared by Bureau of Land Management, Anchorage District Office, Anchorage, Alaska.
- .
- ^ "Vitamin C in Inuit traditional food and women's diets". cat.inist.fr.
- ^ "Marine Mammal Management". Fish & Wildlife Services. Archived from the original on 2019-10-04. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
- ^ Mouawad, Jad (December 4, 2007). "In Alaska's Far North, Two Cultures Collide". New York Times.
- ^ Jones, Anore, 1983, Nauriat Niginaqtuat = Plants That We Eat, Kotzebue, Alaska. Maniilaq Association Traditional Nutrition Program, page 105
- ^ a b "Iñupiat Ilitqusiat". www.ankn.uaf.edu. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
- ^ "Mission & Values | Sitnasuak Native Corporation | Nome, Alaska". Sitnasuak Native Corporation. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
- ^ "Our Values / NWABSD Values". http. Archived from the original on December 21, 2017. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
- ^ "Alaska's Changing Environment". International Arctic Research Center. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
- ^ "Record Low Bering Sea Ice Causes 'Natural Disaster' for Alaskan Communities". EcoWatch. 2018-05-07. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
- ^ Canada, Inuit Circumpolar Council (10 December 2003). "Climate Change in the Arctic: Human Rights of Inuit Interconnected with the World. Inuit Circumpolar Council Canada". Retrieved 2019-10-22.
- ^ "Channel Homepage". National Geographic Channel. Archived from the original on 2018-07-02. Retrieved 2019-05-22.
- ^ "One dead in vehicle collision near North Pole", Alaska Dispatch News, July 29, 2014
- ^ "Alice Qannik Glenn". Pulitzer Center. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
- ^ "Andrew Okpeaha MacLean". IMDb. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
- ^ "Andrew Okpeaha MacLean". NYU. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
- ^ "d g nanouk opkik". Poetry Foundation. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
- ^ "Howard Rock". Tuzzy Consortium Library. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
- ^ "Ariel Tweto". IMDb. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
- ^ "Native Shorts". FNX. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
Further reading
- Heinrich, Albert Carl. A Summary of Kinship Forms and Terminologies Found Among the Inupiaq Speaking People of Alaska. 1950.
- Sprott, Julie E. Raising Young Children in an Alaskan Iñupiaq Village; The Family, Cultural, and Village Environment of Rearing. West, CT: Bergin & Garvey, 2002. ISBN 0-313-01347-0
- Chance, Norman A. The Eskimo of North Alaska. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1966. ISBN 0-03-057160-X
- Chance, Norman A. The Inupiat and Arctic Alaska: An Ethnology of Development. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1990. ISBN 0-03-032419-X
- Chance, N.A. and Yelena Andreeva. "Sustainability, Equity, and Natural Resource Development in Northwest Siberia and Arctic Alaska." Human Ecology. 1995, vol 23 (2) [June]