Genealogy Chat

Although they undoubtedly have their roots in Asia, I think the skin colour is also a result of being in a country which is very bright - snow reflection etc. The dark pigmentation in the skin protects against UV light and probably has darkened by natural selection over the millenia. I am sure that I read somewhere that the Eskimo people share mitochondria with the Japanese? OC

Esquimaux, please! And if you were an Alaskan Yupik, you would be pretty cross to be called an Inuit, but you would certainly be an Eskimo.

Thanks, much appreciated!!

Hi. I'm in Canada, so I can offer a couple of insights. For one, we refer to them as INUIT now, not Eskimos. In fact, all the English place names have been changed to Inuit names; i.e., the Northwest Territories is now called NUNAVUK. It is said that they migrated across the Bering Sea from the northern regions of Asia (i.e., China) to Alaska and Canada, which would explain their skin colour. If you look at a detailed map of the Bering Sea, you will see many, many islands and realize how they could have done it. Hope this helps a little. Linda

My husband thinks Im mad lol, but I've always been fascinated by the origin of eskimo's; why they are dark when they live in a cold country; where they originally came from, etc. Im sure I was one in a previous life lol. Does anyone know anything about their origin?