# Ask the Eskimo **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 29, 2014, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-eskimo/680020 "2014-01-29T06:44:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![gms453](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@gms453](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gms453)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2014, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-eskimo/680020/101 "2014-02-04T22:53:43Z")
[quote=“Chefguy, post:95, topic:680020”] Wrong thread for that discussion or one on Palin, although I’m pretty sure there is a multi-page older thread in the Pit that I started long ago. Do some reading. I agree. So why did you bring it up and why were you not admonished for doing so by a moderator? What’s your name calling re those two people have to do with Eskimos? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2014, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-eskimo/680020/102 "2014-02-04T23:46:30Z")
[quote=“gms453, post:101, topic:680020”] > [@Chefguy](#): > > Wrong thread for that discussion or one on Palin, although I’m pretty sure there is a multi-page older thread in the Pit that I started long ago. Do some reading. > I agree. So why did you bring it up and why were you not admonished for doing so by a moderator? What’s your name calling re those two people have to do with Eskimos? I don’t know. Why don’t you report me and ask them yourself, if it offends you? Or go to the Pit and tell me what a bad boy I am. ---
**Author:** ![Boogly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Boogly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boogly)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2014, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-eskimo/680020/103 "2014-02-04T23:56:22Z")
Don Young was brought up to show that an oosik was a real thing. Then a small comment on Sarah Palin and it was dropped. I hope it stays dropped. A small nitpick about Native dancing. While the ladies feet do not leave the ground the males will stomp a foot in time with the beat. ---
**Author:** ![gms453](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@gms453](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gms453)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-eskimo/680020/104 "2014-02-05T00:32:30Z")
[quote=“Chefguy, post:102, topic:680020”] > [@gms453](#): > > I don’t know. Why don’t you report me and ask them yourself, if it offends you? Or go to the Pit and tell me what a bad boy I am. Wow. What a typical response from a name caller. Here’s a tip: in the land of grownups, name callers are never taken seriously. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-eskimo/680020/105 "2014-02-05T00:42:36Z")
> [@gms453](#): > > Wow. What a typical response from a name caller. Here’s a tip: in the land of grownups, name callers are never taken seriously. Yeah. Grown-ups don’t have to have the last word. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-eskimo/680020/106 "2014-02-05T01:01:54Z")
> [@Boogly](#): > > Don Young was brought up to show that an oosik was a real thing. Then a small comment on Sarah Palin and it was dropped. I hope it stays dropped. > > A small nitpick about Native dancing. While the ladies feet do not leave the ground the males will stomp a foot in time with the beat. Cutest dance I ever saw was a small boy doing a raven dance. The steps imitated a raven’s hop perfectly. ---
**Author:** ![gms453](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@gms453](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gms453)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-eskimo/680020/107 "2014-02-05T01:28:17Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Yeah. Grown-ups don’t have to have the last word. Thomas Jefferson disagrees: “All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.” ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-eskimo/680020/108 "2014-02-05T01:29:20Z")
> [@gms453](#): > > Thomas Jefferson disagrees: “All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.” Just can’t drop it, can you? :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![gms453](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@gms453](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gms453)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-eskimo/680020/109 "2014-02-05T02:18:24Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Just can’t drop it, can you? :rolleyes: Nor can you, apparently.:rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-eskimo/680020/110 "2014-02-05T03:08:54Z")
Sara Palin is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I’ve ever known in my life. ---
**Author:** ![gms453](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@gms453](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gms453)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-eskimo/680020/111 "2014-02-05T03:15:05Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > Sara Palin is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I’ve ever known in my life. Why do you say that, and what’s that got to do with Eskimos? ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-eskimo/680020/112 "2014-02-05T03:22:40Z")
Crap. I wrote that post, then realized it was continuing the bullshit and went to send a note to the mods about the rather tenacious derailment. I think I hit submit out of rote habit. ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-eskimo/680020/113 "2014-02-05T04:18:42Z")
What are parkas and mukluks made of that make them so warm, and are they water resistant? Are any of the “old” materials still used? ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-eskimo/680020/114 "2014-02-05T04:19:40Z")
Ok folks, enough with the political dig and other jabs. If you can’t keep it civil, then take it to The Pit. In here, keep it in the confines of “don’t be a jerk”. Consider this the warning before the Warnings. * * * **Hal Briston** - MPSIMS Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Boogly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Boogly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boogly)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-eskimo/680020/115 "2014-02-05T10:05:00Z")
> [@Becky2844](#): > > What are parkas and mukluks made of that make them so warm, and are they water resistant? Are any of the “old” materials still used? I have not seen a parka being made. My Aunt used to make them and I saw her preparing to make one. Lots of material everwhere, it looked like a hobby store and animal exploded. So…I can’t say my answer is 100% correct. Much like coats of today parkas are layered and windproof. The can be heavy for weather that isn’t really cold, over dressing for weather. But when it’s cold they are awesome. The insides are modern materials because they are easier to get. Or I can say after the parkas are finished they are left outside and kissed by the Northern Lights and blessed by the Northern Winds. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Boogly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Boogly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boogly)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-eskimo/680020/116 "2014-02-05T10:25:10Z")
> [@astro](#): > > Do you feel you are inherently or genetically more tolerant of cold than people in warmer climates? Does hot weather bother you more than natives of hot regions? Sorry for missing this. Personally I prefer cooler temps than many people I’ve met outside the region. I prefer the house temp to be about 68. In New Mexico in the winter I would wear cargo shorts, t-shirt, overshirt, hat and sandals. In the morning with the temps about 20 I wouldn’t be totally comfortable but it wasn’t bad to me. I dressed that way because when the temps came up in the afternoon, temps 40-60, I felt ‘just capital’. (Sorry, I always wanted to use that line somewhere.) If it was windy I would upgrade to pants and shoes. During the few days of wind and cold I have a columbia jacket with removable liner. I still have it in Alaska and it’s my primary jacket. I do believe I am less tolerant of heat. Hot tubs and I don’t get along for very long. I can function in the heat but I have to remember to keep hydrated. ---
**Author:** ![Boogly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Boogly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boogly)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-eskimo/680020/117 "2014-02-05T10:41:35Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > Do eskimos embrace gays readily? What’s the cultural norms with gays in various eskimo tribes? I talked with my cousin, who is gay and from the region, and he says that there is some discrimination from people. Nothing open or hostile but it is there and his circle of friends is that he can ignore them. He said that after he came out he was surprised by the number of people who came to him for help in coming out. So while I don’t see it if there are people who are afraid to come out I would assume that there is enough to make some people uncomfortable. ---
**Author:** ![Dunkelheit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dunkelheit/32/248_2.png) [@Dunkelheit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunkelheit)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2014, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-eskimo/680020/118 "2014-02-07T19:52:13Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Nitpicks for **bienville** : while I won’t comment on your joke, “Aleutian” is not a tribe, nor is an Aleut an Eskimo. Are the Wiki pages on the subject inaccurate? The page for [Eskimo](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eskimo) includes the Aleut, and the page for [the Aleut people](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleut_people) refers to tribes. Or in that case, are you saying that “Aleutian” is not a proper term to use for the Aleut people rather than that they don’t have tribes? I may have been reading that part of your statement wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2014, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-eskimo/680020/119 "2014-02-07T20:28:58Z")
Aleuts aren’t considered Eskimos, although their languages are in the same Eskimo-Aleut language family. That just means they’re as close as, say, German and French. Aleuts may have tribes, but Aleut ethnicity itself is not a tribe. Generally I’ve never heard a native Alaskan refer to their “tribe”. People generally refer to their family, or home village, or that they’re Inupiaq or Yupik, but nothing beyond that. In the lower 48 lots of indians refer to their tribe, but eskimos were never organized that way. ---
**Author:** ![Dunkelheit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dunkelheit/32/248_2.png) [@Dunkelheit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunkelheit)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2014, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-eskimo/680020/120 "2014-02-07T20:57:56Z")
Speaking of food, what are prices like in Alaska compared to the more northerly parts of Canada? Since there are roads and cities, obviously shipping costs and price gouging due to captive customer bases won’t be as big a problem, but do the more isolated communities find groceries significantly more expensive than the national average? For examples, [this](http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/the-north/why-is-food-so-expensive-in-nunavut-shop-for-yourself-and-find-out/article15915054/) page compares various food prices between different northern communities and also compares Nunavut prices with Canadian averages. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-eskimo/680020.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-eskimo/680020.md?page=7)