Inuit Awareness

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Cultural Awareness of the Inuit Steven R. Oltmanns Lifespan Development and Nursing Practice Abstract Cultural awareness needs to be used when caring for the Inuit as a Nurse. The Inuit have social bonds and beliefs which are illustrated in their culture and diet. They have a diet consisting of mainly protein from land and sea. This diet along with living in freezing temperatures for thousands of years has shaped the Inuit into who they are today. Framework for the Cultural Assessment Communication The language of the Inuit varies depending on where they are from around the artic circle. The main language used or most widely spoken is that of Inuktitut. Before Europeans arrived, there was no written language. The pronunciation of Inuktitut…show more content…
The wife/mother took care of the kids, butchered or prepared the meat, cooked, and sewed all the clothing worn by the family. The male Inuit was the hunters and fisherman. These roles however are not absolute there are times when a male cannot hunt and so he would learn to sew or other tasks in order to still be useful to the group. In the same situation the female may need to hunt or is a good fisher then they would help the group in that way. The Inuit religion or beliefs are a form of nature worship. They believe that all humans and animals have souls and that these souls live on after death. Living in the arctic circle with the northern lights created beliefs of the mythological. One myth they believed was it was bad luck for a pregnant woman to walk backwards through a doorway. Storms and other bad forms of weather were thought to be caused by angry spirits. Shamans were responsible to protect the people from these…show more content…
Games were also played during long storms for a break of the monotony and to use up extra energy. Other recreations include art, ivory carving, music, and dancing. The women developed a method of singing called throat singing that mimicked the sounds of the north. Biological Variations The Inuit have biological variations due to their diet and also the cold climate of the arctic. Physical characteristics include lower average height and weight. The Inuit have lower levels of fasting insulin which helps during periods of starvation and also higher concentrations of heat regulating brown fat. Having more brown fat is a very beneficial variation this most definitely helps them survive in such cold environments. Environment The environment that the Inuit live is the frozen tundra of the arctic circle. They endure below freezing temperatures and severe snow storms. The winters are long and dark there is a period of months where the sun doesn’t rise. The Inuit mainly lived on the coast of the sea in stone dwellings insulated with moss. The iconic dwelling of the igloo was mainly used on hunting trips in the winter. While in the summer tents made from animal skins were used. Despite being made of snow the igloo was very

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