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Netsilik Inuit


The Netsilik Inuit (Netsilingmiut) live predominantly in the communities of Kugaaruk and Gjoa Haven of the Kitikmeot Region, Nunavut and to a smaller extent in Taloyoak and the north Qikiqtaaluk Region. They were, in the early 20th century, among the last Northern indigenous people to encounter missionaries from the south.

The missionaries introduced a system of written language called Qaniujaaqpait, based on syllabics, to the Netsilik in the 1920s. Eastern Canadian Inuit, among them the Netsilik, were the only Inuit peoples to adopt a syllabic system of writing. The Netsilik's spoken language is Natsilingmiutut. The Utkuhiksalingmiut, a Caribou Inuit band, speak a variant of it.

The harsh arctic environment that the Netsilik inhabited yielded little plant life, so the Netsilik had to rely on hunting to acquire most of the resources they needed to survive. In the summer months, the Netsilik would hunt caribou on the tundra. The caribou provided food as well as the hides most commonly used for clothing, although bear skins were also used for clothing when caribou skin was unavailable. Caribou antlers were also extremely important, and the Netsilik made many implements from caribous antler, including the breathing hole probe that was integral for seal hunting. In the winter months the Netsilik would migrate out onto the sea ice where they would fish and hunt seal.The Netsilik people used fish as another subsistence strategy when seal and caribou were not available. The Netsilik fished for char using a two-pronged leister to impale fish through a hole in the ice. Any excess fish were stored in ice blocks and saved for a time when fishing and hunting were both unrewarding. Seals also provide the Netsilik with fat for their soapstone lamps, which both lit and heated the igloos. This made the Netsilik one of the few peoples to hunt for their heating fuel, rather than use wood.


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