ABSTRACT
This chapter talks about Inuit traditional knowledge. Traditional naming is an important element of Inuit heritage. The custom of traditional naming of the Inuit within the circumpolar region is over 10,000 years old. In some cases naming was planned prior to the birth of a child. Normally, the Elders, the parents or the in-laws, planned the naming of an unborn child. ‘Custom adoption’ also continues to be a major part of Inuit life. Custom adoption is an arrangement originally made by the Elders, whereby grandparents made the decision to have their first grandchild adopted. Sometimes couples who cannot have any children adopted children several times in their lives. Elders sometimes liked to tell Inuit legends, as they still do on the local radio station and during television interviews on local TV. These legends have been passed down from generation to generation.
