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Native Americans in the United States (also known as Indians, American Indians, Amerindians, Amerinds, or Indigenous, Aboriginal or Original peoples or Americans) are the indigenous peoples within the territory that is now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska down to their descendants in modern times. Aleut and Inuit peoples can be organized into four groupings at the time of European contact. Moving west to east these groups included, first, the peoples of the Aleutian Islands off Alaska, with the Atka Aleut occupying the western Aleutians and the Unalaska Aleut the eastern islands. Second were Alaskan Inuit peoples, including the North Alaska Inuit, West Alaska Inuit, South Alaska Inuit, and Saint Lawrence Island Inuit, with the Mackenzie Inuit of the Yukon and Yuit of Siberia sharing similar ways of life. Third were the Central Inuit, including the Netsilik Inuit, Iglulik Inuit, Copper Inuit, Caribou Inuit, Southampton Inuit, Baffinland Inuit, and Labrador Inuit. A fourth group beyond North America was the Greenland Inuit, including the Polar Inuit, West Greenland Inuit, and East Greenland Inuit. All these groups consisted of numerous bands with distinct identities.
Although Arctic peoples shared many ways of life, there were significant variations across the four main groups. In cultural terms, the Central Inuit practiced ways of life often considered typical for Arctic peoples. They lived in snow houses called igloos, traveled in lightweight skin boats called kayaks, and used sleds and dog teams. However, one Central Inuit group, the Caribou Inuit, were an inland people who hunted the animals for which they are named and fished freshwater lakes. Their way of life was similar to that of peoples of the Subarctic culture area. The Copper Inuit, another Central Inuit group, were unusual in that they used copper surface nuggets found in their territory to craft tools. The Inuit of southern Alaska had regular trade contacts with Athapaskan Subarctic peoples, among other Indians, and adopted some of their customs. The Aleut, because of their location on the Pacific Coast and frequent contact with coastal peoples to the south, exhibited some cultural traits similar to those found in the Northwest Coast culture area.Excerpts from Wikipedia and MSN Encarta |
