People
The term “Eskimo” in Canada is considered offensive and is no longer used. Instead, the term “Inuit” came into common use in 1977 after the first Inuit Circumpolar Conference in Barrow, Alaska. At this conference the Inuit Circumpolar Council was created. In 1980, the Council created a charter that defined Inuit as, “indigenous members of the Inuit homeland recognized by Inuit as being members of their people and shall include the Inupiat, Yupik (Alaska), Inuit, Inuvialuit (Canada), Kalaallit (Greenland) and Yupik (Russia).”
Language
The languages spoken by the Inuit people include:
- Inupiaq: spoken by the northern Alaskan Inuit or Innupiat
- Kalaallisut: spoken by the Greenland Inuit or Katladlit
- Inuktitun: spoken by the Innuvialuit in the Northwest Territories
- Inuktitut: spoken in the western Arctic including Nunavut, Nunavik and Labrador