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Inuit
 The northernmost indigenous inhabitants of Alaska, Canada, Greenland, and Russia are the Inuit, a word which means "the people" in their language. The Inuit homeland, Nunavut, became Canada's newest territory in 1999. Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, but the Inuit there are also moving toward greater autonomy.
The Inuit were the most recent migration of people from the Old World to the New World across the gap between Siberia and Alaska. The earliest Asiatic hunters followed their prey between 40,000 and 25,000 years ago across the Bering land bridge that existed during the Ice Age. Later immigrants had to use boats to cross the Bering Strait. Some areas of Nunavut were sporadically populated by Indian groups as early as 8,000 years ago, but continuous settlement was accomplished by two groups, the Paleoeskimo Dorset culture from 4,000 to 700 years ago and the Neoeskimo Thule culture beginning about 1,000 years ago. (Note: nowadays, it's not considered polite to refer to Inuit people as "eskimo," a word from the Cree Indian language which means "eaters of raw meat.")
 Prehistoric Inuit developed a way of life well-suited to their Arctic environment, based on fishing; hunting seals, whales, and walruses in the ocean; and hunting caribou, polar bears, and other game on land. They lived in tents or traveled in skin-covered boats called kayaks and umiaks in summer, and stayed in houses made of sod over winter, building igloos when traveling by dogsled on hunting trips. Their culture was largely based on nature and the land, passed on through storytelling, dancing, drumming, and other rituals. Sharing was an important characteristic, and intergroup warfare was rare.
 Contact with the outside world has drastically changed Inuit life. Most people now live in wood houses and wear modern clothing instead of garments fashioned from animal skins. Snowmobiles and outboards have replaced traditional vehicles, and the population is concentrated in larger settlements near trading posts. Still, the Inuit are trying to preserve their language and identity in a changing world. Their visual arts and sculpture are widely admired, and their growing political status is a hopeful sign for the future of "the people."
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