Inupiaq

After arriving in Alaska across the Bering Strait around 4,000 years ago, the ancestors of the Inupiaq moved east across the northern coast of Alaska and Canada all the way to Greenland (where they are called Inuit). During this period, some Inupiaq also moved inland from the Arctic coast along northern rivers. By the time of contact, all of Alaska north of the Brooks Range was Inupiaq territory.  

The Inupiaq inhabited perhaps the harshest environment in Alaska. Its mean temperature was the coldest year-round, and in winter, there were months of little or no light. The land was a treeless tundra, and resources were scarce. Despite this, the Inupiaq thrived and had an estimated population of 10,000 people. Many of the resources they needed for food, shelter, and tools were gathered from the Arctic Ocean.

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