Inughuit

Inughuit

The Inughuit speak Inuktun, also known as North Greenlandic, Thule Inuit, or Polar Eskimo. They are believed to be descended from the Thule people who spread across the North American Arctic around the eleventh century. They used and traded iron from meteorites such as the Cape York meteorite.

About Inughuit in brief

Summary InughuitThe Inughuit speak Inuktun, also known as North Greenlandic, Thule Inuit, or Polar Eskimo. Before 1880, their population was estimated to be between 100 and 200 people. In 1980, their estimated population was 700, and it rose to 800 in 2010. They are believed to be descended from the Thule people who spread across the North American Arctic around the eleventh century. They used and traded iron from meteorites such as the Cape York meteorite.

The earliest discovered Thule settlement is found in modern-day Uummannaq. They were first contacted by Europeans in 1818, when John Ross led an expedition into their territory. American and European explorers in the 19th and early-20th centuries had extensive contacts with the Inughuits. In the 1950s, the United States established Thule Air Base close to Uummennaq, forcing many Inughues to move over 116 kilometres north towards Qaanaaq.