The early people who lived in central Canada in
olden times were very inventive. They created a weapon to kill birds
called a bola. A bola was a collection of ivory balls on a string. A
hunter hurled it at birds. If any of the ivory balls hit a bird, the
rest of the ball would quickly wrap around the bird and bring it down.
Other early people learned how to wait patiently
by a seal air hole in the ice. Sooner or later, a seal would surface
to breathe. They made nets. They dropped part of the nets into
air holes made by seals in the ice. They anchored the rest of net on
the surface with weights. They checked the nets. When the caught a
seal, they killed it quickly with harpoons. They used seals for
everything, for skins, food, and oil for the lamps they made.
Lamps were made with pottery bowls. They filled
the bowls with seal or whale oil. They used a bit of moss or a twist
of fur as a wick. These lamps were used to cook food and to give light
during the long winter nights.
They also made fire by striking two pieces of
iron pyrite together. They made iron hooks for their harpoons. And
they made cooking utensils.
Ice Houses: These
early people are credited with the invention of igloos. Their homes
were well constructed. They fit blocks tightly together. Then, using
lamps, they applied heat to the walls of their home, both inside and
out. The ice melted a little, and quickly refroze. This sealed the
blocks into one sheet of ice, and made their homes nearly air tight.
One oil lamp could heat a home. Homes had windows
made of clear sheets of ice. They had doors of ice that could be
opened and closed.
During construction, they built in an ice shelf
around the entire inside wall. They used the shelf to spread out
bedding and for a place to sit. The ice shelves stayed frozen because
one side of the shelf was part of the outside wall. The people stayed
warm while sleeping on the shelves because they were tucked inside fur
sleeping bags.
Clothing: They
made waterproof rain gear from the intestines of sea mammals. They
made ice-free mittens from polar bear fur. They used soft caribou skin
to make tailored pants and shirts and boots. They had hooded coats.
They put polar bear fur around the hood, again to keep ice away from
their face. Ice does not stick to polar bear fur.
Government: There
was no central government. These first people did not have chiefs.
Their central unit was the family. The most important person around
was the
shaman - the medicine man.
Ghosts: If
someone died inside an igloo, a hole was cut in the side of the home.
The body was removed though the hole. The hole was closed with blocks
of ice, which were quickly subjected to heat to melt them tight. This
was to block any chance that the ghost of the departed might return.
They could not take a body out a doorway. There was no way to forever
close a doorway to keep out ghosts. So, they used a hole in the wall
instead.
Burial Practices: They
could not bury their dead. There was no way to dig a hole in the
ground in the frozen north. Instead, they covered the body with
stones. Typically, they buried tools that person owned with the body,
so they could hunt for food and clothing in the next life.
Games/Festivals: These
early people were fun loving. They had comedians whose job was to make
people laugh. The comedians invented a dance that mocked their fierce
neighbors, the
Kutchin. The comedians would dress up in masks and feathers and
dance a jig. All the people knew they were mocking the Kutchin.
Everyone laughed.
Free
Presentations in PowerPoint format
Free
Clip Art
Return to the Far
North/Arctic Index
or to Native
Americans for Kids
|
