You are right, Eskimo does mean "raw meat eater". It is considered to be a racist term by many. Although Inuits were (and still are on many occasions) raw meat eaters, they are so because wood does not come in easy in the great arctic! Fire is not always an option, and yet, people still have to eat. And from what I have heard (this is hearsay, I must admit) there is something about eating the meat raw that prevents scurvy. Perhaps somebody could confirm this information?
Like wood, fruits are rather scarce around the arctic in the winter.
Interestingly, there are no Inuits in the Yukon. They are in the Northwest Territories and in Nunavut. We have many first nations in the Yukon, but none that "fit" the classification of Inuit.
Speaking of eating raw meat, I almost had my share this last Friday! Two moose jumped right in front of my car, which was going at 110 km/h (roughly 65mph). I just had time to swirve and ditch myself voluntarily! Had I not, it could have been my last meal! If you have ever seen a moose up close and personal, you'll know what I mean! Ahhh... the joys of the North!!!
Cheers!
Jean-Marc
Christopher D. Green wrote:
FRANTZ, SUE wrote:
I read a wonderful paper on this several years ago. Can I find it now? Nope. But I'll keep looking. It seems that it may have been a chapter in a book... In the meantime, try: http://www.urbanlegends.com/language/eskimo_words_for_snow_derby.html
The fact that they don't get the name of the language correct doesn't leave me with great confidence in their expertise. Jean-Marc would know better than I, but my understanding it that the *people* are called Inuit ("Eskimo" is a corruption of a French transiteration of a term from another aboriginal language meaning "eaters of raw meat"). The *language* is called Inutitut. It was a spoken language that was given a written form by a missionary (whose name I cannot track down at the moment) in the 19th century.
Regards,
-- Jean-Marc Perreault Yukon College Whitehorse, Yukon 867-668-8867
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