Clarification please...Eskimos or not!

Can anyone with knowledge of this topic please respond. I saw an episode on Oprah today where an Eskimo mom was describing her lifestyle 30 miles north of the arctic circle (can%26#39;t recall the name of the community).

During my trip to Alaska this summer, I listened to an environmental lecture of an original Alaskan native from the Hoonah community in the southeast, who stated there was no such thing (person) as an Eskimo. He indicated that Eskimos are myths.

So...I departed Alaska with this realization. Until the television episode today. Are Eskimos real?

Clarification please...Eskimos or not!

Yes, there are Eskimos in Alaska . . . along with several other Native populations including several types of Indians, etc. Here is an article I just found that might help you with the different native populations of Alaska:

http://www.knowalaska.com/cultural/title.htm

Clarification please...Eskimos or not!

Thank you Coal. Once again you%26#39;ve come to my assistance. That is a wonderful website. it%26#39;s amazing what one is able to view on the Net nowadays)

I must have misunderstood the lecturer, who happens to be from the Tlinget tribe. I guess the mythical Eskimo that we grew up believing in (living in igloos, eating blubber) is what he was referring to.

If I had visited the Native American Heritge Center while in Anchorage (I intended to, but ran out of time), I would have learned more.

Hi aquablue! No problem - lots of myths still exist here . . . the land of ice and snow, year round! You know that%26#39;s not true, but you would be amazed how many people believe that. Now the Eskimos never lived in igloos - I guess Hollywood had to show them how for one of the first films about Alaska. BUT they do still eat blubber, as they are allowed so many whales per year, so that tradition lives on. Every summer, they also have a huge event called the Eskimo- Indian Olympics . . . . all traditional events. Many people enjoy attending that as well. So, when you coming back?? :)

Funny you should ask when will I be back. A couple of months ago, I actually purchased airline tickets to Anchorage for June 2007 at a very reasonable price. I was going to rent a car, and see the sights off of the beaten path this time. However, my daughter was not interested in returning so soon, and I could not find anyone to travel with. As you had mentioned, people still have myths of Alaska as a land of snow and ice...and I cannot convince them otherwise.

(I guess my pictures of the glaciers don%26#39;t help). We both know that Alaska is expensive for traveling alone. So, with much hesitation, I traded the tickets in for a trip to Spain with a friend who wanted to travel to Europe.

But look for me on the Hawaii forum in 2008 Coalminer. I will be soliciting some more of your wonderful advice (still debating between Maui and Kuaui however : - )

Good morning, aquablue! Ah . . . if you love Alaska, you will probably prefer Kauai . . . it%26#39;s my favorite. I like Maui, but I love Kauai . . . beyond gorgeous! Have fun traveling to Spain - that sounds wonderful as well. :)

I agree about Kauai. It is a fabulous place! My wife and I went to both Maui and Kauai for our honeymoon, and we actually liked Kauai better. We have never seen a place that was so filled with natural wonders: majestic cliffs on the Napali Coast, the Waimea Canyon (which in my opinion is prettier than the Grand Canyon), not to mention picture perfect beaches.

Sorry, I know this is an Alaska forum, but I thought I should weigh in on the best place I%26#39;ve ever been (so far). I haven%26#39;t been to Alaska yet...we%26#39;re in the process of booking a trip in June!

Bo,

For what it%26#39;s worth, if you love natural wonders, you will absolutely fall in love with Alaska. Thanks for the tip on Kauai : - )

Hi Blue -

I haven%26#39;t looked at the article, but I imagine they identified the Inupiat and Yupik Eskimos, and perhaps added some smaller groups if they really got into detail. Now the politically correct thing in the US (lower 48) seems to be to use the Canadian word ';Inuit'; in place of Eskimo. We haven%26#39;t gotten that far yet and most Eskimo refer to themselves as Eskimo; and some by group affiliation. Inuit and Eskimo are cousins or one general people. The difference was created when the political boundaries were drawn between Canada, the US, and Russia.

Now Igloo simply means house, so we all live in igloos. Alaska Eskimo had interesting winter igloos built out of walrus hide with whale rib framing. I hope they have one erected at the Heritage Center soon, which is one major item that is missing. In the summer the Eskimo traveled and lived in portable tents. Eventually the White man brought the concept of the ';snow Igloo'; (not ice igloo) to Alaska. It makes a great shelter as well.

Now you could have misunderstood simply on a small nuance the Indian used. Indians and Eskimo used to war with one another, so they are not always friendly together. Today that rarely shows anywhere.

Now on someone handing you a tall tale, that is also possible. Once or twice when I was telling a tourist an unusual but true story and they would react with mmmm.... crude disbelief to the true story. So on the spur of the moment I concocted some fairy tale that they bought hook, line and sinker, and went away happy. Now I haven鈥檛 done that for years and am not doing it now!

%26#39;71

Thank you for the additional details ';71. I know for sure that the lecturer stated that Eskimos did not exist. This was on a cruise ship, and we were headed for Icy Straight Point, a new ship port operated by the Tlinget tribe. He most likely wanted us to forget Eskimos and spend money in his community: - ) He sure had me!