Page 34 - SST Class 05

bones and narrow black eyes. Living in groups, they lead a primitive life. Their clothes
are made from animal skins, which are common for all men, women and children.
They wear a hooded jacket called parka with a pair of double trousers and high boots.
They love to decorate their clothes with beads, fur and animal parts like toenails.

The winter season is the challenging time for the Eskimos.
They display their art of building igloos . An igloo is made
of blocks of ice cemented together with snow. Presently,
they also build their houses using stone, wood and animal
skin. They use whale-rib bones and grass to make the roof.
Such houses are known as sod houses . In summer, the

Eskimos live in skin tents, called tou pigs .
Fishing and hunting are the chief occupations of the An igloo
Eskimos. They are expert hunters who hunt whales, musk oxen, walruses and polar
bears. To hunt a seal, they dig a hole in the ice and wait nearby for a seal to come

around. A harpoon is their main hunting weapon. It is a spear with a rope attached to
it. Now, rifles have mostly replaced harpoons.

People speak Greenlandic and Danish; most people can
speak both languages. There is a tradition of singing and Know It!
art in Greenland. Some popular music bands are also v A person who can speak two
languages is called a bilingual.
working there. The popular sports there include football,
track and field, handball and skiing.

Occupations and Industries
Fishing is the main occupation of Greenlanders. Fish processing is a major source of

employment; almost every third Greenlander is employed in it. People catch fish for
export. This is canned, frozen or salted before export. The important varieties of fish
found here include cod, halibut, salmon, shrimp and wolf fish.

In summer months, people are also engaged in sheep-rearing and vegetation-farming.
Ship-building is another major industry of Greenland.
Greenland also has abundant minerals like iron, uranium, aluminium, nickel etc., so

mining is gradually expanding here.
Transport

The Eskimos use boat and sledge as means of transport. They make two types of boats.
Small boats, called kayaks , are made with the skin of sea animals. The bigger boats,
called umiaks , are used in fishing. A sledge is very popular which is pulled by a group
of reindeer or huskies. Now, motorised boats and sledges are being used commonly.

Greenland is also connected with cities of North America and Europe by air.

34 Contemporary Social Science-5