Inuit Whale Hunters

Early Inuit were already accomplished whalers when they began moving into Arctic Canada about 1,000 years ago. Like Inuit today, early Inuit depended on a variety of animals for food, including seals, caribou, fish, walrus, and other sea mammals. In areas where whales were abundant, whale hunting provided considerable material prosperity. Whale hunting became the focus of a complex and sophisticated technology, and of spiritual ideas which are among the highest expressions of Inuit culture.