Iñupiat Eskimo
|
|
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 20,709 (2015) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| North and northwest Alaska (United States) | |
| Languages | |
|
North Alaskan Inupiatun, Northwest Alaskan Inupiatun, English |
|
| Religion | |
| Christianity, Animism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Inuit, Yupik |
The Iñupiat (or Inupiaq) are a native Alaskan people, whose traditional territory spans Norton Sound on the Bering Sea to the Canada–United States border. Their current communities include seven Alaskan villages in the North Slope Borough, affiliated with the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation; eleven villages in Northwest Arctic Borough; and sixteen villages affiliated with the Bering Straits Regional Corporation.
Iñupiat (IPA: [iɲupiɐt]), formerly Inyupik, is the plural form of the name for the people and the name of their language. The singular form is Iñupiaq (IPA: [iɲupiɑq]}, which also sometimes refers to the language. Iñupiak (IPA: [iɲupiɐk]) is the dual form. The roots are "person" and "real", i.e., an endonym meaning "real people".
The Iñupiat people are made up of the following communities,
To equitably manage natural resources, Iñupiat people belong to several of the Alaskan Native Regional Corporations. These are the following.
Inupiat now speak only two native languages: North Alaskan Inupiat and Northwest Alaskan Inupiat. Many more dialects of these languages flourished prior to contact with European cultures. English is spoken by the Iñupiat because in Native American boarding schools, Iñupiaq children were punished for speaking their own languages.
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Wikipedia