~Eskimos~ The word Eskimo is a general term used to refer to a number of groups inhabiting the coastline from the Bering Sea to Greenland and the Chukchi Peninsula in Northeastern Siberia. A number of distict groups, based on differences in patterns of resource exploitation, are commonly identified, including Siberian, St. Lawrence Island, Nunivak, Chugach. Nunamiut, North Alaskan, Mackenzie, Copper, Caribou. Netsilik, Baffinland, Labrador, Coastal Labrador, Polar, and East and West Greenland. Since the 1970s, Eskimo groups in Canada and and Greenland have adopted the name Inuit, although the term does not represent those of Alaska or Siberia. In spite of regional differences, Eskimo groups are surprisingly uniform in language, physical type, and culture, and as a group, are distinct in these traits from all neighbors. They all speak dialects of the same language - Eskimo, which is a major branch of the Eskimo - Aleut family of languages. They bloodlines are unknown, but what is for certain is that they were relatively recent migrants to the American from Northeast Asia, that spread from west to east over the course of 5,000 years. Traditionally, most groups relied on sea mammals for food, illumination, cooking oils, tools, and weapons. Fish and caribou were the next most important. The practice of eating raw meet, was disapproved by their Native American neighbors. To Eskimos, eating raw meet saved scarce fuel, and provided their limited diet with essential nutritional elements that cooking would destroy. Eskimos typically used various different types of houses. Tents of caribou or seal skins provided adequate summer dwellings, and in colder seasons shelter was constructed from sod, driftwood, or sometimes stone, placed over excavated floors. Among some Eskimo groups, the "snow hut" was used as a winter residence. More commonly, however, such structures were temporarily used as overnight shelters during journies. The dogsled was used as hauling heavy loads over long distances, made necessary by the Eskimos nomadic hunting life. Their snow canoe, typically now known as the kayak, was also used because it was very agile and easy to maneuver. The types of weapons they used were crafted from ivory, bone, copper, or stone. What they tried to represent was a spear or harpoon, so that hunting was made more easy and less difficult. Their clothing was sewn largely of caribou hide and included parkas, breeches, mittens, snow goggles, and boots. Finely crafted items such as needles, combs, awls, figurines, and decorative carvings on weapons were executed with the rotary bow drill.