Industry,+Art,+and+Clothing

__Industry and Art __  Inuit industry relied almost exclusively on animal hides, driftwood, and bones, although some tools were also made out of worked stones, particularly the readily worked soapstone. Walrus ivory was a particularly essential material, used to make knives. The art of the Inuit tribes was based primarily on day to day life and was made from the fairly limited material available. The most used materials were stone, bone, ivory and fur. Hunting and fishing was very often depicted in all works of art, ranging from stenciling and stone carvings.

__Ceremonial Masks and Dancing __  One of the most important uses for art was the creation of ceremonial masks. These masks were largely used for dancing in religious ceremonies and festivals. The masks were used to represent the spirits, like animals and the environment. Dancing was one of the main forms of entertainment; in an environment with little to do but hunt and survive many of the dances took after successful hunts. Art played an important part in Inuit society and continues to do so today.

__Clothing and Shelter __ During the winter, certain Inuit lived in a temporary shelter made from snow called an iglu, and during the few months of the year when temperatures were above freezing, they lived in tents made of animal skins supported by a frame of bones. Alaskan Inuits lived in cabins made from driftwood and covered with soil. Inuit preferred the fur of the caribou for clothing, though they sometimes used fur of other animals such as seals and polar bear. Women's winter parkas had especially large hoods; this allowed them to carry children on their backs. Inuit made clothes and footwear from animal skins, sewn together using needles made from animal bones and threads made from other animal products, such as sinew; wore parkas to protect from the cold and snow. 

