The Adaptation of the Inuit free essay sample

The Adaptation of the Inuit (Eskimo) People: Cultural and Biological The Inuit people are also known as Eskimos. They have lived in the Artic area; the Tundra, where the climate is cold and too severe for trees to grow, for over a thousand years. Over the thousands of years living in the Artic environment, the Inuit people have adapted culturally and biologically. Among the biological adaptations, their bodies altered permitting them to adapt to the environment in five ways. In addition to biological daptations, the Inuit people also adapted culturally, changing how they dressed, the type of home they lived in, and the number of individuals in their groups. The five ways in which the Inuit people adapted biologically to their environment include their body stature, had fewer sweat glands, blood vessels expand, metabolism rate increase, and adapting to the foods in that environment. The Inuit people were rather short and stocky. We will write a custom essay sample on The Adaptation of the Inuit or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page They had short bodies, mainly so they could absorb heat for the adaptation to the cold climate they lived in. Having a short body allowed the Inuit people to contain body heat internally and made it hard for body heat to be lost. The benefit of possessing a short body and being able to contain heat is that the heat The Inuit people also had fewer sweat glands. Typically, they had fewer sweat glands in areas such as, the chest, the abdomen, legs and feet. Having fewer sweat glands was extremely beneficial to the Inuit people because one of the ways the human body loses heat is through pores (sweat glands) in our skin. Having fewer sweat glands llowed the Inuit people to keep heat near the major organs which is essential to the well-being of the body. Another way in which the Inuit people adapted biologically to their environment is via their blood vessels. Their blood vessels in their hands had expanded further. This also was beneficial to the Inuit people because they were able to get blood to their extremities. This was extremely important because they lived in a cold climate. By blood being able to get to all the extremities, the Inuit people were able to prevent frostbite. The Inuit people had high metabolism rates. This is also related to body heat and how they adapted to their cold environment. By having a high metabolic rate they were able to produce body heat as well, thus keeping them warm. The last way in which the Inuit people adapted biologically to their environment is via adaptation to foods. The Inuit peoples diet consists of high protein and fat. They ate foods such as seal, whales, and freshwater fish. Not only did the Inuit people of the Artic adapt biologically, they did so culturally as well. They dapted culturally in three main ways via clothing, houses and living in small groups. The Inuit were clothing that would best suit their environment. The type of clothing worn was intended to keep in heat in addition to not expose any skin. They were clothes that werent loose and fit around the wrists as well as the ankles The type of homes they lived in was also meant to keep in heat. They lived in Igloo and Sod (oval) houses. The last way in which the Inuit people adapted to their environment culturally is their choice to live in small groups. The small groups xisted tor several reasons. These reasons include being able to move trequently in order to use food resources. Other reasons include because the food is scarce smaller groups is needed. This resulted in smaller families as well and it made it easier for food to be divided. Due to living in an environment that is cold and difficult to grow food the Inuit people had to become adapted to that environment. They adapted both biologically and culturally. The ways in which they adapted to their environment was mainly for staying warm and keeping heat in.