The Inuit are a group of  indigenous people who live in remote areas stretching all the way from Siberia(Russia), across Alaska (USA), Canada and the western parts of Greenland (Denmark). A few thousand years ago, they were migrants from a group of people in the Bering Strait who gradually populated the high Arctic areas.

Theirs was a harsh life and yet they adapted and learned to thrive in that cold environment.

Map source

Shown here are some artisans whose work was inspired by the Inuit and their art and way of life. The stunning acrylic earrings shown at the top depicts caribou tracks or hoof prints. The Canadian artisan is Thelittleinuksuk. 

The Inuit are expert hunters and fishermen. The acrylic fish earrings below are also from Thelittleinuksuk. The Inuit traditionally fished for Arctic char with their nets, weirs or with spears and harpoons. In the winter, they fished through holes in the ice. This requires a lot of patience and precision accuracy with spears. They sourced what they needed from the animals they hunted. Harpoon heads were hand carved from walrus ivory. Nets were made from thin strips of leather or animal sinew. Their fishing lures were made from bone, antlers, claws and even jawbones of large fish.


The inuksuk (preferred spelling) or inukshuk is arguably one of the most recognized Inuit symbols. The inuksuk is a traditional landmark or stone cairn. In a land where there are few natural landmarks, these strategically placed piles of stones were used as navigational aids, marking locations of food cache, fishing or camp sites and so on. 

Shown below is the beautiful and tiny inuksuk sterling silver pendant by StickManAtelier in Montreal, Canada. It was created using the lost wax casting method. I have featured their fabulous work before here.


Jaymie, the Canadian artisan behind ThatsFreakinGorgeous makes lightweight inuksuk earrings from polymer clay. She has different colored "stones" besides this beautiful grey pair shown below. She has an amazing collection of clay jewelry which I wrote about before. 


A totally different take on the inuksuk is this colorful fused glass design by Susan of StudioOnTheBruce. 


The ulu is an all purpose knife used by the Inuit and other Northern indigenous women for skinning and cleaning animals, cutting food and so on. Shown here is the tiny polymer clay earrings version of the ulu by Ingira of  NorthStarHandmadeCA.



Inuit Greeting Customs
In Canada, the preferred term of their people is Inuit. Eskimo is regarded as a derogatory term.  Those of us who have never ventured that far north often have misconceptions about the Inuit. For example they no longer live in igloos and haven't done so in at least a few generations. 

Here to explain Inuit greeting cutstoms is ShinaNovaYT who is an Inuk and a throat singer. 

One popular misconception is the "Eskimo kiss" usually depicted as the gentle rubbing of noses. Here is her explanation of how Inuit affection is really shown with the help of her mother :


Here's how the Inuit express yes, no or disagree with their facial expressions. 


Her mother is a superb craftswoman as you can see from this beautiful traditional silapaaq from seal skin and fox fur with coordinating beadwork. 


Before You Go:

jewelry making supplies

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This blog may contain affiliate links. I do receive a small fee for any products purchased through affiliate links. This goes towards the support of this blog and to provide resource information to readers. The opinions expressed are solely my own. They would be the same whether or not I receive any compensation. 
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Original Post by THE BEADING GEM