Description

Trees cannot grow in the frozen northern lands, so Eskimos have very little wood.They carefully collect driftwood washed in by the rivers and the sea. The Alaskan Eskimos use the driftwood to make masks,which are worn for dancing ceremonies.The Eskimos believe that every animal has a spirit. In Bear Mask,bear’s spirit looks out from the circle on its back. On Walrus mask,the spirit of the walrus is shown between tusks on the forehead.These masks are painted, and they are decorated with feathers and fur.
Not far from the North Pole, on the frozen shores of the Arctic Ocean, live a hardy, cheerful people we call Eskimos. They call themselves Innuit, which means the people. Eskimo is an Indian word meaning the eaters of raw flesh.The Eskimos live in parts of Siberia, Alaska, Canada, and Greenland. Life is very hard in these cold, icy lands. The winters are long and dark, and for several months of the year the sun never shines.Every Eskimo man is a hunter. Animals provide him with everything he needs: food, clothing, and shelter. Almost all Eskimo art shows the hunter or the animals he hunts.