Meet the Native People of the Arctic

Activity: Students will discover the different cultures of people who live in the Arctic region.

1. For thousands of years, the Arctic has been home to many groups of people. Explore the sites below to learn about their customs, art, and dance.

2. Have students choose a group of Arctic people they'd like to learn more about, such as the Inuit, and use the Web site below for research. Encourage them to learn about the group's art, traditions, and lifestyle. What holidays do they celebrate? What kind of clothing do they wear? How do they get their food? And so on.

3. Invite students to use what they've learned about the native people in a creative writing exercise. They could:

   Write a journal entry from the point of view of an Eskimo girl or boy. Pretend to be an Alaskan Yupik or Inupiaq child and write a letter to a friend describing an exciting event, such as a celebration or a hunting trip.