What is the difference between inuit and eskimo?

Answer 1

Both are terms used to describe the Native people who reside in the northern most areas of North American and a bit of Russia.

Inuit is a term used in Canada and Greenland to refer to the Indigenous people of the Arctic.

Inuit is rarely used in Alaska and those that do use it to identify themselves have either spent time in the Lower 48 where people didn’t understand Eskimo or those who have been in Canada where Eskimo is a highly offensive word. Here in Alaska, the Indigenous people of the Arctic use the term Eskimo to describe themselves; especially if they are unsure of which specific sub group they belong to and often use the term when describing themselves to non-native people.

Mainly people identify themselves by language group, where a majority is either Yupik or Inupiaq. Cupik and Siberian Yupik are other smaller Eskimo language groups that people identify with. Many also identify themselves by which village that they or their family came from and this can be in combination with either their Language group or the blanket Eskimo term.

Answer 2

Actually Inuit is the indigenous name and Eskimo is what Europeans call them. Although, technically Eskimo is assigned to all arctic peoples, whereby Inuit is a branch of the arctic peoples. I honestly believe that today most have intermarried so that it might be hard to find pure Inuit these days.

Boaz

Answer 3

All Inuit are Eskimos, but not all Eskimos are Inuit.

I know that Eskimo is not the term they use of themselves, but then Germans don't call themselves German either, and Welsh is originally an English word for "foreigner". I'm Welsh, and that's what I call myself in English.

Certainly one should avoid the equivalent of calling all Europeans German.

Answer 4

Eskimo is the name for the Inuit that got stuck by mistake. It means Eater of Raw Flesh, which is what europeans saw them doing because there weren't any plants where they lived. Inuit is what they call themselves. Or called themselves.

Answer 5

Inuit is their name for themselves "the people"
Eskimo is what we call them

Answer 6

Inuit is a native form of the name while "Eskimo" is a foreign word to refer to the group. Technically, in a linguistic sense, "Inuit" refers to Canadian and Greenlandic forms of the language while "Yupik" refers to Alaskan and Siberian forms of the language.

Answer 7

I am an Inuit and Inuit is just the correct word for eskimo.

Eskimo means eatter of raw meat.
Inuit is the proper word.

PS - You should come up here and be snug up in our winters.
You would love it!

Answer 8

Innuit get REALLY mad and will punch you if you call them 'eskimo'. This would be the major difference, in my opinion.

I know this from experience, unfortunately.

~Morg~