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Native Tribes and Languages of the Arctic

Arctic Culture Area

This is an index to the Native language and cultural information on our website pertaining to tribes of the Arctic or Polar culture area. Most indigenous people of this region are Inuit who do not consider themselves Indian. Some Yupik and Aleut people call themselves Indians, and others do not. Some Native people of the Arctic region use the Cree word "Eskimos" to refer to themselves; others consider that term derogatory and avoid it.

Tribes of the Arctic Culture Group

Aleut People

Alutiiq People

Inuit People

Yupik People

Recommended books about Native American tribes of the Arctic:

Comparative Eskimo Dictionary: Excellent language dictionary comparing several Inuit/Eskimo dialects, Yupik, and Aleut.

Language Contact in the Arctic: Linguistics book on the pidgins and contact languages of the Arctic (including Copper Island Aleut.)

Arctic Spirit: Illustrated book of prehistoric and contemporary Circumpolar art from Siberia to Greenland.

Critical Inuit Studies: An Anthology of Contemporary Arctic Ethnography: Anthropology collection about Native peoples of the Far North.

Eastern Arctic Kayaks: The history and design of traditional Native Arctic skin boats.

Living On The Land: Anthropology book about how traditional Inuit/Eskimo life has changed over the past century.

Stories from the Lives of Three Inuit Women: Fascinating book of Inuit oral history for sale.

Other resources about indigenous history, culture and society in the Arctic north:

The Arctic Culture Area: Indigenous history of the Arctic from the Paleo-Indian period to the present.
Arctic Circle: Online symposium on indigenous culture and issues of the Circumpolar North.
Arctic Cultures: Article on the indigenous Arctic peoples of Alaska, northern Canada, and Greenland.

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