Life for the Inuit, the Indigenous peoples of Canada’s frosty Arctic, has never been a walk in the park. In fact, the 10 tragedies destroyed that have ripped apart their traditional way of life read like a tragic novel, each chapter more heartbreaking than the last.
How 10 Tragedies Destroyed the Inuit Way of Life
10 First Contact With Europeans Ended In A Kidnapping
When English explorer Martin Frobisher first set eyes on the Inuit, the encounter quickly turned sour. After a brief exchange, Frobisher seized three Inuit—a man, his wife, and their infant—dragging them aboard his vessel and ferrying them across the Atlantic to England.
Once in England, the captives were paraded as curiosities, forced to demonstrate their remarkable kayak‑building skills and hunting prowess for an eager, bewildered audience.
The Europeans held a starkly dismissive view of their captives, labeling them “savage people who fed only upon raw flesh.” Their written accounts abruptly note that the trio “died here within a month.”
Unaccustomed to European illnesses, the Inuit man fell gravely ill and passed away shortly after arrival. His wife succumbed a week later, and the infant followed soon after. Their brief burial record reads, “Burials in Anno 1577: Collichang, a heathen man, buried the 8th of November; Egnock, a heathen woman, buried the 13th of November.”
9 They Were Put In Human Zoos
By the nineteenth century, European curiosity had morphed into a grotesque spectacle: “human zoos.” Johan Adrian Jacobsen lured eight Inuit to Europe, where they began performing on October 15, 1880.
The troupe’s fate was grim. The youngest, a boy named Nuggasak, fell ill and died within two months of arrival.
Thirteen days later, Nuggasak’s mother also passed away. Jacobsen recorded the husband’s sorrow, noting his request to stay with his grieving wife— a request Jacobsen denied, insisting the show must continue.
Two days after the mother’s death, the father’s daughter became ill. Despite his pleas to remain with his dying child, Jacobsen forced the family onward to Paris, where the remaining five Inuit fell sick and were rushed to hospitals. By January 8, all five had perished.
Jacobsen’s diary chillingly admits, “Everything went so well in beginning… Should I be indirectly responsible for their deaths?”
8 An Entire Tribe Was Wiped Out
At the dawn of the twentieth century, European whalers encountered a distinct group known as the Sadlermiut, who inhabited three islands in Hudson Bay.
The Sadlermiut lived in stark isolation from neighboring Inuit, residing in stone houses rather than igloos, practicing a unique religion, and speaking a language of their own. Though they showed some cultural overlap, they maintained a separate identity.
Tragically, within just a few years, European‑borne diseases swept through the community. By 1903, every member of the Sadlermiut had succumbed, erasing an entire tribe from history.
7 The Canadian Government Gave The Inuit Numbers For Names
Early missionaries, unable or unwilling to master Inuit names, assigned biblical monikers such as “Noah” and “Jonah” to the people they encountered.
Soon after, the Canadian government instituted an identification system that replaced family surnames with numeric codes. These numbers doubled as last names on all official paperwork, and Inuit were compelled to wear the digits around their necks like dog tags.
By the 1940s, many Inuit were recorded as “Annie E7‑121” or similar. It wasn’t until 1978 that they were finally permitted to reclaim their ancestral names.
6 People Were Forcibly Moved Farther North
During the 1950s, the Canadian government launched a campaign dubbed “The Eskimo Problem,” promising Inuit a better life through relocation to supposedly richer hunting grounds.
In reality, families were shipped to remote outposts like Grise Fiord and Resolute Bay, where winter nights plunge to –40 °C (–40 °F) and darkness stretches for five months. The first year saw residents living in tents with inadequate food and supplies.
Hunting became far more arduous, and the government barred the Inuit from returning home for another 35 years. The true motive was geopolitical: cementing Canada’s Arctic claim against the USSR, as documented in official papers.
5 The RCMP Slaughtered Sled Dogs
Before the 1950s, many Inuit still survived by hunting with their trusted sled dogs. When the government forced mass relocations, it also imposed strict hunting quotas that were unsuitable for a subsistence lifestyle.
Undeterred, many Inuit kept hunting, but the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) intervened, claiming the dogs were dangerous. By the 1960s, the RCMP had killed thousands of sled dogs, effectively crippling the Inuit’s ability to travel and hunt.
Thomas Kublu, an Inuit elder, later reflected, “I never understood why they were shot. I wondered if it was because my hunting interfered with my work as a laborer.”
4 Children Were Separated From Their Parents
Once relocated to government‑created settlements, many Inuit families found themselves without local schools. As a result, children were taken away from their parents and sent to institutions in distant provinces.
Parents, fearing loss of government assistance, complied despite their own poverty and inability to hunt. In these southern schools, children were forced to speak English; those who whispered Inuktitut faced beatings.
When the children finally returned home, many could barely recall their cultural roots. One former student confessed, “I thought I was a Southerner. I didn’t want to come back. I didn’t like the tundra and the house.”
3 Children Were Abused
The residential schools that housed Inuit children were sites of unspeakable horror. Over 3,200 Indigenous youths died in these institutions, many due to systemic abuse and neglect.
Physical punishment was routine: children who spoke Inuktitut received “twenty slaps” on the desk, and those who failed to stand for the national anthem faced beatings.
Sexual abuse was rampant. Some Catholic priests coerced students into “touching their penis for candy,” while others recounted being thrown into icy showers after being raped. Government attempts to investigate were thwarted, allowing the abuse to continue unchecked.
2 Substance Abuse
Although the Indian Act originally prohibited Inuit alcohol consumption, the government lifted the ban in 1959—right after uprooting Inuit from their traditional lives.
Faced with a sudden cultural vacuum, boredom, and limited opportunities, many turned to liquor as an escape. One elder recalled, “Back then, the whole town would be drunk for a whole week. Everyone was hurting inside, not living as they should.”
This wave of alcoholism left deep scars, with many fearing that their grandchildren would inherit the same pain.
1 The New Cost Of Living Is Unbelievably Expensive
Today, progress has been made: the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement grants Inuit greater autonomy, and the Canadian government has issued formal apologies. Yet life in the North remains harsh.
Nunavut is the poorest Canadian territory, with 60 % of residents unable to afford basic groceries. The average Inuit earns only one‑third of the national average, while the cost of living soars due to permafrost‑driven reliance on imported food.
Recent photos reveal staggering prices: a cabbage costs $28.54, a slice of watermelon $13.09, a family‑size fried‑chicken bucket $61.99, and a 24‑pack of bottled water $104.99.
The lingering trauma is evident in mental‑health statistics: teenage Inuit boys face a suicide rate 40 times higher than the rest of Canada, a stark reminder that the cultural devastation continues to echo.