The Kinship System of the Inuit People

1034 Words5 Pages
The Kinship System of the Inuit People Terry W Wells ANT 101: Cultural Anthropology Prof. Tristan Marble January 28, 2013 The Kinship System of the Inuit People The kinship system utilized by the Inuit people is certainly a fascinating one. Their culture is one that relies heavily on hunting, with supplemental gathering in warmer months due to the harsh weather found in the Arctic. These are people who share resources when times are tough, and work together dependent of the conditions during hunting. Inuit people reuse game caught for not only food, but for waterproofing, warmth, lighting their homes, and in home fortification. Infanticide effects the tribes as well due to the extreme conditions they live in, and as such they are estimated to have as much as an 80 percent infanticide rate (Schire & Steiger 1974). Three attributes that greatly impact how these people live their lives are the teamwork mentality in which the neighboring groups pull together when times are tough, the physical strength in which individual member need to pull their own weight, and their spirituality of living a life as equals amongst nature, animals, and treating the natural world with kindness and care. During times of abundance, tribes will refrain from sharing the spoils of their hunt because the belief is that if game is that plentiful, the neighboring hunters should have been capable of bringing in enough game to sustain their respective people. Conversely, due to the sporadic nature of Arctic weather, tribes will help each other out when times are tough. This shows that they promote the ideals of independence and hard work, but make it known that they help each other out and take care of their own when it is needed. They don’t let each other become a burden or a drain on their individual communities, they all help each other flourish because of the loyalty of

More about The Kinship System of the Inuit People

Open Document