UNIT 6 At one with nature

Using language

7 Listen to a girl talking about Inuit life and identify the things that are mentioned.

Marly: My name's Marly. I'm from an Inuit village in the far north of Canada. Our lives are closely connected to the natural world of the Arctic.

Although we live in regular houses, we stay in temporary shelters called "igloos" when we go hunting. Igloos are made of snow or ice. On the one hand, they are quite warm inside and the building materials can be found everywhere. But on the other, they can only be kept for around 50 days.

We get our food from the nearby sea. Eating a lot of fish and meat keeps our bodies strong so that we can fight the cold. But the downside is that the cold weather makes it difficult for us to grow enough vegetables and fruit.

It's completely dark here for three months of the year, which is a period called "polar night". So, life can sometimes be boring! But the good thing is, during that time the elders tell us stories about our people. It gives us more time to be with our family and friends.

Nowadays, ships bring tourists to the Arctic. The advantage to this is that it brings more money and job opportunities, but the disadvantage is that our environment is being polluted.

One thing is for sure, though: no matter how things change, our traditions will remain an important part of our lives.